i have 4 non breeding budgies in a cage at the moment and i want to separate a male away to breed with a new female, the only problem is they are all quite attatched, any idea how to separate them without too much heart break

the best way is to make sure they can not see one another. Put the two you want together in a different room. There may be some calling but since there isn't a bird alone they should take it nicely.

i will try that, but i still have a problem, i have two young males, should i let the female choose the male, i.e put the two males and the new female in a room and see if she bonds with one or shold i choose the male

how old is young they should be at least 12 months i would choose the mate for her and if it doesnt work out swap them

they are all over a year, i think i will do that hath, she seems to take a liking to my green, so i will try her with him, how long should i wait before i swap to see if they get on with each other

3 - 4 weeks is how long i usually leave mine together, if they haven't started kissing and preening each other then i would try a new male. Also if either of the budgies seem extremely stressed you should remove it and try another.

they are in the cage at the moment together, he seems really keen bobing his head up and down, but she is playing hard to get, i think they will get on together

i wait 21 days if their are no eggs by then i would seperate them and leave the hen alone for approx 7 to 10 days with no access to the nest box then i would put the new male in with her

i ve got to wait a week before i put the box in anyway havent i, thats what ive read anyway

I was told by a budgie breeder that you should put the hen in the cocks cage, or put them both in a new cage or the hen will likely get territorial and hurt the male.

I put the box in with the budgies, that way the hen adjusts and gets used to having a box in there. If you wait a week then put the box in, assuming the hen'll lay soon, she doesn't have the time to get used to this big dark boxy thing you've put in. Hens don't usually mate then look for a place to lay, you need the place to lay before the mating.

add the box now, caren is right they like to know that there is a safe place to have these eggs before letting the male get close say we say. The cage doesn't really matter. The hen might get a touch territorial with another female but normally budgies are happy to see a friend. A lot of breeders put the hen in the breeding cages alone for a few days before adding the males, with no problems

i was going to move them to a different cage in a couple of days does it matter if i put the nest box in now and move it with them or should i wait to put it in the new cage with them

I don't know. I have specialised breeding cages, they're the only ones with boxes, so I'm hoping my girls get to associate the new cage with breeding.

I would wait til you move them

me too lin.

should i still give them the egg food, greens and iodin blocks, so they are still in good condition

I'd give both cages cuttlefish, greens daily and their normal seed. But that's just me. Their new hanging toys have cuttlefish, fruit tree branches, bottle caps for colour and carrot slices for variety, different texture and to add flavour!

should i still give them the egg food, greens and iodin blocks, so they are still in good condition

 

 

Yes, they should always have those available, whether breeding or not

okay, cool did anyone see that recipe in food and nutrition for egg food, i think i will try that it seems to be cheap and useful, any opinions

good news people, he has just started feeding her, after they eat together, they sit on the same perch, he calls her and then feeds her, the only problem is i dont see them grooming each other, i thought that came before feeding, hopefully i will get my new cage tommorow and they will be even happier.

It sounds like they're bonding really well!

do you think that they should be grooming each other aswell or doesnt it really matter?

sorry i dont think im much good at this kind of stuff

its alright i will just wait and see what happens

Good news, i got my new cage today, its great, ive got a link if youi want to see it http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...AMEWA%3AIT&rd=1, anyway, they went in together, went to feed then he started to feed her, ive been watching them nearly all night, and about 20 minutes ago he fed her again, the problem is, after he feeds her nothing happens, they just go back to sitting on the perch together snuggled up together. i know i should be happy but it doesnt seem right shouldnt they be preening each other, call me paranoid but thats me any opinions?

 

sorry about the long post