Hello

 

This is probably a stupid question but I will ask it anyway. I have had a male budgie for about a year and a half. Recently, a friend of mine gave me her female (who was in breeding condition), because she did not want babies herself and had a male at home in the same cage. Anyway, I blew it and did not quarantine her but introduced her to my male right away. At that time, her cere was very brown. For the first week, she was not at all interested in my male but soon they started preening each other, and she let him feed her. After a few weeks of this, I decided to go ahead and put up a nest box. Since that time, I noticed that the female has lost the color in her cere. Has the move caused her to get out of the breeding condition? She has been in the breeding box and I have noticed that all of the nesting material I have put in, she has taken out. She seems to be doing all of the things a normal female in breeding condition would do. Does this mean if she does lay eggs, they will be infertile? Or, will she not lay eggs at all? Thanks for all of your knowledge in advance!

 

Wendy

I think budgies can breed even when their cere shows they are out of condition. The female i have who's got babies now for her second round her cere was getting paler but she's still ended up with 3 healthy babies. It might put more physical strain on them or something?

you can get babies from one that is not in condition but it's not the best time in the firtile cycle to breed them.

you can get babies from one that is not in condition but it's not the best time in the firtile cycle to breed them.

 

 

So Nerwen,

 

Would it be best to take out the breeding box? I don't want anything to happen to her.

It could've been the move, some females go in and out of condition like yoyos. Don't worry, it does come back.

If you want to breed her with your bird, leave the box in. Now's not a good time to breed, it gets too hot for chicks, so unless you have a cooler room for them, I'd advise against it.

As for your friend not wanting to breed, most budgies want to secure a good place to lay before they start going for it. Lack of a nestbox usually stops it, but there ARE people who have had a hen lay without a box, there's someone on this list who's hen lays without being with a male.

Now's not a good time to breed, it gets too hot for chicks, so unless you have a cooler room for them, I'd advise against it.

 

Hi Caren,

 

Thanks for the information. Although here in California, it is winter, not too hot.

you say she was in condition for a few weeks and had a really brown cere when you got her which means she was well into breeding condition so it sounds if she naturally came out of condition i would not put a box in you stand a far greater chance of getting clear eggs i would wait till she starts to come back into condition

as Hath said I would remove the box again and let them settle, wh run allt he ricks of breeidng just to end up with clear eggs (which is more often when out of condition) Just let them bond and give plently of food and cuttle fish and watcher cere turn brown again, then re-add the box. If the rest of the condition are still good for breeding.

Well I just thought I would give an update....I decided to leave the box in because I noticed her vent was a bit swollen and I didn't want to have her panic if she needed to lay an egg somewhere . So, I am very happy to say that she did lay eggs...four actually....and they are all fertile! So, I am singing my bird "Jessie's" praises. She is being a good mom and sitting on them so faithfully!

 

Thanks for all your help.

 

Wendy

OOhhh...We want pictures!!

My budgies haven't bred yet, so I'd like to see daily progress pics. Everyone else here like watching baby budgies grow up too!

OOhhh...We want pictures!!

My budgies haven't bred yet, so I'd like to see daily progress pics. Everyone else here like watching baby budgies grow up too!

 

 

Well the eggs won't be hatching for a week or so...but just this morning, we had our first egg hatch from our other pair. You can see them in the budgie pictures section....here is one picture of my baby "Sinatra"

 

 

Wendy

ahhhhhhhhhhh so cute im hoping to breed my birds in a year and maybe sometime soon buy 2 adults to breed from earlyier

This baby is precious! My chicks are only 4 weeks old and I'm so glad I took lots of pictures as it's hard to remember them being this little, already! Good luck!

 

What did you use for a nesting material? I used some stuff that looks like cotton and it was awful as it got so filthy that I had to change it daily, and recently twice a day, or the babies were covered with poop.

 

Julie

What did you use for a nesting material? I used some stuff that looks like cotton and it was awful as it got so filthy that I had to change it daily, and recently twice a day, or the babies were covered with poop.

 

Julie

 

 

Hi Birdmom...

 

I used pine shavings for the nest material, but mostly my hen threw it out. I am happy to hear you say not to use the cotton because I have just recently put some in, I will remove it and just try the pine shavings. I don't want to have to change it that often. I will if I need to but I would like not to have to.