i want to buy more budgies from a pet shop but how can i know that they are telling me the right age of them i want to breed them so i dont want them to be to young. how can i tell the age by myself

Edited January 17, 200619 yr by aaron

Well, you can't really. A very young bird has bars on it's head, all the way down to it's beak. The further back they are, the older, but that is only til the age of 6 months or so. The best thing to do is find a breeder that you trust. That also means you will have someone to show you how to hand feed or whatever if necesary, a lot of support can be needed when you first breed.

Well this is a baby budgie

and these are adults

adults have no lines at the front of the head and are much bigger than babies

hope this helps and all the best

Well this is a baby budgie

and these are adults

adults have no lines at the front of the head and are much bigger than babies

hope this helps and all the best

 

thank alot that that should help me

Aaron, as you learn more you will get more experience. I suggest you visit different pet shops, get into a circle of budgie groups in your area, and continue to learn and observe. I didn't know much about budgies when I first started here on these boards, it has been 4 months and I know so much more then I did before and trust me I am still learning. So the best teacher is getting involved.

Only buy from someone you trust. If they can't tell you when the birds hatched, go elsewhere. It's pretty easy to know when someone is pulling something out of their...rear. They'll say things like...

 

"Uh, yeah they're pretty young!" How young is pretty young?

"I dunno when they hatched but they should be easy to tame at this age!" Who can you talk to who WOULD know when they hatched and where they came from and out of curiosity, what is a good age to tame them?

 

Always ask questions. BUT always know the answers yourself. If they don't know what they're talking about, move on.

 

The head barring doesn't work on every mutation, sometimes you can't see it even when they're as young as six weeks old. Some mutations never get light colored iris rings and that varies a lot anyway so that's not a good thing to use. You'll have to rely on questioning (and knowing the answers) to make sure you're dealing with someone who knows what they're talking about.

Only buy from someone you trust. If they can't tell you when the birds hatched, go elsewhere. It's pretty easy to know when someone is pulling something out of their...rear. They'll say things like...

 

"Uh, yeah they're pretty young!" How young is pretty young?

"I dunno when they hatched but they should be easy to tame at this age!" Who can you talk to who WOULD know when they hatched and where they came from and out of curiosity, what is a good age to tame them?

 

Always ask questions. BUT always know the answers yourself. If they don't know what they're talking about, move on.

 

The head barring doesn't work on every mutation, sometimes you can't see it even when they're as young as six weeks old. Some mutations never get light colored iris rings and that varies a lot anyway so that's not a good thing to use. You'll have to rely on questioning (and knowing the answers) to make sure you're dealing with someone who knows what they're talking about.

 

i know what you mean about they dont know the age is them selves i been to lots of places and they just give me a ruf age between 5- 10 month old and i want a better answer thanks for the help much appreicated :yellowhead:

If you can't find a breeder, get the birds you want, and spend a year getting them into the best condition you can. During that time, do plenty of research about the pros and cons of breeding, and ask-ask-ask questions all the time. Once you are certain the birds are old enough to breed (because you've had them at least a year) you will be 10 times ahead of the game and as prepared as you can ever be. Then you won't have to second-guess.