I am very sad and weepy as I write this new post, Comet and Star did it again!! I rescued 2 budgies from the humane society, a very perky 11 year old pied male and younger green female with a yellow head . I love all animals, especially birds and have volunteered at a Wildlife Shelter for over 10 years and am very adept at caring for all wild animals, especially baby birds. Anyhow, my plan was to provide Comet with a good retirement home and get Star off the endless roller coaster of being passed around. They were fine the first few months and then started laying fertilized eggs which I chucked, after egg 21, I sought advice from a retired budgie breeder. Keep in mind here that budgies are NOT supposed to breed without a nest box. She suggested I let them lay, the eggs probably wouldn't hatch anyhow. So I put those eggs in the bottom of plant pot with a non-skid washable liner which is easily washed and air dried. To my surprise and everybody else's some of those eggs hatched and were raised and adopted out, these budgies are great!! The happy pair were fine for about a month (warm summer here) and then started again, 3 healthy, pretty and tame baby budgies once again (my avian vet adopted one) and people I know adopted the rest. I really thought with autumm approaching and the cooler days and diminishing light, they would stop. NO WAY!!! So I separated them in different cages and the screaming was worse than all my lovebirds, budgies and cockatiel combined. Put them in a cooler, darker bedroom a couple of time for a few weeks, very few hours of daylight and reduced temperature, they stopped and I sure felt sorry for them, they hated it in "jail". Drastic measure were now needed, "fake" eggs didn't work and my avian vet gave the female expensive hormone shots on ?January 6th which were supposed to last 3 months. I was talking with my rescue lady and trying to arrange same sex partners but I didn't commit (was hoping the elderly male would lose interest after the 3 months) and she managed to get about 4 budgies adopted which is great. About an hour ago I noticed Star sitting on the cage floor, walked over and there is an EGG!!! All the signs have been leading up to it, shredded paper, and I thought she had an "egg" bum yesterday. Will phone my vet tomorrow and see what went wrong and I guess I must approach another rescue operation to procure more budgies, WHY ME!!!! As I said before, I can't win a lottery. Also got rear-ended by an idiot tonight who apologized all over the place, so my day is just GREAT!!! I know nobody out there knows what to do but thanks for listening and I apologize for the long post, everybody thinks it is funny but I am stressed to the max.

Try not to stress out too much.. *Hugs*

Kind of ironic isn't it, most people are DESPERATE to breed their budgies.

The hen i have out in the aviary (the only one thats breeding so far) is on another clutch of eggs, i feel that she pushed the other babies out early (about 4 weeks) so she could have the next batch, the day the last chick left the nest, she had her first egg .. i just hope she takes a little time out after this lot before she has anymore

Putting them in the other room seemed to help. Try that again. Don't fret. It's not going to kill them to have less daylight. They'll be fine, you'll be fine. This is the option I would have stuck with to begin with. They'll be okay!

Oh Phoebe, you poor thing. I wish there was something I could say, but there isn't. I can't imagine how stressful this is for you. I am sooo glad these birds are with you, though, for their sakes. Someone else would not be doing all that you are to sort this problem. Not much help I know. My thoughts are with you.

Yes, I shall put them back in "jail" again but that will only work until the spring (April) when it starts to get warm. Will really RECRUIT same sex partners, guess the vet didn't give Star enough of a dosage of hormones or maybe with a will there is a way, again, I feel so sad, these guys REALLY adore each other and I feel so sad to separate them. Thanks for the replies.

I don't know if I've asked you this before, but are they near some source of running water? I know Rainbow mentioned this with her birds once and since then, I've run into a couple more cases where a very hormonal budgie was, in fact, housed near a regular source of running water. Once it was a room full of aquariums. That wasn't yours was it? I have a horrid memory.

 

At any rate, I hope that the same sex partners helps and that they breedy budgies can adjust to the new birds well!

Phoebe, I'm posting this on another forum (just your problem, not your actual details) to see if anyone else can come up with some solutions.

Thanks Lin and e-terri, no they can hear water running from the kitchen but I don't do dishes 3 times a day or anything (don't have a dishwasher), the most water I run is when I am cleaning out the cages every day. I guess they can hear the shower in the morning and bathtub at night but that is remotely away. They are just weird birds and I promise photos by the weekend, camera is out of its case and instructions sitting and waiting................

Well, that's a start Phoebe...

I don't know if I've asked you this before, but are they near some source of running water?

 

Does this make them get urges to breed?

They breed when the first rains happen, so running water could remind them of rain. Also, didn't someone say that the sound of seed going up a vaacuum cleaner seemed to make their birds think it was raining?

Oh Wow! I had no idea umm would this explain maybe why my breeding hen is having one clutch of eggs right after the other, we are now into the "wet season" and the storms are more frequent?

:fear Well, I am not much happier than I was this time yesterday. My avian vet was totally astounded that Star and Comet laid so soon after the hormone shots, some birds can even last up to a year with the dosage, she estimated about 3 months for my happy pair and they only lasted 3 weeks. (and she has an interest in this couple as they are the parents of her budgie, Citronella.) She suggested another shot in a week or so after they have laid their quota of eggs, still mulling this over. Again, have to contact another avian rescue and go through the process of adopting same sex partners for them which can take quite a while as my usual rescue lady is out of budgies (good for her, not for me). And I am so busy these days, my only downtime is being with my birds, doing a bit of laundry or cleaning and being on the computer, I barely even watch TV anymore and I vaguely remember the gym that I make monthly payments to............. :sad:

:ausb: Another egg laid today but Star is a bit ambivalent about it all, I can see that she didn't lay on her first egg last night, it was cold when I touched it this morning and her poops indicated that she slept up on the perch with Comet. Maybe she knew it was a dud as it as smaller but she is dutifully laying on the 2 addled ones tonight. Wouldn't it be nice if I could talk and reason with them, had a little chat with Comet but he is so busy cooing and talking back to me and being so excited about absolutely nothing...........sigh.

, maybe the hormone shot is starting to kick in if she was irritated today.

:ausb: I have just received a response from the rescue organization from which I was trying to get same sex companions for Comet and Star. I think she believes that I am an idiot as she proceeded to give me instructions on addling eggs, hello? Although I provided great references and a history of myself and my birds, she said I should not be adopting any more budgies and just continue to give Star hormone shots. Well, I will be getting Star another hormone shot after she stops laying eggs, she has 3 and will probably stop at 5 as she always has before. The Lipron injections only lasted 3 weeks for her which is very unusual, as with personal experience with my Rosey Bourke, they should last a whole lot longer, not that Rosey laid a lot of eggs, she just got egg bound she has not laid for over a year. My avian vet says that different cases vary..............So here I am, I guess my randy couple are destined to be together until death do us part. I don't know what to do, I don't believe in continous hormone shots and I really don't believe these guys will stop what they are doing, they just ADORE each other!!!

 

:ausb: Note to myself, Phoebe get a grip!! And on top of it all got an e-mail from the rescue organization just now saying that they say they hope they haven't offended me? :bluebudgie:

Edited February 5, 200619 yr by Phoebe

And the happy pair have finally stopped at 6 eggs so we are off to the vet for another go at Luprin shots next week! All the eggs are addled, Star has been getting added calcium and vitamins and Comet has been attending to her every need.

Just picked up the happy couple on my way home from work, my landlord delivered them a few hours earlier to the vet as it is a whole lot of driving around for me in rush hour. So I get this phone call at work a few hours ago from the vet confirming that the blue and white budgie, Comet is the female to get the hormone shots. My co-workers came running as I shrieked into the phone, NO, COMET IS THE MALE, Star is the green and yellow female (even you guys know that). Good they double checked with me. On top of that, Comet bit the vet hard for messing with his woman and he is quite the unbiting type. So hopefully the increased dosage will squelch their desire for now, my vet cannot believe the first dose only lasted 3 weeks.....

true love Phoebe, I hope it works.

Thanks Lovey, there has to be an end to this saga!

And you know what, I have removed the addled eggs, Star has actually taken a few good flights around the living room, she is now cuddling, preening, and feeding with Comet up on the perch, she seems so relieved to be free of the eggs. Normal budgies again (for now).

Why have you taken our fun away with hormone shots? We love being crazy, procreating budgies without any reason and driving our caretaker out of her mind. :

 

 

(And another reason to drive me crazy if I haven't resized these properly but I think I have) :ausb:

 

They read 231 by 154 on Photobucket after resizing them.

 

:ausb: OH NO, they look awfully big to me!!!

:(Laughing out loud): I am glad they have settled down for now