Hi All,

 

First of all, I'd just like to say that to find a forum about Budgies is fantastic! This is wonderful for people who have never owned one before - to find all kinds of information in one place, & if you can't find an answer you can ask a question! Fantastic!!!

 

I have been researching budgies for a while now. My 10 year old daughter has been hounding us for birds for a while now, & we thought that for her 10th b'day we would get her a couple. I have bought the biggest cage I can find, in our price range. Not as big as I'd like, but it's okay. It's 24.5 inches wide, 15 inches deep & about 18 inches high. I have got the food ready, a spiral swinging perch (which I'd seen other budgies use & looks like a lot of fun!), & some shell grit. Is this necessary? I've seen conflicting information about whether budgies need this or not. Also a cuttlebone. Will need to get a few other toys as well, but have asked other family members to get some as a present for her b'day.

 

We pick up our babies in a couple of days. I've been told that I need to transport them in a small cardboard box, (with many vent holes poked in it), so that they don't hurt themselves. If I transport them in the cage that's been bought for them, they could fly across the cage & break their necks!!! Should I put a soft towel in the bottom of the box, or as someone pointed out to me, they might get caught up in the towel & hurt themselves. Is the cardboard box alone, with nothing in the bottom, okay for me to put them in?

 

What do you need sandpaper for? I've noticed that in a few posts it's been mentioned, but I don't know what you need it for? Can someone explain this to me?

 

Also, do you need to get special disinfectant to clean the cage, or will any disinfectant do?

 

When we go to pick up the babies, is there any way to make sure we get boys? After reading previous posts, I don't think I want girls! They seem to be harder biters, moodier & a bit grumpier! Is this a fair evaluation? I know that it's all about the cere, - in boys it's pink when they're babies (is that right???), & in girls it is more bluish. Have I got it right, or completely off base? After reading many different web sites, I think I'm getting totally confused!!!

 

Also, can somone give me their opinion? I want to train the babies, so that we can handle them easily, & have them talk. I am aware that my children will be at school during the day, & I work part time. My hours are the same as school hours, so there will be chunks during the day where no one will be home. I want to train the babies, but don't want them to be bored. I am aware that it is easier to train one bird, than multiple birds. Should I start with one baby, or just go ahead & get the two & work with both of them? I would like them to talk, but am more concerned with their happiness than my need to hear them speak my language! I hope this is making sense??? Soooo....I guess my question is.....should I start off with one or two? What are other people's personal experience with this?

 

I think I've written an essay now, & if you guys have got to this point, I commend you!!!

 

Thanks again for your time....

 

Tracey

Welcome to the forums! It's great that you're researching before buying. Now, i'll try to answer yuor questions in order.

 

~No, shell grit is not necessary. As budgies dehull their seeds they don't need the grit to help grind down their food.

 

~A small emtpy cardboard box is perfect for transporting budgies. Just put lots of air holes and that should do the trick. If you're having to transport them a long way also put a little bit of millet or something in the box for the budgie/s to munch on.

 

~Some people use sandpaper on the floor of the cage and some people get sandpaper covers for perches. Neither are necessary and neither are particularly good for budgies. Varied perches (rope, natural, cholla, dowel, cement) are much better than just covering dowel perches in sandpaper and for the floor of the cage plain white paper towels are great or even just newspaper. I prefer paper towels cause it makes it really easy to monitor change in your budgies poops.

 

~You can just use hot soapy water to scrub out the cage, just make sure you rinse it well so there are no suds left. You can also get pet safe disenfectants from pet stores if you would prefer to use that. Make sure whatever you use isn't highly scented as budgies have very sensitive lungs and strong scents can be harmful.

 

~Here's a photo of a male baby compared to a female baby:

The female is on the left, you can see that her cere is more of a bluey purple colour has a whitish tinge to it. Males will generally just have a completely pink cere, no white at all.

 

~If i were you i would start with one young male. As a pet for your daughter you want it to become tame so she can play with it. If you're worried about it getting bored/lonely during the day you can leave the TV or radio on for him when everyone's out. I had Blinkie on his own for a year before getting him a friend and he never showed any sign to hint that he might be unhappy. Then I recently added Ozzie, i tamed Oz in the quarantine period so he spent over a month alone (he got sick) with just me for company and he never really stressed over the isolation either. I think you'll find that a single male will be very happy on his own (even if just until he's tame and happy in the family) if you keep him in a room where people spend a lot of time (living room).

 

Hope this has helped clear up a few things. Can't wait to hear more about your feathered friend when you get him!

Thank you Bea, for taking the time to answer me (& read my huge essay!!!!).

 

Thankfully budgie food is so cheap....I've already bought some shell grit. Does it hurt to give it to them anyway?

 

I might get another small perch I saw at the pet shop...I think it was a curvy cement one, & also one that said it was a calcium one. They can nibble on it as well....there's so much cool stuff out there in the way of toys & budgie stuff!!!!

 

Thank you for the photo's! They are just soo cute! Are they your birds? Very, very cute. It makes me all the more excited to get mine! I don't know who's more excited.....me or my daughter! Although I've told her she's not getting a bird 'cause her Dad won't let her. So hopefully she'll be totally surprised! I'll study your photo, & hopefully make the right decision when I pick up my babies. I'm getting them from a man who breeds them, so I'm sure he'll have some idea of sex!

 

I'm still a bit wary of leaving my poor baby on it's own. I hate the thought of having him in a cage by himself. I do agree though that it's easier to tame one rather than two.....I'm still a bit scared that on his own he'll be bored or anxious. Especially in the first weeks after leaving his bird family to come live with us by himself.

 

Thank you so much for all your advice. I really, really appreciate it!

 

Tracey

Welcome Beas has given you excellent advice

 

With perches I made my own from the maple tree we have in our yard, if you like I can find and post the link about safe wood and unsafe wood.

 

Just like Bea I just got my second budgie and am working with Merlin on taming during quarantine.

 

Congrats, welcome again and how exciting.

Just remember that you can always add another budgie later on. So it's not like your birdie would just be stuck on it's own permanently.

 

I wouldn't use the shell grit mainly because though it would necessarily cause problems it can. I think it can cause something called crop impaction (i *think*), which i believe makes it difficult for food to get past the crop. If it's not that then there is something that can be caused by grit, i just can't remember the name...

Thank you Bea & Lovey....I appreciate all of your advice.

 

I would love to know what tree branches are safe &/or unsafe. If you could find the link, I would be really appreciative.

 

I will do some more research on shell grit. I certainly won't give it to the babies until I've got all the facts. At this stage, it sounds like something that can cause more damage, than not.....

 

Tracey

grit is a debate, some do and some don't. If you do a search on the site you will find the different debates. It gives you an idea of why and why not. I personally don't.

 

Here is the link I baked mine 30 mins at 350 F, and it worked out great.

http://web.info-galaxy.com/Cockatiel/Housi...al_perches.html

 

and

 

http://www.mdvaden.com/bird_page.shtml

 

I also didn't do the hardward involved, I did what Shawna advised and just place the branches between the bars. For my set up you can go to budgie pictures and it is call The New Cage.

I agree with both Lovey and Bea - they are both very good at giving excellent advice! I'm having the same problem telling which are boys and girls when they are young - as you can see by the amount of pictures ive posted recently!! your post was very useful to me too. thanks. Good luck with your new bird!

I have had one budgie for 5 months, and he is completely happy on his own, totally bonded to me. I just decided to get another budgies this weekend, purely because I work 12 hours a day, and thought that was too long for him to be alone. He talks and kisses and sits on my shoulder and head and so one. We will keep that bond now even after I introduce him to Sunny, and during quaranteen I will be able to train Sunny, so I have two bonded happy budgies, that can still spend time with me as well as each other! Good luck, can't wait to hear more about you new baby, and pics of course, we all love pics!!!

Who's birthday budgie is it going to be ? Yours or your daughters At this rate, you may have to have one each. It's so great that you are taking the time and making the effort to learn all you can in advance. What better place to learn than here too. That's how I started ( here I mean ) and now I have eighty budgies and still adding more here and there. They are addictive little heartwarmers that's for sure You will wonder how you ever got along without one in your life. Keep talking on here and learning and your budgie will be the happiest, and healthiest little fella or girl around.

Just wanted to add to the lovely advice. Budgie food is cheap but feeding budgies properly can get a wee bit more expensive. They'll need fresh veggies daily (dark leafy greens and bright orange veggies preferably). Steer clear of iceberg lettuce and celery (too much water, hardly any nutritional value) and try and save fruits for treats (lots of sugar). Organic veggies and fruits are best as you don't have to worry about chemicals being sprayed.

 

There's a lot to learn in feeding budgies as well as just about everything else. Just take your time and absorb as much information as possible. Also, get an avian vet before you even bring the budgies home. Find out where the closest one is (they're often not all that close, unfortunately) so you know here to go when you need them.

 

You can find more tips at: http://budgietalk.com

What you could do is get one budgie first, tame that one up and then get another one and during tis quarintine time you can tame it up then.

Or you could get two at once. Taming may take a little longer then though.

Just a note. When you first get your budgies they won't eat or drink for the first couple of days, especially while you are around. Don't panic. they just won't eat if you are watching because to them you are a predator. read eTerri's site, it is very good for taming etc. Also after these first few days the budgie will go through a ëscape at any cost" stage where your budgie will try its hardest to escape. this may be frightening at first, but don't worry they will eventually settle down.

Also it is best to start off by covering the top, back and sides of the cage witha blanket or sheet and remove it slowly over the course of a week. This just makes them feel a little safer. And when you first get the bird down handle it until about a day or two later, so that you can allow it to settle in first.

 

(This is starting to turn into an essay :(Laughing out loud): )

With your perches fruit trees such as apple are good, poplar and eucalypt branches are great too. It is good to have perches of various sizes to prevent arthritus and bumble foot in your budgies' feet.

 

A great cleaning agent for budgie stuff is vinegar. Just mi8x with water and it is awesome for cleaning poop and stuff.

 

There I hope that helps

Thank you all VERY much for all of your advice! It is all valuable, & is helping me feel like I can make educated decisions about my babies.

 

Thank you Sailorwolf for your advice on what to expect when I bring him/her/them home. It's great to have some personal experiences of others on what their behaviour may be, & not to worry. Thank you....I'm a worry wart by nature, so it all helps!

 

Just one more thing...do they need to be covered at night time....& what time do most people put them to bed? Do people still do this, or is it only something that needs to be done if they're out in the living room with us & we're up late? Will they still sleep with noise?

 

Thanks for your time guys....

 

Tracey

It's a good idea to cover them with a light sheet at night so they can get a good night sleep.