Budgie. Argh!

Thank you Hen that is very good advice. I will keep and eye on her. They seem to have more toys now that they do at Toys'r'us, lol. Do you let yours out and if so, how often? I've not let them out of the cage yet as I wanted to build up some trust first. I wouldn't have bat an eye at this sort of thing years ago but somehow I am more cagey about it now. Sorry for the pun, lol. X

Hi rubylady,
So glad that Lily and Graham are settling down together and you are enjoying their company. Birds are so lovely, aren't they.
Wiggy lays eggs sometimes, a few months ago she produced five within two weeks! I left them with her for a while, but she started to get thin as she seemed not to want to get off the eggs at all, so eventually I took them away and she did not seem at all upset. Within 2 minutes she was eating like mad!
All the best. Hen.

Faye Aw, I am so sorry that you lost Max. We seem to have a sixth sense when it comes to our pets being ill. Rather like when the kids were little I suppose. It does sound like your daughter has her hands full though with her other charges.

Gagagran Graham is only tiny just now and Lily is putting him in his place when he gets too close so I will keep a close eye on how this will pan out. But apparently hen budgies produce eggs even when not fertilized, like a normal hen does, that we eat. So I'll have to watch her even if Graham does not fill his little budgie boots up getting amorous. And I have been told that they will only mate and produce babies if I put in a nesting box. It's a wait and see situation, I've never had two before but they are turning out to be a lot of fun.

rubylady I'm not quite sure how this will work when Graham gets amorous. Will there be some little budgies resulting? How do you stop that happening? I don't know the fertility cycle of lady budgies but presume that the boys are always ready?

Gosh; even Mr Google didn't seem to know about them!

Humburghs I had never heard of them before either Tegan.

What's a humburgh, Faye? [sorry about Max ].

Max died today. My daughter's first instincts were right. She said that's it now, no more birds, I think she forgets that she has around forty hens, roosters, silkies, including five Guineau fowl, a peacock and a pea hen and a male humburgh. They roam around all day and go back to their hen house around twilight for the night.

Nelliemoser thank you for your comment. Lily and Graham are getting along well, a couple of little pecks but nothing serious. I've just been watching youtube videos on how to train them and get them to come onto your finger so although I have bought them toys and a swing, it's time to buy millet and treats to encourage them to come out of their cage. I think Graham will be easier as he's a baby whereas Lily is about one year old. Does your Graham and Barry come onto your finger?

I'm currently playing budgies singing on youtube and mine are singing away in response. Even though I've had budgies in the past, they have belonged to the whole family and I've not dedicated the time the same to taming them so I'm looking forward this time to spending more time with them. Graham is a light greenish colour with a yellow head and very vocal! lol Lily is a baby blue colour and a little more reserved. She is the one who pecks him a little but he sticks up for himself too so they sort it out and it has only happened a couple of times, generally they seem happy together and it's only been a couple of days they have been together. It will be great to see how they get on and how the training goes.

Rubylady I have a budgie called Graham as well, he lives with Barry.
It is a good decision to get another.
I have had pairs of budgies for a while now and it takes time to introduce a new one but keep and eye of them.

As budgies seem to live for varying number of years it is likely you will need to introduce new partners.
They do become less wary of each other and usually bond well it can take about two weeks or so.

When Barry's last partner Daisy died he was really distraught and about three weeks later shed all his flight feathers at once.
I was away and OH texted me to say Barry cant fly any more he must be poorly. It was only when I got I notice all the big flight feathers at the bottom of the cage. They grew back.

The pair of them have been rampaging around my living room this morning flying around shouting like kids let loose in a school play ground.

Hi again, update - I got Lily a mate today, Graham (we think he's a boy, can't tell yet he's only 12 weeks old). Lily warned him a little when we put Graham into the cage but since they have sat side by side on the same perch. I have found some budgie singing on youtube and they responded to that. They seem a little unsure just now but it's probably just newness.

Does anyone know how long I have to leave it before I can let them out for a fly round? I don't want to do it too soon but also don't want them not to get used to it neither.

Faye I am so glad that Max is happy and back at home chirping away again. It's hard if budgies need to go to the vets because they seem so frail and small. I hope he has lots more squawky days to come.

shysal I think that if there is more than one budgie then they communicate with each other and not with you the same. But it will be fun to see them relate to each other as time goes on. They are very cute. It looks like they are going to sleep now, they've tucked themselves under their wings.

henetha Hi, your Wiggy sounds lovely, they are characters, aren't they? I've just been watching one on youtube dancing to Michael Jackson, lol. Yes, I'm not concerned about little accidents neither, no use having animals if you are squeemish about a little poo. All the fun of the fair of enjoying these beautiful creatures. I'm looking forward to them feeling more at home and coming out of their shell, pardon the pun, a bit more. Hope you and Wiggy have a lovely day today.

X

Welcome to Lily.... I hope she will be a lovely companion for many years.
Maybe she would like a friend, I'm not sure. I have had budgies on their own in the past and they seemed fine providing you give them plenty of attention and freedom from their cage regularly.
Wiggy (my cockatiel) is let out of her cage every day and allowed the freedom of the living room most of the time. (yes, little accidents do happen but a packet of wet wipes easily solves that problem, it's worth it to see her happily flying around.)

Pleased you found what you wanted, plus one! Is it true that budgies do not talk if they have a companion?

ruby I think the receptionist asked what to do with Max's body because my daughter had told her over the phone that she was bringing him in because he was old and looked very unwell. She thought he was going to be put down and we discussed in the car about what they do, my daughter was teary then. Apparently they just give them a whiff on a cotton bud of something and they fall asleep then die.

Anyway fifty Australian dollars later, Max is happily at home again, on his perch to chirp another day.

Hi, thank you for all the lovely replies.

I have got my little bird, Lily (named after my late grandma because she looks so beautiful). If any of you live near Bolton I got her from Bradley Fold Garden Centre, a wonderful place full of gorgeous things at reasonable prices.

We brought her home on Tuesday and put her in her new pink palace, but she seems very morose and is just sitting there on the perch. She heard the birds singing outside and responded and so we have rethought our plans and now will go back and get her a mate. It is true that they are very social creatures and after seeing them on the tele in the wild, it is unfair just to have one. I just hope she gets on with the one my DS will choose, as I chose her.

Faye what happened to your daughter's budgie? That was very uncaring of the receptionist to come out with what she did. x

henetha thank you for the lovely poem although I did try to get into the cage, just to make sure it was ok you understand, but it didn't fit.

Tegan thank you for the info on Mr. Branson. Maybe you are right about it being the beginning of his aviation work, let's book our place for his rocket flights.

Now, cup of tea and mmmmmm..........trifle.

Did you know that Richard Branson, when he was young, had a money making scheme to breed budgies and sell them. He was so successful that there were too many of them so his mum liberated them. I just wanted to share that with everyone cause I read about it in a magazine the other day and I had no one to tell at the time. Perhaps it's why he became so obsessed with all things airborne .

Nellie that's not like you! Viscous budgies, what, oozing all over the place!

Talk to your local pet shops about breeders.

You should really keep two budgies and certainly not two females who often do not get on and get viscous.

Budgies are flock animals and like the company of others It is really unkind go keep a single budgie.

I hope you find a pair soon.

Happy birthday to you,
And a bird loving and true,
With a nice cage to live in,
Oops, I mean him, not you!

Apologies for this terrible verse, to be sung to the tune of Happy Birthday!
Tra la la....

p.s. I love birds. I live with a mad cockatiel called Wiggy who was hand reared from birth and is SO tame and lovely company. She is sat on my arm as I type this.
But I'm not anywhere near Bolton. Good luck in your search.

Happy 50th Birthday from me too, ruby. My daughter's budgie is twelve going on thirteen, yesterday she took him to the vet as he looked unwell and was having trouble hopping onto his perch. He hasn't been able to fly for quite awhile. While waiting the receptionist asked if she wanted to take the body home or leave him with them, my daughter burst into tears. Max has been in her life for a long time and has outlived the two dogs she bought around the same time. When the vet saw Max he said he needed a course of antibiotics but would probably live for a few more years. He said most budgies live for around five years but he had a 21 year old budgie in recently.

Happy birthday rubylady . I hope you enjoy your day. Did you manage to find a budgie?

Yes, I've tried pet shops and breeders but pet shops not open when I looked. I'll ring some tomorrow. No transport so makes getting around harder, esp as disabled too. Thanks for the link though, I'll take a look.

www.birdtrader.co.uk/budgies-for-sale/Nortih-West/AC/parrots-for-sale.php
Have you tried on line?