Budgies and viruses

Maria_Metropolis · Nov 23, 2013

I have been contacting a zillion breeders, and looking for around 4 different breeds, Hahns, Ekkies, Greater Vasa and Budgies.

I thought for the kids we would start with a Budgie, and then get a second bird after they're accustomed to the Budgie. I would probably only then have two birds on a permanent basis.

I spoke with a breeder, and she said that Budgies tend to get viruses a lot and if I obtain one, it will get the other bird sick. If my Budgie was tested for various viruses/illness and has a clean bill of health, do I have to worry about bringing in a second bird??

I'm so confused at this point, I don't know what to do.

jugoya · Nov 23, 2013

Never get a bird as a 'beginner' bird.

Do your research... and get the bird you plan on getting in the end.

I only say this because getting a budgie just to get your kid used to the idea of birds and not for the bird's sake itself.. can cause problems in the long run.

Maria_Metropolis · Nov 23, 2013

jugoya said:
Never get a bird as a 'beginner' bird.

Do your research... and get the bird you plan on getting in the end.

I only say this because getting a budgie just to get your kid used to the idea of birds and not for the bird's sake itself.. can cause problems in the long run.

Why would it be a problem. I plan on showing the bird the same attention, affection and care as any other bird I plan on getting. It's not going to be a beginner "throw away" bird.

I don't see a problem having a Budgie and another bird.

GaryBV · Nov 23, 2013

I'm not aware that budgies are more prone to illnesses than any other breed, and in fact, considering their popularity and population, I'd say they are pretty hardy and as long as the bird was healthy I would not be over-concerned about bringing in another bird, just as long as you follow the quarantine regiment. I did actually get VERY sick from a bird a while back. My sister had a Quaker for a long time, and when it died, she was very upset and she couldn't bring herself to remove him - so she called me. I went up to her house and got the bird out and brought him back to mine and buried him (she lived in an apartment. Well I believe I caught salmonella or something like that because I had a very rough couple of days after that. It was just AWFUL.

Maria_Metropolis · Nov 23, 2013

Any new birds introduced to each other should be in quarantine, I agree. I will also bring the Budgie to a vet to make sure he/she is healthy, but I don't know if that rules out all diseases. If I do get another parrot, it will probably be at least another six months. I will also be done at two birds. We're planning on an English Budgie.

Kalidasa · Nov 23, 2013

Budgies are wonderful birds, I've had budgies my whole life and can't imagine life without their chatter. You gotta start somewhere, and if budgies appeal to you than start with budgies. The term "starter bird" is ridiculous. We all started somewhere, start where your interest lies, and good luck to you

Maria_Metropolis · Nov 24, 2013

Kalidasa said:
Budgies are wonderful birds, I've had budgies my whole life and can't imagine life without their chatter. You gotta start somewhere, and if budgies appeal to you than start with budgies. The term "starter bird" is ridiculous. We all started somewhere, start where your interest lies, and good luck to you

Thank you. I've been researching Budgies as hard as any other bird I'm interested in. I think they're greatly underestimated as pets.

Just worried about the introduction of viruses or sicknesses to other birds if what the breeder told me is true, and they're prone to them.

Kalidasa · Nov 24, 2013

Maria_Metropolis said:
Kalidasa said:

Budgies are wonderful birds, I've had budgies my whole life and can't imagine life without their chatter. You gotta start somewhere, and if budgies appeal to you than start with budgies. The term "starter bird" is ridiculous. We all started somewhere, start where your interest lies, and good luck to you

Click to expand...

Thank you. I've been researching Budgies as hard as any other bird I'm interested in. I think they're greatly underestimated as pets.

Just worried about the introduction of viruses or sicknesses to other birds if what the breeder told me is true, and they're prone to them.

I'm not sure about all that, All's I can say is I've never had a problem with them, always had very healthy long-lived budgies. And I can't say they were from "reputable" breeders, just run if the mill pet store budgies. Budgies are pretty tough despite their size, and say you do run across a problem it can always be corrected. Maybe that particular breeder didn't have good luck with budgies...just because he's put off by them doesn't mean you should be. Any bird can carry disease that could be dangerous to another bird, but that's just the risk you take in a multiple bird home. That's what vets and meds are for

crimson · Nov 24, 2013

An english budgie is an excellent choice, they are calmer than a regular budgie, and are good hardy birds.
Have you considered a tame cockatiel??now that is a great bird!!, if you ever decide to get both, they can be housed together and will get along just fine.

Maria_Metropolis · Nov 24, 2013

Kalidasa said:
Maria_Metropolis said:

Kalidasa said:

Budgies are wonderful birds, I've had budgies my whole life and can't imagine life without their chatter. You gotta start somewhere, and if budgies appeal to you than start with budgies. The term "starter bird" is ridiculous. We all started somewhere, start where your interest lies, and good luck to you

Click to expand...

Thank you. I've been researching Budgies as hard as any other bird I'm interested in. I think they're greatly underestimated as pets.

Just worried about the introduction of viruses or sicknesses to other birds if what the breeder told me is true, and they're prone to them.

Click to expand...

I'm not sure about all that, All's I can say is I've never had a problem with them, always had very healthy long-lived budgies. And I can't say they were from "reputable" breeders, just run if the mill pet store budgies. Budgies are pretty tough despite their size, and say you do run across a problem it can always be corrected. Maybe that particular breeder didn't have good luck with budgies...just because he's put off by them doesn't mean you should be. Any bird can carry disease that could be dangerous to another bird, but that's just the risk you take in a multiple bird home. That's what vets and meds are for

Thanks, well, this particular breeder sells other birds, and she has a one year warranty on her birds' health, but she said the warranty will be voided if there's a Budgie in the house. She said they're quick to give diseases to other birds.

That was pretty scary.

Maria_Metropolis · Nov 24, 2013

crimson said:
An english budgie is an excellent choice, they are calmer than a regular budgie, and are good hardy birds.
Have you considered a tame cockatiel??now that is a great bird!!, if you ever decide to get both, they can be housed together and will get along just fine.

I haven't done enough research on cockatiels to consider one. I wanted a Hahns macaw ideally, but that will have to wait a long while it seems. They would be in separate cages of course.

Kalidasa · Nov 24, 2013

That sounds like B.S. to me. Of course business people will use any excuse to void a warranty.

Maria_Metropolis · Nov 24, 2013

^ Thanks. At least you guys are alleviating my fears. She said the same thing about cockatiels.

PieMaster · Nov 24, 2013

I don't have alot of experience, but recently I talked to an avian vet about budgies, and she mentioned two health things :
1.) Budgies at pet stores can come from unscrupulous breeders who may not do any kind of health screening, so they may have infections present when you purchase. She recommended specifically getting any new budgie screening for chlamydiosis (spelling?).
2.) They can be prone to tumors. I think she mentioned this might be due to them not getting a good diet (all seeds...) but I don't recall 100%.

Not sure how that would apply to an English budgie, though!
Otherwise she didn't really mention any health issues specific to budgies.

Maria_Metropolis · Nov 24, 2013

Thanks to everyone for their helpful comments. We ended up getting a baby cockatiel. More about "Muffin" here.

http://www.parrotforums.com/budgies-parakeets-cockatiels/38258-new-baby-cockatiel.html

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