Budgies gone, getting cockatiel.

[reeb]

Guys, let's not be a bunch of adults ganging up on a child. It isn't fair. I'm not going to throw my own opinions into the mix because I feel that enough has been said. As Anansi said, the OP is most likely much younger than anyone else here. We need to be a little sensitive.

I more or less agree with you. And let us not forget that this phenomenon of budgies escaping and meeting a not so good end is probably happening to 100s if not 1000s of budgies on a daily basis across the globe.



In this case , it has been brought to our attention.



When I was young, my grandfather left the door open by mistake and one of my favourite budgies escaped. I was 13 at that time.



My suggestion to this person would be to go through a mourning period of say 6 months- the birds deserve that much. Use these 6 months to learn more about birds before taking any decision on getting more birds.

I agree. I had 2 very special budgies escape in 2016. One was the mother of all of the babies we had hatched that year. At the time I was still at my old house and we did not have the large double door aviary the flock now live in. At the time they lived in 3 very large cages. We are not entirely sure what happened - we think that maybe our gardener accidentally left the door open (they were outside for the morning to get some sunshine in summer), and they got away. I was devastated, and blamed myself for letting this happen to them. I cried and cried, feeling like a terrible person. The flock was not the same without them.

These things do happen. And it’s horrible that they do. But we learn from mistakes, whether “innocent” or not (that word has been thrown around a lot, and it has multiple meanings). I did not get anymore birds until about 8 or 9 months later when my birds were fully settled into their new home.

The thing is, I was 19 when my two flew away, which is very different from being a kid or a young teenager. I took full responsibility, and that is why I was so devastated. If I was younger, I don’t know how I would have reacted. But I do know that my emotional maturity was not where it was as a young adult.

 

[EllenD]

I'm sorry that you lost your Budgies, mostly I'm sorry for the Budgies, as I have been a life-long owner and breeder of both American/Australian and English Budgies, and I think they need/require/deserve just as much attention and interaction as any other parrot, they are parrots, and they're very intelligent and loving birds.

I think the bigger issue here, since the Budgies are long-gone, is the fact that you had what you thought, as a child, were "pet" Budgies...but I want you to know, since your mother/parents have not properly educated you on parrots at all (not your fault...none of this is your fault, as you sound quite young and are not taking care of yourself), I want you to know that you did not have "pet" Budgies, you have Budgies who lived outside and were not interacted with other than being fed. You went an entire day without even knowing that they were gone...I know you're a kid/teenager, but think about that for a second, and try to understand how wrong that is as far as responsibility for those Budgies went...

Now, if you were to get a young, hand-raised Cockatiel, from a breeder or pet shop, you obviously cannot let them live outside, that would be cruel and animal abuse/neglect...However, even if you left a young, tame Cockatiel live in a cage inside your house, here's my question to you that no one else has asked you yet...HOW MUCH TIME ARE YOU PLANNING ON SPENDING INTERACTING WITH A YOUNG, TAME COCKATIEL EVERY DAY IF YOU GET ONE? The type of parrot you are thinking of getting, just the age and the way it will-have been raised, would make this bird HELPLESS AND EXPECTING DIRECT INTERACTION AND PLENTY OF OUT-OF-CAGE-TIME FROM/WITH YOU EVERY SINGLE DAY...My fear is that you don't understand the commitment you're thinking of making, based on how you were taught to take care of those Budgies...which was to NOT take care of them at all, they were birds to be heard and looked-at, but not pets at all...that will not work with a young, tame Cockatiel...

If you cannot honestly say that you will be able to allow a young, hand-raised Cockatiel to be out of it's cage and interacting with you and your family for AT LEAST 4-5 HOURS EVERY SINGLE DAY, INCLUDING THE WEEKENDS WHEN YOU "LIVE SOMEWHERE ELSE", THEN YOU SHOULD NOT GET ONE! That's just the truth. If you get one and you don't commit to this bird, then you'll only end-up with a neglected bird that is not in any-way bonded to you, you will not be able to handle it or take it out of the cage eventually, and you'll end-up not wanting the bird anymore at some point...This happens every day because people bring home a young, tame bird and then spend an hour a day with it, some days no time at all with it except to feed it, and then they wonder why the bird "got mean"...when in-reality it was completely their own doing...

You need to be the adult in this situation, as unfortunately your mom doesn't have the same take on pet birds as a lot of people do, and we're trying to prevent you from ending-up with a bird that sits in a cage alone all day long, every day, for the rest of it's life. What happened to your Budgies was not your fault, you're not an adult, you didn't make the okay to get those birds or the decisions on how they would be kept/treated...but you can put a stop to this happening to another bird...Just because "you want a new bird" doesn't mean you are ready to take on that responsibility, and you have to think of the bird first, before yourself, as it's the one who will have to live a life locked inside a cage with no attention or family...Please be smart and put your wants last, it's a part of growing older...when you're an adult and living in your own household you can then choose how you want your pets to be raised and treated, but unfortunately right now, as a kid, that isn't your say...I am truly sorry for you losing your Budgies, again, none of that was your doing or your fault...

 

[Kentuckienne]

Hi, and welcome to Parrot Forums. I’m glad you came here for information. We love to help people with their parrots. I’m sorry your budgies escaped, and I hope they did find safety. As for getting another bird ... may I suggest something? Parrots live a long time, and need a lot of attention. It’s a big commitment, getting a parrot, because you are their only flock and that’s a lot of work. Are there any parrot rescues or wildlife rehabilitation places near you? Maybe you could do some volunteer work with them, to get a better idea what different birds are like. Maybe you could take in or foster a bird who needs care until it can find a permanent home. You could learn a lot, and help a bird who needs help. And of course come here for any questions, or just to talk!

 

[Maybird]

I had a cockatiel who flew away but are bond was so strong she came back so yes get a cockatiel but don't put them out side our they will think that's were they live and if they get a chance they will fly away and also if you get a cockatiel go to Izzy pond and call and see if they have one to rescue