Buying New Parakeets...I will be a new bird owner

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someran1942

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Hello Everyone! I have a question, that may seem dumb, but I need to ask it anyway. I have been looking at parakeets and wish to purchase. I would like 4 of them. Is it best to buy all 4, at the same time, and from the same store or supplier?
 
Of course, I want them for pets! Not sure about training them, as I will have to learn how. I visit my family member, who has 4 birds. They are quite active and I find them pleasurable to visit with. She was given the birds by someone who didn't want them anymore. I do not think they are trained. I would like to have my own birds, though, as my pets. Now that I think upon what you said, which I don't understand why you said it, I only came here to seek help that research nor youtubes has not answered. That is all I wanted.
 
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By 'taming', I'm sure she meant 'having as handled interactive pets' as opposed to leaving them as a flock. :)

We're all bird lovers here, and we'd love to help you!

I'll fetch you a wonderful theead on parakeets and get right back to you!
 
If you want a tame parakeet, start out with one. Then you can get another if you feel the need. They'll never be tame with you if they have each other to interact and play with. Taming a parakeet takes a couple weeks or months, but the reward is unbelievable! You will have a friend for it's life. Like I said, start out with one and read all you can on this site about taming parakeets. They are the best little birds ever!
 
Oh, Thank you sooo much! I am now glad I joined, now, because of you! I will check out each thread. I purchased a cage, very large flight cage, so they will have plenty of room and lots of love. It will be ready for them before I find those birds, that touch my heart and seem to want me too! In addition to that I want to find a community that I can learn from, so as to give my future bird family, all that they deserve, need, and could want. I thank you for responding with help!
 
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I have 4 bird currently, but I got them one at a time.
It's best to get one at a time if you wish to tame/train it. While it is possible to tame/train multiple birds, it is easier when there is only one. If you get more than one bird at a time they will bond with each other and can be difficult to tame/train them, not impossible, but hard.

I would recommend getting one at a time, not only for taming/training but also quarantine (unless you want to get 4 different cages). It is easier to quarantine when there is a single bird in a cage, if there is more than one bird and you notice abnormal droppings it can be pretty hard to find out which one is sick and you'll have to separate them.

Just because they are the same species and you get them at the same time from the same place that doesn't mean they will get along with each other! You will end up with multiple cages either way.

You mentioned that you visit a family member that has birds and that the birds are quite active, but there is no guarantee that the birds you get will be active. They will have different personalities, they might be quite laidback and quiet, or they could be active and loud.

Sent from my Galaxy s8
 
I have two, they came together as a rehoming, and I was still able to make friends with cloudy, but less luck with Clear. If you get two at the same time, then keep in side by side cages and work hard to tame them each separately, can take a couple of months, then put them together in a nice big cage, they need more room than you think. People have had the best luck taming one parakeet, then getting a second and working with it. I personally prefer to have at least two together. But it is harder to befriend them that way. Welcome! Read up. Plan on offering some veggies, leafy veggies seem to be a big hit with mine. Most of us do not add vitamins to water. As that leads to problems.
 
Have a question for you. I worked, away from home, during the day, will my bird need company, for when I cannot be with it? I have read the threads now, about training and they make sense, about the training. I don't want it to be lonely and have issues because of that. What do I do?
 
I really do think parakeets need a companion of their own kind. I recommend starting out with two birds, but get them from someone who has handfed and handraised them so they are tame. (:
 
There is another huge issue here that hasn't been mentioned yet...What age of Budgies are you looking at bringing home? In addition to bringing home more than 1 bird resulting in them not being social with you, if you bring home multiple Budgies that are under a year old, you'll not be able to tell what gender they are, and I guarantee that if you get a male and a female (or more than one pair of the opposite sex), you're most likely going to end-up with them mating, and laying eggs. And Budgies can become chronic egg-layers very easily.

My best suggestion is that if you want to bring home more than one Budgie, and you're okay with them not bonding with you but rather with each other, then please make sure that you buy Budgies that are old enough that you can sex them with certainty (no guessing), and get all the same sex, preferably males so you don't have to worry about infertile egg laying either. Places like Petco, PetSmart, etc. usually have Budgies that are too young to be sexed, so it might be best to try to adopt some adult birds. There are tons of Budgies on Craigslist that need good homes, lot of multiples.

And as already mentioned, if you bring home more than one Budgie, they most-likely will not bond with you, but rather with each other. So either you are going to be able to spend ample time with one Budgie and you be it's "flock" and able to provide at least 4-5 hours of out of cage time every single day, or you need to buy 2 Budgies and allow them to be each other's flock. Budgies do tend to be very difficult to hand-tame and bond with if there is more than one of them, but if you cannot provide them enough of your time, then that's really the only right thing to do...

Just be careful about the genders, the last thing you want is to create a chronic egg-laying situation, especially if you're buying more than one Budgie from the same place at the same time, because chances are they are related, usually siblings, and then you'll have an inbreeding situation going on as well.
 
If you want to be able to handle them, I wouldn't get 4 at once as you will already have a hard enough time with one (just because you are new to birds) and if you get a group at the same time, they will be even more difficult to bond with (they tend to form a flock/bond with the other birds).


Also, I always feel like I have to warn new members about some dangers that they may/may not be aware of (especially since you didn't plan on owning a bird). If you already know all of this, ignore it, but here are some things I didn't know until I had a bird of my own. AGAIN..I always feel the need to volunteer this information, as it is not common knowledge to most non-bird owners and it can make the difference between life and death. Here we go :)

Pretty much anything with a scent shouldn't be used around your bird (no candles (scented or unscented-- it doesn't matter if they are "organic" etc-- they are still bad for their lungs), air fresheners (Fabreeze or car fresheners/oils/tags etc), perfumes, hairsprays, carpet shampoo, oil diffusions, spray-on deodorant, sharpie markers, hot glue guns, paint, shoe polish, nail polish, nail polish remover, cigarettes, BBQ grill smoke, bug spray, insecticide, burning food- esp smoking oil/butter etc etc)

Everyday household cleaners, such as Bleach, Lysol, Windex, Kaboom etc are also terrible for birds (their respiratory systems are SUPER sensitive compared to mammals). The only safe cleaners are vinegar+water, baking soda+water (on home surfaces), water+ grapefruit seed extract and/or avian safe veterinary cleaners/disinfectants (such as F10 SC). Do not ever mix something like vinegar+ water with an avian safe cleaner, as this can lead to unexpected chemical reactions.

Teflon/PTFE/PFOA is very very dangerous and it hides in things like ironing board covers, irons, curling irons, drip trays, bake-in-a-bag meals, space-heaters, self-cleaning ovens, some microwave popcorn bags, blow-dryers, curlers,toasters, rice-cookers, air poppers/fryers, humidifiers etc. If a product heats up, it often contains internal or external parts coated in teflon and this can be in the form of a clear-coat. Most people assume it is just in kitchen pots and pans, and while it is common there, it is in many other unexpected (and invisible) places as well.

If you haven't already, find a certified avian vet (CAV). Birds hide illness like crazy (because it would get them killed in the wild if they showed weakness). This means that by the time you notice symptoms, things are getting pretty bad. Tail-bobbing/pumping is a sign of breathing difficulty. Look out for that, as well as any sounds when breathing...Nares and vent (butt) should be free from discharge/waste. Google images of bird poop, because you will want to always check out your bird's droppings for health (There are 3 parts: 1. urates should be white, 2. fecal matter can vary in color but there are certain colors to look out for, and then there is the urine (3) which should be clear). Overly runny or bubbly poop can also signal problems. Finally, If a bird is hanging out on the bottom of the cage for no reason (E.G., not playing or destroying something) it is a SERIOUS emergency.
 
I've owned many many budgies. Some as single budgies and others in multiples. In my opinion, budgies are happier with friends. They live in very massive flocks in the wild. If you look up videos, they look like a massive cloud as they fly from place to place. Two males is the most ideal way to keep budgies. As there's only two, it is easier to take each aside for some personal one on one time, but they still benefit from the company of their buddy :) Best of luck.
 
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