death of a cagemate (budgies)

brynn.budgies

New member
Oct 13, 2023
16
16
Parrots
Muffin (budgie)
(rest peaceful Kiwi)
I just got my first budgie, Kiwi about 3 months ago, along with a friend for him,Muffin 2 months ago. just last night kiwi started to shake and I realized how frail he was. he ended up passing away in my hands later thet night. It was a shock and I am still prossesing it, but I know i need to move forward for the sake of Muffin. I just want to know if I should get another bird, soon, or in a couple of months, or just leave him by himself for the rest of his life. thank you in advance
 

Jcas

Supporting Member
Parrot of the Month 🏆
Jan 9, 2023
564
911
Parrots
Quaker, 2 budgies
I’m very sorry for your loss of little Kiwi 😢. Personally, I always keep two budgies as they really seem to enjoy each other’s company. That being said, if Muffin seems to be doing fine by himself and you are able to give him lots of attention then it’s up to you if you want to add another bird or not.
 

hiriki

Well-known member
Oct 19, 2014
430
606
Chicago, IL
Parrots
(Birdie - Jenday Conure)
(Kiwi - Green Cheek Conure)
(Elby - Lovebird)
(Gorou & Liberty - Ringneck Doves)
I'm so sorry to hear about your loss. Most importantly, give yourself the space to mourn. Do what feels right for you. If you'll feel sad adopting a new friend for your budgie, don't do it, at least not right now. If it'll feel like replacing Kiwi, wait. Be kind to yourself.

That said, I personally like to have friends for my birds. I like to think that if I'm away for any reason, they have each other for entertainment and comfort, even if they aren't caged together. Budgies are also usually pretty easy to introduce to each other I believe--I don't have a ton of experience with budgies, but in my limited experience they're not nearly as territorial or likely to reject a new bird as some other types of parrot. But, you should be prepared to quarantine a new bird for at least a month in a different room, and you should be prepared to house them in separate cages--possibly forever--depending on how they get along.

Whatever you decide, there's no right or wrong answer here. It's whatever feels right to you.
 

texsize

Supporting Member
Parrot of the Month 🏆
Oct 23, 2015
3,921
Media
5
4,841
so-cal
Parrots
1 YNA (Bingo)
1 OWA (Plumas R.I.P.)
1 RLA (Pacho R.I.P.)
2 GCA(Luna,Merlin) The Twins
1 Congo AG (Bella)
5 Cockatiels
If you think you’re going to want to get a second (3rd) bird I would say sooner is better than later.
your existing bird is still young and still relatively new to your hose and more likely to accept changes.

That’s my 2 cents worth of advice
 

Birdfriendly

Member
Aug 6, 2023
71
78
Texas
Parrots
2 year old green parakeet named Byrdie.
I just got my first budgie, Kiwi about 3 months ago, along with a friend for him,Muffin 2 months ago. just last night kiwi started to shake and I realized how frail he was. he ended up passing away in my hands later thet night. It was a shock and I am still prossesing it, but I know i need to move forward for the sake of Muffin. I just want to know if I should get another bird, soon, or in a couple of months, or just leave him by himself for the rest of his life. thank you in advance
I have a single male parakeet and prefer only having one. I'm with him 24/7 as I am retired. I choose to keep him as an only bird because he has bonded to me, and I love him flying to me and interacting with me. If there are two birds, typically they bond and the human isn't as important as the bird friend.

So, it is a personal preference but also depends on how much time you have for your bird.

I got my bird from someone who said she didn't have time for him. She gave him to me because she wanted him to get more attention.
 
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brynn.budgies

brynn.budgies

New member
Oct 13, 2023
16
16
Parrots
Muffin (budgie)
(rest peaceful Kiwi)
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #6
thank you to everyone who responded, I will hope to get another bird, but I don't know if it will be soon ( within the next 3 months) but the only other thing I'm worried about is muffin being territorial, he took some pecks at kiwi, but never any that would cause any damage, and he does yell quite a bit.
 

Jcas

Supporting Member
Parrot of the Month 🏆
Jan 9, 2023
564
911
Parrots
Quaker, 2 budgies
thank you to everyone who responded, I will hope to get another bird, but I don't know if it will be soon ( within the next 3 months) but the only other thing I'm worried about is muffin being territorial, he took some pecks at kiwi, but never any that would cause any damage, and he does yell quite a bit.
Budgies will fuss at each other occasionally. Two males will not tend to get into a serious fight. I always put the new budgie in a cage next the current budgie’s cage so they can get to know each other through the bars for a week or so before letting them be together. I have also found that giving them two of everything ( two bowls of food two pieces of lettuce, etc.) really helps reduce fighting. I hope everything goes well for you and Muffin and the new bird ( whenever you get it) ❤️.
 

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