Here we go again

[DonnaBudgie]

I had a blue and white recessive pied male who was the best budgie ever!

 

[MrJackpotz]

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Is it just me, or does the markings on his face (near identical on both sides,) look like wings? Also, for those wondering, the green stuff on his feathers is likely from veggies. My guess would be lettuce or peas.
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Here he is napping


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Eating some millets! :>

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Crick and Gabe foraging together (she has no interest in him, as she thinks he’s scary, but Gabe is interested in being friends )

so friggen cute

 

[Rico_Tiel]

GOOD MORNING EVERYONE!!

okay, soooo update!

Gabe is seemingly more comfortable with me, today. He isn’t too phased by the phone coming out, he isn’t bothered by me coming up to his cage and talking to him, and he spends 90% of his time preening. He is such a cute little baby >w<

Look at his grimy-self! He’s sooooo adorable omg

He seems to chirp only at me. The birds don’t respond to him, but I do. When he flock calls or quietly chitters, I talk back to him, and he seems to really enjoy that. He even responds to me calling him “Gabe”! I called his name, and his head shot up, mid-preen, and he responded with some chatter. He will stare at me and chatter to me from across the room, similar to what Rico does, when he wants attention or wants out.

I put my hand in his cage, and he showed some interest, but not much more than that.

He’s shown a want to come out of the cage and explore, but despite doing the wanty-wings, and the back and forth that budgies do when they want out, he decided he wasn’t ready. Funny that he wants to explore the area, when he hasn’t even explored the upper half of his cage! He knows how to climb, he learned how, just the other day.

Overall, he’s doing very well today!

 

[Rico_Tiel]

Goober got 10 minutes of out time (I think he likes my teeth)

 

[Cali&Pilot]

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Goober got 10 minutes of out time (I think he likes my teeth)

wdym you think he likes your teeth? Also he's adorable

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Did he try to fly around when he was out? His wings look clipped so he won't be able to go very far. Which is good because a lot of new budgies fly chaotically around the room when let out the first few times. He looks like such a sweet baby! I think you picked a good one.

I'm trying to figure out the cage set up. Do you have a brown blanket with a wire cage top on it?

 

[Rico_Tiel]

wdym you think he likes your teeth? Also he's adorable

He showed a lot of interest in my teeth, whenever I’d smile, but he was too scared to come close to my mouth (understandable, I wouldn’t wanna go near a giant ape’s mouth, either) but he would tilt his head, come a little closer, before waddling away

 

[Rico_Tiel]

Did he try to fly around when he was out? His wings look clipped so he won't be able to go very far. Which is good because a lot of new budgies fly chaotically around the room when let out the first few times. He looks like such a sweet baby! I think you picked a good one.

I'm trying to figure out the cage set up. Do you have a brown blanket with a wire cage top on it?

No, he just wadded around, ate some seeds I had scattered around the blanket. Just checking out the world beyond the bars. I think he liked it, though!

He was interested in the playstand, but didn’t try playing on it— only observing it. I slowly lured him out, and kept the area calm and quiet, to keep HIM calm, too. Not once did he try flying, which is bizarre, but I don’t even know if he’s old enough to grasp the concept of flight. He sees the other birds do it, but never has he tried it.

Rico freaked out, Cricket freaked out, Ice and Tea lost their minds the first time I let any of them out, but not Gabe, weirdly enough. He’s such an anomaly to me but, not in a bad way. He’s a very easy baby, but man, it’s weird working with a bird who is both docile and mostly unafraid of my presence. Rico wasn’t too scared of me, but he reacted with aggression, whenever I tried handling him. All budgies I’ve worked with prior to Gabe, have all been SUPER flighty, but docile. Guess I should thank my lucky stars, I ended up with the best of BOTH worlds, with him

Yeah, the setup is the wire top with a blanket under it. I couldn’t find the bottom grate of the cage, while cleaning the tray, before realizing the tray was too big, so I just threw down a blanket until I found the grate (which I actually just found, thrown up into my shelf, so go figure ) there is now paper and a grate on the bottom, so Gabriel can’t drop a bomb on Rico xD

 

[DonnaBudgie]

I like the set up for a baby bird. I do think you lucked out with a docile baby. They do fly at this age. I've raised three babies from eggs and they fly pretty quickly after getting their flight feathers. But their disposition is established early so he will probably stay sweet. My baby girl Joey is five months old and she's still a sweetie, gives kisses, and wants to be on us all the time.

 

[Rico_Tiel]

I like the set up for a baby bird. I do think you lucked out with a docile baby. They do fly at this age. I've raised three babies from eggs and they fly pretty quickly after getting their flight feathers. But their disposition is established early so he will probably stay sweet. My baby girl Joey is five months old and she's still a sweetie, gives kisses, and wants to be on us all the time.

They do? I mean, i don’t have much experience with SUPER young budgies, so I’m not super familiar with THIS stage. I’ve worked with senior budgies, and cricket, at 3 or 4 months old, a baby who is around one month, so I don’t know a whole lot. He was clipped SUPER young, I’d guess maybe before he was even ready to fly, so maybe that’s part of it? Either that, or he just has no interest whatsoever in flight, which just adds to him being a weird little anomaly (again, not in a bad way, whatsoever.)

do budgies experience the “terrible twos” stage, when they hit puberty? Like, they get super mean for a bit, until their hormones calm? Or is that uncommon/not a thing for budgies? Because I already experienced it with Rico, and it was HELL. Like, literal hell— I was constantly getting bit and attacked whenever I came within his vicinity, so I’m really hoping Gabe won’t go through that, and torture me too, lol. I have no clue if cricket had that or not, because she’s just aggressive and kinda mean, by default… kinda like the bug I named her after xD

Omg Joey sounds adorably sweet I beg, please, fulfill the birb tax, and do share, please!

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Puberty is around 6 months and they can breed around seven months. I've only seen excessive sexual behavior in budgies in puberty with their toys and other budgies but I have not had them act hostile to people at all. Budgies just don't seem to get like that. Rocky is very hormonal right now but she's like velcro all over us but also mating with her faithful manservant Beau, who's all over us too.
I think if they start out nice they stay nice.
Gabe will fly at his own rate. Maybe clipping him so young discouraged him from trying. They normally launch pretty quickly after leaving the nest around six weeks.

 

[Rico_Tiel]

Guess who’s stepping up!

 

[DonnaBudgie]

How exciting!

 

[DonnaBudgie]

He has such cute pink feetz!

 

[Rico_Tiel]

He has such cute pink feetz!

Agreed! They’re so adorable! His lil peets are so soft, too

 

[Rico_Tiel]

He has been assimilated into the flock! he’s the lowest rank in the pecking order, but he’s generally accepted.

Rico tolerates him more than he does Crick (probably because she gets nippy with him every chance she gets, and tries landing on him constantly and Gabe doesn’t bother Rico) and they can be in the same space without issue. No lunging or hissing or nipping from either side. Rico isn’t an aggressor, though so it would be grossly out of character for him to lunge without reason. Gabe is curious and occasionally gets too close to Rico, but generally, they’re very cool with each other.

Cricket bullies him, but she doesn’t harass him, (if that even makes a lick of sense,) like she does Rico. She doesn’t follow him around, or try and rile him up, but she will assert her dominance over him, by keeping him off her perch if she so chooses— or she will share a perch. Gabe keeps her busy and off Rico’s back a bit a little more, which is part of why I got the little guy. But she still does pick on him when she can. He lives with her in her cage now, since he refuses to go back to his other one, so… guess they’re cagemates, now. No risk of babies, as she definitely does not like him in that way, so… yay!

Gabe is a major pushover and pretty much just does whatever. He’s hand-shy, but isn’t aggressive like Cricket, and isn’t super flighty about hands… just a bit nervous, still. If cricket picks on him, he just tries to appease her, and it works half the time. Rico, again, doesn’t bother him, so they’re pretty neutral. He seems a lot happier sharing a cage with Crick, though.

Here they are, sharing a toy together!

I’ve noticed it’s benefitted both of them, though… the cage sharing, I mean. Gabriel is happier and is more willing to do training, it seems, and cricket is actually interested in shredding her toys (which solved a major problem with her beak over growing, as she is ACTUALLY wearing it down, now). So overall, Gabriel has been a major flock benefit.

Rico gets bothered less by Cricket, Cricket has a friend (kinda) that can actually reciprocate and put up with her shenanigans and she’s been encouraged to play more, and Gabriel isn’t being ganged up on by 5+ different birds, like he was at the pet store. It’s just an occasional bicker between the two.

Quite lovely it is, isn’t it?

 

[Corkscr.ew]

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He has been assimilated into the flock! he’s the lowest rank in the pecking order, but he’s generally accepted.

Rico tolerates him more than he does Crick (probably because she gets nippy with him every chance she gets, and tries landing on him constantly and Gabe doesn’t bother Rico) and they can be in the same space without issue. No lunging or hissing or nipping from either side. Rico isn’t an aggressor, though so it would be grossly out of character for him to lunge without reason. Gabe is curious and occasionally gets too close to Rico, but generally, they’re very cool with each other.

Cricket bullies him, but she doesn’t harass him, (if that even makes a lick of sense,) like she does Rico. She doesn’t follow him around, or try and rile him up, but she will assert her dominance over him, by keeping him off her perch if she so chooses— or she will share a perch. Gabe keeps her busy and off Rico’s back a bit a little more, which is part of why I got the little guy. But she still does pick on him when she can. He lives with her in her cage now, since he refuses to go back to his other one, so… guess they’re cagemates, now. No risk of babies, as she definitely does not like him in that way, so… yay!

Gabe is a major pushover and pretty much just does whatever. He’s hand-shy, but isn’t aggressive like Cricket, and isn’t super flighty about hands… just a bit nervous, still. If cricket picks on him, he just tries to appease her, and it works half the time. Rico, again, doesn’t bother him, so they’re pretty neutral. He seems a lot happier sharing a cage with Crick, though.

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Here they are, sharing a toy together!

I’ve noticed it’s benefitted both of them, though… the cage sharing, I mean. Gabriel is happier and is more willing to do training, it seems, and cricket is actually interested in shredding her toys (which solved a major problem with her beak over growing, as she is ACTUALLY wearing it down, now). So overall, Gabriel has been a major flock benefit.

Rico gets bothered less by Cricket, Cricket has a friend (kinda) that can actually reciprocate and put up with her shenanigans and she’s been encouraged to play more, and Gabriel isn’t being ganged up on by 5+ different birds, like he was at the pet store. It’s just an occasional bicker between the two.

Quite lovely it is, isn’t it?

They are SO PRETTY

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Nice little flock you have! Gabe is still a kid so mating with Cricket isn't an issue YET but as he matures (six months is the magic budgie puberty age) watch Crickets cere. If it starts to turn brown and crusty that means she's hormonal and may start batting her pretty red eyes at baby Gabe and he may jump on for a ride!

 

[Jcas]

Cricket’s somewhat grouchy behavior towards Gabe sounds pretty much like how my girl Fay acts towards my boy Cooper. They are great friends but he better respect her! Over three years that they’ve been together and they still don’t have a flirty relationship AT ALL even when Fay is in breeding condition so hopefully that will also be the same for Cricket and Gabe. I’m so happy they have become cagemates and everyone is basically getting along. What a beautiful ( and adorable) trio of birds!

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Female budgies are much more independent and are almost always the boss and the males seem to understand that. If someone needs to keep only one budgie, unless they spend a lot of time with them I recommend getting a single female. Males are much more sociable and a lone male would suffer more from lack of companionship than a lone female.
Both sexes make great human companions (my favorite budgie is a female) but males are much chattier. There are always exceptions.