Lone Budgie

[CallumConure]

My home is very quiet now, except for the occasional "I'm here" call.

I had my elderly budgie pass away this morning. I knew it was coming; he was at the bottom of his cage last night. I kept moving him back up to the lowest-hanging perch, which was a rope perch that extended from one side of the cage to the other (that also had connections to his food and water bowls). I wanted him to be able to have access to food and water, but I knew he probably wouldn't survive the night.

His name was Burd and I had him since I was in sixth grade. I just finished my junior year of college. He was about nine years old, give or take, but never quite sure because he was a petstore budgie. He was a very handtame, tolerating little bird. If he tried to fly somewhere and ended up in a weird position, I'd go in and have him step-up.

Unfortunately, with his demise, I now have a lone budgie. Her name is Pidgey and she is not handtame. She is terrified of me. I had tried to work with her before pairing her up with Burd, but she was downright petrified of me and wanted absolutely nothing to do with me. Usually, I don't ever try to force a relationship if they don't want it. I like to let them warm up to me and then training can begin. After her quarantine period and our failed attempt at building a relationship, she moved into Burd's cage. Burd remained social, although not as much, while Pidgey remained scared of me, even when she saw Burd and I's relationship.
They never bred because I never gave them a nesting box and I never found an egg at the bottom of the cage.

I thought about having Callum and Pidgey spend some time together but all she does is squawk shrilly at Callum, which annoys him, so then he lunges at her. He is far larger and I will not have them near each other for safety reasons.


What should I do with Pidgey? She does not like humans and is way happier with another bird. Unfortunately, my grandmother does not want another bird and the only other bird is my home is Callum and he obviously dislikes her. Should I try to convince my grandma otherwise and get another bird, or should Pidgey find a new home? I don't like the latter only because then she has to go through another big change and I'd like to avoid that.
I thought about taming her, but even when I go to clean her cage, she panics and freaks out, after two years of a constant routine.
I feed her a pellet diet, she has clean water, gets spray millet as the occasional treat, her cage gets cleaned, she has toys, and I do let her have free roam for a few hours a day despite her fear towards me.

Sort of related question, but... How long do budgies normally live? I've seen anything from 10-15, 15-20, even 15-30.

 

[Pampa]

I am sorry about Burd. It is always sad to loose a treasured pet.
As far as lifespan. I’ve seen everything between 5-8 years to 10-15.
I think if Pidgey could find a home in an aviary she would be happiest. From what you wrote she is not happy or appropriate as a companion pet. It’s your decision but if it were me I would try to find someone with an aviary.

 

[bug_n_flock]

A lot of it comes down to genetics, and these days many pet store budgies are quite inbred and live on the shorter end of that range. Burd had a good life, and I am inclined to agree with the above poster. Even if you got another budgie, I don't think your baby is very happy in such close proximity with people.

 

[CallumConure]

Thank you so much for the speedy and thoughtful replies! I've been stressing about her.


I had my budgies up in my loft area, overlooking a window next to some succulents. They got a lot of sunlight and my family and I didn't spend too much time in the loft (but I was always a room or two away). I do pass by frequently and check up on them, but they otherwise didn't get the attention and movement my conure does.

I have a cage large enough for another budgie (obviously since I had Burd and Pidgey together). Would it be best to introduce her to a new friend and allow them to settle in together (following quarantine and some hopefully relationship building) and only be "handled" for when I open the cage doors and let them have supervised flight time?


If I were to get her another partner, I thought about poking around some local rescues and/or Craigslist to pick up some homeless budgies.


I have put an ad out on my local Craigslist for advice or anyone that has an aviary with other budgies and budgie experience. I wouldn't allow Pidgey to go to just anyone. I'd do a home check and reference check.

I'm not trying to ignore any of your suggestions and I truly do appreciate the replies. I want to explore all of my options. I know Craigslist isn't ideal, but I just don't think there are a lot of bird owners where I live.

 

[Pampa]

I thought getting another bird was not an option. I am sure if she had a friend she could be happy. I live in a rural area, no rescues etc, Craigslist is basically the only game in town. It’s worked out fine for me.

 

[Amsterdam]

İ am sorry for your lose i really would find a buddy for pidgey, ,is there no chance to convince your grandmother?

 

[CallumConure]

My grandmother and I knew that Burd would pass away soon, due to his age and that every year, molting took a little longer and was always a little harder on him. My big, clumsy fingers couldn't really help him open those pinfeathers and he'd get mad at me for trying (I don't blame him, big clumsy fingers that mistakenly pull or push too hard are evil!) Despite this, he still ate and drank normally. We had been in the talks what to do with Pidgey if he were to pass away. She's currently two years old. My grandmother had been adamant about "no more birds." She may change her mind if she thinks it's in Pidgey's best interest to stay where she is and get a new friend.

My grandma may also miss the singing they do. Budgies have adorable little voices that sing all day.
Ultimately, I wish I knew someone who had budgies to give Pidgey some new friends, even if that means she goes to a new home.


We also joked that Burd would outlive us all, because he had outlived a previous partner that was one year his junior. That partner, named Camaro because she was fast and beautiful, was another petstore bird unfortunately. She had a congenital defect. If I were to get another friend with Pidgey, we'd stop the petstore budgie habit and find a rescue or a breeder, which we should have done in the first place.

 

[EllenD]

First of all, I am so sorry that you lost your Budgie...9 years-old isn't "elderly" for a captive/pet Budgie, but as already mentioned, when you get them from a Pet Store, specifically a Pet Store who doesn't breed the birds that they sell themselves but rather buys them from Vendors who "mass-breed" their birds, then that's where you are going to get birds that are not only in-bred, but that are also exposed to several different types of Avian Viral Diseases, and as a result of both the genetics and the Viral Diseases (some of which are not fatal but simply cause them health-issues as they get older), this is what typically shortens their lifespans...And that goes for ALL SPECIES OF PARROTS, not just Budgies. These very large Vendors who "mass-breed" parrots have been supplying all of the large, Big-Box pet shops like Petco and Petsmart, Petland, etc. with Budgies, Cockatiels, Green Cheek Conures, Sun Conures, Jenday Conures, Nanday Conures, and then also some smaller Parakeet sub-species such as Bourkes, Canary-Winged/BeeBee Parakeets, Linnies, etc. So unfortunately the lifespans of all of these parrot species that are sold in pet shops are getting shorter, rather than longer as they naturally should in-captivity; Budgies and Cockatiels in-captivity should live to be at least 14-15 years-old, with the upper-teens not unusual, and 29 years-old being the current record for a Budgie, and Cockatiels typically about the same, in-captivity they should live between 15-20 years...With the different Conure species, they should easily live to be 30 years-old in-captivity, if not longer...And unfortunately their average lifespans in-captivity just keep going down and down as more and more people buy them from pet shops instead of from private-breeders.

***With regard to Pidgey, your remaining Budgie, you need to realize that the odds of Pidgey bonding-closely to any new Budgie you bring home are very slim, and that typically when people go out and buy a second bird to be a friend/companion for the lone-bird that they already have, what unfortunately happens is that they end-up with 2 birds that cannot even be together outside of their cages without being supervised because they become extremely aggressive with each other and fight, and can potentially kill each other. You got lucky when you brought home Pidgey and she bonded closely with Burd, because that usually is not at all what happens...

Parrots form their relationships/bonds with each other much the same way that we do as people. This is why whenever you bring home a second bird, even if your intention is for it to be a companion for the bird you already have, you CANNOT EVER JUST PUT THEM INTO THE SAME CAGE WHEN YOU GET THE NEW BIRD HOME, they must be put into their own, individual cages/complete set-ups with their own toys, perches, dishes, foraging-activities, etc. And the best thing to do is AFTER THE STANDARD AND NECESSARY 30-DAY QUARANTINE WITH THE NEW BIRD IN A TOTALLY DIFFERENT ROOM FROM ANY BIRDS YOU ALREADY HAVE, then you can move the new-bird's cage into the same room as you current bird, with their cages within sight of each other but with at least a few feet between them, so that there is no "Territoriality" that may arise. And then you just let them see each other, talk to each other, AND ONLY BE OUTSIDE OF THEIR CAGES TOGETHER UNDER CLOSE-SUPERVISION AT FIRST, until you see what type of relationship they are going to have...You also have to keep in-mind that if the new bird you bring home is a young baby or juvenile that is under a year old, then that means for a Budgie that they haven't yet gone through puberty, and they are not yet sexually-mature...So even if you introduce Pidgey to a new Budgie slowly, like I described above, in their own, individual cages etc., and they do seem to be getting close to one another and bonding just fine, that their relationship can and likely will change after the new Budgie hits puberty and becomes sexually-mature. Regardless of each Budgie's sex, their relationships with each other are totally different before puberty as opposed to after puberty.


***I know you said that Pidgey is not hand-tamed (assuming that Pidgey was not hand-raised/hand-fed), and that Pidgey seems to be very scared of you, or of people and/or hands in-general...But since Pidgey is only 2 years-old and is still a juvenile Budgie, there is still a very, very good chance of you hand-taming Pidgey and bonding with her, ESPECIALLY NOW THAT PIDGEY IS A LONE-BIRD WITH NO "BIRD-MATE"!

Even though you're sad that Burd has passed-away, the silver-lining to his death is that now is your perfect chance to start seriously hand-taming and bonding with Pidgey! I don't know why other members are telling you to "re-home" Pidgey or surrender her to a Rescue/Refuge, because there is absolutely NO REASON for you to do that, nor is it what is best for Pidgey at all!!! Whether Pidgey is tame or not right now, she has still been in your home for 2 years now, it's her home, it's the environment that she is used to, and no matter where you were to send her/surrender her/sell her to, she's going to be terrified of the people, AS WELL AS EXTREMELY ANXIOUS AND STRESSED FROM THE CHANGE OF ENVIRONMENT....And what people aren't thinking of is that YOU'VE NEVER HAD PIDGEY WITHOUT ANOTHER BUDGIE BEING A PART OF HER LIFE, and that whenever any bird/parrot is given the choice between giving their trust to another parrot or giving it to a person, when they weren't hand-raised in the first place, they will ALWAYS CHOOSE THE OTHER BIRD! So right now is the very first time that you've had Pidgey be a lone-bird, with no mate, AND SO NOW IS YOUR PERFECT OPPORTUNITY TO START WORKING WITH PIDGEY EVERY DAY TO EARN HER TRUST AND EVENTUALLY BOND WITH HER, SO THAT YOU WILL BE HER MATE FROM NOW ON!

The fact that Pidgey would never hand-tame for you and was always terrified of you and your hands means nothing at all now, because right now she's alone for the first time, with no bird mate, and Budgies are extremely social Flock-Animals who always want/desire a mate...So now is the first time that Pidgey is going to be open to interacting with you if you are willing to put in the time and energy with her every day. And if you attempted to hand-tame her before, do not just assume that the same results are going to happen this time, because before you had Burd, and she was obviously wanting to give her trust to him...Now is the time you need to start working with her, AWAY FROM HER CAGE, EVERY SINGLE DAY FOR 20-30 MINTUES A DAY. You don't want to work with her while she's inside of her cage, that's a HUGE NO-NO, because she's afraid of your hands and putting them inside of her cage, her "territory", is the last thing she is going to allow. And if you try to hand-tame her with your hands inside of her cage or with her cage even in-view of her, it's not going to work because all she will be focusing on is getting back to her cage, or getting your hands out of her cage....

I would seriously consider clipping Pidgey's wings with a very conservative clip, only clipping the 5-6 outermost Primary Flight-Feathers on BOTH wings, which will allow her to glide to the ground with control, but she won't be able to get any altitude at all...And this clip will ensure that her wings will grow-back fully and she'll be able to fly again in about 2 months or so...This will give you 2 months or so to take advantage of every single day, and you'll be able to do it away from her cage...She will have to rely upon you to get from the floor up to her cage (a very good trust-building exercise, putting her on the floor to be the lowest thing in the room, with her cage up high on a table, and then having to step-up for you onto your finger, then she gets a Training-Treat, then you put her on her cage, and she gets another Training-Treat, etc.)...This is the best way to get Pidgey to give you her trust, or rather for you to earn her trust, because working with her inside of her cage won't work, and if she can fly away from you (and then you're chasing her, especially with a towel), then you're actually going to be moving backwards with earning her trust...But if you clip her and you commit to working with her every single day outside of her cage, with plenty of Training-Treats she can eat quickly, so that you can reinforce it when she does the behaviors you want her to do (never punish bad behavior in a bird, you only reward the good/wanted behaviors), then by the end of the 2 or so months when her wings grow back in and she can fly again, you'll at least be at a point where she'll regularly step-up for you, where she'll not be terrified of you, and hopefully where you'll be able to continue to work with her every day but while she's flighted, because she will no longer be afraid or you or your hands, and she won't be constantly flying away...

 

[CallumConure]

I've owned reptiles and through owning reptiles (I joined more reptile communities before bird communities, despite having birds longer), I've learned major chain pet stores such as Petsmart and Petco are terrible places to purchase animals from. Even if I see a sick and ailing bird, it is not right for me to buy it and "save it." I may have saved that one budgie, but another budgie will just replace it and possibly die because no one else can or will save it. From now on, I attend reptile shows to pick up new reptile, or I'll attend a bird fair to pick up a new bird if there are no local birds for me (While I would love to walk into a bird rescue and immediately be chosen by a bird, realistically I do not have the experience, space, or money to care for any bird other than GCCs and budgies. And as possibly mentioned before, no nearby rescues have budgies available currently).

When I had introduced Burd and Pidgey, I did quarantine and stick them in separate rooms of the house, in their own cages. I was fully aware that while I would LOVE for Burd and Pidgey to become best friends, that was not a guarantee, even if I took all the "right" steps. They were interacted with and cared for separately, with frequent hand washing, for a long time (I think about three or four months). I had introduced them on neutral territory, away from normal free flight spots, and after doing this multiple times, steadily increasing the time, continually and constantly supervised, I did allow them to "move in" together. Even from there, I monitored their behavior towards each other, making sure no one was being aggressive, hoarding food or water, or any other negative behaviors. I realize the risk with possibly getting another budgie for Pidgey. Burd was incredibly passive and loved everyone and everything, which is why he bonded to two separate budgies with very little issue. Pidgey, however, I'm not sure. I asked for advice because I didn't know if she would ever bond to me and I didn't want her alone, in a cage, unable to be touched because it stressed her too much. Mirrors feel artificial to me. They are, but I don't want Pidgey living with just a reflection of herself, I want her to interact with another living being, whether it be me or another budgie.

I totally agree with you suggesting hang-taming and keeping her home, however she did spend a couple of months in my home never interacting with Burd. She heard him, but she wasn't allowed to meet him until I was sure she was healthy.

(This was also before Callum, so Callum wasn't in the equation either).

EDITS: To adjust my typing and fixing up a few confusing points because I have a habit of going off topic.

 

[Ellie777Australia]

Hi CollumConure,


I'm a bit late but my condolences to you on the loss of Burd.



I've read the previous comments and can see that you have received a wealth of great information. From your responses it appears that you are quite knowledgeable regarding bird quarantine/socialization etc. That's great.


May I propose that you suspend any actions related to Pidgey's future just now. You are a caring human being and I'm sure still grieving the loss of Burd. Permit yourself some time to grieve, then rethink all of the great advice here a bit later. It would be great if Pidgey and you were able to bond. Either way, in the best interest of Pidgey and yourself, I hope that you hold on any big decisions for a little while until your heart heals..



Kind Regards,
Debbie

 

[Scott]

My deepest condolences for your loss of Burd. I have no doubt you closely bonded during the formative years of your life.

I have zero experience with budgies so cannot give worthy advice for Pidgey. Perhaps allow some time to pass while you grieve and the answer may become clear?

 

[CallumConure]

Thanks for the condolences. I have way too much free time on my hands and I spend that time reading about birds I have and birds I want, and my about my other animals. Very much lose track of time when I'm doing that sort of "fun" stuff. Callum likes to sit in front of me and bite the book or laptop when I'm reading (because how dare I not pay attention to him!)

 

[Casper223]

My deepest condolences CallumConure, and I feel your getting some pretty good advice, so I have nothing to add other than condolences.