Need advice

[Jennefer]

Hi y’all!
So we’re getting ready to add a budgie to our family, we’ve done our research, got a nice flightcage set up with natural toys and perches and found a breeder who has a baby of about 17 days old, holding for us when it’s ready to eat on its own. The plan is to completely tame it and have it free flighted in the home. We are a homeschool family that is home all the time lol, so he’s going to be spoiled with attention and love!

Yesterday however, we were in a pet shop and I fell for a budgie that nobody seemed to know the age off, but he’s definitely older than a year. Not tame, and seemed so out of place in the cage full of other budgies... he was a bit larger than the rest, almost looked like an English budgie but according to the pet shop, he’s supposed to be a “regular” budgie.
I can’t get this little one off my mind...
I’m not sure if I can afford another cage at the moment, and I know budgies like company. So I’m contemplating getting him now, since the baby will not be here until at least another 3 weeks...
is this a good idea or disastrous with our plan to tame? I’ll attempt to get the older one tame also, but I know there’s a chance he’s not going to be interested in being buddies with humans lol.
What would you do in my shoes?
Get him and end up with 2, or just wait for the baby and focus on him?
Will the baby still be trainable if we have the older one with him? thanks everyone!

 

[noodles123]

I'd advise against getting a bird for your bird, as you do not know gender or whether they will fight, mate etc. Having multiples also makes bonding much harder from the human end. I am not saying they don't do well with company, but you need to know genders and have the means to keep them separate if needed. You also must quarantine in totally separate rooms (ideally a separate house/airspace for at least 45 daily, but 3 months per vet).


If they can't be out at the same time, you are looking at 2-3 hours free time per bird, which is many hours altogether. 2 female budgies tend to fight, a male and female may mate (and that is a ball of wax) but you just don't know for sure, so be sure you have the time and finances, as it doesn't sound like you have had a lot of experiences with parrots before.

 

[Jennefer]

Makes sense... urgh it sucks leaving him/her in the situation though...

 

[noodles123]

Parakeets can do well together if you know their gender and can quarantine properly and introduce properly (just depends) but housing in groups is somewhat common--- Have you had parrots?
It's just hard to say without knowing them and knowing that your goal is to bond strongly with your new guy.


You guys have totally rid your home of PTFE/PFOA/PFCS and Teflon, right? These chemicals are not safe even if used when the bird is on another floor.
You will also need alternative cleaners and nix any use of Glade plug-ins, scented oils, air fresheners etc.

 

[Jennefer]

My parents had cockatiels and we had 2 budgies growing up but they weren’t tame. We had a lovebird until last year, he was a rescue that was older and quite aggressive and we got him super tame with lots of patience.

 

[Laurasea]

budgies almost 100% get along fine and can share a cage . They are very social, in my personal opinion they should have a freind.

You would want to quarantine seperate.

But as the goal is to tame the baby. Housing them together might definitely make that harder. But we had a trucker who tamed 2 he got at a pet store.

My 3 live free in the home. I had them trained to go back to cage at night. But then just stopped. 2 were rehomed as adults to me. One I helped save that was found in a neighborhood. Couldn't find the owner. All are boys.

I never tried to tame. After 2 years, one of the original 2 just decided to be my friend. Now the newest is thinking about being friends.

If it was me I'd go for it. I might keep them in seperate cages till I befriended the baby . Then I'd stick them together.

 

[Jennefer]

Yes that’s what I was thinking, might just have to squeeze the belt and get a second cage...
it’ll be another 3 weeks at least before the baby is ready for us...

 

[noodles123]

I agree with Laura, except when it comes to 2 females...They notoriously do not get along well.

 

[Laurasea]

Budgies??? When she does have them share a cage it will be a big one. I think if there are ever issues its from sticking them together in those horrible tiny tiny cages that aren't even bug enough for one.

 

[Jennefer]

Oh i hate small cages! We got a 40 inch long flight cage, and that’s just for the beginning anyway as he’ll be free to fly about once he’s settled!
That’s why I don’t think I can afford a second cage at the moment as I don’t do small cages lol

 

[Laurasea]

you can do a smaller cage for temporary. It can be travel or evacuation cage if ever needed.

I had to my 3 in a smaller cage to treat for 60 dsys, ugh.

As the budgie that was living free outside brought in psittacosis that it picked up from wild bird. Its a long story.....but does emphasis the importance of quarantine. I usually do 30 days. This guy got bitten by a cat so was on antibiotics for 2 weeks. So my vet abd I thought it would be ok to end quarantine and hsve him with my flock....psittacosis has a 2 week incubating period, and he receiving onky partial treatment, as we didn't know..so he became a shedder....Anyway.

Have a vet check with gram stain fecal, and possibly fecal culture. See what your vet recommends fir quarantine. Some petstore do health exam when burds arrives at pet store

 

[Jennefer]

That’s super helpful advice! Thank you!! the pet shop here won’t do checks, but I have a vet that does aviary checkups on standby already
I’ll look around for a second cage, it definitely makes sense having an evacuation cage as well seeing we’re in a hurricane area!

 

[Laurasea]

yep! I'm in Florida, I have to have evacuation cages. Pray never need!!
Go get your birdie, before he gets sold!

 

[Jennefer]

Going for him/her first thing tomorrow morning! I’m in the Caribbean lol, our last hurricane was irma in 2017, so you’d think I’d thought about an evacuation cage! Glad you mentioned it lol