Blaine
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Post by Blaine on Nov 15, 2007 2:49:02 GMT
I've been thinking about getting a pet budgie. I have a few questions i'd like answered. What would be a reasonable size cage for a budgie? What age should I get a budgie at? What pet stores in the U.S. carry good budgies? (even though people say to get birds from a breeder over a pet store I don't personally want to find a breeder near me that has a reasonable price) How can you train a budgie to talk effectively? Are there any good budgie toys you'd recommend or you'd like to warn me about? Thanks for the help.
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Post by Berserka on Nov 15, 2007 11:18:07 GMT
As big a cage as possible! The smallest I'd have for a budgie would be about 20 inches each side. Horizontal bars are better for a budgie to grip on. The best age to get a young budgie - in my opinion as a breeder - would be 6 weeks old. They usually fledge around 5 weeks & the next week is spent with the parents learning to crack seed.
I'll leave what Pet Stores to the American members - I highly recommended dealing direct with a breeder who knows his birds and their history.
First thing a really young budgie won't play alot with toys - they'll be too scared. The best to start with is one of those balls with a bell inside and a dangle bell at the bottom. I'd never hold a budge - they are scared, usually pet stores will tell you to grab the bird till it calms down - this only frightens them more as instincts tell them once they are held they are going to get eaten. Always talk softly and calmly to it through the wire and wait until it approaches you. No sudden movements as this will cause stress. Not all budgies are good talkers - I've had pet males that never utter a word. Repeating a word until the bird picks it up is best - this can take weeks or months depending on how interested the bird is. A male budgie is best for talking.
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Blaine
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Posts: 463
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Post by Blaine on Nov 15, 2007 22:38:32 GMT
What age do they stop being frightened of toys and being held?
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Post by Berserka on Nov 16, 2007 1:14:51 GMT
It usually only takes a few days before they stop being afraid - but don't overload them with toys. Usually 2-3 rotated around the cage every week is enough. Budgies never stop being afraid of being held. It is their instinct that they are going to be eaten if they are held. If you want a bird that likes to be held then a hand raised green cheek conure is better.
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Blaine
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Posts: 463
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Post by Blaine on Nov 16, 2007 3:14:43 GMT
I don't want to get into anything bigger than a budgie.
My mom, dad, sister don't want to hear noise coming from a bird. I'm perfectly fine with it. We have loud fans going in each room during the night time that would block some birds noise, but nothing louder than a budgie. I think a budgie would fit perfectly.
Should I get 1 or 2 budgies. I know i'm going to get the male breed, but I don't know how many to get.
Thanks for all the help.
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Post by Berserka on Nov 16, 2007 6:08:16 GMT
budgies are very noisy and a fan will not drown out the sound of a happy budgie! If you are after a quiet bird then finches are the way to go. However, whether you get 1 or 2 is dependent on how much time you intend to spend with him. If you are going to be spending a heap of time talking and interacting with him then 1 bird with extra toys is all you need. If you are not going to spend alot of time with him then you may want to think about getting 2. Only problem is you will probably lose the ability for a completely tame bird.
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Post by telmadee on Nov 16, 2007 7:24:30 GMT
It's so good to see people researching a pet before they just rush in and buy one, hope you get one and really enjoy, they are very addictive though so be warned lol
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Blaine
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Post by Blaine on Nov 16, 2007 12:50:04 GMT
budgies are very noisy and a fan will not drown out the sound of a happy budgie! If you are after a quiet bird then finches are the way to go. However, whether you get 1 or 2 is dependent on how much time you intend to spend with him. If you are going to be spending a heap of time talking and interacting with him then 1 bird with extra toys is all you need. If you are not going to spend alot of time with him then you may want to think about getting 2. Only problem is you will probably lose the ability for a completely tame bird. Our family doesn't sleep in the same rooms either. My room is 3 rooms away from my parents and 2 away from my sisters. With loud fans going in almost every room, with the room separation, and the doors being closed it should block out most sound from other rooms. Like I said, i'm perfectly fine with noise, it's my sister and parents who don't want to hear it. I've already done some research on finches and finches are not the way to go for me. I want a bird that you can train, one that makes some noise but not really loud, and something that will play with toys. People were telling me on yahoo answers that you don't even need to get toys for a finch, they won't play with them. Then there's also the cage size. A budgie cage would just fir in an empty part of my room. if I got anything bigger i'd have to move things around. Thanks again.
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Post by Berserka on Nov 16, 2007 13:03:39 GMT
Alright, seems like you have thought alot about it. A budgie is a delightful little companion bird - they will even help you with your homework! Do you have a colour preference? or will any do? My house pet (who is actually outside breeding) is a regular green & is the funniest thing you ever see!
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Post by Liz on Nov 16, 2007 16:48:17 GMT
Oops, sorry I didn't see this yet! Hey Blaine, belated welcome! I don't really have any advice or anything other that what Karen alreay said, I have budgies, but they aren't tame. I just like to watch and raise them. I am from the US, so as for petshop recommendations here, avoid the big chain stores like Petco and Petsmart. For pet supplies they are great, however most of the birds I've seen there are pretty sickly looking. I think the best way is to go with a breeder, but I realize from experience the dificulties of finding a good breeder. Unfortunately not too many people seriously raise budgies in the US. I'd look for a store that is specifically a bird store. (google for a bird store in your area) They generally know more about what they're selling and can give you some advice. The birds are usually healthier as well. Sorry I can't help more, but it sounds like you're doing a pretty good job, so good luck with it!
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Blaine
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Posts: 463
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Post by Blaine on Nov 16, 2007 21:52:16 GMT
Oops, sorry I didn't see this yet! Hey Blaine, belated welcome! I don't really have any advice or anything other that what Karen alreay said, I have budgies, but they aren't tame. I just like to watch and raise them. I am from the US, so as for petshop recommendations here, avoid the big chain stores like Petco and Petsmart. For pet supplies they are great, however most of the birds I've seen there are pretty sickly looking. I think the best way is to go with a breeder, but I realize from experience the dificulties of finding a good breeder. Unfortunately not too many people seriously raise budgies in the US. I'd look for a store that is specifically a bird store. (google for a bird store in your area) They generally know more about what they're selling and can give you some advice. The birds are usually healthier as well. Sorry I can't help more, but it sounds like you're doing a pretty good job, so good luck with it! There's a pet store in our area (not a chain) that sells a lot of different birds. They mainly sell birds and fish. No dogs, cats, or anything like that. The store was started by pet owners that breed their own animals. All the animals in their store were bred by them. I think i'll go with that store. As for color, I haven't put much thought into it. If they have a gray/orange budgie then i'd go with that. If not, there were some pictures of a sky blue colored budgie somewhere on this forum, i'd go with that if they don't have a gray/orange one.
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Post by Berserka on Nov 17, 2007 22:46:24 GMT
No orange budgies sorry. You can get some beautiful gray ones, light or dark. Sky Blue's are a beautiful looking bird and a good quality bird is really outstanding - I've seen a number of pet Sky's and they are gorgeous! My personal favourites are the pure white (Albino) or the pure yellow (Lutino).
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Blaine
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Post by Blaine on Nov 17, 2007 23:36:08 GMT
Thanks. I know i'll get a sky blue, maybe a pure white one if they have it at our local pet store. My parents still have to go through the whole "talking through fase." They have to make sure i've done my research and that a bird would be a good pet. Question: If you had to say yes or no to a budgie right now what percentage would be yes and no? Mom: 60% yes 40% no Dad: 95% yes 5% no Normally if one parent has a high percentage of yes (in this case my dad) the'll end up saying yes. Most likely I will be getting 2 pet budgies for christmas. Btw, what does weaning mean? Someone told me to get a bird during weaning. I was like
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Post by Berserka on Nov 18, 2007 0:21:07 GMT
Weaning is usually done when a bird is going from being fed by the parents to feeding themselves.
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Blaine
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Posts: 463
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Post by Blaine on Nov 18, 2007 2:43:28 GMT
oK. Thanks for all the help. I have 2 more questions. (sorry if i'm being annoying with all of the questions) How do you tell a boy budgie from a girl budgie? Hoe do you tell a budgie from another parakeet?
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