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Post by Admin on Aug 27, 2007 11:24:23 GMT
I have a bit of a situation going on at the moment with my budgies. Most of you will already know my sherby is a bit of a pensioner, but for anyone new to the forum, Sherby will be 11 this October and his little friend he shares the cage with is almost 18 months old. We are having a bit of a problem, they absolutely adore each other and are always cuddled up and preening each other. But i think buttons is starting to wear poor sherby out  she wont leave him alone!! She is maturing nicely now and is displaying a lot of "i want to breed with you" signs and when she is in this mood i have to get sherby out and sit him on my shoulder for a few hours to give him a break from her. This is the connundrum .... would it be better for my old boy if i get her a new mate and put the two younger ones in the new aviary being built, then have him in the indoor cage on his own, or is he likely to pine away from loneliness? I cant put sherby in the aviary when its built as he is too old to fly too far now and i dont think he would last too long out there. he just about manages to fly from me to my youngest son (his favorite perch) without having a heart attack  or am i just worrying too much and her constantly badgering him isnt actually a problem?? anyone got any ideas?  |
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Post by telmadee on Aug 27, 2007 12:46:26 GMT
Sal, why shouldnt the old duffer enjoy a bit of the 'good stuff' lol.
Does he get annoyed with her Sal, will he peck her when he's 'had enough' i think he would miss her, maybe you could take her out like Karen does with Boris, and just let her go into the aviary to breed, and bring her back in with him after? Not sure i've never seperated my indoor ones, I ahve 03 boys inside now and think a bit of Julies birds (belly dancing one) have rubbed off on them, cos they are always trying to do things with each other, or have piggy back rides as Cooper says lol, but i dont want to seperate them incase they pine.
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Post by Admin on Aug 27, 2007 13:02:25 GMT
lol @ good stuff!! he wont peck her but he does shout at her and more often than not thats enough to send her sulking up the other end of the perch. but if shouting doesnt work he sits on the bottom of the cage and nods at me to get him out (no i dont know what started that, but everytime he wants to come out a nod it is! lol) he doesnt even fly out the cage anymore, i have to pick him up off the bottom lol or if i put my finger in i have to put it behind him cos he wont "step up" now, instead he sits! its so funny to watch bless him  him pining is what worries me most, but at the same time she really needs some younger company that can keep up with her demands lol i was going to retire completely from breeding - but im not sure if she shares the same ideas as me lol |
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Post by telmadee on Aug 27, 2007 14:08:18 GMT
right okay then, if he lets her know when he has had enough and she does as she is told i think that is fine. What about plan B .........................is the cage big enough to get another budgie in? that way she can have her bit of fun without going on to lay and he can just be happy being her buddy....................do budgies think that way or do they only do the business for the eggs?
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Post by Admin on Aug 27, 2007 14:29:58 GMT
if you think they are fine then i will leave them be thanks for that the cage is plenty big enough for another budgie but i was a bit worried about the newcomer being mean to sherby, seeing as he's so old now i thought a new male might see him as an easy target |
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Post by Berserka on Aug 29, 2007 10:10:19 GMT
Could you maybe contact an animal welfare place to see if they have any geriatric budgies? That way you could get company for Sherby without the sexual tension and you can put Buttons in the aviary and get her a male friend for "those times".
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Post by Billie on Aug 29, 2007 21:01:34 GMT
Hi Sal
As long as Button's is backing off when Sherby tells her I'd leave them be, all the time he's happy. If he starts looking distressed like it is getting too much and it's upsetting him dicide what to do then.
It is hard to say if Sherby would pine for Buttons. My pieds Sky and Minty were devoted to each other, but when Tiny went in with them Minty now feeds and chats up anyone who will let him. On the other hand when Taz died Tilly my canary never got over it and they were only in cages next to each other.
Billie xx
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Post by Admin on Sept 2, 2007 14:13:19 GMT
Could you maybe contact an animal welfare place to see if they have any geriatric budgies? That way you could get company for Sherby without the sexual tension and you can put Buttons in the aviary and get her a male friend for "those times". thats a good idea! i never thought of that i will have a ring around and see what the response is thanks billie, he is fine at the moment as long as i bring him out everytime she refuses to back off but although im home most of the time, im not always here and i worry that she will push him just a little too much. poor old boy needs his rest lol |
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she wont leave him alone!! She is maturing nicely now and is displaying a lot of "i want to breed with you" signs and when she is in this mood i have to get sherby out and sit him on my shoulder for a few hours to give him a break from her.
