Budgies are fighting

[BlooBloo]

Been ages by now but I thought I would drop a small update on how things went.

One of my girls was re-homed and after a while I brought home a little guy, he got to stay in my smaller transport cage for a couple days while the pair got to know each other. I've now introduced him to the big cage and after some brief posturing on my girl's part, things calmed down very fast once it became clear he had no qualms submitting to her dominant personality.

They're now quite happily slowly settling in together and I'm feeling hopeful about the future for the both of them. Thanks for all the advice, everyone.

 

[LordTriggs]

it's good they're getting on and also EXTREMELY LUCKY. I understand the enjoyment of keeping a pair in a cage but you had no guarantee of them getting on

I would get them both in to a Certified Avian Vet ASAP for a full bloodwork, normally you should wait 30 days to quarantine them from each other in case there's any illness. Last thing you want is to have them hang out then it turn out one had a disease like PBFD and have it spread. Far easier and cheaper to get a check-up now and have it nipped in the bud early than waiting and having an emergency happen (better safe than sorry)

Being that you have a male and female now just wondering if you have any plans in regards to them breeding? Because they almost certainly will some time (bit like rabbits in that regard) best to have some idea now just so it doesn't become a panic later. I'd personally suggest getting some dummy eggs so you can swap them out once eggs get laid and chuck the laid eggs. I suggest this because having babies is pretty hard and stressful on everyone and have seen a few times where the parents seem to go nuts and end up killing the babies and fighting to the death.

Hopefully haven't discouraged you, just like to be prepared for worst case scenarios to be prepared. Would be nice to see more of your budgie pair, I may have missed but what's your budgies names?

 

[EllenD]

Triggs is correct, you did get extremely lucky, you very well could have ended up with another Budgie to be rehomed...And you need to always do a 30-day quarantine, and then put them in separate cages and not just throw them together like this...And you're not out of the woods yet either...This is the Honeymoon Period, and they could still very well start harming each other, so you need to ve very watchful...As well as watchful about illnesses that the new one may have and spread to the other one...

You're playing with fire doing what you are doing, and honestly re-homing Budgies because you put them together and they don't get along isn't advised...And again, this one may very well end-up the same way, you have no idea, especially if this new one hasn't gone through puberty yet...

 

[BlooBloo]

The new guy is already an adult and it's been pretty peaceful, they got some time to meet each other before getting together and they seem happy co-existing now after my girl established herself as boss. Quarantine was unfortunately never a possibility for me but I'm looking at local veterinaries, bird specialists are regrettably pretty rare here.

I've named my girl Svea due to her blue and yellow colouring, it's an old name for Sweden (where I live), for my green male I haven't yet decided.

While I get the horror stories have basis, especially the possibility of disease, I think budgies are a bit more adaptable than people give them credit for. I've spoken to many people who've had budgies, including breeders, and introducing new birds very rarely has been an issue for them. It never was at all with my first pair when I was young, in which the my poor female got a male roommate without any prior introduction. But I had more foresight this time around!

I probably will try to keep them from breeding, denying nesting chances to begin with (this kept my first pair chaste) and dummy eggs failing that.

 

[LordTriggs]

that's good to hear Bloo, true they do adapt, it's just something to keep an eye. Like I say, prepare for the worst hope for the best.

Also yeah exactly that with the denying nesting chances and swapping with dummy eggs.