Budgies?

[negb]

Can they become as bonded to their owner as parrots (macaws, cockatoos, african greys, etc.)?

Also I think I want to get two for when I'm not home, will they not bond/like me as much then?

Can they be caged with a cockatiel?

Thanks

 

[Parrot Parent]

No they cannot be caged with a cockatiel! Sorry if i sound rushed to say that but a cockatiel could easily take off parakeets beak in a fight. Or break its leg or a wing. It could even kill the parakeet, especially in an enclosed environment where the parakeet has nowhere to go to. Secondly Getting two parakeets to keep eachother company isnt a bad idea IF and only IF you are ok with your parakeets becoming bonded and not wanting anything to do with you. I got my parakeets as babiees and they have been growing but its made it harder to tame them and they dont mind working with me now but they wouldnt mind if I never bothered to take them out the cage again. Which I wont cause I love letting them play on the playstand, even if they dont want to play with me If you want a tame parakeet I recommend getting a baby one and only one. Once its tame and loves being with you you can always introduce another one who will see how fun it is to be with the humans. It makes taming easier. With mine the boy is a bit mroe outgoing while the girl is a bit skiddish. So she'll see what he does before she makes a decision. If he eats from my hand so will she. But if he doesn't she wont. Oh and one more note: Parakeets are parrots and yes they can become very bonded with their owners as long as you tend to their needs just like any other species

 

[MikeyTN]

Unless your thinking of a aviary, then it's ok to place Budgies with Cockatiels. That way they can get away from one another when needed....I've been keeping Budgies with Cockatiels in Aviaries when I used to breed many years ago and even now I keep'em together in a Aviary. My Budgies are not afraid of the Cockatiels at al, matter of fact, it's the other way around, the Budgies bugs the heck out of the tiels. They will tag team!!! Unless the tiel is having eggs, keets will stay away cause the momma gets real mean with anyone getting too close....

 

[Ratzy]

Cockatiels are actually more... timid than budgies. If you had a budgie with a cockatiel, the budgie might bully the tiel.
If the cage is big enough, and you have a back up plan ( an extra cage ), then I don't see any problem. You'd have to QUARANTINE anyway, so you have to have another cage anyway.
Sure they can be bonded to you, but it's a lot less likely with two. My budgies are pretty tame, but three of them I have handled since they were 2 weeks old.
Make sure you can QUARANTINE !

 

[negb]

Ok, so I'd probably only be getting one. Just a few more questions...

So, on the info you guys have gave me, I'd take it they'repretty social, correct?
How smart are they?
You can get their wings clip like other birds, right? I have to clip them because we have really high ledges in my house that I don't want them on.
Is DNA the only way to tell gender, or are there some markings I could be looking for? I heard something about their nose (cere, i think it was called?)...

Any other info that you think is important would be great!

Thanks!

 

[MikeyTN]

You can tell the sex by the cere that is correct!!! While one is round the other is more oval. I believe its the males thats oval. I cant think of it right now. When the female is ready to have babies, her cere turns crusty brown. Basically when she is in heat. Yes they're social, if you get one you can tame it pretty good. They're good birds, can be comical!

 

[MikeyTN]

The shape of the nostrils is what I mean....depends on the color variation, a solid colored male's cere turns dark blue when they mature while pieds, lutinos, albinos may have light blue like the female or no pigmentation at all. Females are light blue or no pigments alot like the pieds etc males.

 

[Parrot Parent]

My boy is young, but his cere is turning darker and darker blue every day. My female has hers turning lighter and lighter and it almost looks white now. I'm not sure about any other parrot but I know this is how it is for parakeets. Other birds like Conures and Macaws have to be DNAd if you really want to know the sex. But its not totally necessary for parakeets I guess. You could do it anyways if you had the money and where second guessing yourself too

 

[Ratzy]

You can tell the sex by the cere that is correct!!! While one is round the other is more oval. I believe its the males thats oval. I cant think of it right now. When the female is ready to have babies, her cere turns crusty brown. Basically when she is in heat. Yes they're social, if you get one you can tame it pretty good. They're good birds, can be comical!

Cere changes colour at 4-6 months old, do NOT breed ( for anyone looking at this ) just because of the cere colour.

 

[MikeyTN]

Ratzy, I don't get what you mean?

 

[Ratzy]

Some people think that because their female's cere is brown, she can breed. The cere changes to brown at 4-6 months, and it wouldn't be good for the poor hen to breed at that age.

 

[MikeyTN]

Wow.... you budgie mature young.... never had one mature so young...most mature around 9 months....I waited til they were at least 2 years old before allowing them to breed. Been long ago...

 

[negb]

Sorry to interrupt this maturing/cere color changes/breeding conversation, but what are the size requirements for a cage?

 

[MikeyTN]

The bigger the better of course!!!! It all depends on how many your putting in there together.

 

[negb]

I know that lol! I just meant like an actual number to give me an idea. I'm not exactly going to go out and buy a macaw cage for 1 budgie.

 

[MikeyTN]

18x18x18 good numbers?

 

[negb]

Yup. Thanks

 

[Ratzy]

Wow.... you budgie mature young.... never had one mature so young...most mature around 9 months....I waited til they were at least 2 years old before allowing them to breed. Been long ago...

Wow! My chicks got their adult cere colours at 3-4 months. Here the recommended age for breeding is a year, better if it's 1 1/2 years. Marigold was about 1 1/2 years and Skye was about a year.

 

[MikeyTN]

I guess that's about right with the cere coloring...I could swear it was more like near 6 months with the cere coloring....oh well... No more breeding for me! I don't have the time...lol

 

[Irissama]

My babies's colors changed at 4-5 months old. I've allowed my budgies to breed very young, (She was 9 months old) which is normally a mistake (DON'T DO IT!) but it turned out perfect in my case.

Also you can tell their sex when they're very young babies most of the time with the cere as well. If you want a boy look for a very young budgie (with all their lines on the head usually) that has a full pinkish/purple cere. Females will usually have a white cere when they're young, with some blue ringing the outside. When she's not in heat my female had a whiter cere but still brown, she never got the blue back.