Crazy English Budgie

[samirae]

Hello! Some background first: I have two beautiful birdies, a Green Cheek Conure, and an English Budgie. The conure I've had for a year, the budgie only a week, housed separately of course.

My budgie seems to be male, under 5 months, and the pet store I got him from is known for being super sketchy. He had been isolated in a plastic enclosure, and had wedged himself into a tiny crevice, while the other English budgies were hand fed. He's very anti social, sometimes he seeks out my conure for scritches, other times just the sight of her sends him screaming into a corner.

So my question is about his behavior. He seems slightly neurotic? Randomly makes noises, eats furiously and often late at night, squishes himself in between things and starts screaming, buries himself in cloths or bedding. This morning I found him with his wings draped out, hanging forward with his feet on two different perches, his face planted between the bars of the cage door. I thought he was dead until he started grunting that funny angry budgie chirp, which by the way he does a lot for seemingly no reason. I haven't seen him drink water at all either?

Any thoughts?? Tips??

I've had lots of experience with Parakeets, but never English Budgies, is this normal for them? It's cute and quirky, but it also looks like he's hurting himself, or stressing out.

Thanks!!

 

[songlake]

I have English budgies too, they are crazy but no more so than a parakeet. The males will often chat up a perch, cage bars, toys or anything they take a interest in. Sometimes it looks as if they are arguing with it.

They will also eat a lot at morning and evening before they roost up for the night.

I have one who will often lay out flat, making me terrified he's dead. So I am thinking your young guy may be trying to cuddle the bars or bedding. I would be afraid of him getting caught up in cloths or bedding, nails hang and he cant remove himself. Which would make him scream as if caught by a predator.

edit* sometimes budgies and parakeets enjoy bathing on damp items like palms. If you are afraid he isn't drinking you can try with a clean palm frond (no chemicals used), wet it down. Don't be afraid if he eats it, mine will shred a 5 ft palm tree in a week. And some will wallow around on it bathing after I spray it with water.

 

[EdwardH]

Budgies are a nomadic desert bird so they do not drink much. So long as you have fresh water in the cage he will drink when he is thirsty which is usually only a few mouthfuls per day so is very easy to miss.

 

[weco]

And to clarify, English budgies are generally those that have been selectively bred for size, coloring or some other specification.....those referred to as English budgies are generally 2 to three times larger than what are referred to as American and/or Australian/wild budgies, with the larger birds generally preferred as show birds.....but are not a totally separate species.....

 

[EdwardH]

Yep! English budgies are normal budgies on steroids:54: