Hand-raising a baby budgie

[StormyPica]

I am thinking of getting another budgie this summer. Apollo needs a friend (actually, not necessarily a friend, but someone she can coexist with, Cossie is extremely possessive over Stormy, even though he likes both the girlies, but Cossie slightly more, so Apollo can't really spend time just being with either of them) and I want her to be happy... she seems lonely a lot of the time, but she does sleep with Stormy, and get some quality time with me as well.

So I've been thinking, if I get another bird, I want to raise it myself. Every pet shop budgie I've ever met has at least been somewhat traumatized from shipping, manhandling, clipping before they could learn to fly, and many have been neglected as well. I have experience with hand-raising birds, so I was thinking, why not? The bird would grow up in a loving home, learn how to fly at the natural age (and therefore build confidence), get on a good diet, and not have to endure trauma in early development that leads to other issues.

You guys can give me your opinions if you want. People who have hand-raised birds (any bird really), what are some things you did that worked well? Not just with feeding, cleaning, etc. (I know how to do that), but how did you raise the bird in a way that made it confident and happy?

 

[StormyPica]

@DonnaBudgie Didn't you hand-raise a budgie?

 

[StormyPica]

Bump.

 

[Terry57]

Ollie, you're one of the few people I know who I think could safely raise a baby. I can't help you with your questions, but hopefully someone will come along who can.

 

[Keet_Krazy]

I personally wouldn't, even if I had experience I'd only handraise a bird if it was a life or death situation.
This link has some very interesting information.

Unraveling the Truth of Feather Plucking

Greetings, friends! Here at Garuda Aviary, we rescue parrots from adverse, even desperate conditions. So unsurprisingly, we see a lot of parrots exhibiting plumage destructive behavior, also known …

garudaaviary.org

I'd also consider where you will be getting your baby from, it is somewhat unethical for a breeder to be selling an unweaned bird. Do you want to be supporting that?

It kinda sounds like I am against handraising, but i am not actually I just suggest giving it heaps of thought and research to make sure you are doing what you think is best.

Another point to consider is how old is Apollo? Are you sure she'd actually bond or except a rambunctious fledgling?

 

[StormyPica]

I'd also consider where you will be getting your baby from, it is somewhat unethical for a breeder to be selling an unweaned bird. Do you want to be supporting that?

By hand-raising, I don't mean raising a budgie from an absolute hatchling, I'd prefer to get a newly weaned baby, but if the only way to get a baby budgie is to hand-raise one, I am willing to do that. No, I do not think hand-raised budgies are better than parent-raised budgies. I just want to have a happy, healthy baby.

It kinda sounds like I am against handraising, but i am not actually I just suggest giving it heaps of thought and research to make sure you are doing what you think is best.

That's perfectly fine! Of course I have been and will continue to give it tons of thought, and do a ton of research.

Another point to consider is how old is Apollo? Are you sure she'd actually bond or except a rambunctious fledgling?

She is 1 year old now, and will be 1.5 years old when I plan to get the new bird. She is very playful and cuddly and sweet. Not cuddly to humans, but she fluffs up and gets very snuggly around the other birds. But she is also a chaotic girlie. I don't care if she doesn't strongly bond to the new bird, just as long as they coexist and she has a bird she can be around comfortably (without being bitten by the possessive green gremlin that is Picasso). I have had four birds before, I had a little guy named Pepper, who passed away last summer, and the flock felt much more balanced. Cossie and Stormy were together most of the time, as they are now, and Pepper was kind of best friends with everyone, including Apollo. I plan on getting a male, because most females are quite aggressive to each other.

 

[StormyPica]

This link has some very interesting information.

Unraveling the Truth of Feather Plucking

Greetings, friends! Here at Garuda Aviary, we rescue parrots from adverse, even desperate conditions. So unsurprisingly, we see a lot of parrots exhibiting plumage destructive behavior, also known …

garudaaviary.org

Interesting, I have heard this before. Like I said, I'd much rather get a newly weaned parent-raised budgie, I will only hand-raise if I have to. But I will take this into consideration and really put in the effort to find a parent-raised bird if at all possible... but I wouldn't be too concerned about hand-raising a baby. I'm sure Apollo would love to preen a little one, or at least Cossie would. Maybe even Stormy. My birds are a pretty cuddly crew, with other birds that are willing to cuddle.

 

[Keet_Krazy]

You sound like you're doing it all right! One year doesn't seem like it'll be too much of an issue.
I do have a question though. How is it you may not be able to find a newly weaned baby but you can get an unweaned one? Surely the breeder/parents could finished weaning before you get him/her?

 

[StormyPica]

How is it you may not be able to find a newly weaned baby but you can get an unweaned one?

I live in a small state, and there's only a limited distance my parents are willing to drive (should've mentioned that, I'm still in school, but have plenty of time to raise a budgie over summer break), and in that little area, it can be hard to find newly weaned babies which are the species and gender you want, plus are healthy and were raised right. I don't want a baby that was and-raised but shown no affection or physical contact with other birds.

There is a small pet shop near me that sometimes breeds, I think if I was very specific and paid a fair bit, they'd be willing to select a healthy breeding pair of budgies (they have a couple) and give me a baby once weaned. But I'd rather get one from a breeder.

 

[Rozalka]

I have hand-raised Bourkes but honestly I think I can't really help you because you'd do it more professional than me (my ways weren't professional, it was life saving without having right equipment trying to keep it as close to right hand raising as possible. I chose it because it was better than just letting the babies die)

 

[StormyPica]

I have hand-raised Bourkes but honestly I think I can't really help you because you'd do it more professional than me (my ways weren't professional, it was life saving without having right equipment trying to keep it as close to right hand raising as possible. I chose it because it was better than just letting the babies die)

Can you tell me some techniques you used? I raised a bird in an emergency too (she unfortunately started having seizures and other issues most likely due to pretty bad neglect in her first few days of life, before I rescued her, and passed away as a fledgling), and I used mostly wet cat food, and formula when I got it, plus berries and worm guts (she was an American Robin), but again, emergency situation.

I'd imagine you'd raise a parrot slightly differently...

 

[DonnaBudgie]

@DonnaBudgie Didn't you hand-raise a budgie?

Yes. I hand raised Rocky from an egg because his Mama has a medical emergency and couldn't. I didn't WANT to do it from such an early stage of development and wouldn't suggest others try it unless they had to, but it wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be. Rocky is almost five months old now and is very well adjusted, self confident, fearless, and eats anything I offer her.

 

[Rozalka]

Can you tell me some techniques you used? I raised a bird in an emergency too (she unfortunately started having seizures and other issues most likely due to pretty bad neglect in her first few days of life, before I rescued her, and passed away as a fledgling), and I used mostly wet cat food, and formula when I got it, plus berries and worm guts (she was an American Robin), but again, emergency situation.

I'd imagine you'd raise a parrot slightly differently...

The first day I bought porridge for human babies without milk (or something like that) suggested by a breeder from another forum to feed until the formula arrived - then I was using the formula.

I didn't even have an incubator and I was keeping them warm using things we had - we were heating up the nest box using a heating pad and a blanket.

Out of 4 babies 2 passed away but one seemed to be to sick (it didn't want to eat at all, so we couldn't save it... +it had weird poops) and it could be a reason why their parents gave up raising them. Another one passed away as fledgling, it looked like food poisoning, so I guess it tried to eat something what wasn't good...

The other two survived, one had weird wet-looking feathers, reason unknown, maybe it was because of the neglecting that one day when the parents gave up raising them and next ~2 days before I got the formula

 

[DonnaBudgie]

I am thinking of getting another budgie this summer. Apollo needs a friend (actually, not necessarily a friend, but someone she can coexist with, Cossie is extremely possessive over Stormy, even though he likes both the girlies, but Cossie slightly more, so Apollo can't really spend time just being with either of them) and I want her to be happy... she seems lonely a lot of the time, but she does sleep with Stormy, and get some quality time with me as well.

So I've been thinking, if I get another bird, I want to raise it myself. Every pet shop budgie I've ever met has at least been somewhat traumatized from shipping, manhandling, clipping before they could learn to fly, and many have been neglected as well. I have experience with hand-raising birds, so I was thinking, why not? The bird would grow up in a loving home, learn how to fly at the natural age (and therefore build confidence), get on a good diet, and not have to endure trauma in early development that leads to other issues.

You guys can give me your opinions if you want. People who have hand-raised birds (any bird really), what are some things you did that worked well? Not just with feeding, cleaning, etc. (I know how to do that), but how did you raise the bird in a way that made it confident and happy?

I think my handfed budgie Rocky is so well adjusted because my husband and I spent so much time with her the entire time we raised her. Starting the day she hatched, we put a small stuffed animal in the incubator with her because she didn't have nestmates or bird parents to comfort her and we didn't want her to feel insecure. I fed her on demand, which was at least every three hours round the clock, because I didn't want her to become insecure because her cries for food went unanswered. From about two weeks old when her eyes were open and she was old enough to walk, we introduced her to toys in addition to playing with her for several hours every day because we wanted her to grow up knowing how to entertain herself. We took her to the avian vet for her first well bird check up at three weeks old to make her comfortable with the vet, her carrier, and riding in the car. We introduced her to new objects every day and new people as often as possible so she wouldn't be afraid of new people, places and things. At about four weeks old I began adding Harrison's ultra fine high potency granules to her formula so she would get used to food with texture. She weaned onto these pellets easily at about six weeks old and I began adding chopped vegetables and small amounts of seed to her diet. I also gave her a tiny portion of chopped scrambled eggs a few times a week and a portion of whatever bird safe food I was eating. Since she relied on me to feed her from day one, she associated good food with me, especially if I was eating it too.
As for flying, obviously I couldn't teach her to fly, but I made sure she watched my two tame male budgies flying. Starting at less than three weeks old she did a lot of stationary flapping, presumably to strengthen her wings in preparation for her first flights. At about six weeks old she suddenly began to fly, though it was a bit disorganized at first. Within days I had lightly trimmed her primary flight feathers for her own safety (not too fast or too high) and it didn't stop her from becoming a very coordinated flyer within a week- it just prevented her from flying up so high I couldn't get her down without a tall ladder and so fast she could get hurt flying into walls or windows.
This is how I raised Rocky from an egg to be a self confident, happy, well adjusted budgie who eats anything I offer her.