taming two budgies...?

[birdlet]

I've been looking long and hard for a smaller parrot or 'keet to join my family, with no luck at all...there are none in nearby shelters, no bird shops, and no breeders, within 150 miles of me (at least, not that I've been able to find). There is a PetSmart about 30 minutes away...but I've been trying to avoid that, since I hear conflicting things about the way they source and care for the birds in their stores...

I'd love to give a home to a bird in need, so I've been scanning Craigslist, etc. for rehoming ads. And finally an ad for a pair of budgies popped up today, just under 1.5 hours away. They're male and female, both young (maybe 7 - 8 months?), originally bought from a nearby hobby breeder...they had clipped them and were handling them regularly, but not for the past couple of months. So, they're not really tame now. But, she's only asking $50 for them, plus 2 cages (one big, one small) and all their toys. I'm fairly tempted to go for it.

So, experienced budgie folks, what do you think? Do they sound like good candidates? I've got the time to tame them (I work from home, so can hang out with a handful of millet in a cage for as long as I need to), and my oldest daughter (8) is willing to do her share (so she says...but I wonder if she'll lose interest if it takes months).

I thought if I separate them, it'd probably help....but would they need to be in separate rooms, too? Would we always need to keep them separate? Could they play together outside their cages, at least?

In short, I'm wanting your vote. I haven't had a budgie since I was 10 or so...and he wasn't tame (though I loved him anyway). I really want interactive birds now (I have finches to sit and admire). Should I go for it, or should I keep waiting and watching?

Thanks!

 

[vicky2200]

When I had three budgies they were relatively tame and in the same cage. However, I was very young, with little patience and no idea what I was doing. Eventually I got more and any thoughts of having them tame was out the window. I think its possible for them to be tame and in the same cage but it may be easy to separate them. I don't think they need separate cages.

 

[birdlet]

It'd feel mean to separate them. But, I wonder if they'd ever really bond with us (okay...me ) if they have each other. She describes them in the ad as a "bonded pair", so I'm guessing they're pretty tight.

I wonder if I should just pass these two by and wait for a single bird. I'm trying to be sure I don't jump on the first reasonable option out of impatience, then regret it later if they aren't inclined to be the little playmates we're looking for.

And then again, if months go by and I'm still birdless, I may lose it.

And then another again, overthinking things is a hobby of mine... But this IS a long-term decision.

Oy.

 

[vicky2200]

Perhaps you can go see them and decide?

 

[IcyWolf]

I used to think that with the right amount of training it didn't make a difference whether the bird was hand fed or parent raised but I've kind of changed my opinion about that recently. I hand raise budgies and the babies are the sweetest little things, by eight weeks old they will fly right to you, whether you want them to or not We also have 2 budgies that we got from petco, they were young, about 4 or 5 months old and while they aren't aggressive at all they are quite fearful. I have been working with them since we've had them(I think it's been about a month or two, I'd have to check my records to be sure) and they have come a long way but they are still nothing like the hand fed birds. Even with their wings fully clipped it is quite difficult to get them out of their cage and once they are out they will step up and sit on your hand but they always have this look like they are constantly looking for an escape route and if given the opportunity they will jump off your hand and try to fly away. I will keep working with them and hope they calm down but they just seem naturally jumpy.

If you have the time to work with them then go for it, I do think it would be wise to cage them separately and make sure they don't have any mirrors. The younger you get them the easier it will be.

But, if you want a super sweet budgie I would continue to try and find a breeder that not only hand feeds but spends time socializing their babies. Where are you located? Sometimes breeders don't advertise in traditional ways, there may be a breeder near you that you just don't know about.

 

[birdlet]

Oh...your handfed babies sound like just what I want...siiiiigh. That pretty much convinces me that I should keep waiting...though I still wonder if I'll wait forever before "the right bird" comes along. And I'm not even hung up on a single species...any friendly, interactive bird (with a bill that won't send my kids to the ER) will do!!!

I'm in rural eastern Texas...3+ hours' drive from either Dallas or Houston. In both those cities, there are reputable breeders galore, but the time and expense associated with a 6+ hour round trip drive -- and then, what if we don't "click" with the birds when we get there? -- makes me hesitate. I balk at shipping for the same reason (plus, I worry about the bird being stressed, though I see that it's done a lot, and typically with no trouble at all). I've been in touch with several big city breeders, but always stop short of putting a deposit down. I keep thinking SURELY there's a sweet bird around here that needs a nice home, and if I'm just patient, I'll find it. I HATE being patient....

So, what are some of the nontraditional spots I could check for breeders? It does seem crazy that there's nothing closer. I've scoured the web, and called/emailed/texted every contact I could find. Twice I've found breeders within a couple of hours' drive who JUST got out of it...and they just don't know if any of the people who bought their breeding stock are raising babies now...and they're so sorry they can't help. Argh!

I did visit one, about an hour away...but I wasn't happy about what I saw there, so I didn't buy from them. Double argh!

Anyway...thanks for the input! I may weaken again and fly off to get these two tomorrow, but I'm going to try to pass them up. They're not in a serious rescue situation (just the typical Christmas gift that the kids are bored with), and I'm sure someone wonderful will grab them at that price. Right? Right.

 

[IcyWolf]

If you really don't want to wait you could always get these two with the intentions of taming them, if it doesn't go so well and you come across another one that you think you will have more luck with it's not like 3 budgies are much more work than 2, especially if the first two are more than happy to just hang out with each other.

Honestly, the easiest way to find breeders is to talk to breeders. Find a breeder closest to you and give them a call or email them and ask if they know of any budgie breeders in the area. Some of the best breeders I've met have been through other breeders, the woman I got my parrotlets from doesn't advertise at all and she owns her own store and has been breeding for almost 30 years! From what she told me she has all kinds of birds and I would have never had known she existed if it hadn't been for speaking with another local breeder. Good breeders don't need to advertise, they will have waiting lists for their birds just because of their reputation. I haven't been breeding long and have barely advertised and I already have way more families that are waiting for babies than I have birds so I'm looking around for some more nice adult pairs and holding back some younger ones for when they are old enough to breed. Unfortunately though, it can be hard to find people that hand feed american budgies, there really isn't any money to be made doing it, it's something you really have to do for the love of it.

Have you possibly considered a cockatiel? They can be super sweet birds and they are great for kids because they are usually pretty mellow and they are just big enough that they can't get hurt quite as easily as a budgie might with younger children. There are also tons of tiel breeders and most rescues have oodles of them just waiting for someone to come adopt them.

 

[BillsBirds]

Another possible source for a bird could be local vets. Even if not Avian Vets, many vets have bird patients because the general public does not know to look for an Avian Vet. Or there is no local Avian special-ist.And they have to take their birds somewhere. So, a local vet might know of birds for adoption, or sale, or even someone whose bird has babies, though not an actual breeder. Call a few listed in the phone book and ask if they know of any. They may also know of other places you could find a bird.