Does anyone have experience with budgies?

[Fishmanic]

keep trying...they will learn eventually to go on your finger even without offering a treat

 

[Colin_T]

Use fruit and green grass seeds as a reward.

 

[FishFinatic77]

I noticed something yesterday that I thought I'd ask about since I can't seem to find any answers online. Sprite in particular has taken a liking to a lava rock that is part of one of their toys, and I noticed that she is actually eating some little pieces. I can't quite tell if she is breaking the rock up before swallowing, or if she is swallowing the whole piece, but I wanted to check and make sure it's okay for her to do that?

 

[MammaBearinTN]

I really want to get a budgie, but I have never owned a bird (besides chickens), so I have lots of questions. Does anyone have any experience with budgies? @Colin_T, you keep birds, right?

-Can I keep a single budgie, or do I need to get two?
-How big does the enclosure have to be? Does it have to be bigger for two budgies?
-How loud are they? I don't want to put the cage in an area where they will disrupt sleep, etc.
-Are they very messy? Will they spread seed husks everywhere?
-Is there a way to clip their wings so that they can fly for short distances, but they cant escape through an open door? Or do I just have to be very careful when I take them out?
-Are there any health issues that budgies are prone to?
-Do budies have to be vaccinated against anything?
-Are the budgies at petco healthy, or should I go to a breeder?

Thank you in advance for any help you can give me!

I love budgies, but they do like to chatter! I personally have a female senegal and a male parrotlet. They're both awesome birds and strongly bonded to me.

Whatever you do, birds require the largest cage you can afford. Not only will they be happier, they will also be more active and provide more entertainment for you. There is nothing sadder than a bird in a tiny cage. If you can't spend several hours a day with your bird, it would be best to get two, but they might not bond as strongly to you.

 

[FishFinatic77]

I love budgies, but they do like to chatter! I personally have a female senegal and a male parrotlet. They're both awesome birds and strongly bonded to me.

Whatever you do, birds require the largest cage you can afford. Not only will they be happier, they will also be more active and provide more entertainment for you. There is nothing sadder than a bird in a tiny cage. If you can't spend several hours a day with your bird, it would be best to get two, but they might not bond as strongly to you.

Thank you very much, but I actually already got my budgies.
But, do you know if it's okay for them to eat lava rock? One in particular has started nibbling off little pieces and swallowing them.

 

[Colin_T]

Not sure what lava rock is but they should be eating rock. They will eat mineral grit, which is mostly small shells and sand. If you don't have a small bowl of mineral grit and some cuttlebone in the cage, the bird might be eating the lava rock to help its gizzard break down the seed so it can digest it.

The other reason is young birds like to chew and they don't always chew safe things. It can become a bad habit (ocd) and might be bad for it.

 

[FishFinatic77]

Not sure what lava rock is but they should be eating rock. They will eat mineral grit, which is mostly small shells and sand. If you don't have a small bowl of mineral grit and some cuttlebone in the cage, the bird might be eating the lava rock to help its gizzard break down the seed so it can digest it.

The other reason is young birds like to chew and they don't always chew safe things. It can become a bad habit (ocd) and might be bad for it.

I have cuttlebone in the cage. I don't have any grit though as I was told that it's not necessary because they hull their seeds before they eat them?

 

[Colin_T]

All birds need some mineral grit to help grind up anything they eat. This is probably why the bird is chewing on the rock. Just pick up a small pack of mineral grit and have a little bowl of it in the cage. Replace it every couple of weeks.

 

[FishFinatic77]

All birds need some mineral grit to help grind up anything they eat. This is probably why the bird is chewing on the rock. Just pick up a small pack of mineral grit and have a little bowl of it in the cage. Replace it every couple of weeks.

Okay, thank you!

 

[luvthebadge]

One thing not to do is have the birds next to or in the kitchen. Cooking on Teflon and other type pots and pans could kill your Parakeets fast because the fumes are toxic to them. I learned this the hard way years ago. I have two Parakeets now and keep them away from the kitchen no matter what I'm cooking and what I'm cooking in. A lot of people don't know this until it happens or they find out from reading it somewhere. I noticed that it's not on a lot of websites or even books but trust me it happens. Good Luck

 

[FishFinatic77]

One thing not to do is have the birds next to or in the kitchen. Cooking on Teflon and other type pots and pans could kill your Parakeets fast because the fumes are toxic to them. I learned this the hard way years ago. I have two Parakeets now and keep them away from the kitchen no matter what I'm cooking and what I'm cooking in. A lot of people don't know this until it happens or they find out from reading it somewhere. I noticed that it's not on a lot of websites or even books but trust me it happens. Good Luck

They are far away from the kitchen, and I'm very careful about fumes or anything getting into the room that they're in.

 

[emeraldking]

I used to breed budgies when I was 12 untill I was 27. I gave them crushed shells as mineral grit.
I had at a former place a green cheek conure parakeet and a meyers parrot near to the kitchen. In the beginning they came too close to the stove. When they've noticed that it was too warm to get near, they stopped doing that. They only flew on my shoulder when I was cooking or they would watch me from the windowsill so that they could be near me.

 

[FishFinatic77]

It's been a while, so I thought I would give a quick update!
Sprite and Marshmallow are both doing very well. They are completely tame now, and love to train, play with my sleeves, or just sit on my hand. They have both mastered step-up, as well as target training, and they give kisses on command. Right now we are working on recall training, which they are doing very well.
They both went through their juvenile molt. Marshmallow replaced half of his clipped primary feathers, and Sprite replaced all of hers, so they can both fly now. They absolutely love coming out of their cage and flying around the room. They like to show off their new skills by flying tight circles around my head, then landing and staring at me with their heads cocked, waiting for my reaction. They are just so darn cute!

 

[PlasticGalaxy]

It's been a while, so I thought I would give a quick update!
Sprite and Marshmallow are both doing very well. They are completely tame now, and love to train, play with my sleeves, or just sit on my hand. They have both mastered step-up, as well as target training, and they give kisses on command. Right now we are working on recall training, which they are doing very well.
They both went through their juvenile molt. Marshmallow replaced half of his clipped primary feathers, and Sprite replaced all of hers, so they can both fly now. They absolutely love coming out of their cage and flying around the room. They like to show off their new skills by flying tight circles around my head, then landing and staring at me with their heads cocked, waiting for my reaction. They are just so darn cute!

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They're beautiful! They're spitting images of my grandmother's budgies. Peter and... Peter. I'd love to have at least some kind of bird someday. Their sweet little eyes and colours make me so happy.

 

[Retired Viking]

It has been years since I had Budgies, I miss mine they were also very playful and liked to sit on my should while I watched TV. They would tap on my ear if I was not giving them enough attention.