Mar 18, 2018 21:15:47 GMT
moe
Brand New Budgie
Posts: 27
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Post by moe on May 15, 2019 15:17:18 GMT
I bred a pair of budgerigar parrakeets many years ago, in the 1960s. Then, after I got out of the Army, I bred another pair in the late 1970s. Since then, I hadn't kept any budgies. However, I got the urge to try again, and last year (February 2018), I purchased 2 young budgies from my local petshop (which went out of business a few months ago). I picked out a Skyblue Opaline with a blue cere, which I was fairly sure was a cock, and a Yellow & Green Pied with a whitish-blue cere, that looked to be a hen. Over the next few months, the cere turned light tan, so I think it's definitely a hen. The birds got along well, and preened each other, and now they seem to be bonded and are quite affectionate, though they occasionally squabble a bit. During the winter, the hen's cere turned brown and crusty, but it's now gone back to light tan.
I feed them a budgerigar seed-mixture, and give them greens from the backyard (dandelions, plantain, etc.) several times a week, which they seem to like. I also give them a millet-spray every so often. During the winter, I gave them a small piece of banana or apple in the late afternoon several times a week, though I don't think that they ever touched those. They also have a mineral-block, a cuttlebone, and grit.
This past January, I put them in a larger flight-cage, and put in a nestbox. I've got some kitty-litter spread on the nestbox bottom. However, it's been a bit over 4 months now, and they've paid almost no attention to the nestbox, and never once have they gone inside. A few weeks ago, for the first time, one Saturday morning, I noticed both birds peering inside the box, and got my hopes up, but since then, they've gone back to ignoring it. I suspect that the Yellow/Green Pied hen isn't presently in breeding-condition, as her cere has been light tan-colored for several months now, although the Skyblue Opaline cock's is bright blue. I've never seen them mating with each other (although last summer I saw the cock rubbing against a tree-branch perch, I think he was masturbating).
I've had the birds for a year and three months now. They were young when I first got them, but they should be breeding-age by now. I guess I'll just have to be patient and wait and see how things turn out.
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Post by Hezz on May 15, 2019 19:16:55 GMT
You can pretty much guarantee that if your hen is not interested then it is not going to happen. I had a hen who had a crusty cere almost all her life and there was NO WAY she was going to allow any boy to get his leg over!! She was to be pampered and preened and fed, as was her due, but no more. You could try adding more greens to their diet, introduce some protein to their diet and lengthen their daylight hours.
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Mar 18, 2018 21:15:47 GMT
moe
Brand New Budgie
Posts: 27
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Post by moe on May 17, 2019 14:56:42 GMT
Thanks for your reply. You might be right about my hen not wanting to mate or breed, but I'm not in a hurry, so I'll give them some more time. The birds are in a large cage next to the window in my room. The daylight hours are longer now, and they do get some sunshine. We've had a cool, overcast Spring, though. Maybe if the weather would warm up it would give them some inspiration. All winter they didn't get any greens, but for the past month I've been giving them dandelions and plantain, which they like. During the winter, I offered them apple or banana, but they wouldn't touch it. For a while during the winter, the hen's cere was brown and crusty, but now it's back to pale tan. I've noticed that she's noticeably more slender than the cock, she seems a bit frail, though she's very active, and flies and scrambles around the cage quite a bit. She spends more time at the grit container than the cock does, she occasionally nibbles the mineral-block, but I've never seen either her or the cock at the cuttlebone.
Do you know if cheese would be a good protein-source for parrakeets ? Thanks for any help that's available.
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Post by jellybean on May 17, 2019 15:00:39 GMT
You could try boiled egg mashed finely, some take it others done. My two won't touch fresh egg, so I give dried egg instead. Make sure you hard boil it though, 10 minutes or more.
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Post by Hezz on May 18, 2019 0:28:20 GMT
Do not feed a parrot cheese. If you want to give them protein, do as jellybean has suggested - boiled egg or dried eggfood. The only dairy food that is acceptable is a small amount of naturally fermented, unsweetened yoghurt. The bacteria in the yoghurt can be beneficial, particularly if the birds have been in antibiotics.
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Mar 18, 2018 21:15:47 GMT
moe
Brand New Budgie
Posts: 27
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Post by moe on May 30, 2019 20:01:27 GMT
Thanks for the replies. I won't give them any cheese. They're still getting a seed-mixture along with greens, and once in a while a bit of fruit. I'll see what happens.
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Mar 18, 2018 21:15:47 GMT
moe
Brand New Budgie
Posts: 27
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Post by moe on Nov 6, 2019 16:14:42 GMT
Update: Well, the days are growing shorter, darker, and colder now, and the breeding-season is over. Neither of my budgies showed any interest in the nestbox (never even entered it), and they didn't seem inclined to mate, although they did display some affection for each other. I'll just have to be patient, and see what happens next year.
Anyway, I did go back to the petshop a few weeks ago, and I got a new young budgerigar. I chose it because of its unusual color. It's a pastel color, pale yellow and blue, with no barring or cheek-spots at all. I've never seen one quite like it. It has a pale bluish-pink cere, and I cannot tell its sex. When I first placed it in with my older pair, they seemed a bit scared of it, and they flew away whenever it approached them trying to make friends. (They haven't seen another parrakeet since I first got them almost 2 years ago). But now they've become used to it. The cock is very friendly toward it, and they've both begun to mutually preen each other. The hen is more reserved, and keeps her distance, although all 3 birds perch together at night.
I'm hoping that next year, if the older pair continue to be disinclined to mate with each other, maybe by that time the younger bird will have bonded with one of them, and be more inclined to breed. I've left the nestbox up in their cage, so I'll just have to wait and see what happens.
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Mar 18, 2018 21:15:47 GMT
moe
Brand New Budgie
Posts: 27
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Post by moe on Apr 25, 2020 22:54:36 GMT
Well, it's late April now. The days have gotten longer, with a little more sunshine, and the Spring breeding season is here. My 3 budgies did fine all winter. Yesterday I put a new little nestbox in their cage. The original nestbox I left in all winter, although they never went in, or paid any attention to it. So now they have 2 nestboxes to choose from. I feed them mostly a seed mixture, with some pellets mixed in, although I don't think they eat the pellets. Dandelions are up now outside, and I give them some fresh dandelion leaves several times a week, which they love. I've pretty much given up giving them a little banana or apple, as they won't touch it.
The skyblue-opaline cock is about 2 1/2 yrs. old now. The yellow-green pied hen is the same age, I got her the same day as the cock. I also added a young pastel-colored (blue & yellow) budgie last Fall. I think it might be the color that they call 'rainbow'. I'm still not sure of the young bird's sex. It's cere is pale bluish-white. The cock became very affectionate toward it over the winter. They preen each other and nuzzle together. The hen, on the other hand, is very reserved towards it, and flies away whenever it approaches her. My hen has always seemed to be a bit flighty and nervous. When the cock approaches her head-bobbing and trying to preen and nuzzle, she seems to want to return his affections, but then she gets nervous, and flies away. I don't think she quite knows what to do, or how to respond. Only time will tell what will happen.
Anyway, I'd love it if they'd make an attempt at breeding this year. Maybe the longer days, sunshine, and fresh air from an open window will give them some inspiration.
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Mar 18, 2018 21:15:47 GMT
moe
Brand New Budgie
Posts: 27
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Post by moe on May 18, 2020 23:55:02 GMT
None of the 3 birds is showing any interest in either of the nestboxes, but it's still early, so I'll just have to be patient.
I still can't figure out the young Pastel budgie's sex. When I got it last October, it was a pale yellow and blue color, with no dark markings at all. Since then, it's molted out with a bit more pale yellow, and the blue is now more of a pale shade of teel (greenish-blue). Maybe it's what is called a yellow-face. It's become very affectionate with the older SkyblueOpaline cock. Anyway, a couple of weeks ago, early in the morning, I noticed it "presenting" itself to the cock, and they attempted to mate. I'm not sure if they were successful or not. But at least they made an attempt, and I thought that was a good sign. But its cere, which was whitish-blue when I got it 7 months ago, has now darkened and turned purplish.It looks more like a cock than a hen. But it acts more like a hen than a cock. Oh well, I'll just wait and see what develops. Time will tell.
The cock still is sometimes affectionate to the Yellow/Green Pied hen. She wants to be affectionate back, but then she gets nervous, doesn't know what to do, and flies away. Her cere is light tan, so I guess she's not in breeding-condition, although it was brown and crusty last summer. I got her, along with the cock, when they were both young birds, a little over 2 years ago, so they ought to be of prime breeding age by now. They were by themselves for the first year and a half that I had them and didn't see another parrakeet till I fot the new Pastel one. Maybe the lack of socialization with a flock of their own kind is what's hindering them from mating. They just don't seem to know what to do.
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Post by tweetiepiesmom on May 19, 2020 23:16:33 GMT
Maybe if you post pictures showing the cere in daylight some of the experts here can give an opinion of the bird's gender.
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Mar 18, 2018 21:15:47 GMT
moe
Brand New Budgie
Posts: 27
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Post by moe on May 22, 2020 18:05:12 GMT
Thanks for your message. I don't know how to use an iphone, but I'll see if I can find someone to take pictures of my birds and post them.
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Mar 18, 2018 21:15:47 GMT
moe
Brand New Budgie
Posts: 27
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Post by moe on Jun 27, 2020 15:10:46 GMT
I actually did use an iphone to take some photos of my budgies (first time I'd ever taken pictures with an iphone), but they came out too dark to distinguish anything. And I still need to figure out how to post photos. I'll keep working on it.
Nothing's really changed over the past month. None of the 3 birds have ever shown any interest in either of the 2 nestboxes affixed to their cage, and never once gone inside. The young Pastel budgerigar I think is just about a year old now. It's cere has changed back to a pale light blue color, and I'm still unsure of its sex. It does "present" itself to my Skyblue Opaline cock once in awhile, and he seems interested, and starts to mount. But he doesn't seem to know what to do next. Then they just get excited and nervous, and don't complete the mating. I think that they just don't know what to do. I haven't noticed them trying lately. Maybe they've just given up. I'll just have to be patient and see what happens.
I feel a bit sorry for the original Yellow/Green Pied hen. The cock once in awhile perches next to her and starts to get affectionate, but the young Pastel bird usually flies up alongside and interrupts them (nothing aggressive, but it just seems jealous). The older hen has always been skittish around the younger bird, she seems afraid of it, and she always flies away whenever it approaches.
All 3 birds are healthy and active, eat their seed mixture well, and I'm giving them plenty of dandelion and plantain greens, which they love. I've discontinued the pellets for now, as they weren't eating them at all. I also once in awhile give them a little raw carrot to chew on, but they don't pay any attention to it.
We've been having a heatwave all month, with daytime temperatures up in the nineties, cooling off to the seventies at night. I have the windows open all the time now, don't close them at all. The birds seem fine with this weather. They get plenty of sunshine through the window, but they're not in direct sun.
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Mar 18, 2018 21:15:47 GMT
moe
Brand New Budgie
Posts: 27
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Post by moe on Dec 23, 2020 0:21:58 GMT
Update: Sad News and Happy News: In early November, my Skyblue Opaline cock passed away. He was a very beautiful bird, and I'll miss him. He was only about 3 years old. At the beginning of the week, I noticed that he was having some trouble landing on a perch when he flew. But he was eating well, and otherwise doing okay. But the following day, I noticed that he was having some trouble keeping his balance on the perch, even after he'd landed. I'm not sure, but I think he may have suffered a seizure. The next day it was more noticeable, and he began acting erratically, flying down to the feed-bowl, eating, flying back up to the perch, and then doing the same thing over and over again, each time having trouble landing and balancing on the perch. On the morning of the fifth day, he was sitting in the feed-bowl, unable to fly back up to the perch. I gave him some water, but he didn't drink. I put him in a little plastic container by himself, with some feed, in the corner of the cage. I checked a few hours later, and he'd passed away.
I really don't know for sure what happened to him. Possibly he had a seizure. Or maybe he'd injured himself late at night in an episode of "night-terrors", which has happened a few times. The parrakeets are in my bedroom, and I've occasionally awakened late at night to the sound of the birds flying about in the cage in the darkness. I've always turned the light on, and left it on until they quietly perched again.
The happy news is that I'd already picked out a young budgerigar at a local petshop, because I wanted to have a second cock to join my two hens. All the petshop budgies were young, too young to tell sex for sure, but I'd chosen a white one with very, very pale barring on it's wings, which has a mostly light blue cere, with only a bit of white around its nostrils. I'm hoping it turns out to be a cock. I've had it now for almost 2 months. It's made friends with the Yellow/Green Pied hen, which surprised me, as she was the more reserved and nervous of the 2 hens. The other hen, the Pastel Yellow one, which is more confident and assertive, hasn't taken to him. But all 3 birds are getting along well, so I'll wait to see what happens in the Spring. It's late December now and the days are short and dark. Maybe by Spring, the new bird will have bonded with one of the hens.
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Post by mona on Dec 23, 2020 2:43:24 GMT
So sorry for the loss of your birdie.
Just to add, for night fright, you could keep a dim yellow night lamp near their cage.. If they can see that the assumed danger isn't inside the cage, they will not fly into the cage bars. Night frights are very dangerous.. Also, budgies hide illness for long, being the prey birdies.. It doesn't take much time to loose a pretty bird.
All the best with your new pair. I hope the new birdie was quarantined before introducing to your existing birdies.
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Mar 18, 2018 21:15:47 GMT
moe
Brand New Budgie
Posts: 27
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Post by moe on Dec 27, 2020 19:49:31 GMT
Thanks for that helpful reply. I do miss my Skyblue Opaline cock, and I'll always remember him fondly.
I have the flight-cage in my bedroom,next to a window. There's a slight bit of light given off at night by my digital alarm-clock, and a slight bit of moonlight comes in through the window, as well a a slight bit from the streetlight in front of the house. But it spite of that, the parrakeets do occasionally have night-frights. If that happens, I immediately turn on the lamp next to my bed, and keep it on until they've settled down. My room is small, and I didn't have space for a quarantine cage for the new bird. I really do wish I had a seperate room where I could keep my budgerigars. But I observed the new young bird carefully several times at the petshop the week before I brought it home, and it seems healthy and vigorous. I've had it in with the 2 older hens for almost 2 months now, and they all seem okay. I know it was taking a chance, but I think things will turn out okay. I've been watching it closely. However, its cere is still the same pale blue color as it was when I got it two months ago, and I can't for sure determine its sex. Happy New Year to everyone on this forum.
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