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Post by tweetiepiesmom on Nov 12, 2021 17:01:44 GMT
Bob, I've been reading along and all the replies are full of useful information. You could share with us what country you live in to make the responses more targeted or just enjoy what people in different countries do. In the US, most states have a legal requirement that pet birds must have a leg band to be sold. Also the color does not follow for the year, its the breeders' choice. I used an anti-bacterial paper from Amazon that is custom cut to the size of the cage. I do that because one of my budgies is living with AGY and I don't want the other one to get it. So far he hasn't. Plus I'm just plain lazy to be cutting paper to the correct size. Both my boys chatter away. They yell when they want my attention or want something. I'm afraid I've reinforced that by going to their cage to see what's going on when they yell. Buddy yells when I return home if I've been out. Whenever my two guys get startled and start flying like mad in the cage, I sit beside the cage and talk softly to them. Maybe that's more for my comfort than theirs. Some people here leave them be to calm down on their own. My two guys get up in the morning with the sun and go "to roost" at sunset so it differs with the season. I have an open concept living plan - kitchen, living, dining are all one big room. My guys' cage is along a quieter wall. At night time I cover their cage and turn out the lights where they are. I do watch TV but have the volume turned down. I noticed early on that loud noises on the TV would disturb their rest, so no cop shows or Scify for me at night, just romance and comedy. They both like the sound of the vacuum, blender, garbage disposal, etc and will chirp right along with the noise. They've gotten used to the sound of big trucks but that noise would startle them. Any new city noise startles them but if the noise becomes a regular thing, they get used to it. Happy that you and your wife are loving having Lucky in your family. She'll soon get used to your routine and then heaven help you if you change it.
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Oct 26, 2021 0:23:59 GMT
ukey
Brand New Budgie
Posts: 49
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Post by ukey on Nov 17, 2021 15:24:48 GMT
Time for an update. It turned out that Lucky hated the Vision cage. Not sure why, but she kept climbing up and down the side of the cage in what seemed like a desperate attempt to get out, or she would sit on a perch and bump her beak on it in an effort to show her dislike for her present situation. Both my wife and I were beginning to grow weary of our unsuccessful attempts to tame her, but were unsure how best to resolve the situation, as we really wanted a young bird. The answer came when a breeder who we contacted agreed to take Lucky if we purchased a young bird from her. The breeder was a kind lady with an immense love for budgies and had several very large walk-in aviaries, which she insisted on showing us and explaining the reason for each of them, before taking us to a cage with two babies, a green one and a blue one to choose from. The two seemed very fond of each other, so we ended up taking both of them! Lucky was placed into one of her aviaries where she seemed to happily settle down. We are now the proud parents of Fluffi and Birdie! Bob
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Post by jellybean on Nov 17, 2021 17:52:54 GMT
Two gorgeous little boys.
I'm sorry you no longer have Lucky though, I hope she's happy and settles in her new home, maybe she would have enjoyed the company of a couple of youngsters.
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Oct 26, 2021 0:23:59 GMT
ukey
Brand New Budgie
Posts: 49
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Post by ukey on Nov 21, 2021 22:12:35 GMT
I have read that if you have a pair of budgies in a cage, neither one will accept you. This indeed seems to be the case with Fluffi and Birdie. They are constantly nuzzling and are always are close together. If we come near the cage, or put our hand inside, the get very agitated. We were hoping that since they are both babies, they would soon get to accept us, but realize now that's not the case! Is it too late to separate them and just keep one? WE so much want to be able to tame and train a budgie to to have the run of the house and be our constant companion, but so far, we seem to be going about it in the wrong directions! Bob
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Post by ffiscool on Nov 21, 2021 22:44:58 GMT
I’ve never had 2 at the same time. But you can’t go by what you read, as budgies are as individual as we are. Lots on here have/have had 2, so can help Re taming.
I can only give my opinion, but I think it wouldn’t be fair to the budgies if you only kept one. And if you did, there’s no guarantee that one would do what you would like. Yes, a single budgie is likely to tame, but you could make it miserable when it’s not used to being a single budgie.
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Oct 26, 2021 0:23:59 GMT
ukey
Brand New Budgie
Posts: 49
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Post by ukey on Nov 22, 2021 1:37:49 GMT
ffiscool, I agree with your thoughts on the subject. I suppose I was just looking for confirmation!
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Oct 26, 2021 0:23:59 GMT
ukey
Brand New Budgie
Posts: 49
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Post by ukey on Nov 25, 2021 15:02:10 GMT
Update and happy ending to the problem! We contacted the breeder and explained the situation to her and asked if we could return the two birds to her in exchange for one baby, which she agreed upon, so it was back to to her house where she showed us the this fantastic little three month old little girl. She showed us how it could be held in her hand, step onto her finger quite happily and when she handed it to me, it was instant love! Fast forward to the present, Polly, as we called her, is now my constant companion, preferring to sit towards the back of my neck, rather than my shoulder. I have a hard time getting her into her cage, she just wants to be with me all the time! I haven't mentioned it before, but the breeder lives in Sacramento, a two and a half hours drive from our home! It was well worth the trip! Bob
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Oct 26, 2021 0:23:59 GMT
ukey
Brand New Budgie
Posts: 49
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Post by ukey on Dec 4, 2021 15:12:37 GMT
The breeder clipped a wing before giving Polly to me, I didn't request it, so now every once in a while, she'll attempt to fly off my shoulder and end up fluttering to the floor. So far, she hasn't hurt herself, but what I'd like to know is how long does it take for a wing to grow?
Bob
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Post by Hezz on Dec 5, 2021 1:09:10 GMT
It will take anything up to twelve months for all the flight feathers to moult out, but she should be in the air before that as she doesn’t need a full complement of flights to be airborne. Keep getting her to exercise, preferably over a soft landing such as a bed. Budgies can injure themselves rather badly if they land heavily - a broken keel is the most common injury.
It is irresponsible of breeders to clip without the new owners’ permission. They do it so that the new bird will be seemingly easier to tame, you’ll tell everyone how easy it has been, and possible go back there if/when you want another, when the fact is that the bird has very little choice but to do as you want it to since its natural ability to flee has been taken from it.
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Oct 26, 2021 0:23:59 GMT
ukey
Brand New Budgie
Posts: 49
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Post by ukey on Dec 5, 2021 15:07:38 GMT
Yes, it really is a shame, particularly since it takes so long to grow back! Polly loves to come out of her cage and sit on my shoulder and I enjoy her being there, but for the sake of her safety, I'll have to reserve those "quality" times for when I know she'll stay with me.
Bob
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Oct 26, 2021 0:23:59 GMT
ukey
Brand New Budgie
Posts: 49
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Post by ukey on Dec 8, 2021 15:29:34 GMT
The breeder assured me that Polly was a female, but, at only 3 months old, could she be sure of this? The reason I question this, is because Polly is beginning to talk! He/she manages to say "pretty bird" fairly distinctly! Can anyone tell from these photos her gender? Bob
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Post by ladybird on Dec 8, 2021 16:04:57 GMT
I am not an expert but I think you have a boy, and talking starts about that age….What do others think ? Breeders should not clip wings 😥 , again my opinion.
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Post by ffiscool on Dec 8, 2021 19:00:48 GMT
I’m not sure but there are females that talk
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Post by Hezz on Dec 9, 2021 0:18:04 GMT
Looking at that cere, my first reaction is “male”.
I suppose breeders who only breed to sell wouldn’t expand on their knowledge base, but I do know that experienced breeders who breed to show or promote certain traits in their flock get very good at ascertaining sex from a very early age, almost as soon as they hatch.
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Oct 26, 2021 0:23:59 GMT
ukey
Brand New Budgie
Posts: 49
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Post by ukey on Dec 9, 2021 15:51:36 GMT
I think that I'm favoring male for now. I'm assuming that as he ages, it will become more apparent?
Bob
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