Booji and ......?

[boojman]

It has been a while since I posted, and things have been going very well with Booji, who is now 9-10 months old. He has bonded with my husband and has in general become more sociable with others which is great since I do travel occasionally and want him to be happy when I am away. He gets outings usually daily and is a very content bird! ;D I have been thinking of getting him a buddy, however.

I got Booj from a pet store and hand tamed him myself, which now in retrospect was not all that difficult, even though he was my first one. Ideally I would like to add another young male (like 2-3 months old) who is already hand tame, but am having some trouble finding local breeders here. So then I thought if I had such good results with Booji, maybe I should just find another one at a pet store (since they need homes too) and work with him like I did with Booj. Any thoughts or comments on this? Also is it usually easier with second one if young enough? Will he learn from and follow Booji especially if he sees that Booji is fine with me? Or is it more likely that Booji will withdraw from me and become 'wilder'? I totally get that all birds, people and situations vary, but am just trying to get a general sense of what to expect.

My reasons for wanting 2 is that even though he has much interaction, for those times I cannot give him 100% I think a bud may be beneficial. Especially when I see him trying to connect with his toy budgie - it bothers me alot - it seems so unnatural that his friend is plastic and will never reciprocate..... Again, any comments or insights are greatly appreciated!

Thanks!
Jackie

[Rachael Kellett]

I think it would be a great idea to get Booj a friend As for the pet shop idea it all depends on what the pet shop is like. Are their birds well cared for? Are the owners and staff knowledgable about birds? Some pet shops are fantastic, four of my budgies came from a pet shop that specialises in birds and they are the happiest healthiest budgies I have ever had.

When/if you do decide to get Booj a friend do you have another cage to quarantine the new budgie in? Quarantine is very important as not only does it stop the new budgie from passing on any nasty illnesses to Booj if it does have any, but it also helps you to bond with the new budgie before introducing them. Quarantine means keeping the new budgie in a separate cage, in a different room as far away from Booj as you can, for a minimum of thirty days. After the quarantine is over you can put their cages next to each other for a few days then gradually let them meet

[boojman]

Rachael - yes I agree with what you say about the pet shops. There is one that usually has healthy looking birds and I am actually heading there now just to look ....actually we have some exotic pet places around here too - I didn't even think of them until now. As far as an extra cage - yes I have everything I need for budgie #2 . Is it possible to initially keep them in the same room but at opposite ends? Although when Booji would be flying around he may go investigate so maybe not...I'll figure out a place to put him. Thanks so much for your input!

[Hezz]

It is best to have the secong bird in another room for quarantine. Some diseases are air-borne and a sneeze can release particles into the air that can carry for some distance. Once the quarantine is over and the two birds are together, you will probably find that budgie 2 will follow Booj all over the place including you. So he will learn early on that you are not to be feared and are actually something to enjoy - treats are always good, bribery has its good points! I have had this experience myself with Sparky - he was around 6 months old when I got him, little human contact, grown up in an aviary. But he got close to Bluey almost immediately and as Blue is so very tame and loves human contact, Sparky actually became quite quiet very quickly. He is still a flitter, and will hair off at the slightest thing, but mostly it is just excess energy he is wearing off. Once he has got tht out of the way, he becomes a placid little thing. He doesn't mind at all if I kiss his chest and rub my nose on his belly. Even touching his back, it's neither here nor there with him, as long as I am not interfering with his antics, all is good. And Blue hasn't changed at all.

[boojman]

Hezz that is all very reassuring - and after I thought about it I figured there are airborne things to watch out for. It sounds like you have everything worked out nicely there with Sparky and Bluey . I think if I get a young male (for the bird that is ) it will all work out here too!

[Hezz]

I am sure it will, Jackie. I just wish Sparky and Blue were going to be able to enjoy each other's company longer than it looks like being. Sparky looks for Blue everywhere and calls for him now he is sick. As soon as he sees him he wants to feed him.