The budgie family

**madhen** · 12-30-2009, 06:26 PM

Fuji and Daisy and their two youngsters. (The youngsters are still in the nest box, so I couldn't get a family portrait.)

Fuji and Daisy are wild. I've been handling the babies daily to try to keep them tame, but the older one (the one on the right) is already trying to bite me. Sigh. No appreciation at all.

They are still too young to sex, but I'm suspecting the biter is a female, and the younger one is a male.

The babies hatched during the power outage a few weeks back.

**pollypurebred39** · 12-30-2009, 06:40 PM

Oh, so pretty MadHen!

Just a small hijack

I have an update on my Aunt and her parakeet quest. She did get a parakeet, but it was a rescue bird. The bird has bonded to her son, which is a relief since her outlook has taken a turn. Thanks for all your advice, it was very helpful, and while I was not able to deter her, I was able to convince her in taking a rescue bird.

Thanks Again,
Polly

Now back to former programing.

**madhen** · 12-30-2009, 06:44 PM

Do you think her son will take care of it? I'm glad you went with a rescue. I hate seeing the budgies at the mega-pet-marts. They have had about the same level of care and socialization as puppies from puppy mills

**ladytoysdream** · 12-30-2009, 06:51 PM

What cute babies

I tried raising birds about 20 yrs ago.....was up to about 12 and hubby could not deal with the noise. Sigh. The parakeets were noisy all day long, and one of the cockatiels liked biting. It wasn't pretty. And the finches never sat still.

**NikoSan999** · 12-30-2009, 06:57 PM

They are adorable. You say the parents are wild. So, do you keep them like forever, give them back to someone or turn them loose.

Babies are cute. So the female is feisty...like her godmother!!!

**madhen** · 12-30-2009, 07:07 PM

No, turning budgies loose is basically a death sentence. Even if I took them back to Australia, they couldn't figure out how to forage and survive on their own.

I have a rule that, when I agree to adopt an animal, it stays with me the rest of its life. The parents are two of four birds (brought in at different times) who were all just allowed to sit in a small undecorated cage and were not socialized at all. Fuji, the male, is about ten years old now. Daisy, the female, is probably about three. With a little luck and a lot of proper care, they will live into their twenties. I have a large flight cage set up for the budgies, so they can play with toys (which none of them knew how to do), fly, and be otherwise as happy as captive birds can be. Because they are all bonded to each other, I don't even try to force my attention on them. But with the babies, I have a chance to socialize them and teach them that humans can be a source of treats and affection.

**NikoSan999** · 12-30-2009, 07:13 PM

So they have a forever home. That's great. It's also a great rule. Beautiful birds.

**pollypurebred39** · 12-30-2009, 07:16 PM

Yes, I do. He has been very good about keeping her cage clean and keeping her food bowls filled. He spends time with her daily, but frankly I don't think she'd have it any other way. She calls to him and makes sure she gets her daily dose of attention. She's quite the card.

I've been overseeing the transition, making sure he understands her needs and is caring for her properly. She stays in my Aunts room (my Aunt spends most of her time in her room), they are good company for each other. But she will be moved to where the most action is if my Aunt should pass.

She has lots of toys that are getting switched out so as to prevent boredom. I recommended a shallow bath tub for her and bath time has quickly become her favorite time of the day. She came in a small cage and just seemed so unhappy my Aunt promptly purchased her a rancher for parakeets and she just seems thrilled with being able to fly perch to perch instead of hopping. I also sent over cds with wild bird songs and when played she has rapt attention and has begun to sing along.

She's a bit of a biter with everyone but him, go figure. We are working on that. All in all it seems like a good fit, but I will continue to monitor and will step in if need be.

**madhen** · 12-30-2009, 07:18 PM

Oh, yes. I'll just have to build a bigger flight cage.

These babies were a big conflict for me. I decided to allow her to have them because she was in a place, after being attacked by her other female cage mate, where she needed something to boost her spirits. She is back to her mean and happy self now.

**madhen** · 12-30-2009, 07:21 PM

Originally Posted by pollypurebred39

She's a bit of a biter with everyone but him, go figure. We are working on that. All in all it seems like a good fit, but I will continue to monitor and will step in if need be.

That's a sexual thing. As far as she is concerned, he is her mate and the rest of you are basically non-essential.

She will probably also bite HIM if she is on him and he pays too much attention to anyone else.

Sounds like your aunt/you have set up a wonderful environment for the budge. Don't be surprised if you start hearing her repeating some of those bird sounds she hears!

**pollypurebred39** · 12-30-2009, 07:26 PM

Get out!!! Oh now that's funny MadHen! And yes, she gets really miffed if he starts paying attention to anyone else. She starts carrying on and really letting him know that she wants his attention.

I'd love it if she sang, my Blizzard sang the most beautiful songs.

**Luckybustert** · 12-30-2009, 07:49 PM

Awwww, such pretty babies! Funny about the paying too much attention/biting thing. With the babies, why do you think the biter is female?

**madhen** · 12-30-2009, 07:56 PM

It is purely anecdotal, but the meanest parrots I've ever dealt with have usually been hens. They can also be the cuddliest, but every consistent and aggressive biter I've fostered has been a female. This one acts so much like her mother (a very aggressive hen), it just makes me think I've got another girl on my hands. (Or hanging off of them by the beak.)

**Debbie-cat** · 12-30-2009, 08:37 PM

Awww, they are so cute madhen! You are so lucky.

**tervsforme** · 12-30-2009, 09:25 PM

They are so pretty! I've never really been around birds much. I don't really know anything about taking care of them. My ex-husband's best friend had a bird that LOVED to cuddle with him when he watched tv. The bird snuggled right into his neck, it was very cool to see.