Birds!

[Murgatroy]

So after years of nagging my wife, I finally acquired a pair of keets. This afternoon we went to the local flea market, where there is a booth run by a bird lover. We got Snowball, our male and Sky, our female. The cats could care less after their cursory inspection, but the dogs are going insane over them.

 

I had done some light reading before bringing them home, so I had a good idea of what I was getting into, but I have now spent the entire afternoon reading anything I can find about Budgies. Frankly I am fascinated by them. It will take a bit of work, especially with menagerie I already have, but I am sure I will become accepted into their flock. Next up is a much larger cage. 

 

Any other bird folks on here?

 

[Esko 270]

 I inherited my Grandfather's sun conure. He thought I wanted it or maybe just thought it was funny, I'm not sure. It really is like living with a pissed off three year old. Beware of upgrading to a parakeet! 

[Guest BHG123]

Budgies are so full of life and often times humor and laughter!  They are fun to have around, unless you do not like the chatter.  They are much lower maintenance, and a lot less screechy than the sun conure Esko 270 has, lol. 

Even if the cats are mostly uninterested, never leave them alone within reach of the Budgies.  Even being playful, cats saliva can be toxic to budgies and other birds.

Since you bought a pair of budgies, they have company and that is a good thing!  In brief, if I could recommend anything else, never quickly pull back your finger or create any drama if it looks like the budgie might bite you.  The drama will reinforce the biting behavior.  Most birds are actually taught to bite by the dramatic pull back of a finger and a loud "ouch".

They will happily learn to stand on your finger.  Just be very patient.  They will quickly learn that your hand in the cage means "food", that is a good thing!  Over time, extend a finger and watch their reaction.  Slowly, over time, desensitize them to seeing your extended finger.  Work it closer to where their chest curves down to their feet until they tolerate your finger being held against them.  This could be difficult if one bird is friendly and the other is skittish.  The skittish one can unravel what you are doing with the friendly one, if the skittish one gets too upset and enters the drama zone.

Years ago, I had a parakeet that was very well hand/shoulder trained.  He used to ride around on my shoulder all day.  I had a portable radio boom box and I would stand the handle up like a perch, put the parakeet on the handle, and crank up some rock and roll.  He would scream, dance, bob, and run back and forth on the handle to the music!  He looked forward to a musical dance session every day!  Most of the parrot type birds love music, everything from classical to rap.

Also read up on clipping their flight feathers, if you are planning on taking them out of their cage.  Sometimes they can sneak out on you and if they get out of the house, they will keep happily flying toward the sky.  You can only clip the flight feathers at certain times.  When they are new feathers, they have blood/veins in them and the bird will bleed to death if you clip them at the wrong time.  Birds only have a tiny bit of blood, so just seeing a tiny bit can mean a critical situation.  If you are uncertain, just don't do it.  And keep a styptic pen as part of your budgie first aid kit.

Edited December 31, 2018 by BHG123

[bersaguy]

I never had any birds when I was a kid but my mother did, LOTS of them but she was a Canary nut. I think at 1 time she may have had as many as 50. Some in what I called normal size cages and then some in really large cages. She loved to hear them sing and the bird room was about 1/2 of the back porch all enclosed with storm windows and pull drapes and heated  for winter. You could hear them sing all over the house when she had to bird room door open. Back years ago after I grew up ever so often I would have wild Canarys around my house and I could hear them sing so I would put up a couple feeders designed just for them and put the wild Canary food in them and they would come and feed. I had red ones, blue ones and yellow ones and they all had black wings. They would sing up a storm at times. I have not had any in many years now but Doesn't really matter as my hearing is not good enough to hear them any more.

Good luck with your new birds!!!!

Edited December 31, 2018 by bersaguy