A Budgie Rant

[Jas]

Absolutely!
This pet store that sells budgies (very well kept and knowledgeable staff) were selling them for £50 each, put a lot of people off. They typically go for £20 but I've seen people sell them for as low as £5, adds fuel to the fire!

Lovebirds around £30-£50 depending on mutation and the actual person. A non mutated GCC that's not handreared is priced around £80 but again I've seen people sell them for £60.

It's also wrong to label a budgie's life less import than a scarlet macaws! They are both living and feeling creatures!

 

[TikiMyn]

Absolutely!
This pet store that sells budgies (very well kept and knowledgeable staff) were selling them for £50 each, put a lot of people off. They typically go for £20 but I've seen people sell them for as low as £5, adds fuel to the fire!

Lovebirds around £30-£50 depending on mutation and the actual person. A non mutated GCC that's not handreared is priced around £80 but again I've seen people sell them for £60.

It's also wrong to label a budgie's life less import than a scarlet macaws! They are both living and feeling creatures!

Yes! That is SO wrong!
Normal GCC's can be bought for 30 euros here, those are aviary reared babies, or babies that still need hand feeding. But that is online, in stores and with breeders prices range from 50-150. In the worst cases I have seen young budgies sold for 5 euros a pair. There are also a lot free budgies, sometimes lovebird and tiels too(I have seen ads for free cockatoos and greys too sadly, I don't think those ads were fake), they are the adult pet store birds usually.

 

[Lady Jane]

When you write uro us people in US have no idea what you mean.

 

[TikiMyn]

When you write uro us people in US have no idea what you mean.

Oh I didn’t know that I couldn’t find a € sign on my laptop. Do you all know what the € means Let’s just say it’s a mutilated dollar sign!

 

[karen256]

I also wish budgies cost a little more - but they aren't necessarily bad pets for kids provided the kids are mature enough to be patient in taming and parents are willing to help with the care.

Budgies were a little more popular in my parents' generation - since larger parrots were less common - and that was when most budgies still came from small breeders and probably cost a little more, if adjusted for inflation. It seems like a lot of people of that age have fond childhood memories of tame and friendly budgies who were part of the family.

But in any case, cost isn't everything. My first dog and my cats all cost around $50 - pets are cheap if you aren't getting purebred dogs or cats, or larger birds. Vet care, food, and toys are always going to end up costing more than the animal. It's getting people to understand birds need the vet care as much as dogs and cats. Some people may be reluctant only because they don't think much can be done on such a small animal, not because of cost (and to be fair, that is still a bit of an issue, but it makes well bird checkups all the more important to catch problems early).

 

[Budgiebonkers]

I also wish budgies cost a little more - but they aren't necessarily bad pets for kids provided the kids are mature enough to be patient in taming and parents are willing to help with the care.

Budgies were a little more popular in my parents' generation - since larger parrots were less common - and that was when most budgies still came from small breeders and probably cost a little more, if adjusted for inflation. It seems like a lot of people of that age have fond childhood memories of tame and friendly budgies who were part of the family.

But in any case, cost isn't everything. My first dog and my cats all cost around $50 - pets are cheap if you aren't getting purebred dogs or cats, or larger birds. Vet care, food, and toys are always going to end up costing more than the animal. It's getting people to understand birds need the vet care as much as dogs and cats. Some people may be reluctant only because they don't think much can be done on such a small animal, not because of cost (and to be fair, that is still a bit of an issue, but it makes well bird checkups all the more important to catch problems early).

If the kid can afford to pay for everything the bird included maybe but if the parents buy them it they will get bored and want the next thing and the parents will buy them aswell budgies hee use to cost $15.99 then was $18.99 now the price is $21.99 so the prices has gone up the most Ive paid was $25 or $28 I would have to look up the reciept but that pet store is no longer open now either so the cheapest is $21.99 The pet store that use to be the cheapest use to get 200 in at a time from florida but now they said they only get a few in now from local people as everybodys now breeds them around here anyways but every color is the same which most likely means they are over breeding the same birds until they probably die

 

[Jas]

The trouble with children is that they grow up and their interests changes to other things. Who's going to suffer? the bird of course. It's small, doesn't take up the whole room and is quiet. its easier to ignore a budgie compared to a dog or a larger bird. Due to budgies being seen as good children's pets there usually easy to get and cheap. In fact I've been offered free budgies before due to them unwanted. Mutations also add to the price too, most people want blue budgies, white, violet etc, so they are usually a little more expensive around here. supply and demand.

 

[TikiMyn]

The trouble with children is that they grow up and their interests changes to other things. Who's going to suffer? the bird of course. It's small, doesn't take up the whole room and is quiet. its easier to ignore a budgie compared to a dog or a larger bird. Due to budgies being seen as good children's pets there usually easy to get and cheap. In fact I've been offered free budgies before due to them unwanted. Mutations also add to the price too, most people want blue budgies, white, violet etc, so they are usually a little more expensive around here. supply and demand.

Agreed! They can make wonderful pets, but as Said before it is not the child that gets a bird, it’s the parents. (Unless the child is old enough to really understand and is commited though) If the know that, are willing to learn, pay food/toy/vet Bills, care for the bird when the child won’t etc, it could be a lot of fun! In my experience a lot of parents aren’t like that, because they view a budgies life as not important sadly. My mother bought a rabbit once ‘for us’, she didn’t care for her at all, I buy her food and all, I had to have a lot of fights in order to get her a friend/adequate space and so on. That is not the way to go.

 

[BeeBop]

That's exactly how my first couple of budgies were treated and it's only because we didn't know any better. I was in high school when I started to get really interested in birds. We saw some finches at a pet store and my mom really liked them, so my dad went back and got a pair for her. I loved them even though they were "only finches". The finches were what got me interested in birds. I eventually got my parents to agree on getting a parakeet. We went and picked one out from petsmart. He had a good sized cage but was only eating seed. I knew veggies should be part of their diet but I had no idea how important it was and I could never get my budgie to go near a vegetable. I had no luck with taming him so we went and got a second parakeet, no quarantine, we just popped them right in the same cage together. Luckily they did get along but I now know what could have happened. We never even talked about bringing them to a vet should they get sick. We thought of them like hamsters and basically treated them like all the hamsters I had as a kid. Don't get me wrong, we took care of all our animals to the best of our ability and knowledge but we just didn't know. They had plenty of toys, clean cages, and I tried to interact with them as best I could even if that just meant making them happy by spraying them with water so they could run around and lick the drops off all their toys.

One eventually died and I held off with getting another. The one that was left was the braver, more out going one, I thought maybe I could tame her without the distraction of another bird. I eventually brought her to my new apartment. This was my first apartment, my first time living on my own and it was so comforting to have her here, even though she wasn't tame. I loved listening to her chirp and we would watch spongebob together (she loved the theme song). She gave me something to look forward to coming back to after visiting my parents. I would be excited to get back to my apartment to see her. One day I noticed she had poop smeared around her vent area and I knew that wasn't a good sign. I honestly thought I wouldn't have enough time to do anything. My other keet was hardly even visibly sick when he just died. I did my best to make her comfortable and thought she would be gone by morning but she was still here. This went on for a couple of days before I couldn't take it anymore. I hated to see her sick and not doing anything about it. I did a quick google search to see what my vet options were and I only found one nearby. I took her in that day and the next afternoon I got a call that she had passed during the night. I still don't know what happened to her. I initially thought she could be egg bound but the vet didn't think that was it.

I had to really consider if I wanted another bird or not. I knew I had a lot to learn and I didn't want my new bird to suffer like I realized my others did. I hated the silence, I needed the chirp of a bird. I really wanted to try taming so I started looking for hand raised parakeets. The only breeder I found was in Virginia. I was hoping for a blue colored keet but she only had green, and not many left at the time. She sent me a picture of one that was ready to go and I paid for him that afternoon. I was excited and terrified, waiting for a call from the post office that he was here. I wanted this little bird to have only the best. I worked for months getting him to eat pellets and fresh foods. I must admit he's still not tame but he has a huge cage and a parakeet friend with him. I still have hopes of taming him, he does step up but not consistently. I'm so glad I impulsively bought him even though he wasn't the blue color I originally wanted. He started talking a couple of months after I got him and his little voice is literally my favorite sound ever. I feel so lucky to have gotten such a smart, talented little bird. Had I waited for a blue one he might not have learned to talk. Now I didn't buy him for the purpose of getting him to talk, I felt like the chances of him learning to talk were slim. I knew the potential was there but I didn't expect anything and I was (and still am) so shocked when I first heard him talk.

So here's the point of all this. Sometimes you need to make mistakes to get better and to learn. I learned so much from losing that parakeet. I think that one hit me particularly hard because she was my first pet that I took care of on my own. She wasn't a family pet, she was mine and I literally looked forward to getting out of work or coming home from my parents to see her. To not have her to look forward to really hit me. I knew if I got another bird I had to do better. I have 5 birds now and they come before everything else. One of my favorite parts of the day is giving them their chop for breakfast and watching them lose their little minds of excitement. All those months payed off and now they not only eat their veggies but they are excited about it! I feel like I can only repay and respect my previous parakeets by doing better for any future birds I may care for.

I LOVE this comment. i have made my share of mistakes, in fact these budgies are the ones that really turned things around (because I did not have near the knowledge I have now).

 

[BirbyHouse]

I know that this is old, but I feel the same way, I'm a young person myself, and even I can't provide everything my birds need, it really makes me angry that my neighbor, who is 7's, mum wants to get her a "Cute, white budgie" because she had one. Now, this family used to have 2 goldfish, they now have one as it died in a week's time after they got him, the tank is FILTHY, i go to their house once a week and it hasn't been cleaned for over a year, they also feed the fish once every now and then, even when I'm there, I slip her some food.

I spoke to the girl, and she doesn't want a budgie, she's been to my house and is terrified of my lovies, I don't want to think about what will happen to that budgie if it gets a home there...

 

[Lady Jane]

When I was a child my Mom did not allow any kind of animal in the house and I so adored animals. I would sneak in stray kitties and feed them but alas she always knew they were there hidden in the basement. When I reached early teens she let me get a parakeet because "they were not animals". I took such good care of Martini and had him for about 10 years. At that time companion birds ate mostly seed but I fed him lettuce and other greens. He would fly to my shoulder at mealtime and ate a bit with me then and loved to drink from our glasses. He drank milk mostly. Now we know so much more about caring for birds. Martini actually got outside one time and I was crying my heart out walking around the neighborhood carrying his small cage. It worked! He saw me and flew down to his cage. I found him on the cage bottom one morning, lifeless. I was so upset and crying I did not go to school that day.

 

[Budgiebonkers]

I know that this is old, but I feel the same way, I'm a young person myself, and even I can't provide everything my birds need, it really makes me angry that my neighbor, who is 7's, mum wants to get her a "Cute, white budgie" because she had one. Now, this family used to have 2 goldfish, they now have one as it died in a week's time after they got him, the tank is FILTHY, i go to their house once a week and it hasn't been cleaned for over a year, they also feed the fish once every now and then, even when I'm there, I slip her some food.

I spoke to the girl, and she doesn't want a budgie, she's been to my house and is terrified of my lovies, I don't want to think about what will happen to that budgie if it gets a home there...

In all fareness I have gold fish They get fed 1 a week as over feeding will dirty the water and make them bloat as fish dont have stomachs but my goldies are also in a 75 gallon tank lol

 

[Lady Jane]

When the younger members who responded here have children you will have knowledge to teach them what you know about the avian world and caring for a fragile bird. Thanks to everyone who posted here.