Should I get a second Budgie?

[rrossignole]

The only reason that I only adopted a single Budgie was because I wanted to form a strong bond with it, and I heard that having two made doing so more difficult. I've only had my current Budgie for a month, but recently I've been starting to think that she might need a friend. I spend lots of time with her and am making lots of progress with our bond (she's pretty comfortable taking treats from my hand and perching on my finger, but still doesn't seem to have complete trust in me just yet), but whenever I let her out of the cage, she's very intent on trying to befriend my pair of Javas. My Javas don't seem to want to reciprocate and are fine as they are, so I'm starting to think that she needs a friend of her own species. The only thing I'm worried about is that she (and the new bird) will no longer want anything to do with me and I will not be able to form a proper bond with the two of them. Any advice on what I should do in this situation??

 

[cosmolove]

One thing to keep in mind is not all birds will get along. So you very well could end up with two parakeets that need to be caged separate and have separate attention. Is this something you are okay with? Generally I only recommend getting additional birds if it is what YOU want, not what you think your current bird will like.

 

[karen256]

One thing to keep in mind is that two female budgies are less likely to get along, so you would probably want to get a male for a second budgie.

If you have the space and time, you could get another budgie, and keep it in another room for the first month or two (this is good for quarantine as well). You can use this time to work on taming both of them, separately, then introduce them once they are both tame. They will probably lose interest in you unless you have a strong bond with them before the introduction, but should still remain reasonably tame and accepting of you as a flock member.

 

[rrossignole]

One thing to keep in mind is not all birds will get along. So you very well could end up with two parakeets that need to be caged separate and have separate attention. Is this something you are okay with? Generally I only recommend getting additional birds if it is what YOU want, not what you think your current bird will like.

That's interesting. A lot of people that I've talked to seem to think keeping a budgie alone will make it lonely. Though, she seems pretty happy so I guess it varies with each individual bird? Also, I think it would defeat the purpose of getting another budgie if they don't get along so that's something I'll have to think about.

One thing to keep in mind is that two female budgies are less likely to get along, so you would probably want to get a male for a second budgie.

If you have the space and time, you could get another budgie, and keep it in another room for the first month or two (this is good for quarantine as well). You can use this time to work on taming both of them, separately, then introduce them once they are both tame. They will probably lose interest in you unless you have a strong bond with them before the introduction, but should still remain reasonably tame and accepting of you as a flock member.

Wouldn't they try to make babies if I kept them as an opposite sex pair? I'd love to try breeding birds someday but I certainly am not ready for that at this point in time.

The whole point of me getting a single Budgie was so that I could handle it and develop a strong bond with it so getting a second one might defeat the purpose of that now that I think about it... I heard some people are able to keep strong bonds with all of their birds but maybe that's uncommon.

 

[Parakeet88]

I'd say if your single keet seems generally happy and healthy then don't worry about it. Maybe she is just curious about your other birds, she may not necessarily be looking for a friend. As long as you spend plenty of time with her and keep her busy with various toys when you're away she should be fine.

I started off with one keet that I really wanted to bond with. Things were going pretty slow, he learned to talk and loves being near my face but is still cautious of my hands. I ended up getting another keet a few months later (just fell in love with her color) and planned to keep them separate for a while so I could work with them individually. The new keet wasn't settling in well so after trying everything to get her to eat or drink I put them together to see if that would help her. She perked up and started eating right away and I haven't separated them since. My original keet still talks and he still loves to be near my face while I talk to him. I'm still working on getting him out of his cage but overall he didn't really change since being with another bird. That being said the two keets aren't really interested in each other. They get along fine but they don't really cuddle or preen each other so I think that's why my original keet is still sort of bonded to me.

When my first keet was alone he was great at keeping himself busy and I never really thought of getting another bird for him. Keets have a lot of energy and as long as you provide a lot of different types of toys she should be fine keeping herself entertained.

I think you should at least take a few more months to make a stronger bond with the bird you have now and then if you still think she needs a bird friend you can keep that option open. Like the others have said they may not get along or like my birds they may just have no interest in each other so if you decide to get another bird you need to be prepared for all the potential outcomes, including eggs if you decide on a male. I have a male/ female pair but they are both still under a year old so I don't know if they'll eventually try to mate. Just don't rush into anything and as long as she seems happy don't worry too much about it. Good luck!

 

[rrossignole]

This thread is a few weeks old now, but I have an update:

I’ve been working hard to train my little one to get used to my hands and she seems pretty ok right now. She steps up fine and eats treats from my hand easily. However, I can see that she’s onviously still uncomfortable around me, and even though she seems healthy, I don’t hear her chirp much. She also doesn’t seem like she’s active enough. I remember when I got her from the pet store she was the liveliest one, climbing around the cage and making lots of noise. Now, whenever she gets like that it doesn’t last much longer than 20 minutes tops and then she goes back to just kind of sitting there.

She doesn’t seem sick at all but I can’t help but think that she’s not very happy. She was not socialized at all since I got her from a general pet store so I’m starting to give up on the idea of ever getting her to be my buddy. I only want what’s best for her, and right now I’m thinking she needs a same species companion. However, I want to do as much research and get as much advice as possible before even considering another bird. Any thoughts on my current situation?

 

[sunnysmom]

@Lady Jane ?

 

[Parakeet88]

If you're not set on taming her, then it would be best to get her a friend. They are still hysterical to watch and you'll find each bird has a unique personality. I got my keet a friend sort of by accident and it is fun to watch them interact. Luckily my first keet still talks and I still see potential of being able to tame him, though it will take a lot longer.

Even if you get her a friend you don't have to completely give up on taming/ interacting. My keet still seems to prefer me to his bird friend even though I never really tamed him. It will definitely take longer but could still be possible.

You'll want to make sure she is a female so you can choose a cage mate accordingly. In my short experience I've never had two keets not get along but you do need to be prepared in case they don't like each other. They may get along but they may not really bond. My two get along great but they don't cuddle or preen each other. You also need to make sure you have a cage big enough for two.

I also noticed that keets I got from the store became a lot calmer once I got them home. At the store they have lots of other birds to interact/ compete with so they have plenty to do all the time.

If she's not taking to taming well then get her a friend and just make sure their cage is nice and big if you won't be letting them out. My keets are in a huge cage and they seem to have a blast even though I feel awful they're stuck in there. They really are great at keeping themselves busy with toys and just running along their perches. They never seem bored or unhappy to me even though they don't come out.

It's ultimately your choice but I think that if you're not going to tame her then you should get her a buddy.

 

[rrossignole]

Thank you so much for the advice! I honestly think that my keet is better suited to having a same-species companion, so I've already started looking into it. I think she would benefit from it a lot more than if I let her be. I have no problem not having her 100% tame as long as she's healthy and happy.

 

[cassiesdad]

Budgies are happier in flocks...even if there are only two in the flock. And getting another budgie for a companion doesn't mean that they will not "tame down"..it just means you will have to work with both of them to have them accept you as part of the flock...

 

[Lady Jane]

Everything you say in your update will go away with the addition of a second budgie. I have a video on my phone of the first meeting of my budgies. I will try to post it.

 

[Lady Jane]

Got it

They were from same breeder so no need to quarantine. It was instant friendship. Murphy was not happy alone. He barely ate, did not play with toys or chirp. He dramatically changed after Mickey joined him.

 

[Lady Jane]

Now look how comfortable they are together.

 

[Parakeet88]

I wish I had the video of my keets meeting for the first time. I hadn't planned on putting them together so soon but the new one wasn't eating or drinking, so after trying everything else I finally put her with my other keet. She took a nibble of food within minutes and was climbing all over the cage to get to my other keet.

 

[rrossignole]

@Lady Jane Awww, that's adorable!! I'm hoping that if/when I do get another bird everything goes well like in your videos!

@cassiesdad That makes sense! I guess I'll just have to work a little harder with the current bird as well.

As a side note, I'm not sure if the cage I have right now would be comfortable for two budgies. The dimensions are 34" Height, 13" Width and 25" Length. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I've heard that keet cages should prioritize length and width over height and are usually a lot bigger. If so, I'll have to wait and save up some money.

 

[rrossignole]

@Parakeet88 That's incredible! I'm hoping a second keet will improve my current one's quality of life.

 

[Parakeet88]

My keets definitely seem to use more of the length space rather than the height. I've got one long rope perch that goes all the way across the top of the cage and they love to just run back and forth across it. My keets are in a breeder cage even though I'm hoping they don't breed lol breeder cages are large and tend to be longer than regular cages.

You'll also want to be careful of the bar spacing on whatever cage you get. It's difficult to find a larger cage with small bar spacing. Even the cage I have now I have to keep the one corner covered if I'm not around to supervise because a certain little lady has been poking her head through the top of the cage. My male keet is completely oblivious even though he will stand and watch/ bother her as she sticks her head through lol

 

[Zoepr143]

And if in the end you want to try to see how it goes, some pet stores in my area do this things were if you get a second budgie and they don’t get along with your first one you can pick up a new one in exchange for the one that didn’t get along. It’s very handy in my opinion, just to make sure they can be buddies. Maybe there are pet stores in your area that do the same?

 

[rrossignole]

@Parakeet88 I didn’t know that about the bar spacing... and I figured my cage is probably not the best for two budgies. I’m gonna have to wait and save up since all the cages in the pet stores in my area are really expensive.

@Zoepr143 Thats actually really practical! I didn’t even think of doing that... I mean, the pet store near my place will only let me exchange it after a couple of weeks. I don’t really know if that’s enough time. I mean, I have to quarantine the new bird for a while, don’t I? But I’m thinking I could still try it out and see how it goes.

 

[Zoepr143]

@Zoepr143 Thats actually really practical! I didn’t even think of doing that... I mean, the pet store near my place will only let me exchange it after a couple of weeks. I don’t really know if that’s enough time. I mean, I have to quarantine the new bird for a while, don’t I? But I’m thinking I could still try it out and see how it goes.[/QUOTE]

I don’t have any experience with quarantine, so I can’t help you with that but the exchanging is a good idea if you’re afraid it won’t work out.
Good luck