Hello! New bird owner here C:

[breadcrumb]

Hello, thank you for having me ^^!
I recently got a 8 week old male baby budgie! I plan on getting him a buddy and I'll be picking him up this Sunday <3
This website seems like a very helpful resource for bird owners so I thought I would give it a try since this would be my first pet I've ever had. I've had him for only a few days so far, and he is still nervous in his cage it seems. I've done my research, but I thought it would also be good to seek out advice from bird owners here as well? Please let me know the things I can do to make him more comfortable! For food, I am working on switching his diet from the seed mix he was on before to TOPS organic pellets? Please let me know if that is okay. I am also working on incoporating fresh veggies and fruit in his diet! Right now I'm grinding the pellets and then adding them into the seed mix with some diced vegetables (+ a little millet to see if that will help with the consumation of veggies).

I also have a list of questions (I'm really sorry, I tend to worry a lot and this being my first ever pet buddies is just the bane of my existence, so alot of these questions are specific)
- Ideally it's recommended to change cage liner everyday, but what if budgie gets scared by the crinkling of the newspaper or the cage accidently shakes when I put the tray back in? Especially when he's still adjusting to his new home?
- And I understand it's good to clean the cage throughouly weekly, but if the budgie is new, nervous and still adjusting how should I approach this without frightening it?
- Some resources encourage playing budgie sounds to the budgie and some discourage it, could I get your personal opinions on it if it's not too much trouble?
- I currently have the bird cage in my bedroom and so far I have no issues with it myself, but I worry that I could possibly be interrupting the budgie's sleep? My bed creeks a little and my bedroom is relatively small, not to mention the opening and closing of the doors at night as well (I also have a rolling chair). Would this be a concern and should I relocate to somewhere else? If so, should I be doing it now or wait until he and his friend are settled first?
- I read that birds should bathe ideally once a week, how can I do that with a new budgie that is not trained yet?
- I can hear him flapping in his cage sometimes at night when the cage is covered, would that be him flying around or something else? Is it something I should be worried about?

Again, many apologies and thank yous in advance, I did do a lot of research but I'm also just very paranoid (and not very patient, I think) and alot of the websites or videos don't offer specific answers (I don't expect them to, and a lot of the resources I have seen are super super helpful) so please let me know if I'm doing something wrong or something can be improved!

Best regards,
breadcrumb C:

(The photo of the cage was taken before the budgie arrived, and I have moved things around and added a bit more stuff since then! The dimensions of the cage are around 32Lx22Wx35H + stand =60H I believe!)

 

[Shezbug]

Welcome to the Avenue

 

[Spearmint]

Welcome!!

I'm not too sure about budgie diets, but TOPS is a wonderful brand, so it's probably good to use.


- Ideally it's recommended to change cage liner everyday, but what if budgie gets scared by the crinkling of the newspaper or the cage accidently shakes when I put the tray back in? Especially when he's still adjusting to his new home?

If he's getting stressed with the constant changes, you can change the liner every 3-4 weeks or longer depending on how much mess there is.

- And I understand it's good to clean the cage throughouly weekly, but if the budgie is new, nervous and still adjusting how should I approach this without frightening it?

Until he's settled in, you can do the thorough changes every 2 weeks, unless the cage is very dirty. I dont do thorough changes every week for my bird, mainly because he's not super messy.

- Some resources encourage playing budgie sounds to the budgie and some discourage it, could I get your personal opinions on it if it's not too much trouble?

I personally wouldn't do this, especially as he doesnt have a friend as of right now. Budgies are very social birds, so hearing that noise might stress him out because he cant interact with the potential flock yet. Also be mindful to slowly introduce the new budgie you get.

- I currently have the bird cage in my bedroom and so far I have no issues with it myself, but I worry that I could possibly be interrupting the budgie's sleep? My bed creeks a little and my bedroom is relatively small, not to mention the opening and closing of the doors at night as well (I also have a rolling chair). Would this be a concern and should I relocate to somewhere else? If so, should I be doing it now or wait until he and his friend are settled first?

Not sure about this one.

- I read that birds should bathe ideally once a week, how can I do that with a new budgie that is not trained yet?

Just offer different bathing opportunities, clean water bowls, offer a plate of water with some leafy greens (herb bath), like Kale. When he's tame, you can offer misting and so on. Don't stress too much about bathing weekly, birds will bath when they feel they need to, and shouldn't be forced into a bath either. I know some birds who will only bath once a month because they dont like bathing, and they're perfectly healthy

- I can hear him flapping in his cage sometimes at night when the cage is covered, would that be him flying around or something else? Is it something I should be worried about?

Sounds like a 'night fright', which im not sure how you should handle. Other members can provide further help .


I would recommend an avian vet appointment soon, so you can catch any diseases or issues early. We're glad to have you on the avenue!

PS: That cage was such a good choice, love it

 

[greys4u]

 

[AussieBird]

For food, I am working on switching his diet from the seed mix he was on before to TOPS organic pellets?

TOPs is a good start but is not really going to be a good complete diet for him. If I used TOPs I'd use another fortified pellet too (Something like Harrisons if that's something available to you). Do not completely remove seeds from his diet, in limited quantities they're very good for him. Keep up with the veggies, some of them can take awhile

- I currently have the bird cage in my bedroom and so far I have no issues with it myself, but I worry that I could possibly be interrupting the budgie's sleep? My bed creeks a little and my bedroom is relatively small, not to mention the opening and closing of the doors at night as well (I also have a rolling chair). Would this be a concern and should I relocate to somewhere else? If so, should I be doing it now or wait until he and his friend are settled first?

I wouldn't be concerned about the noise. In the wild it is never dead quite at night, silence can actually often signal danger. If he's not getting enough sleep at night he'll probably just nap a bit in the day, that's what mine do.

 

[expressmailtome]

Welcome, and enjoy the site!

 

[Fergus Mom]

You've already been given some great advice here!
I just wanted to say that their food dishes can look full because they hull their seeds, and the empty hulls remain in the food dish. I would not switch to 'only' pellets, as these guys need their seeds.
I don't think your bedroom would be too noisy, and it might comfort the little guy to know you're near. The flapping around at night could be 'night fright', which either means something startled him, or he had a nightmare. This has happened to mine if a bug got in their cage. I would recommend a small nightlight, and now I only cover their cage halfway, to enable them to see the bottom of the cage better. I talk softly to them and reassure them all is okay. Hopefully they will not hurt themselves while flapping around - that's the danger there.


You sound like a VERY conscientious bird owner and that is GREAT!

 

[Emma&pico]

 

[Tyrion]

 

[Pixiebeak]

 

[breadcrumb]

Welcome!!

I'm not too sure about budgie diets, but TOPS is a wonderful brand, so it's probably good to use.


- Ideally it's recommended to change cage liner everyday, but what if budgie gets scared by the crinkling of the newspaper or the cage accidently shakes when I put the tray back in? Especially when he's still adjusting to his new home?

If he's getting stressed with the constant changes, you can change the liner every 3-4 weeks or longer depending on how much mess there is.

- And I understand it's good to clean the cage throughouly weekly, but if the budgie is new, nervous and still adjusting how should I approach this without frightening it?

Until he's settled in, you can do the thorough changes every 2 weeks, unless the cage is very dirty. I dont do thorough changes every week for my bird, mainly because he's not super messy.

- Some resources encourage playing budgie sounds to the budgie and some discourage it, could I get your personal opinions on it if it's not too much trouble?

I personally wouldn't do this, especially as he doesnt have a friend as of right now. Budgies are very social birds, so hearing that noise might stress him out because he cant interact with the potential flock yet. Also be mindful to slowly introduce the new budgie you get.

- I currently have the bird cage in my bedroom and so far I have no issues with it myself, but I worry that I could possibly be interrupting the budgie's sleep? My bed creeks a little and my bedroom is relatively small, not to mention the opening and closing of the doors at night as well (I also have a rolling chair). Would this be a concern and should I relocate to somewhere else? If so, should I be doing it now or wait until he and his friend are settled first?

Not sure about this one.

- I read that birds should bathe ideally once a week, how can I do that with a new budgie that is not trained yet?

Just offer different bathing opportunities, clean water bowls, offer a plate of water with some leafy greens (herb bath), like Kale. When he's tame, you can offer misting and so on. Don't stress too much about bathing weekly, birds will bath when they feel they need to, and shouldn't be forced into a bath either. I know some birds who will only bath once a month because they dont like bathing, and they're perfectly healthy

- I can hear him flapping in his cage sometimes at night when the cage is covered, would that be him flying around or something else? Is it something I should be worried about?

Sounds like a 'night fright', which im not sure how you should handle. Other members can provide further help .


I would recommend an avian vet appointment soon, so you can catch any diseases or issues early. We're glad to have you on the avenue!

PS: That cage was such a good choice, love it

Thank you so much for following up with great advice and answers to my questions <333 I will definitely keep all of this in mind!

 

[breadcrumb]

TOPs is a good start but is not really going to be a good complete diet for him. If I used TOPs I'd use another fortified pellet too (Something like Harrisons if that's something available to you). Do not completely remove seeds from his diet, in limited quantities they're very good for him. Keep up with the veggies, some of them can take awhile

I wouldn't be concerned about the noise. In the wild it is never dead quite at night, silence can actually often signal danger. If he's not getting enough sleep at night he'll probably just nap a bit in the day, that's what mine do.

Oh okay great! I don't know if I can get Harrisons right now, but I'll definitely look for it and get it as soon as I can! Thank you so much for answering my question about the noise at night, I've been worried that it would bother him a lot ^^

 

[breadcrumb]

You've already been given some great advice here!
I just wanted to say that their food dishes can look full because they hull their seeds, and the empty hulls remain in the food dish. I would not switch to 'only' pellets, as these guys need their seeds.
I don't think your bedroom would be too noisy, and it might comfort the little guy to know you're near. The flapping around at night could be 'night fright', which either means something startled him, or he had a nightmare. This has happened to mine if a bug got in their cage. I would recommend a small nightlight, and now I only cover their cage halfway, to enable them to see the bottom of the cage better. I talk softly to them and reassure them all is okay. Hopefully they will not hurt themselves while flapping around - that's the danger there.


You sound like a VERY conscientious bird owner and that is GREAT!

Thank you so much for the reassurance and the great advice! I don't have a night light available that I can use right now, but I do have a lamp that can provide some light? Will that be okay or should I look into night lights? Thank you again for the help

 

[Spearmint]

Thank you so much for following up with great advice and answers to my questions <333 I will definitely keep all of this in mind!

No worries!

 

[Fergus Mom]

Thank you so much for the reassurance and the great advice! I don't have a night light available that I can use right now, but I do have a lamp that can provide some light? Will that be okay or should I look into night lights? Thank you again for the help

Yes, just put a 40 watt bulb rather than a higher wattage. I don't really have a nightlight - just a dimmer bulb that is about 15 feet away from their cage.
And you're welcome!

 

[Xoetix]

Hello and welcome!