New Budgie Owner

[miya]

Hello everyone! Advanced apologies for a long post ahead

I'm brand new to this site and as of this week, I am also a new bird owner.. specifically, of two budgies! I love birds and have been wanting one for a long time, so I'm very happy to finally have my new little companions! I'm an apartment dweller and a beginner, so I thought budgies would be a good choice for me.. Plus, they're so stinkin' cute, so that's a huge bonus



Here they are! I'm still trying to decide on what to name them.. Would anyone happen to be able to give me a ballpark estimate of their age? I can tell they're still young by their forehead bars and those big cute eyes.. But I'm not sure of just how young they are. Also, any ideas about their gender? If the cere isn't clear enough from these photos, I can try to snap some more later

I also have a few other questions if anyone could give me some advice!

1) These two are a couple of seed addicts unfortunately. I've tried introducing some bright colored fruit-flavored pellets into their diet (adding a bit into their seeds in their bowl) but they just pick around them and eat only the seeds. Any ideas of how I can work on getting these two moved over to a pellet diet?

2) What sort of supplements do I need to give them? I purchased a cuttlebone and a pineapple flavored mineral block for them. Would this be sufficient? Also, should I look into getting them a UV lamp to help them get some vitamin D, since they aren't really getting direct sunlight? If so, I've never used one before - any recommendations on a brand?

3) Taming. I got these two little guys at the same time so they would have companionship, as they're home alone while I'm at work/gym/doing errands/etc, though I did buy a radio for them so they have some background noise to listen to while I'm away. Them having each other and being happy is way more important than them being friends with me.. But I'd still at least like to try to get them tame enough to get them to step up so I can take them out of the cage to clean it and let them get free flight time (true free flight - I don't want to clip their wings). Any tips? I know budgies are pretty skittish especially when they're in a new home. The good news is that they're moving around in their cage (I bought them a really large one so they have some flying room - a 32 L x 19 W x 37 H, not including the stand), eating, drinking water, starting to chirp and chatter some. They don't panic when I put my hand in the cage to change their water/food bowls.. And don't panic if I stand in front of their cage to watch them. They let me get right up to them if I'm holding millet spray (won't eat it though if I'm holding it).. But if I put just my hand near them, they hop away from me. Which is totally understandable, I'm just wondering if I'm doing this right or if I'm pushing too hard too soon, or if anyone has some advice for steps I can take to work on getting them more comfortable around my hand.

4) About the ugly side of budgies.. Their poop! When I clean their wood perches/toys/bottom cage grate/whatever that they've pooped on, what would be the best to use to get it off? Would something like a baby wipe be too harsh? And, for in the future when I let them out for free flight.. Majority of my apartment has carpet. Is their poop staining, or is it pretty easy to get up without it being noticeable?

5) Any suggestions on what size travel cage would be good for these two for vet visits and such?

I think that's all for now! Thanks so much for reading and I'm happy to not only finally have some feathered friends of my own, but to be a part of this forum.

 

[sunnysmom]

Welcome! Your budgies are very cute!

@Lady Jane ?

 

[Lady Jane]

Welcome and I will try to answer some of your questions. Did you get them in a pet store or from somewhere else? I would say they are under 6 months of age and perhaps both males. Gender is best determined after first molt which comes anywhere from 7 to 12 months of age. Here is a wonderful budgie web page that will help you also. Budgie - info.com - everything you need to know about your budgerigar

1. I feed most all Goldenfeast foods because they have great ingredients. I do not feed any corn products and especially fresh corn because it may facilitate the growth of fungus leading to AGI. Look up avian gastric disease in budgies and please be aware of the symptoms. I have lost one budgie and had another come down with yeast in the crop. Budgies do not eat much, if any, fruit. As far as getting them on veggies this is how I did that. I start out by finely chopping a few veggies and mix together. They adore broccoli so include that and kale, romaine lettuce, carrots, grated squash. I keep it simple in the beginning. I put the chop in a shallow dish which fits over the seed bowl and sprinkle the chop with millet seeds. My two took about two weeks before they began to eat the veggies under the millet seed. Have faith and keep serving even though you will be wasting some of the food. Only keep it is the cage for about two hours or it will spoil. Another way is to hang fresh greens, especially dandelion greens from the top of the cage with a bag clip. Carrot tops are fun for them as they will play with them too. Make sure to wash the greens and you can hang them wet. Yellow and orange veggies are needed like the carrots, sweet potatoes and pumpkin. They can be steamed for softness if it is needed. Don't forget they need seeds too. I also mix in the seed mix a good goldenfeast pellet for small beaks. One last thing about the diet. I buy a birdie bread mix on Amazon and add to it other veggies mentioned plus coconut oil. You cook it in a flat pan as if they were brownies and slice in small squares. I freeze the excess amounts to serve later. My tow budgies go crazy for birdie bread.

2. I do supplement calcium and Vit. d3 because it is a rare day when they get out in the sunshine. I sprinkle a very small amount on their food (less than 1/4 tsp. Again its on Amazon Cal-D-Solve. There is controversy whether or not full spec lighting is effective or not. I have a feather bright bulb but it is questionable. See video. Link will be posted. Small Parrot Toys by Lil Monsters Bird Toys This is the web page of a member here who just happens to make wonderful toys for little birds too.

Continued on next post.

 

[Lady Jane]

Its best if you can get them outside for about 10 or 15 minutes of natural sunshine if its not too hot. You will need a pet carrier that does not block the sun. Look for signs of being too hot in the birds such as panting or lifting wings up .

3. Looks like the have their flight feathers which is great. Are they used to your hands yet? Mine learned to climb the vertical bars like in your cage. Get them used to your hands first before trying any taming. Place the flat of your hands on the outside of the cage several times a day while talking softly to them. Drop a treat into the cage frequently (they love millet sprays) California Golden millet is the best. I always suggest you take budgies into a small room for flight training first like the bathroom. Cover the mirrors and put the toilet lid down first. They need to build up their flying confidence. Then I suggest you perch train them before you finger for step up. You can begin perch training with them inside the cage. Hold a short perch in you hand and a millet spray at the same time while saying step up. eventually they will get the message. Do this over about 4 to 5 weeks until they are comfortable stepping on the perch, then they will easily step up on your finger.

They let me get right up to them if I'm holding millet spray (won't eat it though

They will eventually eat the millet from you hand and you are doing a fine job with them so far.

As far as cage cleaning most of us use a mixture of vinegar and water. I put it in a spray bottle and use part of a paper towel. Also put newspaper over the grate in layers for easy removal of the top layer. Grates are had on their feet. The poop off products that are sold are pretty expensive and you don't really need them.

Here is a nice carrier for small birds https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KTL5IQ...colid=LOX6K3DAI1BA&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it I also use a very small cage for taking them outdoors in the sunshine so the sun will shine on them.

When the droppings fall on carpet just let them dry and then they are easily removed. Make sure to look up an avian vet as they will need yearly wellness checks and you should have a medical fund saved up for any emergencies or illnesses.

 

[Lady Jane]

Birds Online - Health and diseases - Infectious diseases - Avian gastric yeast (AGY, megabacteriosis) and going light syndrome

Small Beak – Goldn’obles III | Goldenfeast Direct These are the pellets I mix in the seed blend. Also feed Australian blend, some garden flora too.

Australian Blend | Goldenfeast Direct They also make a basic seed blend for budgies.

Ceres for those interested | Avian Avenue Parrot Forum
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GOM9P3...colid=LOX6K3DAI1BA&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it


I guess this is enough homework for you now.

 

[iamwhoiam]

Welcome to AA. Your budgies are cute. What are their names?

 

[Lady Jane]

The writer wrote she is trying to think of names.

 

[miya]

Thank you everyone!! And yes, I'm still trying to think of names for them. I had a slight inkling that they're male budgies because of how pink their ceres are.. But didn't want to name them something gender-specific just in case I was wrong and have to change it later!

@Lady Jane , thank you so much for the long replies you sent me! So much useful information in there To answer your question, yes, they're pet shop budgies. It's currently summer down here in the south and grossly hot, so I'm hoping one of these days it'll cool down a bit so I can take them in a carrier outside to get some natural light. And fresh air too! I also found an avian vet before I adopted them and plan on taking them for their check-up once I get them a good travel cage!

Since you can use the vinegar/water combo to clean their cage, I'm assuming it's safe for them to come in contact with it? I usually soak all of my produce for a few minutes in a water/vinegar mixture before rinsing with water to get off any residual pesticides and waxes.. Will that be alright for the birds?

Also, I've heard about some budgies having color mutations. Is there a specific name regarding the colors my little guys have, that you can tell anyway since I know they're young?

Have a good rest of your day everyone!

 

[miya]

Oh, I also forgot to bring this up earlier - is it normal for young budgies to have some color variations in their beaks? You can sort of see it in the second photo on the green one; there's a small dark patch on the bottom area of the beak. Not sure if this is a normal part of them growing or if it's something I need to be concerned about.

 

[Garet]

Yep, it's normal and should fade away as your baby grows up.

 

[miya]

Yep, it's normal and should fade away as your baby grows up.

Fantastic! Thank you

Also, oh my gosh, being patient paid off today and I'm so happy! The budgies heard me come in the front door and immediately started doing their chattering noises. This is the most noise I've ever heard them make so far! I came in and tried again with the millet spray. I broke off a chunk and was holding it out in one hand and they seemed interested but unsure of what to do.. So I put out my other hand for a few seconds like a makeshift perch.. and after the budgies bit me twice trying to figure out what my finger was (I made sure not to move! ), they actually stepped up by themselves onto my finger!! Of course on the outside I forced myself to remain calm, giving them the "good bird" praise as they chowed down.. But on the inside I was like !! I'm a bit in shock, especially since I've only had them a couple days, but I feel like this is such a huge step for the three of us and my heart feels so warm

 

[Lady Jane]

You are making such good progress Miya. Yes, vinegar and water are safe for birds. I did get a bit carried away answering you questions, sorry for that.

 

[MagpieDragon]

Welcome to the Avenue!
Your budgies are adorable, and you seem like a great bird owner
Looking forward to seeing you around

 

[miya]

You are making such good progress Miya. Yes, vinegar and water are safe for birds. I did get a bit carried away answering you questions, sorry for that.

No need to apologize! I appreciate you taking the time to write down so much information for me I do have one other question.. What should a good feeding schedule look like for them? I'm not sure as to how much food they need, as I don't want to overfeed them.. But I don't want them to be starving either! I've been doing a breakfast, late-lunch, evening feeding schedule with them so far and trying to introduce some new foods like vegetables though they don't seem interested just yet, but I'll keep introducing variety to them and experiment with how it's offered. Is there a set number of food they should be getting in terms of seed/pellets/millet? A tablespoon? More, less? I've seen a lot of pages listing diet percentages.. But not so much on actual amount of food.

Welcome to the Avenue!
Your budgies are adorable, and you seem like a great bird owner
Looking forward to seeing you around

Thank you!! Everyone here has been so kind and I'm already loving it here

 

[Lady Jane]

My feeding schedule begins in the am. I let the birds out of cage first to fly around and get some exercise so they will be hungry. Then I clean the droppings off things in the cage, change newspaper on the bottom, wash the water and food dish and then fill them. I then chop the veggies for the day and put in a shallow dish that fits right over the seed dish. So for the next two hours there is nothing in the cage for them to eat but the veggies with millet sprinkled on top. Sometimes I hang or place greens or broccoli in a skewer in addition to the dish of chop. After two hours I remove the dish and their seed/pellet mix is open for them to eat. Every 3rd day I will give them some birdie bread in a separate dish.

Just last week they were at my avian vets office for the yearly wellness check. Mickey, the smaller English budgie weighed 46 gm. and Murphy the larger male EB weighed in at 52gms. So both of them are maintaining a good weight. Its nice to have a gram scale at home if you train them to stand on one and keep track of that.

I also keep track of when their toe nails are cut. I have a groomer that comes to me and only charges $10 for both. I don't recommend for new bird people to cut their birds nails.

 

[miya]

That's very helpful, thanks. I read you recommended Goldenfeast for food.. The "small beak - goldn'obles III" sounds good! Have you tried it? Or have a specific brand of theirs you could recommend? The ingredients list looks great at the very least! I'm assuming I would need to mix in pellets as well since this seems pretty seed-based?

Good call about the weight and nails! I'll have to get a gram scale for them.. And I don't really trust myself enough yet to even attempt to cut their nails to be honest. I'm still getting them used to my hands so I don't think introducing them to something they view as unpleasant would be good for the progress we've made so far I have to take them to the vet soon so I can probably get them trimmed down if need be during their initial exam.

I haven't seen them playing with their toys just yet.. So I'm not sure if they even realize their toys are something to play with just yet.. Unless they're being sneaky and playing with them when I'm not home There's a small tear in one of their paper-based toys but aside from that I don't see anything that's been moved around.. Maybe I could stick a treat on/near the other toys to make them interested?

The good news is, they did so well today! They were super chatty when I got home. It took a couple tries but they stepped up onto my finger, ate some millet, and stepped down as well (which was something they were struggling with yesterday). I'm thinking about naming the green one Kiwi and the blue one June.. That green/yellow combo reminds me so much of fruit! And the blue with the pastel yellow head combo just seems like a nice bright sky like you see in spring when the flowers start blooming

 

[Lady Jane]

Many birds named kiwi. Bloom and June? Let them watch you play with the toys outside cage. Budgies are so curious birds. It takes my two a few weeks to approach a new toy. They also love soft wood like balsa to chew.

I play bird sounds on YouTube every day on kindle for my two. They really like it and attack the screen.

 

[LSA]

It's currently summer down here in the south and grossly hot, so I'm hoping one of these days it'll cool down a bit so I can take them in a carrier outside to get some natural light. And fresh air too!

I'm in the South, too, and we're having record highs this summer. That along with the drought conditions then high humidity can make it unbearable at times! Our rule down here has always been that birds can't handle more than a 15F change from outside to inside temps. Try taking them out early and make sure they have TOO much water. Late works better for some, but the bugs are a nuisance and that gets them all excited before bedtime. Definitely don't set them out between 11:30am and 5pm unless you want dead birds!
Be careful of tin-covered patios and porches! They may keep humans cooler but not necessarily your bird friends. Wood and shingle covered porches are fine as well as concrete covered porches that are sturdy.
Watch for signs of heat exhaustion in your babies when outside. An open beak or held out wings is a sure sign!
Budgie droppings are more easily dealt with after they dry. For the carpet around the cage use a broom before vacuuming to loosen or "pop" them lose. If you do this daily or even every few days, life will be much easier. If you don't want to vacuum the whole apartment, invest in a little stick vacuum or 3way vacuum.

 

[miya]

I play bird sounds on YouTube every day on kindle for my two. They really like it and attack the screen.

What a cute video!! Thanks for sharing I also ordered some of the goldenfeast food you recommended me, so that should hopefully be here soon so I can start giving the little guys some better nutrition!

Our rule down here has always been that birds can't handle more than a 15F change from outside to inside temps.

Oh jeez, looks like it may be a while before I can take them out, unless it's right at sunrise when it's at the coolest.. It's been over 90F here for weeks now and like you said, with the humidity it's just unbearable! My apartment is a couple floors up so I'm on a balcony that's made out of wood and shingled roofing, so thankfully no need to worry about tin covering.

The main mess my two have been making so far is seed hulls. I'm hoping to to try to take them out of the cage tomorrow, now that they're getting more comfortable around my hands and learning how to step up and down. So this is good to know in advance in case they decide to poop on the floor while they're out I have to vacuum at least every other day though regardless of how much mess the birdies make since I also have two cats who love to fling cat litter across the floor

 

[Hankmacaw]

Cute babies you have there. I'm a macaw person, but I just want to mention a couple of things that are common to all parrots.
1. Please do not feed colored pellets. They all have dies in them and many have sugar - sugar is not good in excess and feeding colored pellets year afetr year is an excess. Harrison's, Roudybush and numerous others are much much better than the colored pellets.

2. F10 is the best disinfectant on the market for birds, dogs, cats and lizards and snakes. This looks expensive, but it lasts forever at the appropriate dilution - https://smile.amazon.com/F10SC-Vete...4&sr=1-2&keywords=f10+veterinary+disinfectant
Please get some F10 and at the very minimum wash you veggies and soak in a solution of F10 and water. It kills almost all of the nasty bacteria and mold/fungus.

3. They don't need direct sunlight. In the shade is fine - sunlight and uvb rays bend.

4. Be very careful of other pets and never ever give your babies a chance to fly away. They can fly even with clipped wings.

You sounds like you are doing a fine job with your Budgies.