Should I get 1 new budgie or 2?

[budgieborb]

One of my birds passed away about 3 weeks ago, and his friend has been really self-destructive and depressed recently, as he is now all alone. My family has decided to get a new bird to help him feel less lonely. The remaining budgie we have is about 5 years old, and there is no rescue within a 50-km radius that takes in birds - so we're getting the new one(s) from a pet store. My mum suggested getting 2 new birds instead of 1 because the pet store only carries younger budgies, and we want to make sure that there can be a companion for the new one when Skittle goes. I am a little apprehensive, as 3 birds can cause problems with ganging up on one or the other, but I don't know if that will be the case. What should I do?

 

[Ali]

1.

You are 100% correct about how the three of them would be a recipe for disaster

 

[budgieluv3]

I would keep birds in even numbers. Getting one is a good idea, but make sure to quarantine for 4-6 weeks first. I'm so sorry about your other bird. Good Luck!

 

[Mybluebird]

I agree - get one bird. Hopefully the pet store is not a chain store and gets their birds from responsible breeders. Of the big pet chains, I noticed the Pet Smart does not clip their parakeets wings while PetCo does clip. If you get a bird that has been clipped, you'll have that to deal with that until it molts in addition to the bird's shyness when you first bring it home.

Good luck. Please come back and post pictures!

 

[BirdWorld]

Yeah, one is probably a better idea. Although you always have to be prepared for the possibility that the new bird won't get along with your older one. And, someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought that having three was okay if they're all male? And I'm pretty sure there are some members here with three budgies; I think @rebecca252 does.

Of the big pet chains, I noticed the Pet Smart does not clip their parakeets wings while PetCo does clip.

Yes, I got mine from petCo and it took almost ten months for their wings to grow out fully.

 

[Lady Jane]

Have you check with rescues? They usually have many birds. Pet stores are the last place I would look. Mostly the birds are from mass breeding situations. They do not get much exposure to humans like from a hobby breeder. I
will advise you not to end up with 3 budgies. Not a good number in the bird world. Please do not rehome the 5 year old to make room for a younger bird. Not nice.

 

[Ripshod]

I always like to keep things even so just the one (male) would probably be best in my opinion. Having 3 males together may work out, but I've seen one bird get left out by the others a few times.
As you'll likely get a young bird it'll be best to keep them caged separately for quite a while, at least until the young one matures a little.

 

[budgieborb]

Have you check with rescues? They usually have many birds. Pet stores are the last place I would look. Mostly the birds are from mass breeding situations. They do not get much exposure to humans like from a hobby breeder. I
will advise you not to end up with 3 budgies. Not a good number in the bird world. Please do not rehome the 5 year old to make room for a younger bird. Not nice.

Unfortunately, I live in a small, isolated town where it was a miracle to find an avian vet within 50km. I have checked with all of the local rescues in neighboring towns, and none of them have had birds brought in. I have also checked Facebook and Kijiji with no success in the maximum distance...

My family and I are going out to pick up a budgie in an hour or so, and we've decided to stick with just getting one

Skittle has been a part of our lives for a while now, and I would never rehome him unless something catastrophic came up

~~~~

Thanks to everyone for the excellent advice!

 

[mogeton]

This is virtually identical to what we're dealing with too, except instead of getting aggressive after 3 weeks, our lonely budgie is just sitting in his cage moping until I play budgie sounds. The he perks up and is excited until he realizes there is no other budgie to find. Poor thing. I found someone rehoming 2 budgies, so wondered about getting 1 or 2. This has been very helpful, THANKS all!!

 

[Maggiebird]

I would try to find at least a breeder or a rescue. Pet stores aren’t the best option. You are right on ganging up. I wish you luck!!

 

[Lady Jane]

There are also budgies on Craig's list needing new homes. You can tell if the person placing the ad is legit usually.

 

[Maggiebird]

There are also budgies on Craig's list needing new homes. You can tell if the person placing the ad is legit usually.

Yeah you usually can.

 

[Sparkles99]

& your family can go, so if they're not legit, you can all just leave together. I don't recommend meeting anyone to get anything off the internet alone. I'm an adult & always bring another adult with me.

I'm surprised pet stores have budgies right now. No birds at Petsmart here for months, due to COVID.

 

[Ripshod]

I'm surprised pet stores have budgies right now. No birds at Petsmart here for months, due to COVID.

The budgies are still being bred, so they have to go somewhere - the breeders still want their money.

 

[Lori D Pert]

I'm surprised pet stores have budgies right now. No birds at Petsmart here for months, due to COVID.

No birds at any Petsmart here on Vancouver Island either due to Covid. Breeders are still out there though.

 

[MiniMacaw]

I have a trio of budgies that get along great. Then I tried to add a fourth baby and they said no way lol. The fourth baby was a rescue and got her own cage. Just now I have a second rescue baby I’m trying to bond with her so she won’t be alone. I really don’t like the thought of budgies being alone, but they are all individuals and some prefer their trio while others like to be in pairs. I’d start with just one more and see how bonding goes.