[MaricasoJ]

Hi there, I have been a budgie parent for a year and all's going well. Shew! LOL!

I need advice from all of you wonderful seasoned parents. When i started I got a girl and boy. They bonded quickly but the problem was I didn't know their age and found out on this group that they were a little older than I wanted. So they really took ages to eat millet etc from me.

Then in all my wisdom my son convinced me to get a young girl to tame quickly. So we did she is so lovely, but the other 2 influenced her and she went from tame to skittish!
And she always gets a little bullied by the pair. Not feeding her etc. She is now with us for 5 months. She's had to grow up quickly to find her place.

So my question is; do I get her a male friend to balance things? My cage is big enough etc. But i dont want to compound things in any way. And my male is very much the king of the castle. If you know what I mean. 😉

 

[FaeryBee]

Having three budgies often doesn't work out well as one generally ends up being bullied or left out.
Getting yet another bird is probably not a good option either as you never know how budgies are going to react to a newcomer.

Differences and Dynamics in Flocks

Your Harmonious Flock

Additionally, having mixed genders you need to be very careful that you are doing everything necessary to prevent any breeding.

A Heartfelt Plea to All Members
Guidance regarding Breeding Advice Threads

My recommendation would be to get another cage - big enough for two budgies and move the female into that cage. Then you can determine over time if she'd benefit from having a friend.
You don't indicate whether or not you give these birds out-of-cage time. If so, you can still let the three interact under supervision during that time.

If you decide to get another budgie in the future, please be sure to observe quarantine for the new budgie.

Quarantine means housing the new bird in a different cage in a different room than the current bird (as far away from the room the current bird is in as possible) for a period of 35-45 days.

Budgies mask symptoms when they are ill. Symptoms may not show up for over two weeks.
Often you will not even realize your bird is not well. Many budgie illnesses are airborne which is why you need to quarantine your new bird in a completely different room.

It is also a good idea to always take a new budgie in to see an Avian Vet for a "well-birdie" check-up. This allows you to develop a good relationship with the vet and the vet can establish a baseline for your bird in case of any future illnesses or injuries.

Please take the time to read through the Site Guidelines, all of the How To Guides, the FAQs, the Budgie Articles and the stickies located at the top of each section of the forum.

Truly, the very BEST advice anyone can offer you is to take the time to read ALL of the stickies throughout the various Talk Budgie forums as well as the Budgie Articles we have posted.

These are great resources for Talk Budgie members and have a wealth of reliable information which will assist you to learn the best practices in caring for your budgies for their optimal health and well-being.

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