[Liz59]

Hi everyone, just a bit of help needed, I have two male budgies (Derek & Paddy) who are housed in a split cage due to Paddy being quite a bit of a bossy boy to Derek, however they both seem to be great when perched opposite through the bars of the separated middle, they chatter away & give each other kisses, I'm wanting to take away the separator so they can share the bigger cage & hopefully enjoy each others company more but don't want to end up with Paddy being too bossy once again to Derek. I would love some advice on what I should decide to do. Thanks

 

[Cody]

Are you 100% sure you have 2 males, can you post frontal pictures of them?

 

[Liz59]

I will try ... Rather new to this, please bare with me .... Hope you can see clear enough, Paddy is the yellow one but is 2 years younger than Derek the white one.

 

[Cody]

Derek is definitely a male, however I am not too sure about Paddy, I cannot determine what color the cere is, on my computer it looks more tan what color is it in person?

 

[Liz59]

At the time of that photo it was a lilac colour

 

[Cody]

Is it the same now, how old is the photo?

 

[Liz59]

A bit deeper than shown, that photo is about a year old now, I will try & get a newer photo tomorrow for you to see better, thanks for replying.

Hi Cody, I've attached another photo of Paddy taken this morning, hope you can see it a bit clearer, it is still a lilac colour, but Derek's was this colour when I first got him then it changed to the colour he is now

 

[Cody]

Hi Cody, I've attached another photo of Paddy taken this morning, hope you can see it a bit clearer, it is still a lilac colour, but Derek's was this colour when I first got him then it changed to the colour he is now

This looks much more like a male, how old is Paddy, do Paddy and Derek get out of the cage time together, if so does Paddy still try to dominate Derek outside of the cage?

 

[Liz59]

Paddy is 2 & Derek is 4
They used to play out together on a little playpark but Paddy would always knock Derek off the swing or climbing ladders so Derek would put himself back in the cage. I decided to separate them within the cage because Paddy started pulling at Derek's tail & pulling him off the perch, but then whichever food tub Derek went to for food, Paddy wanted that one so again would knock him away , Derek never retaliates though, he's always been a gentle budgie. Their both very talkative too, I've taught them both words & sentences. I'd love them both to be together again but I'm worried Derek will get hurt.

 

[Cody]

That sure sounds like the behavior of a territorial hormonal female, let's see what StarlingWings has to say about Paddy, she is an expert at gender identification and mutations, there are some mutations that are tricky as the cere color does not follow the typical blue color for males like Derek shows. You can try removing the divider in the cage and see how they react but I would not leave them alone when the divider is out, you can step in to stop any aggression and put the divider back if Paddy becomes aggressive. They are both beautiful birds and Derek is stunning with that blue cere against those white feathers, does he have any faint markings anywhere or is he pure whit all over?

 

[Liz59]

Derek is pure white, hand reared & was so easy to teach to talk, I only ever had him as company & let's me stroke his head & ruffle his feathers.
I bought Paddy later on, but he wasn't hand reared, he climbs on my finger but doesn't let me stroke him, he doesn't bite either & he has mimicked Derek's vocabulary since being with him. Thank you so much for your help in this, I will try & take the separator away & watch them closely, I will let you know how it goes, maybe just an hour as a time & build up to longer as time goes on.
I think Paddy is a bit bossy myself & because Derek doesn't retaliate back he knows he's got away with it.

 

[StarlingWings]

Hi there and welcome to the forums!

Your little pair is adorable. I am quite sure that Paddy is a male. He looks to be a creamino budgie; are his eyes dark reddish as they look in the first photo? Additionally, does he have irises? I'm unable to tell from the photos you posted.

I agree it's a bit difficult to pinpoint his cere from the photos because his cere appears to be quite dry, but I can tell it is an even lilac color indicative of a male. As he is a creamino budgie (or, in the case that he has plum eyes instead of reddish, a dark eyed clear yellowface II budgie) his cere will stay this color his whole life.

Derek is a double factor spangle budgie, which is why he's pure white. He also is a very handsome fellow.

You've come to a great place to stay updated on the best of budgie care practices! Please be sure to have a look around at all the forums' many budgie articles and stickies. If you have any questions after reading through things, please be sure to ask as we'd love to help.

We look forward to hearing more updates on your budgies~

 

[Liz59]

Thank you for your expertise, I never knew that my budgies were of those breed. Paddy doesn't have an iris's & looking now they could actually be a deep plum colour, I hope his cere stays lilac now as it's a lovely colour.
I will try & post more pictures of them & maybe a video of them talking.
Do you think I should try them together in the one cage, now we've established they are both male?
Many thanks for you help, I will check out other forums & I'm so glad I found this site.
Best wishes to everyone, thanks for having me here.

 

[StarlingWings]

Though they are both male, it seems that they have had a history of bickering etc. so it's not for sure that they will get along. However, if they get along during out of cage time and consistently do so for a while then you may be able to try housing them together again and see if Paddy is still tending to harass Derek. Therefore the first thing I would do is see how they get on with shared out of cage time and go from there

It's great to have you here too

 

[FaeryBee]

The purpose of this forum is to promote the BEST PRACTICES in the care of budgies for their optimal Health and Well-Being
Locating an Avian Veterinarian

Paddy and Derek are beautiful boys!
StarlingWings has given you excellent advice.

A Healthy Diet for your Budgie
Quality Seed Mix
CuttleBones, Mineral Blocks and Manu Clay Roses
Safe Foods for Budgies
The Truth about GRIT

Please take the time to read through the Site Guidelines, the FAQs, the Budgie Articles and all of the Stickies located at the top of each section of the forum.
Additionally, please be sure to read the thread "Posting on the Forums" which is linked below.

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.
(Stickies are threads “stuck” at the top of each forum sub-section)
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.

SITE GUIDELINES
Posting on the Forums
Let's Talk Budgies!
FAQ
Articles
Be Prepared for Veterinary Care Expense
Avian First Aid
Quarantine - Is it Really that Important?
Quarantine Your Birds
A Heartfelt Plea to All Members
Tips For Discouraging Breeding
Before You Ever Consider Breeding Your Budgies
Guidance for Breeding Advice Threads
Cage sizes.
Essentials to a Great Cage
Dangers to Pet Birds
Resource Directory

Nice to have you with us. If you have questions after reading everything, please let us know.

 

[Liz59]

Bit of an update on my boys, both doing really well together, lots of playtime & kisses. Not had any issues with Paddy & after a sneaky peek at bedtime, they were both together on the same perch.
Thanks everyone for your advice on here, best wishes x

 

[FaeryBee]

How large is their cage? Length, Width and Height?

It is not recommended to have mirrors in your bird's cage as interacting with the mirror can contribute to your budgie becoming aggressive and/or territorial.
Additionally, some budgies will begin regurgitating to the mirror to the point where they actually become malnourished. You would be better off to give him shredding toys instead.

I recommend you remove the plastic dowel type perches in the cage and replace them with natural wooden perches of varying diameters to help prevent pressure sores.
Pressure Sores
Bumblefoot

The information in this link will give examples of better options for perches:
Essentials for a Great Cage

 

[StarlingWings]

Great advice above by FaeryBee and I agree completely. So glad to hear they're doing well