Does anyone have experience with budgies?

They're so pretty! I love budgies, although a group of them can get quite loud! LOL
Oh yes, they can...! I've kept and bred budgies starting when I was 12 till my 27th. Especially during summer when daylight rules the day. They start very early in the morning and shut up at nightfall.
 
Hello :)
20 years ago I kept almost 15 years wonderful Bourke budgie "Plume"). Our bond was this strong I never had another budgie.
 
Hello :)
20 years ago I kept almost 15 years wonderful Bourke budgie "Plume"). Our bond was this strong I never had another budgie.

Aww, that's so sweet!
 
Hello :)
20 years ago I kept almost 15 years wonderful Bourke budgie "Plume"). Our bond was this strong I never had another budgie.
Was that a Bourke's parakeet (Neophema bourkii)?
Lovely natured birds, much nicer and quieter than budgies.
 
Was that a Bourke's parakeet (Neophema bourkii)?
Lovely natured birds, much nicer and quieter than budgies.
Yes. She was soft pink with some greyish blue feathers. She perfectly knew how to be understood for example by tinkling my keys (for a walk). You know, animals are much more clever and observant than humans think....
 
Today is a very special day, because I got Sprite and Marshmallow exactly 1 year ago! We've really come so far in this year, and I love these two crazy birds so much.
They are both doing really well. I just got them a new play area, so they can be next to my desk when I work. They've been exploring that, and checking to make sure it's not going to kill them. 😂
I've also taught them a couple new tricks. They both go under my hand when I make a tunnel, and Sprite brings me her toys when I ask for them. I had to work on that trick for months, and when she finally got it, I was so happy, lol.

We did have a little trouble in October, when Sprite got sick. I noticed she was very puffed up, and sleeping more than normal. Her poops were weird too, and when she ate a lot, she threw up. I took her to a vet right away (Marshmallow went with her for moral support), and it turned out she had a bacterial infection which caused her liver to enlarge. The vet said that it's very common in budgies, and thankfully pretty easily treatable. But, I had to give her oral antibiotics twice a day for 35 days. That meant that I had to catch her with a towel, and giver her medicine through a syringe.
I, of course, was terrified that I would mess up, and that she would get so scared of me, that she would never want anything to do with me ever again. The first couple doses were tough, and Sprite bit me pretty hard a few times. But then it seemed she realized that, even though I was grabbing her, I didn't hurt her. I just held her for a couple seconds, and then let her go. She also learned that she got lots of millet afterwards. So, she very quickly turned the whole thing into a game. I would chase her with the towel, and then she jumped onto the towel and started playing with it, playing with my sleeves, etc. Marshmallow started to join in too, and soon they both were looking forward to medicine time.
I actually think it made our bond stronger, because it showed them that even if I grab them, I'm not going to hurt them.

After getting the antibiotics, Sprite recovered really quickly, and has been doing great since. She's back to her usual silly, playful self. She loves to play, and is always doing something she shouldn't. Meanwhile, Marshmallow is always very sensible, and he looks out for the both of them. If Sprite is doing something that he thinks is dangerous, he'll call to her nervously, and do kind of a side-step move, trying to get her to stop doing what she's doing.

I can't get over how smart they are. They really act like tiny people sometimes. Sprite and Marshmallow have even learned some words. They can both say, "millet" and Sprite says, "yeah". 😆

I just realized how long this post is, so I'm going to stop here. Sorry for the novel, lol! Sprite and Marshmallow are just always doing something worth writing about. There's certainly never a dull moment with budgies around!

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Have you got a nest box for them?
You have a pr and they would probably breed if you provided them with a nest box and green feed. Green grass seeds will get budgies breeding very quickly. You could have a whole bunch of new budgies to train.
 
Have you got a nest box for them?
You have a pr and they would probably breed if you provided them with a nest box and green feed. Green grass seeds will get budgies breeding very quickly. You could have a whole bunch of new budgies to train.
No, I don't really want them to breed. I don't have space for more budgies, and I may be moving in the next couple months anyway. Maybe I will try breeding in the future, but not now. Plus, I don't want to risk Sprite getting egg bound or something.
 
Egg bound is caused by lack of calcium and lack of exercise. If the birds get to fly around each day and have cuttlebone to chew on, they won't get egg bound.
 
Oooh lovely birds!

My mum started with 2 budgies and in the space of a year or so ended up with 22 😂 they were prolific breeders and in the end mum was so completely overwhelmed in budgies she gave them away to a bloke with a massive outdoor aviary...she had them in a huge indoor cage in the conservatory and the noise was deafening 😂 we found feathers absolutely everywhere all over the house and don't even go there with the millet husks! Great fun though ❤
 
Oooh lovely birds!

My mum started with 2 budgies and in the space of a year or so ended up with 22 😂 they were prolific breeders and in the end mum was so completely overwhelmed in budgies she gave them away to a bloke with a massive outdoor aviary...she had them in a huge indoor cage in the conservatory and the noise was deafening 😂 we found feathers absolutely everywhere all over the house and don't even go there with the millet husks! Great fun though ❤
Wow, that's a lot of budgies! Sprite and Marshmallow already make big messes, I can't imagine what 22 budgies could do! 😳 It's crazy how all those tiny, fuzzy feathers manage to get everywhere. They're like glitter or confetti, lol.
 

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