We may be buying a female. So I have questions.

[Mongobizzaro]

Hi, its Mongo! Sorry I have not been on in a while. I've been really busy. My little green budgie Geo, (I now call him Mudge or Mudgie) and I have been doing well. He's totally settled in and has been my birdie for almost a whole year. I've learned his likes, and dislikes, and his personality. As I am typing this he is sitting on top of the monitor, watching me He and I are close
But now my mom and I would like to get him a little female budgie this weekend. I have hopes that we get baby birds out of this. But I have questions.....

1. What age are female and male budgies sexually mature?
2. What can I expect after I bring her home? I don’t want to rush it. I'd like to put the female in Mudgies old small cage and put that cage by Mudgies. And leave it like that for a day or two. Once the two birds are familiar, I'd like to put her in Mudgies cage. Is this a good idea?
3. How long after mating until she lays eggs?
4. What do I expect after the eggs are laid?
5. Do you ever have to separate the male and female?
6. I suppose I'll need a nesting box. What’s a good size? I'm sure the people who work at the petshop can answer that.
7. What do I put in the nesting box?
8. Will they keep breeding or only a few times in their life?
9. How many eggs will she lay?
10. How long until they hatch?
11. Will she be protective of the eggs?
13. How many eggs will have babies in them?
14. Do I need a special food?
15. How old do the babies have to be before I can take them out or even touch them?
16. After she lays the eggs, can I take her out or does she always have to be sitting on them or watching them?

If someone could answer these before this weekend, that would be awesome.

[Swaz]

First of all you will need to quarantine the new birdy for 60 days to make sure she is ok and does not give any diseases to your boy.
"I get asked the question; "But is quarantine really necessary?" almost daily and the answer is ABSOLUTELY!

Ouarantine is essential for the health of your birds. I'm amazed however at the high number of people who do not quarantine or don't have a clue to what quarantine is. Those who do not practice quarantine are playing Russian Roulette with their birds health and lives. It is no longer a matter of IF my birds get sick , but WHEN.

People will get away with lax quarantine practices or skipping the practice altogether for years but eventually, it will catch up with them. Because their birds do not show signs of illness immediately, the person feels his birds are healthy. Then when a disease suddenly runs through his flock killing most of his birds he shakes his head and says; "I can't imagine what could have happened."

Another misconception is that one only needs to quarantine Avairy birds. Pet birds must also be quarantined wheather inside or outside.

The ideal quarantine situation is to keep your new bird(s) in a different building from your existing flock because many diseases are airborn and can travel from room to room through heater vents and air ducts. However this is not feasible for most bird owners so the best we can do is house our new bird(s) in a separate cage, in a separate room with absolutely NO contact with your existing flock for a period of 30~45 days. This is the amount of time it takes for illness to show up in the new bird.

Birds are very good at hiding illness as they don't want to appear to be a weak link to their other flock members or to predators. It is a survival instinct. In the wild birds are food for many animals if it appears ill it will attract many predators and flock members may pick on a sick bird or chase him from the flock, so he will attempt to act normal for as long as he can. Just because you don't see signs of illness in your new bird or even in your existing flock right away doesn't mean they are not ill. Usually by the time you can visually detect signs of illness in your bird he is already very sick.

It is every bird owners responsibility to keep his birds safe...it is every bird owners responsibility to quarantine for your birds health and well being. I often hear the excuse of not having an extra cage or the money to purchase one. To that excuse I would advise the person to wait until they do before getting another bird. I also shake my head and wonder if they can't afford a cage for quarantine purposes how do they expect to pay the hefty vet bills when their birds become ill due to their irresponsible practices?

Here are some quarantine Do's and Don'ts

DO:

1. Place your new birds in a separate cage and a separate room from your exiting flock

2. Complete quarantine... 30-45 days at least, 60~90 days at most ( a couple of days or weeks just doesn't cut it and is not a good quarantine period)

3. Wash your hands before and after handling any of your birds or their things.

DON'T :

1. Break quarantine for any reason and do not cut it short. The minute you allow ANY contact between your new bird(s) and your existing flock you have broken quarantine and have placed ALL of your birds at risk! So wait on pictures with the whole flock et.. until quarantine is complete. None of this , "well I just let them visit for a few minutes then put them back in their own cages."

2. Keep your new bird(s) in the same room with your existing flock and do not put their cages side by side. This is NOT quarantine.

3. Use your bathroom for a quarantine room unless you absolutely have no other choice. Bathrooms are breeding grounds for bacteria plus they are high traffic areas.

4. Get another bird before you have the necessary quarantine set up. Don't get another bird then make excuses for why you can't quarantine.

5. Choose to not quarantine out of inconvience impatience, or laziness. This can kill your birds!


Be responsible bird owners...keep your birds safe...QUARANTINE!
Thank you!"
From talkbudgies forum.

[Mongobizzaro]

Thank you for that info. I definitely will!

[Swaz]

It seems a lot of info but basicly the main thing is that you should keep your old budgie away from your new one for sometime..but you know that now.:)
Best of luck!

[Mongobizzaro]

Wow, nobody can answer my questions? I'm getting the bird tomorrow

[Mongobizzaro]

Well I did some reshearch on my own. Every thing in green are answaers I got from websites.

5. Do you ever have to separate the male and female? Hens and cocks should be kept separate when not being used for breeding
10. How long until they hatch? 18 days
15. How old do the babies have to be before I can take them out or even touch them? The babies will begin venturing out of the nest box at around 4 weeks of age. The babies will be ready to go to their new homes at 6-7 weeks of age

[Mongobizzaro]

1. What age are female and male budgies sexually mature? 6 months

[shosh]

I asked my vet about male/female budgies and mating and, essentially, he said not to worry. There are a lot of conditions that need to be met before they breed including lighting and such. If you don't provide a nesting box they won't have babies either. So, there isn't really reason to be concerned....males and females can co-exist without making babies.:) Even in the human world.