New to the BB and a new budgie!

[guruhelp]

I recently (3 days ago) bought a cute blue budgie and wonder about sexing. How old are they before you can tell by the color of the cere. their sex?
Mine has a purpleish pink cere and is supposed to be 3-6 months old.
Also, how long should I leave it alone before trying to hand train it?
A friend from IRC showed me this site and it looks to be a good place for help and info!

[njaeanna]

Congratulations on your new little bird!

Purpleish pink usually indicates a male unless the budgie is really too young to tell. By the time they've gone through their first moult at around 3-6 months, their proper cere colour should come through. Do you have a picture of the new bird by any chance?

I have a page here with a few baby and adult birds where you can see the differences. the first 8 pictures are of young budgies between 7-11 weeks old.

Would love to hear more about your bird when you get the chance

Anna

[KDK241]

Just wanted to say congrats on the new bird and welcome to BB!

[homebird]

Hi & congrats on your new Budgie.

It sounds like a male - females never seem to have a pink/purple cere.

You can start training right away. They will enjoy any interaction as they crave a flock & you are it. Train only for a about 5 min at a time. Baby animals are easily worn out. They will play for hours tho & that can be a big part of your training.

Always introduce new things slowly & be prepared to stop & try another time. The 1st thing you have to acheive is to make sure the bird is comfortable with you & learns the words & gestures for step-up.

I would take my bird around in his cage for the first little while so he could be with me in other rooms & to some rooms were he can't be unless in his cage. They can view the room in the safety of their cage. They are very observant.

I started step-up while he was in his cage & let him out once he did it easily. As my guy was afraid of hands I offered a wooden dowel for him to step onto - later he slowly learned to step onto my hand/finger. I really recommend teaching them to step-up onto a perch - this is great if they fly to a high place or a friend wants to interact with them.

Budgies or any bird can get sick almost right away if they come in contact with bacteria that has been brought into your home & is on the hands. So start the routine of always washing your hands well before touching your bird + ask all guests to comply when they arrive.

Also be aware that saliva is deadly to birds - so don't share your food from your mouth.

I wish you well & look forward to your stories.

[Poohsbirds97]

Welcome and congrats on the new birdie. We would love to see pics.