>>2012672
You kept them in their cage for two years without ever letting them out?

>>2012825

this...

birds need time out of their cage...

>>2012825
Well no, they don't trust me and it'll would bring them significant stress by catching them. But once they get more trusting I'll be letting them out.

>>2012836

catch them? you don't have to catch them, birds go back to their cage when they want food and water, to sleep etc, and you eventually just train them to go in on command from there once they're used to you...

if you're really paranoid you can even set up a tent and let them practice going back to their cage and flying around inside...

there's no good reason to leave a bird in a cage for 2 years, that's just abusive...

you've probably damaged them to the point where them flying and getting exercise outside of the cage is gonna be hard... even when you decide you want them to

handfeed them, talk to them, spend time with them, put your hand in the cage and keep it still if they get nervous... stop locking them in their cage all day and work on coaxing them out... give them a play space outside of the cage (my birds have a hanging playground that their cage is hung up beside so they can step out into it, they fly laps around the room go back to the playground and when they want to sleep or to get water they go back to their cage... they have 2 communal eating spots cuz i have 3 birds but my budgies have one cage and my conure has another and i do this so they can eat as a flock and bond)

but you can let a completely untame bird out of its cage and it will still go back to it cuz all of its things are there...

i hope you give them toys and they aren't just eating seeds too...

>>2012850

+ and they might not be as trusting of you as you'd like ever... you locked them in a cage for 2 years and basically ignored them, so you were abusive and neglectful and they're bonded now... you should've given them to a proper home over a year ago, or started taking care of them from day 1... but you don't keep them in a cage 'til they die just for not trusting you, you could at least start taking proper care of them and accept that they might never bond with you...

and proper care is at least an hour out of their cage every day (preferably much more)

>>2012850
You seem to know a lot about birds. A budgie was dropped on me. Ive had it for 3 months now. Sarah lets me hold her and play with her. I really do not have a place for my bird to fly around and enjoy itself. (When it does fly it flies in the wall like a dumb dumb).

The cage that was given to me with the bird is probably the minimal size for budgies. Well I want a bigger cage for her and I want to bring her a playmate in the forsee able future. What size bird cage should I get for her and the future bird(s) I may have? How many feeders? Im extreemly interested in how you have a outside feeding for the birds. And this tent thing. If you can direct me to websites or take the time out to explain what you have to make my bird(s) happy I would greatly appreciate that. (Toys, treats, tips on introducing fruit and vegetables to the bird(s) and baths?) Thanks in advance

I suppose this is the right spot to ask.
If I'm ever going to get a budgie I'm willing to spend the costly amount to get a hand fed one. As in hand fed from the time it was a hatchling.

But what's the difference between a parakeet and a budgerigar (budgie)?

>>2012874

i honestly don't know the measurements of my cages i've had them a while, and they're mostly just for sleep or when i'm not home (though they all like to sit in the budgie cage sometimes during the day even though the door is open), but you want something that can have several different perches + toys and still give them room to fly... check out flight cages and watch the bar spacing

i prefer natural wood ones cuz i like that they look like trees and have separate branches and stuff sometimes , but you want varying sizes and shapes for variety... my budgies are obsessed with this edible perch they have, having a sand perch or a concrete one for their nails is good too helps to keep them short...

as far as toys go bells are great, and wooden things they can chew...and stuff they can preen and rip apart (even strips of paper hanging up will make them happy in addition to regular bird toys) they also like hamster wheels a lot surprisingly (get one that doesn't have a bar on either side, you want a completely empty middle)

i had two that were really into untying string for some reason, so i'd give them this leather cord with loose knots in it and one of them especially used to just spend hours working on these long strips of knots untying them one at a time(she even would take naps holding it so her mate couldn't touch it)

as for the feeders out of the cage, they have a hanging coconut feeder that i put dry things in, and i put a plate out of fresh food for them to share that i switch out when it's either done or it's been a couple of hours... none of my current birds are picky and they all willingly try new things all i have to do is put a plate out

i have had picky budgies though, and i did things like hang the food up like toys, mix it into seeds, show them my conure eating it or eating it in front of them then offering them some, using my juicer to get them used to new flavours (they were more willing to try new drinks than new food)

>>2012902
>>2012874

+ i have food outside the cage in the playground area (i have perches, toys, a swing etc) so that there's a neutral space no one can get territorial about to share food... since i have 2 species of birds and the greencheek has her separate cage but they all like to play together, and fly around during the day... eating together is a way to bond for birds, and actually if you eat with your bird that will help the bonding process... how many feeders your birds need depends on them... i had two who needed two food bowls in the cage or they'd get annoyed with each other, (i also would put out an extra plate of fresh food for that reason) but the two budgies i have now don't need that, and even the conure can eat with them both at the same time no problem they just all share

on days where the weather is nice i take the cage outside so they can get fresh air and sun and talk to the outside birds (they actually had a chipmunk friend who would sit by the cage that they'd throw food to over the spring/summer cuz i garden and would have them out with me), and they really enjoy that + fresh air and sun is great for them

the tent i used was just a 3 person tent i had for camping, and i only used it with my first pair of budgies cuz i was paranoid about letting them fly around immediately, but i didn't want to lock them in a cage either... so i'd sit in the tent (good for bonding too) and open their cage and let them fly back and forth and taught them to go back into the cage on command then let them out... since then i haven't bothered with the tent cuz honestly it hasn't been necessary...

for baths i've had budgies that took them on their own, in their water bowl or in a bigger pan or a bird bath (i have one with a dome top that hooks onto the cage) and ones that didn't (spray bottles work, but i use a disposeable cup with small holes in the bottom to give them a gentle shower effect and even skittish birds don't freak out much with this method)

>>2012910
>>2012902
Thank you so much. Im excited to buy my budgie new things. I only have 1 right now. And I was looking at this cage.

Prevue Pet Products Wrought Iron Flight Cage-Large F040 - F040

Tell me what you think about this cage. Seems to me that I may have to get a second bird if I get this cage. My schedule varies so I can have days/weeks I can give my bird all the loving she needs. But then other times I go almost a week where I cant attend to her. I have someone else feed her when Im away. So im thinking on a second budgie. Can I just buy one and instantly they will be safe together?

Edible perches sounds awesome and different texture perches sound smart. Should I spray/mist my budgie or just buy a bird bath for her?

I'm finding out info myself but its nice to ask someone with experience to help guide me to give my pet(s) all the love and caring they need.

The disposable cup sounds neat I'm about to try that right now. My budgie seems to not want to fly. I kinda make her when i take her outside. I do not have a place for my bird to fly for my room is not 100% bird friendly. I will rearrange my room so possibly in the future the bird(s) will be able to fly and not get crap on my bed. I do not have my own house where I can dedicate a room to them so ima have to make due with what I do have. Thank you for your replies and If you have anything else you would like to share I'm eager to learn. And will try to add fresh fruits and vegetables to the birds diet pronto.

>>2012910
>>2012874

+ my green cheek will just perch on my finger and take baths in the sink though using the faucet... so depending on tameness that's an option too

btw when you choose a cage watch the bar spacing, the cages for larger birds have spacing that's too wide and budgies can get stuck... so that's something you need to keep in mind...

and if you're 100% sure the budgie you have is a girl, try to get a male as a companion... two girls can live together but they're much more likely to have issues than female/male and male/male pairs... it's dependent on the personalities of the individual birds, but i've seen horror stories so i wouldn't risk it...

also make sure to google parrot safe foods and house plants and bird proof the area they'll be in...

they also like noise, like music or tv being on for them makes them happy and they actualy have individual preferences... all of my birds will flip their shit over star wars though so i put it on for them when i'm not home or around to keep them happy, and they go crazy over different shit when i'm listening to music too...

pretty sure that's all the basic shit... anything else you were interested in? when i was researching care and whatnot i checked out every forum i could find to see irl experiences, and care guides and videos etc, there's a lot of information in a lot of places... but i'm not a member of any specific forum and i didn't keep track of which ones i was looking at...

>>2012888

budgies are parakeets, but not all parakeets are budgies... parakeet is a word for hookbills with a longer tail... so indian ringnecks and conures are technically parakeets as well budgies just tend to get called that...

handraised budgies aren't too pricey (i've never had one though, one day i'd like to get one like that) usually around $75, but breeders are hard to find and most breed english budgies (i don't like the look of the english ones at all personally)

>>2012914

np, i was wondering if i was rambling too much, glad i wasn't lol

that cage is nice, but with budgies width is more important than height cuz of the way they fly...

i let mine fly in my bedroom and they never shit in my bed... they actually exclusively go to the bathroom in their cage or in their playground area, never trained them they just prefer their own space...

you should probably keep them separate for about a month or two so you can have time to not only bond with the new bird, but have a better idea of its health... quarantine periods are recommended, but admittedly i haven't always done that... whether they get along or not is gonna come down to their individual personalities, i've never had an issue with birds just not getting along with each other... but i have seen them need a little time to start really interacting together (whereas my first pair met and instantly were inseparable, feeding and preening each other and cuddling) too... so there's no real guarantee on how that will go...

i'd try both (bird bath and spray) to see her preference, though you can honestly use a plastic take out container as a bath and that would be fine too before you spend any money

she might still be nervous, is she active otherwise? i ask cuz inactivity is either due to environment or health issues... but it could also be that she's a little nervous some birds take much longer to be comfortable than others...does she nap a lot? if so what's her sleep schedule like (my birds wake up every day around 7:30 am, and i put them to bed around 7:30 pm) is she fluffed up often? can she balance on one foot fine?
what's her eating and drinking like? also this sounds weird, but check her poop you can find guides online (keep in mind they tend to be based on seed and pellet diets rather than a lot of fresh food which makes a difference), and droppings are a good indicator of any issues they might have

if you have anything else you want to ask feel free

>>2012917
Thank you anon for your answer! You are very helpful and informative.

>>2012927
She is active but she doesnt fly atleast not a lot and not smooth. It could be because had her wings clipped before I received her. But I feel like there is something wrong with one of her wings. Ima take her to the vet to see whats up.