when choosing a budgie

[jonathanH]

date written- March 17 2006

authour- Jonathan

WHEN CHOOSING A BUDGIE!!!

* When choosing a budgie from a pet store look for one that is active and looks
healthy.


* Make sure you are ready to own a budgie and capable enough to take care of it.

* Make sure there is no discharge from nose or eyes meaning there isn't a watery
liquid that is visible.

* If you want the budgie to learn to talk etc ... make sure you stick to a younger
budgie for they learn more quickly.

* If you want a pair of breeding budgies make sure you pick a male and female
and make sure they are in top condition.

* Make sure you are getting the budgie from a clean pet store for some pet stores
will have sick budgies.

* Allow yourself to see the budgie up close before buying to make sure everything
looks a ok!!

* Although budgies may not be that expensive make sure you are responsible
enough to buy the food, housing, etc...

* Before buying a budgie you should do some research on budgies and see if it is
the rite pet for you.

* Make sure when you choose a budgie it has a clean vent because a vent that
is not clean there may be something wrong with the budgie.

* Make sure you hear the bird breathe if you hear a clicking noise this is not
healthy at all.

* Also look for a budgie that is a good size try to avoid budgies that look more
skinny for there might be a digestive problem also try to avoid really big budgies.

* It is best to choose a bird that was hand fed or is a baby so than you you can
bond with the bird as it gets older.

* The feathers on the budgie should be smooth and clean and should not stick
out on the budgie.

* A healthy budgie should have a complete set of wings but the wings on the
budgie might be clipped.

* Make sure the budgie has all its toes(might sound weird) but healthy budgies
will have a complete set of toes and make sure the budgies makes good use
of them.

* Avoid birds that are puffed up in a corner for they might be sick.

* Budgies should also have all their tail feathers.

* Remember before purchasing or even think about purchasing a budgie or any
other animal make sure you are responsible enough.

* Even a small bird like a budgie can be a big responsibility.

[Amy]

Good tips! That will help a lot of people when choosing a budgie.

[Budgie_Birthday]

yeah. it will sure help me!

[Dave]

Great article! Thanks for submitting. :)

[Meghanxx4]

great article! also i should add, it best to buy from breeder, rather than a petstore, since you are not fully sure on how old the budgies are in the store, they tend to lie alot, and if you dotn knwo alot about budgies, like how to tell how old they are obvioulsy you beleive them. I have had 2 budgies from petsores and they ahev died withina year, i have had 1 budgie froma bredder it lasted 5 years and breeders are honest and if u get a handfed one which i highly recomend, they are cheaper usually at a breeder than petstore s and they honest and they know much more about them. Good tips though! ill keep an eye next weekend when im choosing my birds! :D

[redgirl]

Excellent Article xx

[Donna]

Thank you very much for sharing the article on how to choose a Budgie. You can bet that a first time Budgie owner (PROBABLY) just goes into the pet store with the idea of picking out his new Budgie by "Cuteness." There is nothing wrong with cute but when we look for cuteness instead of what's really important, we could end up with great disappointment.

I am new to Budgies (since June) but believe me, I look for more than cuteness now. It's like anything else in life - We gain insight by reading and listening to others who have already experienced what we haven't. Sometimes we end up learning the hard way when we don't do our homework. It's best to play it safe and consider the over-all-health of the Budgie before you buy it. The information in this article could save a Budgie owner a lot of heart-ache in the future.

Donna

[redgirl]

Pet stores where I am from are absoloutley fine, the budgies are looked after really well, Aviary is kept clean and tidy, the staff are superb and have knowledge and My first budgie was from a pet store and she is more tame then my other two who I got from a breeder.xx

[Meghanxx4]

Pet stores where I am from are absoloutley fine, the budgies are looked after really well, Aviary is kept clean and tidy, the staff are superb and have knowledge and My first budgie was from a pet store and she is more tame then my other two who I got from a breeder.xx

ya smaller petstores are better... its best to buy froma breeder or small petstore.. large petstores/companys will just scam you i think. My sister use to work at petcetera she said that half of the birds were sick and there were loads of dead birds on the ceiling from when they got loose and they really dint put any effort into getting them down again.

[siesta]

this will helps me a lot! :)

[C&C]

Great article! Very informative. I also wanted to add that you should also check your local rescues and shelters before going to a pet shop or breeder. It's always nice to give a homeless budgie a forever home. :)

[Lipardi]

Really really informative and really good tips. I've already known most of them, but worth seeing them again.

[alechenrybell]

wow thanks

[Glitter]

thankyou very much for those tips they will really help me (dont think i will be getting more budgies though lol) great articale

[Glitter]

great articale thankyou

[Budgie_Lover123]

Thank you for the wonderful article! It will definitely help me when I go to buy my first budgie. Again, Thankies! ^^

[alicia]

My only tip I have is :o
make the pet store people hold the budgie you like first to see them,the results are you dont get bit hard if they bite :D

[Marsheliah]

Great Article! Good Advice.

[new winger]

Thanks for the hints on choosing a budgie. My sister-in-law will soon visit from out of province. She has had a few budgies over the years. Armed with your info and her by my side should assist me in adopting a baby feathered friend.

By the way, do I transport the bird home in the new cage or do I need to have a special carrier? Do they need to be covered in the car or do the need to see outside. What kind of cloth is best to cover the cage.

[Budgiekin]

I'm glad you found this article helpful. ;)

Many people choose to carry their new budgie home in a special carrier, or small travel cage. I did this with a couple of my budgies and they didn't seem as stressed out during their transition from the store to my home as my budgies who had to come home in those tiny little cardboard boxes.

If you are going to use a carrier, I would recommend covering the cage at least partially, it not entirely, both outside when carrying them to your car, and in the car itself.

You can use just about any kind of blanket, but try to use a material that your budgie won't get its nails caught in (if he or she decides to try clinging to the cage bars!) Terry cloth for example is generally not as good as it has lots of little loops to potentially get caught in.

[Wonderbird]

the last time I bought a budgie, petsmart wouldn't let me use my own carrier. I had to use the cardboard box! They said it was the rules! Ah well... :rolleyes:

[Birdbrain]

Thank you for the Article. I am going to be buying a budgie from patsmart. I went there today but did not buy one they had a 6month old baby gray budgie and i was going to get it but i frist wanted to find out some info on them.

[texasgal]

I personally will never buy another budgie from PetSmart. The budgie I got from them was totally wild. I don't think that bird has been held in her entire life. I now have a baby (well, just fledged) that is getting along really well with the female "wild thing". She is teaching him to be afraid of me, though. If I don't hold him EVERY day, he gets really skiddish. Once he's out of the cage, and has sat with me for a few minutes, he is fine again. Anyone know why he gets like that? Is the "wild" bird influencing him?

:budgie: :S

[kasia]

:)I think it's like that with all new birds. If you don't spend some time with them every day they will be scared of the big scary humans. If you train and tame your new guy he might actually be a really good influence on the petsmart budgie and the petsmart budgie might not think that you're so scary anymore. So spend some time with each bird everyday and remember PATIENCE, PATIENCE, PATIENCE. I know it's hard. I can't wait until my two little angels will be totally mine and trusting.;)

[AngelWings]

:o i somehow always go for the little lonely ones on the corners but i do make sure that they are healthy :) i go thinking that the quiet little ones are going to be nice, quiet and not messy but boy was i wrong with Kiki XD

Good tips :) i'll keep this in mind when i go get a budgie friend for Kiki in July. :)

[atvchick95]

not sure if ya'll realized it but this post was made March 17 2006
but i've got many budgies from pet smart and other pet stores that were 'wild' and within a month they were fine and would at least step up, but once you have as many as I do (40+ budgies alone) You let them live thier own little life with thier budgie and tiel friends and Just make sure they are very happy and well taken care of and loved you don't really worry about if it'll Perch on your shoulder for more then 2 seconds lol because they'd much rather be with birds than humans when they have that many other birds around them :)

[Pippin's mom]

not sure if ya'll realized it but this post was made March 17 2006
:)

This is an informative article thread though not just a normal "old" thread.:)

[DeBree420]

just thought i could add something...
one thing that i find very important is to look for enlarged nares (nasal holes) this is a sign of coccidiosis, which is a deadly disease to the budgies, and is one of the worse zooisms as it is easily transferred to humans, and can make us quite sick...
also, avian chlamydia is a bad transfers-to-humans type zooism too...
so be wary of buying a sick bird... not only could it make your other birds sick, but you can get sick too! a lot of people dont even think about themselves when buying a new bird, but the simple reality is, these things have to be factored in!

the other thing to look for is a cracked or chipped beak, as this can be a sign of PBFD (psittacine beak and feather disease) which is highly contagious, not treatable, and DEADLY

dont want to scare you all.. but it is a fairly serious thing to get into your flock
it just hammers in the need to have at least a 45 day quarantine on all new birds!
and to check each new arrival THOROUGHLY!

[vally]

Hi, Thank you very much for the infomation. Good information is Priceless.. I am no expert but the small petstores around here look like they take pretty good care of their budgies and other pets they have for sale.. I will keep all these points in mind. Thank You Vally(Pat)
Mom of 2 horses; Bee and Macky 2 dogs; Angel and Rocky, 1 cat(outside) Snow several tropical fish plus my budgies Pogo, Keets and my Sweets RIP I miss her
the love of a child and animal is the purest love they don't care about how much money you have or what you look like. Thanks vally

[RigarFood]

Good tips!