My new budgie!

[Mavish]

Ok so here is my new budgie i got yesterday. It's very young, i have a few questions though if you could answer by looking at the pictures:

1. Can you tell if its going to be a male or female? ( i think female)
2. The feathers are coming off near the cere, does it look like its going through its first molt?
3. does it look healthy from what you can tell.

4. Its long and thin compared to others i've been seeing, is it because its young?

http://img60.imageshack.us/img60/9013/dsc066618ck.th.jpg (http://img60.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc066618ck.jpg)
:)
http://img64.imageshack.us/img64/7862/dsc066627br.th.jpg (http://img64.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc066627br.jpg)
:p
http://img64.imageshack.us/img64/929/dsc066637wl.th.jpg (http://img64.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc066637wl.jpg)
:o
http://img64.imageshack.us/img64/584/dsc066640cm.th.jpg (http://img64.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc066640cm.jpg)

[Amy]

1. He/she looks male to me, but I'm not an expert!

2. He actually doesn't look that young. He's got some throat spots. (Black spots on his/her neck.)
He might be going through his 1st moult or even his 2nd or 3rd, he doesn't look that young.

See in my signature/avatar Billy is starting to get his throat spots (He's got them now) Well he was coming up to 10 months old then, and yours has them already. I'd say he's around a year old.

I think it's normal for some cere feathers to come off, but like I said, I may not be right, see what other people have to say.

3. He seems quite healthy,

What are his poops like?
Has he eaten yet?
Is he breathing properly?

4. He looks alright, in shape, to me, maybe all the others were fat or more fluffy?

I hope this answers your questions! And Good Luck with your new budgie!

[Mavish]

Thanks

well i think its young cause it has the stripes up to its cere, and the spots gradually decrease with age don't they or i think they are always there? and i think the poop is right.

here's a link to a site with great info on budgies ( this page talks about molting)

http://www.birds-online.de/gesundheit/gesgefieder/jugendmauser_en.htm

[Amy]

I may be wrong then, sorry!

[Mavish]

no its fine. when he breaths his tail moves up and down, i dont think its serous though, even though i heard it may be bad.

[Millie]

Oh, hello! Nice budgie! I'd say he's male as well. Good luck with your new friend.

[Mavish]

thank you very much, cool i want a male because they're easier to get them to talk. Can anyone tell me how they are coming to this conclusion(that its a male)? I thought it was going to be a girl, but im starting to see some blue on the outside of the cere

DAY 2 PROGRESS: He seems to have started to chirp and is eating a lot lol.

Anyone know how to get him use to findgin the feeder? Mine is located almost outsaid of the cage if you know what i mean. There is a hole then the feeder.

[Amy]

Well there is white around the nostrils, a sign of a budgie being male.

[Amy]

no its fine. when he breaths his tail moves up and down, i dont think its serous though, even though i heard it may be bad.

You should get him checked over if your not sure about him. Here's a site where you can find a close avian vet:

www.aav.org/vet-lookup (http://www.aav.org/vet-lookup)

[Mavish]

o oh thanks a lot for the link :). i thought white ment it was a girl, i guess i was wrong, thanks for your help.

[Amy]

That's OK!:)

[Mavish]

anyone else have any more input? I just wanna make sure its a male? And also if its starting to molt?

[Joey]

1.I think he is a male because the cere is blue.
2.The feathers look like they are coming off but they are not.This budgie is almost 1 year old I estimate because of the throat spots,but the strips along the top of the head are fading not falling off. This is because he is almost an adult he will molt when he is 1 year old.
3.He looks healthy from what I see.What color are his droppings?Is he eating and drinking/active?
4.It is long because its an American budgie there are 2 types of budgies American-pet budgies, and English-show stock.My budgie in the picture above is half American and half English.

[Amy]

Good answers!

I agree.

[Mavish]

oh ok i get it now, so the lines are going to fade not fall...

[Amy]

Yes. :D Good!

[Mavish]

im kinda confused though. The first molt is suppose to take place at 3-4 months of age. also the iris should be visible at 6-8 months.

this one doesnt have the iris and still has the bars (hasnt gone through its first molt)

and billy what type are yours, American or English?

[Amy]

Hmm.. I'd take him to a vet to see what he/she says about him.

[Mavish]

aren't vet really expensive? how much does it take for a check up. also what type are your budgies billy? American or English

[Amy]

Mine are American pet budgies.

It costs around £20 ish for a check-up. I've never needed one.

[Mavish]

Yeah its like $50 Caniadian, its a lot that how much my bird cost lol!

[Amy]

Woa! What an expensive bird! Mine only cost £16! (Each)

[Mavish]

mine were hand fed ones though, not the wild ones.

[Amy]

Oh, that's why, I see.

[blueberrybuns]

I actually took Kiki for a checkup when I got her and just a checkup only cost me $15 USD. Now it would have added on about $50 if I wanted to get her DNA sexed, but I figure I can wait and find out myself.

[Mavish]

lmao, ya its better to wai lol then to pay another 50 dollars.

[avril]

:mixed-smiley-009: :budgie: :budgie:
Hi here is a very good site for the beginner. It has all the information to help you when you first buy a budgie.

http://www.tailfeathersnetwork.com/birdinformation/budgies.php

The one you have is a very young male. The black bands show this.
First moult 3-4 mths.
The difference between the Australian/American & English Budgies is in the size.
It has nothing to do with being a pet, or what country it was brought in.
The budgie is a native Australian parrot and much smaller than its English cousin.
The native budgies in the wild are all green colouring.
Colour mutations were bred later for pets by the rich people.
The Australian/American are the same size.
The English has been hybirid bred to a larger bird purely for showing purposes thats not to say they can't be kept as pets they can.
Hope this helps if not PM me.

Avril

[Mavish]

thanks a lot avril, and i was right about it being young! ahahaha...lol

[Bea]

1. Can you tell if its going to be a male or female? ( i think female)
i think female too, there's a lot of white on the cere
2. The feathers are coming off near the cere, does it look like its going through its first molt?
She doesn't look too moulty at the moment but it is possible that she's beginning her first moult
3. does it look healthy from what you can tell.
She looks pretty healthy in that she's sitting not puffed up...
4. Its long and thin compared to others i've been seeing, is it because its young?
i'd say so, although she looks pretty normal to me :)

[Bea]

Well there is white around the nostrils, a sign of a budgie being male.
Actually, lots of white around the nostrils is a sure sign of a female...

[Mavish]

thanks a lot, i still can't believe uve had 26+ budgie lol, theyre all very nice looking too.

[Bea]

1.I think he is a male because the cere is blue.
2.The feathers look like they are coming off but they are not.This budgie is almost 1 year old I estimate because of the throat spots,but the strips along the top of the head are fading not falling off. This is because he is almost an adult he will molt when he is 1 year old.
3.He looks healthy from what I see.What color are his droppings?Is he eating and drinking/active?
4.It is long because its an American budgie there are 2 types of budgies American-pet budgies, and English-show stock.My budgie in the picture above is half American and half English.
I have to disagree with a couple of things. Blue on the cere in a budgie this young is a sign of being female. Throat spots have absolutely nothing to do with age, baby budgies can have them from the time they get feathers. The stripes down to the cere are a SURE sign of a VERY young budgie. No more than 3-4 months. A budgie has it's first moult anytime from 2-5 months old, not at one year old. Feathers don't fade....the baby bars (stripes) will be moulted out and replaced with white feathers.

[Mavish]

thats all stuff i learned in the research i did. thanks Bea

[Bea]

No probs, glad i could help!

[Bea]

thanks a lot, i still can't believe uve had 26+ budgie lol, theyre all very nice looking too.
I've had waaaay more than 26 budgies, 26 is how many i currently own. :p

[Amy]

Wow! Hopefully my numbers will increase soon!

[Mistyoriline]

I will have a large flock one day too !

[Amy]

I think every budgie owners dream is to have a flock!