# Help me decide on what sex to get..



## Urchin (11 mo ago)

Hi everyone,

I am currently a very proud owner of a male budgie, Mitten. He's just under a year old and such a joy in our family. Since the pandemic is starting to wind down, I am not home as often and want to get him a cagemate.

This is where I am struggling. Another male would be ideal, so I have read, but the breeder right now has a lot of females available (they are always harder to find homes for). How likely is it that getting a female would cause problems? How easy is it to prevent them from mating? Should I just stick to the original plan and get another male?

I would love to be able to bring home one of the many females that our breeder has available, but I want to be sure I am making the right decision for our family. Can you guys share your knowledge and suggestions?


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*I would not recommend getting a female companion for your male. It is going to be an ongoing issue to ensure that mating does not take place.
Yes, it discouraging breeding can be done, but why deliberately bring that complication into your life when you have a choice? 
I would recommend you wait for an available male.
Even with no mating, a female that is housed with a male may become "broody" and end up laying.
If this happens, you would have to separate the two budgies into individual cages and deal with the possibility of egg binding.
By getting a male, you would avoid all such potential problems.*

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These are great resources for Talk Budgie members and have a wealth of reliable information which will assist you to learn the best practices in caring for your budgies for their optimal health and well-being.*

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## Urchin (11 mo ago)

Thank you for your response! I definitely don't want to breed budgies at this point in my life, so I think your suggestion is the best for us. As bad as I feel that there's so many females that need homes, I agree that another male might be the best for us.


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*We'd love to see pictures of Mitten. Feel free to start an on-going picture thread in the Budgie Pictures section of the forum if you wish to do so. 💙

I'm sure you know the importance of quarantining the new budgie when you bring one home.

For other members who might read this thread, this information presented below is important to remember.

If you decide to get another budgie in the future, please be sure to observe quarantine for the new budgie.

Quarantine means housing the new bird in a different cage in a different room than the current bird (as far away from the room the current bird is in as possible) for a period of 35-45 days.

Budgies mask symptoms when they are ill. Symptoms may not show up for over two weeks. 
Often you will not even realize your bird is not well. Many budgie illnesses are airborne which is why you need to quarantine your new bird in a completely different room.
*
*Quarantine - Is it Really that Important?*
*Quarantine Your Birds*
* 
It is also a good idea to always take a new budgie in to see an Avian Vet for a "well-birdie" check-up. This allows you to develop a good relationship with the vet and the vet can establish a baseline for your bird in case of any future illnesses or injuries.*


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## StarlingWings (Mar 15, 2013)

Hi there and welcome to the forums! 

You've been given great advice and resources above. I agree that it's always best to have two of the same gender if possible since it saves a lot of potential worries about mating. Mitten is such an adorable name! I'm ~smitten with it  

We hope to meet Mitten soon, and please keep us updated on how things go. Meanwhile, it's great to have you with us! Please be sure to read through he forums' many budgie articles and "stickies", many of which are provided above by FaeryBee, to ensure you're posted on the best of budgie care practices. 

Hope to see you around!


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## obxdiva (Aug 11, 2020)

I don't know where you are but many rescues have birds to adopt.


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