# Getting Another Bird, should it be a budgie or another breed?



## BudgieFiles (Dec 17, 2015)

Hello people! I am going to get my budgie a pal soon, and I was wondering if I should get a budgie or another type of bird. The bird that I have right now is a 7 month old female budgie, named Bogart (we thought she was a guy, we were wrong). Anyway, I've been thinking about it for a while now, and my family and I have decided we should get her a friend. I know that it is not good to have two female budgies together, so I would have to get a male. The problem is, my family and I are not good at knowing the sex of young budgies, and nor does the store we got Bogart from. So I was wondering if having two different types of birds would eliminate this problem. I heard that cockatiels and budgies get along, and that in the wild they actually live in flocks together. But I also have heard that budgies can be bossy with other birds. Please help me decide if I should get another budgie, a cockatiel, or any other breed that would get along with Bogart. Also any advice for keeping two birds together would help. Thank you!  :S


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## Therm (Aug 2, 2015)

If you are planning to keep them in the same cage, I can only suggest a budgie as you may be able to let two different species interact while under supervision, but living together wouldn't be advisable. 

Cockatiels are quite easy going and while they can get on, it's not ideal to put the two together in a cage. Budgies are just a bit too energetic to have around a relaxed cockatiel all the time. 

I was like you at first and just couldn't work out how to sex a baby budgie. If I were you, I would read about how you sex them and then look through members posts in the new arrivals section where people are asking for their budgies to be sexed. 
Using what you have learnt, try to sex the budgies from the pictures. The more you do it, the better you will become. 

If you did get a female budgie accidentally bare in mind that there is no guarentee that a male will get along with Bogart any better than two females. Ultimately it depends on the personality of the birds and how you introduce them to one another. 
Getting another bird you will have to get another cage for quarantine and you should be prepared to have this second cage be adequate in size in case the birds don't get along. 
Bare in mind, all the negative things I just said are worse case scenario and it's very likely the birds will get on. But going into this with as much information as possible is the best way to go, imo.


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*Pearl,

Some females get along just fine with others of their own gender.
Whether or not a budgie gets along with another comes down to the personalities of each bird.

http://talkbudgies.com/articles-gen...ship-differences-dynamics-between-flocks.html

I would not recommend getting a different species bird if you plan to house it with your current budgie.

http://talkbudgies.com/faq.php?faq=general_information#faq_other_species_cage

There are a few things you need to consider before bringing another budgie into your home.

Quarantine -- you need a separate cage for quarantine.
http://talkbudgies.com/articles-buying-rescuing-budgies/103881-quarantine-your-birds.html

Quarantine means housing your new bird in a different cage in a different room as far away as possible from the room where your current bird(s) are housed for a period of 30-45 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.

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.

Distinction between an Avian Vet and a Vet that "Will See Birds"

You should be ready and willing to cage the two budgies separately (no matter what gender) on either a temporary or permanent basis if they do not get along with one another after quarantine is over.

Housing
The cage where you plan to house the two budgies should meet or exceed the minimum recommended size requirements for two birds.
Remember, the bigger the cage the better as long as you ensure the spacing between the cage bars does not exceed 1/2".

Please take a look at these threads as they may help you in your decision:

Talk Budgies Forums - FAQ: General Budgie Information

http://talkbudgies.com/articles-gen...ship-differences-dynamics-between-flocks.html

http://talkbudgies.com/other-pets/50806-do-you-really-want-another-pet.html

These threads will help you learn to distinguish between the two genders in young budgies:

http://talkbudgies.com/showthread.php?t=71734

http://talkbudgies.com/showthread.php?t=66009

http://talkbudgies.com/showthread.php?t=50487

http://talkbudgies.com/showthread.php?t=84708

http://talkbudgies.com/general-budgie-talk/339714-how-old-your-budgie.html

*


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