# (Unusual Situation) Should I get a Friend for my Budgie?



## sarock (Oct 16, 2015)

Hello everyone! 
I have a bit of an unusual situation with my Budge. She's almost 3 years old and I've had her since August 2013, when I rescued her from a home that nearly killed her. When she was in that home she was kept with another bird, but she's the only bird I currently have. As a result of being in a home where she was abused she has PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder). It took a long time and a lot of work, but I finally managed to get her happy enough that she's begun to lay eggs. She's an affectionate, clever little budge and she loves me more than anything else, but I've recently started going to school and working full time, and she's alone for most of the day. She has lots of toys in her cage to keep her occupied but I'm concerned that she isn't getting enough social interaction when I'm gone during the day. I'd thought of getting her a companion bird, but I'm not entirely sure what would be best for her. I know that she doesn't have enough social time now, but I'm afraid that getting a new bird might traumatize her. I'm really concerned about her psychological well-being and any help would be very appreciated!


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## audit (Sep 22, 2015)

Hey sarock! Welcome to Talk Budgies! :wave:
I have two birds right now, but before I owned Berry, Pippen was my only bird. They originally shared a cage when they were young, and after I got Pippen, it inspired a friend of mine to get Berry. Turns out he didn't have enough time for Berry (plus he felt Berry didn't really enjoy it at his house) and he gave me Berry and now they are in the same cage again! 

Now, back to your bird. If you still think getting another bird might not be best for her, I let Pippen listen to the radio all the time, and she really enjoys it. It makes her feel like there are other people all around her, and she really likes chirping along to all of the tunes! :embarrassed: If you have any other questions, you are always welcome to Private Message me! 
Again, Welcome!


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*Hi and :welcome: to Talk Budgies!

The fact that Budge is laying eggs is actually not a good thing as it will deplete her calcium. 

Hopefully, you do not have a nestbox or anything that could be used as a nesting site in her cage.
To throw her out of her breeding cycle, rearrange her cage, limit her daylight to no more than 8 hours a day and limit the protein in her diet. 
In the meantime, please be sure she is getting plenty of calcium as well as Vitamin D3.

Are you leaving the radio or TV on for Budge when you are away from home? Is there anyway you could maybe use a webcam to record how she behaves when you are away so you can see if she is active and happy or if she seems to be depressed?

If you choose to get another budgie, there is no guarantee that the two will get along - especially since Budge has bonded to you. Because Budge is older and a female, she may well be very aggressive toward another bird. You will need to be prepared to house the new budgie permanently in a separate cage if the two do not do well together.

Please remember, if you get another budgie, you will need to quarantine the new bird for at least 45 days. 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.

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.

To familiarize yourself with the forums, please take the time to read through all of the How To Guides, the FAQs and the stickies located at the top of each section of the forum.
You'll find most of your basic questions are answered after you've read through all of them.

I'm looking forward to seeing some pictures hoto: of Budge soon!!

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:wave:*


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## StarlingWings (Mar 15, 2013)

Hello and :welcome: to the forums! 

I can't add much more to what Deborah said. It really all comes down to whether or not you think she can handle a new bird friend as opposed to her being potentially depressed. If she's eating, drinking, playing normally and you spend lots of time with her whenever you're home, I think she should be fine. It is usually pretty clear when a bird is sad or depressed and from your description she doesn't sound like she is. 

As long as you leave sounds on when you're not home (radio, music, even your TV if you aren't gone long) then she should be just fine. I know my bird is a single female who hasn't had a friend ever, and even though I'm away a large part of weekdays she gets all my attention when I come home and she's doing perfectly fine with this routine because she's bonded to me and does better by herself. 

Again, it's up to you and Budge to figure out what's best 

I hope this helped a little! It's great to have you on the forums with us and I'm looking forward to seeing pictures of your little girl soon 

If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to ask as we're here to help!
:wave:


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## sarock (Oct 16, 2015)

Thank you for the tips everyone!  
I'm going to go out today and pick up a little radio to place beside her cage. 
As far as the egg laying goes, I was already supplementing her diet (she has calcium, B3 and iodine available in her cage at all times) and she doesn't have a nest box, and I mark every egg she lays on my calendar to ensure that she doesn't become egg bound (I'm lucky enough to have an avian and exotic only vet clinic a few blocks away from my home) 
I'm sure Merlin will be much happier with a radio, I already know that she loves Nine Inch Nails so that gives me an idea for which stations to leave it on. I'll post some pictures of her very soon! Thanks again!


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## StarlingWings (Mar 15, 2013)

You're very welcome, I can't wait to see the pictures!


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## soupandbananas (Aug 21, 2015)

Hello and :welcome: to Talk Budgies! I am looking forwards to seeing some photos.hoto:


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## KayleighHoudini (Jan 18, 2015)

sarock said:


> I'd thought of getting her a companion bird, but I'm not entirely sure what would be best for her. I know that she doesn't have enough social time now, but I'm afraid that getting a new bird might traumatize her. I'm really concerned about her psychological well-being and any help would be very appreciated!


 I cannot tell you what decision is best for you but I would like to share my experience.

The first time I had to do a 12 hours shifts and when I then came home and saw Houdini sitting all alone in her cage it absolutely broke my heart. The day after I went out and got her a companion.

I might not have found her the best companion, they are very different and he turned out to be a male, he gets a bit over-excited and courts her a little too much. But still, they do many things together, and when she is a bit over cautious he just jumps in the deep end and help her explore new things. She seem to interact best with him in the morning, courting him or playing with him, so I have piece of mind that she does get some interaction with her own species.


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## MavisAndBoncuk (Oct 24, 2015)

I personally wouldn't get another bird, I was in the same situation as you, so I got one, yeah they got on but they will never come to you again, they just stick together. ;(


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