# Breeding Help



## CS1234

Hi. I just caught my budgies breeding, so to speak. I have some questions and concerns I'd like addressed, so that I can take proper care of them and of the babies. Thank you in advance for your advice.

I have two, a male and a female. They are definitely not related. I rescued the male from my backyard in the US when he escaped his previous owner, and the female is from a pet store.

They're in a very large parakeet cage, with plenty of food and water, a birdbath, a cuttlebone, and tons of toys. They are very lively and healthy as far as I can tell. I've had them for around 6 months now. The male was an adult when I caught him, and the female was at least a few months old when I got her.

In anticipation of this, I added a nesting box to the cage months ago. It has one of those raised wooden slats on one side, for standing I think. The nesting material is coconut wool. The female has been playing around in there and rearranging it for months.

1. The spot she uses the most in the nesting box is totally cleared of nesting material. She has made that spot just flat, empty wood. If she lays the eggs there will that be a problem? If so, should I move the eggs onto the nesting material, and how should I do so as to not make her abandon the eggs?

2. The cage itself is very big, and has 3 levels. Is it unsafe for the babies, or will they be fine as soon as they're ready to leave the nesting box? I'm worried that they might fall or something if they leave the nesting box and walk off of the platform it's affixed to. I can buy another, smaller cage if necessary, but I'm worried that would add tons of excess stress to the parents. Notw that they don't like being held and seem to be afraid of hands, not for lack of trying. They aren't afraid of my face when I get close to the cage and talk to them though, and I spent basically all day every day in the room with them too.

3. Do I need a water source in the nesting box? My budgies are used to drinking out of a water bowl, but the nesting box came with a strange water dispenser with a little slot to drink out of. Should I use it? I'm worried about stressing them out by having to constantly change the water in the nesting box, and that they won't use it.

Any other advice welcome as well. Thank you.


















For reference here is the spot of the nesting box she has cleared, and the overall cage.


----------



## FaeryBee

*Hi, Welcome to Talk Budgies!

The purpose of this forum is to promote the BEST PRACTICES in the care of budgies for their optimal Health and Well-Being*
*Locating an Avian Veterinarian*

*Are these the first budgies you have owned?
Why do you want these budgies to breed?
Budgies are much healthier and happier if the are never bred.
Your female is probably too young to breed if you got her 6 months ago. At most, she is 9 months old.
A budgie should be between 1 and 4 years old if it is being bred. Additionally, you do not know the exact age of the male and he may be older than 4.
What specific diet do you have them on at this time?
What are you planning to do with any offspring?
Do you have an Avian Vet?
Do you know how to properly hand feed a chick should something unforeseen happen?

The best thing for you to do at this point in time is to remove the nest box immediately and take the necessary steps to discourage breeding.
The bedding material you have in the nest box is not the correct type to use and it sounds from your post as though the nest box does not have a concave bottom -- does it?

Please read the information in these links:*
*A Heartfelt Plea to All Members*
*Tips For Discouraging Breeding*
*Before You Ever Consider Breeding Your Budgies*
*Guidance for Breeding Advice Threads*

*I recommend you remove the wooden dowel perches in the cage and replace them with natural wooden perches of varying diameters to help prevent pressure sores.
Pressure Sores
Bumblefoot
The information in this link will give examples of better options for perches:
Essentials for a Great Cage*

*A Healthy Diet for your Budgie*
*Quality Seed Mix*
*CuttleBones, Mineral Blocks and Manu Clay Roses*
*Safe Foods for Budgies*
*The Truth about GRIT*

*Please take the time to read through the Site Guidelines, the FAQs, the Budgie Articles and all of the Stickies located at the top of each section of the forum.
Truly, the very BEST advice anyone can offer you is to take the time to read ALL of the stickies throughout the various Talk Budgie forums as well as the Budgie Articles we have posted.
(Stickies are threads “stuck” at the top of each forum sub-section)
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.*

*SITE GUIDELINES*
*Posting on the Forums*
*Let's Talk Budgies!*
*FAQ*
*Articles*
*Be Prepared for Veterinary Care Expense*
*Avian First Aid*
*Quarantine IS Necessary!*
*Cage sizes.*
*Essentials to a Great Cage*
*Dangers to Pet Birds*
*Resource Directory*

*EDIT: I left a private message for you and need you to respond to it asap. Thank you.*


----------



## StarlingWings

Hello and welcome to the forums!

FaeryBee has given great advice above and I agree completely. Your birds are much better off not being bred as it is not as simple as just letting them have eggs. There are a lot of risks and dangers for breeding budgies, and unless an owner has had lots of prior training/experience (first time breeders should have researched thoroughly, have established good relationships with their avian vet, discussed with other breeders, etc.) then it's healthier for the budgies to not be bred.

Please be sure to read through the links provided above as they'll keep you updated on the best practices in budgie care! If you have any questions after doing so, please do ask as we'd love to help. 

Hope to see you around 👋


----------



## CS1234

Thank you guys for the responses. 

Unfortunately my budgy is probably already fertilized. I can't change that. I would really appreciate some advice on how to move forward with this situation. 

Also they belong to my dad too, and I can't really overrule his decision. All I can do is make the best of it.

Answers to my questions, or advice on how to proceed from here would be very helpful, and I don't intend to let them breed again after this if I can help it.

Thank you for your consideration.


----------



## FaeryBee

*Before breeding any species, it is important to learn as much about the animals, their personalities, and the best practices to follow for responsible and ethical breeding prior to making the commitment to take on the responsibility. 
This requires extensive research and an openness to continual learning.

If you remove the nest box now and start discouraging breeding, she probably won't lay at all.
If she does, the eggs are not viable until they have been incubated for three day.
Throwing out eggs that have not yet been incubated for that length of time is no different than throwing out eggs you buy at the grocery store.

As already stated - your budgie is too young to be allowed to have a clutch.
Doing so is very hard on a budgie and it should be given the correct conditioning diet prior to breeding.

Please explain that to your Dad. If he is determined to let the budgies breed at this point, then ask him to read the threads listed below:
A Heartfelt Plea to All Members
Tips For Discouraging Breeding
Before You Ever Consider Breeding Your Budgies
Guidance for Breeding Advice Threads

If that still doesn't sway him, then let us know and I'll give you advice with regard to proper nest box, bedding, etc.
I will answer your questions after you answer the ones I posed to you in my first post on this thread.

Ask your Dad to read this entire thread, please.

FaeryBee
Talk Budgies Administrator*


----------

