# Possible New Baby



## budieoz (May 5, 2015)

Hi Everyone,

Can anyone here tell me if this is a baby Lutino Budgie?

Some of you on the talk budgies forum here know I have 2 that just do not want socialization with me So since they don't want to socialize with me I'm looking for a baby that I can keep by himself or herself and spend time with it daily and hopes that it will become as well socialized baby and want to be out and not afraid to be picked up & handled.

I really don't want to get one from a pet store, but I went to Pet Supermarket today and found one that I really like.

I took some Millet in with me and he/she climbed up & was eager to eat it, and not afraid of me.

Most of the other ones were too scared to come near me even with the Millet in hand.


When they're this young and they're eager to eat and take food from your hand, will there be any benefit to getting a hand-fed budgie over a bird that came up to me and was friendly?

I don't want to get it home and then find out it reverts to being antisocial like the two I have now.

I don't want to scare them by trying to pick them up it causes undue stress. The next one I get I want to want to come out and socialize and not try to force it. So. IF I go back tomorrow I will need how to learn to do just that and what do over the coming days so the new addition is comfortable.

what sex do you think this one is?

Also, I have the chance to get an almost weaned hand-fed English Budgie at a smaller family-owned pet store.BUT it is 80 miles away. and 4 times as costly

I really do not want to make that drive.

Are very young budgies easily tamed? If so, what is recommended to do over the first week? I have an “ok” cage as I will put it separate from my other 2. I don't like the cage I have BUT it will do for a short time (see pic) it is 17 wide 25 tall and 17 deep. I am setting it up tonight in anticipation of bringing home one soon.

I appreciate any advice.


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*It's difficult to tell the gender because the lighting is washing out the color of the cere. 
That said, from what I see on my monitor, I believe the budgie is female. The area around the nares seems to be very pronounced to me.

If you can get a budgie from a reputable breeder, you are much better off doing so rather than buying from a big-box pet store.

Remember that the big-box stores get their budgies from birdie-mills.

Why you should buy from a reputable and ethical breeder

The difference in cost and the slight inconvenience of the drive are, in my opinion, well worth it in the long run.

When I got my budgies, I made multiple trips to the breeder that were 7 1/2 hours each way and required me to stay overnight in a hotel each time.*


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## budieoz (May 5, 2015)

FaeryBee said:


> *It's difficult to tell the gender because the lighting is washing out the color of the cere.
> That said, from what I see on my monitor, I believe the budgie is female. The area around the nares seems to be very pronounced to me.
> 
> If you can get a budgie from a reputable breeder, you are much better off doing so rather than buying from a big-box pet store.
> ...


Thanks, FaeryBee, have had a hard time finding a breeder around here. I am going to keep looking. I wonder though, how can you determine how young the Lutino budgies are? I know on a regular budgie you can see the bars all the way down to the nostrils. I am also considering an English Budgie that is still being hand-fed. That one is a beauty I have seen pictures. I know in general, the English does not live as long as an American Budgie. But they seem to be calmer. The English is at a small pet store about 80 miles from me. I am considering waiting. But the one I saw today was so friendly and I feel bad it is in an aquarium. I wanted to rescue it. BUT I want to be sure to get a young baby that I can socialize with. I love my 2 I have always will BUT I missed the chance to get them socialized. Oz is almost 6 now so I won't even try. They are very happy and spoiled.


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## budieoz (May 5, 2015)

*Any Better*

There are 2 other pictures I took today. Hope you can see in better detail. Thank You.


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*Keep in mind that "rescuing" a budgie from a big-box pet store really isn't "rescuing" in the sense that buying from them just encourages those stores to keep perpetuating the on-going cycle of the birdie-mills.
Budgies from pet-stores are genetically inferior due to all of the in-breeding that takes place in the mills. It's truly very sad.

It's extremely difficult to know how young a lutino or a dark-eyed clear budgie is unless you know the breeder or can determine the hatch-date. I generally estimate that when a bird arrives at a big-box pet store it is going to be approximately 8-10 weeks old. The stores usually keep them in tiny little cages all cramped together where they can barely move (I've actually seen this!!) for about 2 weeks before moving them out onto the floor to sell so they are then 10-12 weeks old when they are first offered for sale. Of course, you generally don't know how long the budgies you see in the "display" cases have been in the store...

The budgies I have currently are all English with the exception of my DEC (dark-eyed clear) which is a 50/50. He is now 8 years old and the next oldest of my budgies is 7 at this time.

In the pictures you posted, the budgie's cere looks to be a chalky light blue with pronounced nares on my monitor and I would say it is a female.
A lutino or DEC male would have a smooth translucent pinkish-purple cere when it is young.*


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## budieoz (May 5, 2015)

I am going to take everything you said into account.

I do hope that enticing the bird with Millet and having it run up and eat( a lot) even climbing on my hand would be an indication that it should socialize provided I put ALOT of daily time in to make the little one very friendly. Am I correct? There were about 20 in that aquarium and this little one sat with me for quite a bit eating and looking at me.I felt so bad for them in there all crammed together.


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*Yes, the fact the budgie came to you is a good indication that it would socialize well.

I know you feel badly for the budgies at the store. That is why I recommend that our members don't even enter the big-box pet stores. Too many people feel sorry for the birds, make impulse purchases and think they are rescuing the birds when they are perpetuating the problems. (Sorry, I just felt I had to say it one more time for all the other people reading your thread. :yes

I buy my pet supplies on-line.

Avoiding the temptation is always best in my book!

Whatever you decide, I wish you well. :hug:*


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## budieoz (May 5, 2015)

*Tahnk You*

FaeryBee,

below are Oz and Pepper 2 happy birds.

Oz will be 6 in May. How time flies :yes:


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*Oz and Pepper are looking GREAT!! :thumbup:

I feel exactly the same way about time flying by when I think of my birds' ages.*


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## tonic (Nov 13, 2009)

Just to add, it is a young bird but not a lutino.


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