# Snow and Aria's Ongoing Picture Thread



## jeff.bannenberg (5 mo ago)

Hello, new member here and owner of two parakeets (male 2 years old, female 3 years old). We are looking to get a third budgie, ideally male. We saw one that captured both of our attention immediately but are a bit uncertain it’s a male but almost positive. Looking for any advice, clarification. Here’s a picture of the prospective budgie








thanks for any help!


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## Cody (Sep 5, 2013)

It is not a good idea to get a third bird, especially since you already have a mixed gender pair, getting another bird may lead to fighting and aggression over the female and you may need to end up housing the birds separately to prevent severe injury. Even if you had all of the same gender it is best not to have an odd number of birds because often two will bond and the third will be a loner.


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## jeff.bannenberg (5 mo ago)

I thought that was just if they are actively breeding? Just confused as everywhere I’ve read says getting a third would be fine, just starting him/her off separately and introducing gradually/monitoring. The current female doesn’t seem to want to mate anymore anyway since her mate passed away two years ago.


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## Cody (Sep 5, 2013)

You must observe the quarantine protocol when adding a new bird to the flock. Birds do not have to be in a hormonal phase to be aggressive, what is the reason you want to add a third bird? If you go ahead and get another bird make sure you are prepared for all possibilities. You may find these articles helpful.








Quarantine IS Necessary!


Quarantine IS Necessary I get asked the question; "But is quarantine really necessary?" almost daily and the answer is ABSOLUTELY! Quarantine is essential for the health of your birds. I'm amazed however at the high number of people who do not quarantine or don't have a clue to what quarantine...




www.talkbudgies.com












Your Harmonious Flock


One of the most common issues we get on the forum is to help with an issue of flock dynamics. Whether you have just two birds, or twelve, the dynamics between them is essential for having a harmonious flock and a happy owner. The problem can start before you even have a bird living in your...




www.talkbudgies.com


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## jeff.bannenberg (5 mo ago)

We were going to get a third just since we figured they were social creatures that they would enjoy having a new brother, but that is not necessarily the case it seems. We have decided not to now given these revelations.


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## StarlingWings (Mar 15, 2013)

Hello and welcome to the forums!

Glad you did some research before getting a third budgie.

They are indeed social creatures but as long as they have a flock mate or buddy (which in some cases of single budgies can be another human, if the human is bonded to them and spends enough time with them), then they are just fine. As Cody mentioned, if there are odd number of budgies, they tend to leave one out as the "third wheel" and may even fight for each other's attention. This isn't always the case (such as flocks which start off as 4 and then one passes away and the other three still get along) but usually happens when introducing a new budgie to make an odd-numbered flock.

Additionally, not only you would have odd numbers but odd genders as well; even though you female seems to have calmed down hormone-wise introducing another male or female to the mix would likely cause everyone to go haywire competing for each others' affections during breeding season. Males often fight for the attention of one female in a n uneven flock; females can be jealous and aggressive and fight each other if there are uneven numbers as well.

So it seems that for now you've made a good choice 

Meanwhile, even though your female seems not to be so hormonal lately, it's best to still actively discourage breeding in every way possible. There are many resources on the forums to ensure you're updated on this information; i'll provide some of those links below:

When We Don't Want Eggs!
A Breeder's Tips for Discouraging Breeding
A Heartfelt Plea to All Members

If you have any questions after reading through the links above or the rest of the forums, please be sure to ask as we'd love to help!

Cheers 👋


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## jeff.bannenberg (5 mo ago)

Thanks for all the info. Out of curiosity, if we were to a get another PAIR of budgies and eventually introduce them….we would still inevitably be dealing with the same potential issues I assume?


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## Cody (Sep 5, 2013)

Yes, anytime you introduce new birds to the flock the flock dynamics can change, it is possible that everything would work out but it is important that you be prepared to deal with any situation that could happen.


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## jeff.bannenberg (5 mo ago)

I’m not opposed to having a third budgie but keeping it in a second cage/separate room…would that be ok? Or even hearing each-other potential cause for anxiety to them?
Not saying we’re for sure doing this, we’re trying to see if there is a feasible risk free way to acquire the budgie I pictured without putting any of them at risk. (Side note: was I correct in saying it’s a male?)
Thabks again to both of you for your help so far! It’s much appreciated. It’s good to know I can come here in the future if I ever have questions with my current two budgies. You’ll be happy to know they seem quite happy and active (if we’re home, they’re allowed freedom away from their cage. We don’t keep them locked up.)


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## StarlingWings (Mar 15, 2013)

From the photo you posted, the budgie looks to be female, but it’s quite blurry so I can’t say for sure. If you just want another pair of budgies, as mentioned, a pair is better if you’d like to have a larger flock. As Cody mentioned there’s always a possibility that even if there are even numbers of birds with equal gender distribution there may still be conflicts; when adding new birds you have to be prepared to house them separately if needed. If you’re able to do this then a pair of budgies is fine; if you intend to house both pairs separately from the beginning (which may be better to prevent conflict) then a same gender pair would be best so you only have to worry about discouraging breeding for one cage. However, if you’d like to see if they can all get along and be housed together, the best idea is to get a male and female pair like you have now, and then see if things work from there or you have to house them separately.

Ideally, the pair can do quarantine together for enough time that they bond and the two pairs get along well after neutral introductions. This.. is not always the case. There’s no way to predict what the dynamics will be as Cody said above.

In any case, if you have the resources, time, and space for more budgies, then a pair is definitely better as a single budgie may be always trying to join the pair otherwise 👍🏻


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*Hi, Welcome to Talk Budgies!

Please do let us know what decision you make with regard to getting additional budgies.
Also, we'd love to see pictures of your current budgies if you have any you would like to share.

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*

*When you have a mixed gender pair, it is very important to do everything necessary to prevent breeding.
Budgies are much healthier and happier when they are never bred.*

*A Heartfelt Plea to All Members*
*Tips For Discouraging Breeding*
*Before You Ever Consider Breeding Your Budgies*
*Guidance for Breeding Advice Threads*

*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.
Additionally, please be sure to read the thread "Posting on the Forums" which is linked below.

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!*
*A Heartfelt Plea to All Members*
*Tips For Discouraging Breeding*
*Before You Ever Consider Breeding Your Budgies*
*Guidance for Breeding Advice Threads*
*Cage sizes.*
*Essentials to a Great Cage*
*Dangers to Pet Birds*
*Resource Directory*

*Nice to have you with us. If you have questions after reading everything, please let us know.*


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## jeff.bannenberg (5 mo ago)

Here’s a few of my favorite pics of them, just being silly. They like to explore together and cause trouble…and knock the ninja turtles off the blind tops.

The blue male is Snow, nicknamed B-Jax (named after his predecessor, a 10.5 year old similar looking budgie), and the female is Aria aka Ms. Flooferkins (yep).









One I just took to portray their rather large home.


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*Snow and Aria are precious!

I'm going to change your thread into an on-going picture thread.
That way, you can continue to post picture updates and they will all be in one place.

Please be sure your budgies do not ingest any fibers from the stuffed toy.
Dangers of Rope, Snuggle Huts, Fabric and Tasseled Toys

Additionally, please remove the fabric snuggle hut from the cage. *
*Not only is it dangerous, it will promote hormonal behaviors and breeding.*

*The same goes for the coconut toy - please remove that from the cage as well.
Nothing at all that could possibly be used as a nesting site should ever be placed in your budgies' cage.*

*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*


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## jeff.bannenberg (5 mo ago)

Coconut and fabric hut removed. Luckily the fabric hut was just added a few weeks ago, oddly enough they’ve showed no interest in it and we’ve never seen them in it or around it so no major loss. Added a wooden ladder type swing thing in their place.
The stuffed budgie we only let them play with once, it was a picture opportunity I couldn’t pass up. They mainly just played with its feet but yeah they were chewing the fur a bit (nothing swallowed I’m pretty sure) as seen. I’ll keep an eye out/look for some more long natural wooden perches to replace the current dowels.

Minor note, failed to mention Snow’s (ie B-Jax) predecessors name: Ajax. Hence his nickname.

So far we have not come to a conclusion/decision as far as additional budgies, but will keep you posted if that occurs. Thanks again!!


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## StarlingWings (Mar 15, 2013)

Aha.. his cute nickname makes a lot of sense 🤭 We look forward to updates!


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