# Tame first or strait in?



## bedford (Jan 20, 2012)

Hi, I brought Skyla I was told she was 6 months old but she looks older, I have had her for a month and we’re getting on like a house on fire. I am gone for 12 hours a day so wanted to get her a freind. So I brought a second budgie around 3 months old... i called jasper.

My dilemma is I don’t want to loose the closeness me and Skyla have. 
At the moment there in separate rooms and I’m spending time with them both.

Should I put them together strait away as they get along, or do I tame them separate and then introduce?

My plan is to eventually get 4 budgies *bird goles* ^^


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## Birdmanca (Jan 24, 2008)

That is a personal choice. I would put a new budgie in a cage to get to be friends with the resident bird. I know it is good for birds to have a pal or companion of their own species. If you want to train them first, that will take more time, I just let them be birds, some will be friendly to me and I hve really liked a few. It is actually wehatever you want to do pair together, best idea or train first.


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## Cody (Sep 5, 2013)

How tame is Skyla currently, will she sit on your hand or arm? If you bring them together you can't be sure if Skyla's tameness will influence the other or visa versa but I think the more tame one is the better chance it is that the behavior will be a good influence on the other. In my experience I had two that were very tame and they were a good influence on the others. When the non tame birds saw how comfortable the two were interacting with me they began to become more tame as well but you cannot count on that, birds prefer bird company but that does not mean that they will not want to interact with you also.


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## bedford (Jan 20, 2012)

Skyla is really good, I generally have my birds out of the cage and able to step up consistently within two days. Skyla loves being touched on the neck feathers and she had her first neck scratch today. The new one is super scaired but flew to me when Skyla was on my fingers, doesn’t like to be touched.

I am having problems sexing them too, Skyla is 3/4ths girl beak blue at the top it’s crusty so I’m thinking girl. The new one is too young to sex but is looking like a boy, could change. But when he poops does a little wiggle I only see girl budgies do.


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## Sim (Apr 22, 2019)

Skyla is definitely a female, and I think your new budgie might be a female too.
The ceres of young female budgies are white around the nostrils and bluish/purplish on the rest, and your budgie looks like this to me (of course photos can be misleading if you don't take them with natural light).

As you said, the new one is pretty young so I think it wouldn't be hard for you to tame her. This is why I suggest you to keep them separated until the new budgie is tamed too, also because a quarantine period is needed before you can put the two birds together.


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

* From the pictures posted, I agree with Sim. Both Skyla and Jasper are female budgies.

Jasper needs to remain in quarantine for the full recommended period of time. 

Quarantine means housing the new bird in a different cage in a different room than the current bird (as far away from the room the current bird is in as possible) for a period of 35-45 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.

Keep in mind that the more budgies you have, the more the flock dynamics are going to change over time.

Your Harmonious Flock

Differences and Dynamics Between Flocks

*


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## RavensGryf (May 8, 2015)

I agree that you need to keep any new budgie in quarantine for 30-45 days. Some of us who have had birds for some time, have seen disease spread. You never know if a new bird is harboring any illness, because birds mask illnesses until it’s more advanced. Once an illness is showing in a bird, depending on what it is, it may or may not be too late to reverse. Quarantine is very important. 

Regarding Skyla with a new friend, it should not make her less tame or not want to be with you anymore. At least that is my personal experience with birds.

Btw, both are females. It’s not too early to tell. Budgies can be sexed very young if one knows what to look for.


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