Birdie Pets

Halogen Lamps and budgies

Question:

> a) her turning against people if she realises she’s not actually human >    (unlikely, but possible) > b) she wouldn’t be remotely interested in any new "friend" and I’d >    be wasting my time. She has never shown any interest in any other >    birds, so this is also possible. > But I do want her to be content – and not just because she’s used to > it. > What would be a good companion?

I breed senegals, and find that in this sp. at least, you cannot predict what will be the result when two birds are together. I have had a female, (DHF) bought with a male, bond to me even thought she was always in the cage with the male, bred with him, and was never removed from the cage. I try to keep all my birds caged with others from hatching, so i cannot report changes when others are introduced, but some of these birds bond strongly to me anyway (even when they are _not_ handfed). From your birds POV, the best companion would likely be another of the same sp. Second best would probably be another amazon. Third best would probably be a bird of similar size. I use the words "likely" & "probably" because it’s a gamble, no matter what you do. From your POV, the order might be reversed. On the other hand, if you got a mate, you might eventually get babies. Introductions need to be done carefully, in neutral territory. Best of luck, rex

Response:

>What would be a good companion?

You might want to keep in the same size range.  Also, i hear that it’s best to keep within the same continental groupings, if not the same species, for health reasons.  Maybe some other type of amazon or a macaw?  Hard choices–to do or not, and if yes, with what companion….good luck!

Response:

I was recently in Australia and had the thrill of seeing wild budgies and parrots (and finches) in their natural habitat.  I was amazed at how fast budgies flew.  Flying in flocks, they looked like green swarms speeding across the sky.  From looking at that, one can just imagine how they love to fly.  I wish there were budgie flocks whre I live. — Dave in Southern California (USDA Zone 10)

Response:

My 2 year old female c’tiel is extremly possessive of me and attempts to be dominant. yes, she wins most of the time too Whenever I am home she stays with me on my shoulder and often rubs on my neck and makes sort of cooing sounds. A few days ago, I saw a young male cockatiel in a local pet shop. Actually, he found me.  Flapping, showing off etc.. he started whistleing and screaming when I tried to leave. He appears in great shape from the short distance I saw him from, and would be a perfect match for my female. Should I even consider bringing another bird into the family, or am I doing my female a disservice by not having a friend for her.  I am not interested in breeding at this time, and they could live in seperate cages. The male sems to be very sweet and affectionate too, but a little rambunctious. I have no idea how my female would react to this.  Can anyone share their experiences??? Also, is a 30 day "quarenteenen" still advisable for newcomers? We thank you! david & Bizet — |  Earth Imaging Systems  -  "Weather on Request"  |

Response:

Budgie lovers… Here in Australia I guess we take the budgie for granted, although you never see wild ones in the suburbs or even semi-rural areas. Did you know that the word ‘budgerigar’ comes from a similar-sounding aboriginal word meaning ‘good to eat’? Apparently they used to eat the flightless young birds (try catching one that can fly!). Now, I’ve eaten quail, which is a *plump* little bird, but as for eating a budgie, I think you’d need a truckload of ‘em. ( Not that I would eat a budgie, mind you!) Back to wild parrots, surprisingly the rarer birds still live in the semi-rural areas. I remember a pair of Red-capped parrots that had such bright plumage that they *shimmered* in the daylight. Maybe it was the good country living, or the physical activity associated with survival/etc., but I let my budgie out for a fly around each day and, apart from doing things like stepping in my beer and helping me play the guitar(NOT!!), he seems to be brighter than other budgies that are perch-potatoes. In fact,I think he prefers to walk, anyway. Does the flying encourage them to preen more often? It would be interesting to hear about the plumage of flyers/non-flyers. You all probably have seen a non-clipped, non-flying budgie panting on the ground after going only a few metres. Really, I have no objection to clipping birds, but I hate seeing bleeding due to some imbecile owner taking too much nail off its feet/beak. If you guys in the States have cockatiels, why don’t you have a look at Major Mitchells, Sulphur-crested cockatoos and Galahs? They are good talkers and live for ages. It is a shame to see bird-smuggling  going on, especially since we have heaps of the latter two over here. Joe Austin-Crowe

Response:

>Should I even consider bringing another bird into the >family, or am I doing my female a disservice by not >having a friend for her.  I am not interested in breeding

Just make sure to remember that the new bird will live many years, and both birds will require love and care for their entire lives. It’s a big responsibility, having someone’s life in your hands.  :) Having said that, our non-handraised grey’s life has become much livelier and happier since we brought a severe macaw home.  They have bonded to humans more than each other, and we intend to keep a tight lid on this to make it stay that way.  Others have said if you bring a second bird home they’ll bond to each other and you’ll lose the first and never have the second….  But I think those are birds of the same species.  I have never had two birds of the same species, so I’ll let someone else talk about their experiences. >Also, is a 30 day "quarenteenen" still advisable for newcomers?

No, a six-week quarantine is recommended by the AAV.  That means off site if possible, and if you can’t do that, lots of hand- washing, etc., and bring the new bird to the vet’s on the way home. —

Response:

>Having said that, our non-handraised grey’s life has become much >livelier and happier since we brought a severe macaw home.  They >have bonded to humans more than each other, and we intend to keep >a tight lid on this to make it stay that way.  Others have said >if you bring a second bird home they’ll bond to each other and >you’ll lose the first and never have the second….  But I think >those are birds of the same species.  I have never had two birds >of the same species, so I’ll let someone else talk about their >experiences.

I wondered about this. At present I am not working, but hope to be back in full-time employment in a few months. I’ve never been happy leaving Grizzle (orange-wing) at home on her own all day when I used to work, but was worried about a) her turning against people if she realises she’s not actually human    (unlikely, but possible) b) she wouldn’t be remotely interested in any new "friend" and I’d    be wasting my time. She has never shown any interest in any other    birds, so this is also possible. But I do want her to be content – and not just because she’s used to it. What would be a good companion?

Response:

>Does the flying encourage them to preen more often? It would be >interesting to hear about the plumage of flyers/non-flyers. You all >probably have seen a non-clipped, non-flying budgie panting on the ground >after going only a few metres. Really, I have no objection to clipping >birds, but I hate seeing bleeding due to some imbecile owner taking too >much nail off its feet/beak.

Our budgies (dark turquoise with black tips, powder blue with gray tips, and green and yellow with gray tips) all have their wings clipped.   They have gorgeous plumage these days because we’ve switched them to pelleted food; clipping didn’t affect the quality of their plumage. Being on an all-seed diet, though, made their feathers drab. We clip the wings ourselves, but I’m not brave enough to do nails/ beaks for the very problem you cited.  Hopefully their cement perches that they sleep on/nibble on will keep that in check for me. It must be absolutely breathtaking just to look up in the trees where you are!  All those beautiful birds!  I hope to see that someday.  :o) Regards, Eve Raleigh, NC, USA

Response:

The simplest way to avoid having a bird fly into windows and mirrors is to remove the mirrors and put something (Levelor blinds, curtains, shades, etc.) over the windows.   Even a bird with clipped wings could manage to fly into a nearby window or mirror if startled or frightened.   Just as houses have to be child-proofed for small children or dog-proofed for dogs, I don’t mind doing without certain things (like mirrors) and putting up others (like window blinds) to make sure that my bird won’t hurt himself. Frank

Response:

>While it is true that fully flighted birds can land in places that will >get them in trouble or fly out the door, the same can be said for bird >whose wings are clipped.  Many birds with clipped wings such as budiges, >lovebirds, cockatiels, etc., can still fly quite a distance.  In fact, an >argument could also be made that there are situations wherein a fully >flighted bird could save its own life by flying away from trouble.

This would depend on what kind of clip you gave the bird.  The way we clip our birds, they CAN’T fly, period; the primaries are cut off and checked fre- quently, and any new feathers are cut out soon.  It is important that these new feathers be cut because with the strong fliers, even one feather can make a huge difference (between flying and not).  Also, a single feather is more likely to break and cause trouble than several, as suggested by the vet (avian) we took the ‘tiel to (the ‘tiel had one feather growing out, the vet handed me the scissors). My understanding is there are 2 general types of clip, one for the heavier fliers and one for the strong fliers, such as budgies and ‘tiels.  I have tried the less drastic cut on the budgies and ‘tiel, and basically they don’t work, i.e., the birds can still fly away for quite a distance. There’s also the one-wing clip, but that one insults my sense of symmetry… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->I take my bird to a vet with an avian practice and she does not recommend >clipping a budgie’s wings IF your particular living situation will allow >the bird free flight.  Budgies are often prone to tumors and obesity from >lack of exercise and having the ability to fly, even in a house, can help >in preventing those problems.  I have known numerous budgie owners with >free-flighted birds that never came to any harm from being fully flighted, >including my own. >Care must be taken, of course, if your bird is fully flighted that it >can’t fly out a door or window, land on a hot burner, drown in a sink full >of water, etc., but you must also be careful of the same situations with a >bird whose wings are clipped.   >A sense of false security is often achieved by clipping a bird’s wings as >evidenced by the number of stories in magazines such as BirdTalk that >start out, "I thought my bird was safe because his wings were clipped, >but…"

I feel pretty secure about our birds (now that the final budgie has been rendered flightless).  It’s just a matter of checking the bird’s ability to fly OFTEN.  Also, when I take these birds out they perch on my hand (I don’t feel I have much control over them if they are on my shoulder) and stay away from any trees!  I know about how much they can hop and flap, and I have no intention of having to chase birdies down trees… >And finally, there is no toy, gym or food treat that can replace the sheer joy >a budgie can experience and express in being able to fly and swoop and >zoom through the air.

Our most recent acquisition lost a chunck of flesh off his cere a few days ago while experiencing a glass window.   >This is not intended as a criticism of wing-clipping, nor is it my >intention to promote fully flighted birds.  In some cases with some birds >it is necessary to clip wings, but it is not written in stone >somewhere that is necessary in all cases.  Look at your own bird, your own >living situation, and decide for yourself. >Frank

I agree.  I go back and forth thinking it would be nice to allow the birds to fly and do the bird thing.  Then one of them flies smack into a window or mirror (when this same bird has managed to avoid the said glass panes previously) and I experience a few seconds of panic.  I know what a chicken with a broken neck acts like, I do not want to see one of my pet birds perform the said dance for me. Also, the value of clipping wings in bird training can’t be underestimated. For birds that aren’t to be handled/cuddled {because they don’t allow it or because the owners aren’t interested in such interactions} and which are always in safe situations, wing clipping is a waste of birdie exhuberance. For birds that are often with humans and exposed to any of the dangers mentioned by Frank, I prefer to clip.  Our last bird acquisition (a Senegal) had 3 outside primaries on each wing when he came home.  I asked the breeder, she said they were there "for show".  Upon arrival, Mango managed to fly at least 15 feet, twice, to be stopped by glass windows.  He was cruising. He also kept jumping back onto me at any given change.  This may be cute for a little bit, but I expect this bird to be around for 20-30 years, and I expect him to know enough to stay where I put him, for matters of safety and convenience.  I don’t see how he would be motivated to behave (big spoiled baby that he is if he were able to just fly up to me or others, with whatever intentions he may have in mind at the time.   A final note on wing clipping: there are a number of flightless birds (anything from penguins to ostriches to kiwis…).  Flightlessness has evolved in birds a number of times, un0der situations where there were no predators and the birds were safe and free to tend to their birdie lifestyles on land, without having the energy demands that are involved in flight.  Are this birds less "bird-like" because they don’t fly?  Likewise, I think pet birds that are used to not flying are perfectly capable of walking/hopping/creeping to wherever they are going and not suffer any major psychological damage because of it (although the first clip must be a big downer, I agree).

Response:

Gordon, You say in your post that you would rather return the lamp than clip your bird’s wings and I think that would be a better option than clipping your bird’s wings simply for the sake of a lamp.  A bird that has been fully flighted for three years is likely to experience a severe depression that may last weeks and there is also a chance that it will injure itself by attempting to fly until it learns that it no longer has that ability. While the majority of bird lovers may opt for clipping wings, it is not always the best option for the bird, or the only option.  You have to examine your individual bird and your individual living situation to determine what is best for you and your bird. While it is true that fully flighted birds can land in places that will get them in trouble or fly out the door, the same can be said for bird whose wings are clipped.  Many birds with clipped wings such as budiges, lovebirds, cockatiels, etc., can still fly quite a distance.  In fact, an argument could also be made that there are situations wherein a fully flighted bird could save its own life by flying away from trouble. I take my bird to a vet with an avian practice and she does not recommend clipping a budgie’s wings IF your particular living situation will allow the bird free flight.  Budgies are often prone to tumors and obesity from lack of exercise and having the ability to fly, even in a house, can help in preventing those problems.  I have known numerous budgie owners with free-flighted birds that never came to any harm from being fully flighted, including my own. Care must be taken, of course, if your bird is fully flighted that it can’t fly out a door or window, land on a hot burner, drown in a sink full of water, etc., but you must also be careful of the same situations with a bird whose wings are clipped.   A sense of false security is often achieved by clipping a bird’s wings as evidenced by the number of stories in magazines such as BirdTalk that start out, "I thought my bird was safe because his wings were clipped, but…" And finally, there is no toy, gym or food treat that can replace the sheer joy a budgie can experience and express in being able to fly and swoop and zoom through the air. This is not intended as a criticism of wing-clipping, nor is it my intention to promote fully flighted birds.  In some cases with some birds it is necessary to clip wings, but it is not written in stone somewhere that is necessary in all cases.  Look at your own bird, your own living situation, and decide for yourself. Frank

Response:

Filed under: Pet Bird Food