Thread: How should I introduce a new friend to my female budgie?

I've had her 3 wks, and I'm worried she gets lonely sometimes so I am getting her a friend. I have heard so many contradicting statements as to whether it is better to get a male or female friend for a female, or just a mirror, so I was wondering what suggestions people have? I have 2 cages so I would be able to keep them in separate cages if necessary, but is it necessary? Thank you so much.

You could leave them in separate cages right next to each other and see how they respond to one another.

If they seem to be friendly towards each other you could then try to put them in the same cage and see how they do.

If you do not want to get into raising baby birds, you may want to get another female bird.

When introducing a new bird to an existing "family member" you need to take certain steps.

First, have the new bird checked by a vet to make sure it does not have any contagious diseases or parasites that it will transmit to the existing bird. This is also a good time to get the new bird's wings clipped

Second, place it in a separate cage, close enough to the existing bird's cage so they can see each other, but not close enough so they can reach through the bars of the cage and nip at each other.

After about a week, you can let the birds have some supervised socializing, either out of the cages, or in the new bird's cage. Never put the new bird directly into the old bird's cage, because the old bird will view that as an intruder entering his territory.

If it works out that they seem to be friends, you can try leaving them in the new bird's cage for several days. Then you should place them in the old bird's cage, if it is larger, or get them a brand new cage, large enough for each bird to have their own space when they get tired of hanging out together.

Never place a male and female together unless you are prepared for them to breed. By prepared, I mean you know exactly what to do if they have a clutch of eggs, and start raising babies. If you are not prepared to have baby parakeets, do not put your birds together if they are not the same sex. Remember, if you have babies, you either have to find homes for them, or keep and care for them all, and if you don't want to be overrun with parakeets, you will need to separate the males and females as soon as possible - brothers and sisters, parents and offspring, WILL breed together. They are not like humans - they do not recognize family members as being off limits for mating.


Here are some articles that you should read:

http://www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww13eiii.htm

http://www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww19eii.htm

http://www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww10eii.htm

http://www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww14eiv.htm

http://www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww70eiii.htm

http://www.birdsnways.com/articles/poisons.htm

http://www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww8e.htm


Good luck with your birds!

I have owned hundreds upon hundreds of budgies and have never had a problem with any of them attacking and injuring each other.

You can try setting the cages really close together for a couple of days then putting "The Old Bird" in with "The New Bird".

If you want babies, get a male. If you don't, get a female.