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Thread: A few questions about my Flock

 
  1. #1
    Junior Member
    Lovin'Birbs's Avatar


    Parrots

    4 Budgies; Rupert Daniel Thomas Lucy

    Smile My Flock

    Hello Y'all,
    Im new here and I was wondering If anyone could help me.
    I apologize in advance for the poor photo quality lol

    First of all, I have 4 american budgies;
    Rupert is my sky blue yellow faced, 8 year old, Followed by Daniel, the yellow Olive Pied, who's roughly the same age as Rupert. I received these two boys as Pet Store Gifts from my mother and Grandmother when I didn't know much about owning birds. Over the Years Ive done my research but Fear some damage is done. Rue is somewhat Finger Tame and knows Step Up, but he will only climb onto my hand when he's outside the cage. Daniel is another story. Daniel is fearful of humans; when I first got him, my younger cousins thought it would be fun to go into my room when I wasn't around and bang on the Cage and grab for my birds. It didn't seem to affect Rupert as much as it did Daniel. At this point, Daniel screams at the top of his lungs the moment hes IN your hand but is okay once he's on your finger or on his back. He also rarely bites. Once in a blue moon he'll pinch but that's it. If anyone has any ideas how I could work with Dan to help his fears and become more trusting, that would be awesome.

    Then there's Thomas, a beautiful Grey. He's roughly a year old and a bit more cautious than Rue. He's learning to step up and learning to be more trusting of me but sometimes he follows in Daniels footsteps by screaming but doesn't Bite.

    Now the Creamino Grey Mix is my youngest. Goes by Lucy (Lucille/Lucifer) and is roughly 6-7 months of age. Ive been calling the bird a She/Her since I do not know if her cere will change color. Now she was given to me by a neighbor who was moving and their daughter didn't want the bird anymore. They said they only had the bird two weeks, and the child grew bored of it. They only gave me the bird and the box they bought her in. She's a sweetie. Right off the bat she would climb onto my finger, hang out on my shoulder and even snuggle into my shirt or the fleece blanket piece (similar to a spit rag mother's put on their shoulders so their babies don't vomit on their shoulder) She's even fallen asleep lol

    My problem with her is I don't know whether or not shes gonna be a girl OR a boy. Her cere is a solid pink, no white, lavender, purple or blue. I know when the others were her age, they were starting to turn blue or were halfway there. I don't know if its her genetics or what. The other thing is she and Thomas are becoming "Friendly" lol Don't get me wrong, I think its cute. He feeds her, Sleeps next to her, protects her when the two older ones are getting after her. Ive even seen Thomas try and gather nesting stuff even though she has no interests in nesting or even shows any sign she would be laying. Could anyone tell me if they would be able to tell me if shes a he or vis versa?

    Also Only Tom and Lucy are banded, the two others weren't when I got them.

    Rupert
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    Daniel
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    Thomas
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    Lucy (Same bird, different lighting)
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    Last edited by Lovin'Birbs; 11-30-2016 at 07:27 AM.

  2. The following 4 users like this post:

    Dragonlady2 (11-30-2016), Lady (12-01-2016), Mare (12-02-2016), Quakerella (11-30-2016)

  3. #2
    Senior Member
    Casper's 2nd best friend's Avatar


    Parrots

    Casper, a blue fronted Amazon. Loves banana. Hates plastic bags and red coats.
    Welcome, what a lovely flock. Someone more knowledgeable than me will be along shortly to answer your questions
    "A busy beak is a happy beak" - David Strom

  4. #3
    Junior Member
    Lovin'Birbs's Avatar


    Parrots

    4 Budgies; Rupert Daniel Thomas Lucy
    Awesome, Thank You.

  5. #4
    Super Moderator
    Dragonlady2's Avatar


    Parrots

    Willy-Eclectus, Oliver-alexandrine, Mookie-Senegal, Bella- Australian King, Joey and Peewee- Barrabands, Peachiegirl-Peachfront conure, Pepper- crimson belly conure, Peanut-plum head, Babyblue-parrotlette, Harry and Louie-canaries.
    I love the sounds that budgies make with their chittering. For your first question regarding poor Dan's screaming, it may take some time for him to get over the reaction of screaming when in your hand. If he was traumatized by your cousins, he may never really respond in the way you would like. Does he come out of the cage on his own? Will he approach you on his own? I would let him be the one to initiate the contact if possible and allow him the freedom to make the choice so he realizes he doesn't have to go in panic mode whenever he is in your hand. Bribery can work as well, offer him some millet to entice him to come to your hand.

    With regard to Lucille/Lucifer, can you read the band? It may give you a better idea how old she/he is. At this point, if it turns out she is female, I would be more worried if she is the lone female in a cage of males. It may cause fighting and injuries. Are they all in the same cage?
    She/he looks like a lutino? Hopefully, Quakerella or Cedardave will be along to assist with advising as they are the members who breed birds and may have more information for you.

    In any case, your birds are beautiful. Thank you for posting the pictures of them. We love pictures here.

  6. The following 5 users like this post:

    Casper's 2nd best friend (11-30-2016), Lady (12-01-2016), Mare (12-02-2016), PlaxMacaws (11-30-2016), Quakerella (11-30-2016)

  7. #5
    Super Moderator
    Quakerella's Avatar


    Parrots

    8 quaker parakeets, 4 Indian Ringneck parakeets, 3 lovebirds, 5 cockatiels
    Hi Caitie
    At this point, Daniel screams at the top of his lungs the moment hes IN your hand but is okay once he's on your finger or on his back.
    I believe when you say "IN your hand" you are talking a full grasp, not sure. If you are, a lot of birds do not like to be held in a full grasp if they have not been used to it from a young age. It is restricting them from flight, and if they are scared it is their only way to get away from the situation. I think you have done well to have him tame enough to lie of his back or go on your finger. One on one time with him would probably benefit.

    I agree with Helena, a little bribery never hurt.

    When you have Daniel on your finger or on his back, very slowly and gently, try touching different parts of him. Will he let you touch his head if he is on your finger? It will take some time and patience, but budgies are usually easy to train.

    He's learning to step up and learning to be more trusting of me but sometimes he follows in Daniels footsteps by screaming but doesn't Bite.
    That is very possible, as long as he sees Daniel doing this he may copy him. Not because he is scared, just because he thinks he is supposed to. When I have a clutch of quaker babies, I may get the odd one that nips, at this point I separate him/her because the others may follow. Then I just work one on one.

    Could anyone tell me if they would be able to tell me if shes a he or vis versa?
    I believe a budgies cere can change colour between 8 - 12 months. From the picture it Lucy's cere looks to be pink, but if I am not mistaken it has a hint of blue at the top. It is hard to see.

    Thomas could be protecting her from the others as a "parent" because Lucy is so young in comparison. Just keep your eyes on them.

    I love the pictures. Keep us updated

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  9. #6
    Junior Member
    Lovin'Birbs's Avatar


    Parrots

    4 Budgies; Rupert Daniel Thomas Lucy
    Thank y'all for responding so quickly. When I mean in my hand I mean no pressure. I cup or bowl my hands when I hold then unless I have to check them over medically, then I use medical restraint.
    In the photo I have of Daniel on his back, I had no pressure and he has the ability to turn and fly off if wanted too. I wasn't holding him, he was just laying on his back. He wasn't screaming when he was like that, actually chirped a bit.
    As long as I'm in the room, the bird's cage is open. They can venture out of the cage and fly in my room. I don't have any ceiling fans or anything of that kind. They usually just fly on big circle, straight back to the cage.
    When I'm working on Daniel and he's sitting on my finger, if I touch him gently, he at first gives a small screech then allows the touch for only a moment.
    I'll also keep an eye out for bickering. They usually don't do anything to each other, just yell lol
    I was about to read both Lucy's and Thomas's bands:
    Lucy's - BBFF3661
    Thomas's - HF 16 8073
    But the 16 on his band is turned sideways.

    Here's some better pictures of Lucy. I've noticed in the sunlight she turns more yellow than the white she first was.


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    Casper's 2nd best friend (11-30-2016), Dragonlady2 (12-01-2016), Lady (12-01-2016), Quakerella (11-30-2016)

  11. #7
    Super Moderator
    Quakerella's Avatar


    Parrots

    8 quaker parakeets, 4 Indian Ringneck parakeets, 3 lovebirds, 5 cockatiels
    When I'm working on Daniel and he's sitting on my finger, if I touch him gently, he at first gives a small screech then allows the touch for only a moment.
    Sounds like you are doing well. Work at it continually and eventually he will let you touch him for a longer period of time. Once a bird is scared it takes time and patience to get them to trust again. Don't give up it sound like he is coming around nicely.

    Lucy's - BBFF3661
    Thomas's - HF 16 8073
    Unfortunately, I do not know these bands. If I were to guess I would say Lucy's - BBFF could be the breeder and 3661 could be the bird code. Thomas - I would say HF is the breeder 16 is the year of hatch, and 8073 is the bird code. Check http://LegBandNumbers@yahoogroups.com there may be someone there that has seen this band before.

    I was taking better look at your pictures. I am not sure if Lucy is a Creamino, I believe she may be a yellow face dilute. From my experience Creaminos have red eyes and Lucy's look to be dark in the picture. I am also going to say from the look of the cere at this time, Lucy is a female. She is still young and it could change, but I don't think it will.

    Sorry, I misread your post about Thomas' age in comparison to Lucy. They are roughly the same age and could just be bonding. If you keep them together they should be fine. I would suggest you do not give them a nest box or nesting material if possible, or you may eventually end up with many more budgies than you have now. Many male and female birds are together and do not mate. You just need to keep your eye on them, limit their daytime light and no place to nest.

    I really love the colours of your flock. My very first bird was a turquoise budgie. Loved him so much.

    Are all your budgies in separate cages or are they paired or all together?
    Last edited by Quakerella; 12-01-2016 at 01:21 AM.

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  13. #8
    Junior Member
    Lovin'Birbs's Avatar


    Parrots

    4 Budgies; Rupert Daniel Thomas Lucy
    Thank you for the advice. I sent a good 45 minutes alone with Daniel and the alone time may be the thing he needs. He stayed perched on my shoulder or on top of my head as I worked about the house and didn't screech as much when I offered my finger.
    I have kept all my budgies in a large cage. I tend to keep the doors of the cage open when I'm in the room. Like I said they have free range and can leave the cage when they feel like it. I've never had a fight of dominance between any of the birds. Theyve always gotten along, though my friends and I like to say their flock is a soap opera lol
    Thank you for clearing up what may be going on with Lucy. When I first got her she was white with yellow patches, now she's turning yellow with grey patches on her belly and rear end. I figured she was creamino from her mix but wasn't too sure because of her eyes.

    I wasn't sure if she would lay with or without a nesting box. I had a friend who had a tumbler pidgon and she would lay without a nest or male.
    Personally I was thinking about breeding them ONCE and only keeping one fertile egg while replacing the rest with plastic duplicates, but I want to do more research before I do anything.

    Yeah I truely love the variety of colors and mutations parakeets have. They're absolutely gorgeous.

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  15. #9
    Super Moderator
    Quakerella's Avatar


    Parrots

    8 quaker parakeets, 4 Indian Ringneck parakeets, 3 lovebirds, 5 cockatiels
    I sent a good 45 minutes alone with Daniel and the alone time may be the thing he needs. He stayed perched on my shoulder or on top of my head as I worked about the house and didn't screech as much when I offered my finger.
    That is wonderful to hear, just keep at it. All birds have their own personality, what scares one might not another. Daniel just might need some extra reassurance from you. Sounds like he is getting too.

    I wasn't sure if she would lay with or without a nesting box. I had a friend who had a tumbler pidgon and she would lay without a nest or male.
    Some birds will lay eggs continually, and they don't have to have a mate. This can be a little concerning as they need to have extra calcium, and also have a greater chance of egg binding. I breed my birds twice per year, then take out the nest boxes. I like them to have a full rest and to restore any nutrients that they have used or lost due to breeding. They do not lay eggs without the nest box and adequate amount of light, usually 14 - 16 hours.

    but I want to do more research before I do anything.
    I agree, do as much research as possible before getting into breeding these little beauties. There is a lot of information to absorb, and you need to be ready for anything that may come up.

    They would probably make some adorable babies.

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  17. #10
    Super Moderator
    Lady's Avatar


    Parrots

    Illiger Macaw (Primolius maracana)
    Hi Caitie,
    Your flock is very beautiful! I love the pics, you can see all the beautiful details of their feathers.

    You also received some very excellent information already. I would just like to encourage you in your quest to win Daniel over to being more comfortable when you are with him. Sounds like your doing a great job working with him one on one. When I want to work with my Lady I keep some pieces of her favorite treat in one hand and when she allows me to have my way I give her a nibble of it and when she does even better or for a longer period of time I give her a bigger piece or even a couple pieces. I have learned it is best to work with them when they haven't had their breakfast so that they are most interested in what you have to offer.
    Keep us updated on your journey. An yes, there is a lot of good information but like it was said, some things work well with one and other things work better with another. Experiment and you'll find what works for each of them.

  18. The following 2 users like this post:

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