Expert: Chrys Meatyard - 1/2/2007

Question
Hello, and thanks in advance for your time. My daughter and I are shopping for a new baby budgie. We lost our beloved 3 and 1/2 year old boy a few weeks ago to a tumor. I've had many budgies when I was a child, and we believe they were mostly all boys. Currently I'm corresponding with a breeder who hand raises budgies and sells them when I believe they are too young to be sexed. What differences will we see in the pet value of male vs female budgies. I've heard that the females are harder to tame and are poorer talkers. If a female is kept as a single bird, is she very likely to lay unfertilized eggs on her own? I also have a female cockatoo and have my hands full dealing with her egg laying, and I don't care to have that as a concern with another bird. Do female budgies play, sing, dance, bond, etc the same as males? Also, what about health or life span differences?

Also, I've read much of your info regarding diet, and I'm very interested in getting our new baby to eat healthy food. Are you familiar with a product available from pet catalogs that is a sprouting cup for growing bird greens. I always grew these for our last guy, but I'm wondering if they are really of any nutritional value or not. Also, I worry because if I'm not careful, they will grow moldy. Could this have harmed him?

So many more questions, but I'll give you chance now!! Jenny

Answer
Hi, Jenny.  Thanks for posting!

In most medium to large parrot species (amazon-sized on up), females tend to bring a little higher price tag because they produce the eggs/babies, hence, more valuable.  With the smaller species, such as budgies/keets, conures, etc., there are no differences in price between the sexes.  I've never known female keets to be harder to tame than males.  The "playing ground" seems to be the same if the birds were handfed as babies.  If not handfed, females might be a bit tougher to tame because of their roles with eggs/babies.  Females tend to the eggs (incubate them), feed/tend to the babies, guard the inside of the nesting box, whereas the male feeds the female and guards the outside of the nesting box (the cage), but doesn't share in any of the early chores associated with eggs/babies.  The males also teach the babies all they need to know once the babies fledge.  In this regard, a female budgie/keet is known to bite harder than males and perhaps be more aggressive during breeding time because they are the last "stronghold" to the eggs/babies when they are still in the nest.  This might be why some feel that females can be harder to tame than males.  

All parrots (a budgie is a parrot) have the ability to learn to mimic (they don't really talk).  Some choose to do so, some don't...there are no guarantees.  

Any female bird is capable of laying infertile eggs when their hormones start raging...this includes budgies/keets.  The chances of a single female budgie/keet laying infertile eggs are very good!  However, environmental conditions can be put in place to help avoid this from happening.  In addition, if egg laying becomes a problem, a bird can receive an injection from an avian vet to stop the egg laying for a period of time.

Yes, female budgies play, dance, bond, etc., just like males.  Singing...not so much.  Males are better vocalizers than females in most cases.  

Health and life span differences...if females are allowed to lay eggs/raise babies each year, in general, their life spans are shorter than males.  Laying eggs/raising offspring is hard on female parrots.  This doesn't have to be a life-span problem if breeding is controlled.  Health and life span are also dependent on genetics and how well the birds are cared for during their lifetimes (diet, exercise, etc., etc).

Yes, I'm familiar with growing greens.  Yes, they do have nutritional value if the product they are grown from is nutritional.  However, DO NOT feed birds anything moldy.  Mold will result in illness.  This would be no different than letting soft food set and grow mold then allowing a bird to eat it.  Not good!  You might want to try growing spray millet.  Spray millet is nutritional and is easily grown.

Chrys