Expert: Chrys Meatyard - 11/10/2007

Question
hi chrys
i just got a blue budgie, Buddy 5 days ago and 2 days later, i got an albino budgie, Evie.
i was just going to have one, but seeing how i go to school 5 days a week, Buddy would like to have a companion.
These are my first birds so i am VERY nervous.
First of all, i would like to know the sex of Evie. i heard that albino birds sex are hard to recognize. Evie's cere is pinkish tan, so i think its a girl.
Buddy and Evie live in one cage, but im not sure if its big enough. its 19"L x 11 1/8"W x 19 1/8"H (48cm x 28cm x 48.5)
they seem to be getting along pretty well, but im worried that they'll just bond with each other and not me. the whole point of me getting a budgie was because i wanted to bond with it.
is there any way that i can bond with them at the same time? i cant get another cage because i cant afford it.
i've been giving them seeds for their food and spray millet every day. but then i read that it could lead to malnutrition, so i decided to give them fresh vegetable and maybe some fruits. should i do that or just give them bugie pellets?
when i bought Buddy, i was going to get another boy, but my mom forced me to get a girl, because she said they will be more happy. but the problem is, i dont want them to mate. what am i going to do if they lay eggs? the people at the pet store said just throw them out, but it seems harsh to both the eggs and Evie. and if i keep them, what if they hatch? i wouldnt know a thing about taking care of them, and it would be too much of a responsibility for me.
i have SOO much other questions but i'll leave here for now, haha. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!  

Answer
Hi, Susan,

Congratulations on your birds, but you should have learned more about them before you bought them so you would know how to care for them properly.  

If Evie doesn't have red eyes, she is not an albino.  Birds can be white colored and not be albino.  It's the red eyes that distinguish an albino from a white colored bird.  White colored birds are difficult to sex.  If the bird is less than 6 months old, it's even more difficult because they haven't molted at least once.  You can have the bird DNA sexed if you need to know right now the sex of this bird (visit Avian Biotech or Zoogen on the internet for details).  Otherwise, you can observe the bird's behavior together in order to help determine sex.  Also, male budgies are vocal whereas females aren't.  Females will chirp, but males gab/sing, etc., a lot more.  Watch their behavior together and see if this helps.

Birds prefer other birds to humans.  Therefore, these 2 birds will most likely prefer each other to you.  If you wanted a tame, pet bird companion, you should have stayed with one bird.  The bird would do fine while you are away at school as long as you spend time with the bird when you are home.  Having said this, it also depends on the individual birds involved.  In other words, you can have 2 birds that are both tame/friendly toward you if they have the right personalities and you know what you are doing.  

The cage doesn't seem big enough.  If you have toys, feed/water dishes and perches in the cage, the birds have to be able to vigorously flap their wings without touching anything inside the cage with their wings, head, tail.  If this is not the case, you need a larger cage.  It's always best to go larger than too small.  I can't judge because I don't know what else you have in the cage.

The more variety of foods your birds eat, the better.  You are doing good.  Seed is high in fat and low in nutritional value.  Budgies get fat on all seed diets and all seed can lead to medical problems later in life, not to mention poor feather quality, poor skin conditions, fatty liver syndrome, etc.  You can also provide pelleted food, which contains vitamins and minerals.  Also offer cuttlebone, mineral blocks, etc., to supplement.

If you have a girl and a boy, eggs are likely to come along at some time.  Some budgies won't lay eggs without a nesting box set up, but some do (they lay their eggs on the cage bottom).  You'll have to deal with this if/when the time comes if you have a male/female pair.  Should think about this before buying the birds!

Start with my website:  www.angelfire.com/falcon/birdinfo/index.html
Another good site:  www.birdchannel.com

Chrys