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Thread: I want a budgie!

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    Default Re: I want a budgie!

    DO NOT LET THEM EAT GRIT. #1 false shit petstores preach.

    Make sure he's handtame before you buy him or you can't cuddle or hold him. He should also be between 8-12 weeks to be a good training age to keep him bonded to you.

    No mirrors in the cage or he'll bond to his reflection and stop liking you.

    You have the diet and playtime down and that's good.

    Treat him like a bigger parrot. Just because he's a little dude doesn't mean he deserves worse treatment than a bigger parrot.

    Get him a cage about twice the size than the one the petstore actually tries to sell you. omfg... so sad.

    Ummm.... whistle at him each day you walk by. Give it about 3 months. He'll learn


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    Default Re: I want a budgie!

    Also, if some douchey salesman tells you a bird is 8-12 weeks and you don't believe him, look at the stripes on it's head. It loses it's stripes with age and the further back they start, the older the budgie is.


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    Default Re: I want a budgie!

    I think they do better with bird friends, so you should get a mate. Or more? There's a good bird site on the net I'll try to find the address to, or do a search.

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    Default Re: I want a budgie!

    Hmm...

    All I can say about the puppy thing is that if you really want one and you have the time to devote to it, go for it!

    I rescued my first dog, Leila, and wasn't making a ton of money when I did. But I saw her and knew I had to take her. Anyway, it's really not that expensive. You can get pet insurance for reasonably cheap, even from PetCo. (like 20 dollars/month) and that will cover lots of things.

    Dog food isn't that expensive either. My dog eats 5 cups of food a day, so that goes through a 10lb bag in a little over a week. Purina is only 10 dollars a bag, and you can buy in bulk for even cheaper. If you were really broke, although I don't advise anyone doing this but in case of emergency, you can get 10lb bags of food at the dollar store for 2 dollars. I had to do that when I was really broke one time.

    Just to let you know its probably not as big of an investment as you think it is! You can rescue a pitbull for free (not that you neccessarily want a pit but that's a common breed thats given away for free. Plus I love pitties) so your only initial start up cost would be food, bowls, a cage, leash and collar.

    I'm not trying to push you to get a dog, but if you want one and have time and love to give to it go for it! Time and love is really what's most important.
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    Quote Originally Posted by anomar View Post
    Perhaps you stopped spending money on her. Strippers need money to operate. They are like coin operated juke-boxes of love.

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    Default Re: I want a budgie!

    Quote Originally Posted by Lilah29 View Post
    I think they do better with bird friends, so you should get a mate. Or more? There's a good bird site on the net I'll try to find the address to, or do a search.
    No. Not if you pay enough attention to them. Otherwise they bond to each other and you have NO chance of taming them. Only get two if you want pretty birds and not a parrot companion.


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    Default Re: I want a budgie!

    $30 for a regular budgie - $60-100 for a handtame one, depending on amount trained.

    But don't worry... you don't pick the bird. It picks you.

    I wanted a galah. Fuckin' Mei Mei rosella picked me instead. Luff, t-woo luff!!


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    Default Re: I want a budgie!

    Duh! I forgot you lived in an apt lol. Yeah that DOES make it a lot more expensive....

    Maybe check out this website?? It seems to have tons of budgie stuff.....

    www.budgieplace.com
    Sexy Jasmine after getting fucked over at work:

    God loves strippers and when guys do things like that its an automatic ticket to HELL!


    Quote Originally Posted by anomar View Post
    Perhaps you stopped spending money on her. Strippers need money to operate. They are like coin operated juke-boxes of love.

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    Default Re: I want a budgie!

    Hmmm looking at that site I noticed the perches used in the making of it... real quick.. make sure you have different types and sizes of perches or your baby will get arthritis.


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    Default Re: I want a budgie!

    Oh wow, I like that site... it even has an image of disgustingly small cages with crosses through them and a nice cage with a green tick.


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    Default Re: I want a budgie!

    i cant say i reccomend getting an alternative pet unless you plan on keeping it after you are even able to get a puppy.

    you can have two birds and they can still bond to you, you just have to spend a lot of time with them both.

    but budgies arent that bright if you get it a mirror it will think it has a friend and will hang out with it all the time.

    dont worry if they arent hand tamed when you buy them its not as if you cant train them either.

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    Default Re: I want a budgie!

    They are MUCH harder to train if it's not hand tame when you buy it. Almost impossible. It's like the difference in getting a feral cat and a litter trained cat almost. If you want to bond with it, it's almost imperitive you get one that was hand raised from a breeder from birth. They should be handled by humans within days of their birth and used to humans as much as possible before being sold. That way you can buy a bird that will happily sit on you from day 2-3 (as day 1 it's kinda freaked out by being moved)...otherwise it could take months. Years.. and it'd still not be quite right.


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    Default Re: I want a budgie!

    I had one years ago, and loved him. He had a mirror, and did indeed bond to it, but he also loved the shit out of me and would "talk" to his mirror friend, then me, then back to his mirror, and on and on... it was so adorable!

    I don't have any real advice, but lots of fond memories! Good luck on your birdie!

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    Default Re: I want a budgie!

    i think the hand tame thing varies. i had one that was not hand fed and i worked with it a lot, and it warmed up in a couple of months. but i had a senegal parrot and a quaker parrot so maybe they are different then budgies

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    Default Re: I want a budgie!

    I hope you consider rescuing rather than purchasing from a breeder or pet store.

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    Peanut_Butter
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    Default Re: I want a budgie!

    Quote Originally Posted by VegasPrincess View Post
    Hmm...

    All I can say about the puppy thing is that if you really want one and you have the time to devote to it, go for it!

    I rescued my first dog, Leila, and wasn't making a ton of money when I did. But I saw her and knew I had to take her. Anyway, it's really not that expensive. You can get pet insurance for reasonably cheap, even from PetCo. (like 20 dollars/month) and that will cover lots of things.

    Dog food isn't that expensive either. My dog eats 5 cups of food a day, so that goes through a 10lb bag in a little over a week. Purina is only 10 dollars a bag, and you can buy in bulk for even cheaper. If you were really broke, although I don't advise anyone doing this but in case of emergency, you can get 10lb bags of food at the dollar store for 2 dollars. I had to do that when I was really broke one time.

    Just to let you know its probably not as big of an investment as you think it is! You can rescue a pitbull for free (not that you neccessarily want a pit but that's a common breed thats given away for free. Plus I love pitties) so your only initial start up cost would be food, bowls, a cage, leash and collar.

    I'm not trying to push you to get a dog, but if you want one and have time and love to give to it go for it! Time and love is really what's most important.

    I had no idea owning a dog was so expensive till I got one. Lol, you make it sound so cheap.

    You also forgot to add neutering or spaying, shots, microchipping, food, treats, bones....

    I spent over $200 on my puppy before he even came home. He needed food, a crate, doggie bed, chew toys, stuffed animals, collar, leash, ect. Then he went to the vet for shots ( $100) microchip ( $50)
    Then he got sick and had to go to the emergency vet ( $150)
    Neutered this week ( $120)

    Not to mention you need emergency funds set aside in case of emergency. I recommend at very least $500. or an available credit card. You neve rknow what can happen.....

    Constant supply of stuffed animals and chew toys so he doesnt chew my shoes. Food which costs $25 a bag. Then there's the time it took to housebreak, obedience train, leash train.....


    Sorry, to threadjack the bird thread..but she made owning a dog sound so cheap and easy, and it isn't. It's a massivly huge responsibility and financial responsibility, and not one to be taken lightly at all.

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    Default Re: I want a budgie!

    strange, i feel like my dog doesnt cost me much. but then shes not a puppy anymore. my ferret however, gets expensive with all the litter and toys and food.

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    Default Re: I want a budgie!

    After initial setup my birds don't cost me much... but you do need a vet check and a birdiechlamydia test which runs about $100 total because vets charge more for birds. And the cage shouldn't be a $40 cheapie. Etc.


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    Default Re: I want a budgie!

    Parrotlet's are really cool and i think are more fun than budgies.

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    Default Re: I want a budgie!

    http://www.aspca.org/flash/petcareco...tcarecosts.swf

    here's what the spca thinks it costs to have an animal per year. I think they WAY underestimate certain costs. My cat food (premium) costs far more than they indicate. And their vet expenses are for routine things. If your animal has a problem or accident, you will spend a lot more, and not everything is covered by insurance. I have to give pretty expensive supplements to my cat with arthritis. For small animals like rats they list no med expenses, but I've known people who will take their pets in, if, say, their pet is lying at the bottom of the cage not moving, or has a growth, or not eating... And I know someone with a rabbit who spends more than they indicate too, for vet care. I think their costs in general are unrealistically low - unless someone is lucky and has a very healthy animal with few accidents, no particular illnesses, and easy behavior issues.
    Last edited by Lilah29; 05-17-2008 at 01:17 AM.

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    Default Re: I want a budgie!

    I used to have a Quaker Parakeet and oh my god are birds a pain in the ass! Kona was my mum's baby and he hated me with a bloody passion. The little bastard would scream his head off if you didn't take his cage into a room with you, he would bite everybody except my mum, and he crapped on everything when out of his cage for fly time. NEVER AGAIN will I own a bird.

    I do know an African Grey that's a better pole dancer than some girls I've seen though, lol.
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    Default Re: I want a budgie!

    I continue to believe a budgie is better off with a mate or more, and a person cannot spend enough time, or give the right kind of companionship that a member of the same species will. But you should do your own research.

    Budgies are soulful creatures and are most comfortable in a swarm. Just like people also need a little company. A person is no substitute for another budgie and neither is a plastic bird! So please don't keep a single budgie even for a short period of time. It is also possible to tame two birds or more so that they come on your hand, despite rumors to the contrary.
    http://caring-for-your-budgie.blogspot.com/

    They're very sensitive little animals, and they're not stupid even if some people think they are, so if you get one, do your research to know how to calm them... Maybe go onto a bird forum (I'll have to ask my friend with 4 birds which is the good one) and ask about mates and care and stuff...

  23. #23
    Peanut_Butter
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    Default Re: I want a budgie!

    Quote Originally Posted by Lilah29 View Post

    here's what the spca thinks it costs to have an animal per year. I think they WAY underestimate certain costs. My cat food (premium) costs far more than they indicate. And their vet expenses are for routine things. If your animal has a problem or accident, you will spend a lot more, and not everything is covered by insurance. I have to give pretty expensive supplements to my cat with arthritis. For small animals like rats they list no med expenses, but I've known people who will take their pets in, if, say, their pet is lying at the bottom of the cage not moving, or has a growth, or not eating... And I know someone with a rabbit who spends more than they indicate too, for vet care. I think their costs in general are unrealistically low.

    That's rediculously low. $55 for the entire year in food?? Maybe if I feed him 1 kibble each day.
    $40 in toys and treats for the year? Do they not factor in the fact that a puppy will destroy stuffed animals and they constandtly need replaced? I buy 1 new stuffed animal each week, because that's all the longer they last for me. He rips the stuffing out of them. And what about chew toys/bones? Puppies teething need those things.

    Ok. I wont inturrupt the birdie thread with doggie stuff anymore. I promise

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    Default Re: I want a budgie!

    Quote Originally Posted by AmArticia View Post
    I used to have a Quaker Parakeet and oh my god are birds a pain in the ass! Kona was my mum's baby and he hated me with a bloody passion. The little bastard would scream his head off if you didn't take his cage into a room with you, he would bite everybody except my mum, and he crapped on everything when out of his cage for fly time. NEVER AGAIN will I own a bird.
    I have to agree with you, I'm not a big fan of birds as pets. I think in some ways they can be a bit more difficult than cats and dogs, especially the parrots (if you want to give them a really good life). They're brilliant and need a kind of stimulation and companionship to keep them happy, that can be hard for average person to meet, and they can be difficult in other ways as you indicate.

    The parrots can live a very long time (decades) and may rely on you as their mate - many need to bond with just one other being, as they would in the wild. It's a huge commitment. My friend's parrot bites when she's mad, screeches, poops as she's flying, drops food all over the place... And getting someone to care for her while she's gone can be difficult. She's out of the cage much of the time...for stimulation, and it's rather cruel to keep an animal who's way of being in the world is flying in a cage for too much of her life, when you think about it.

    Ed: I just saw Dottie Rebel's quote: "God loved the birds and invented trees. Man loved the birds and invented cages." I guess I kind of feel that way, which is partly why I think rescues are much better than purchases from breeders or stores. I really don't like continuing the practice of profitting from caging these animals who would most love to live their lives free from cages, as we would
    Last edited by Lilah29; 05-17-2008 at 01:50 AM.

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    Default Re: I want a budgie!

    Quote Originally Posted by Peanut_Butter View Post
    That's rediculously low. $55 for the entire year in food?? Maybe if I feed him 1 kibble each day.
    $40 in toys and treats for the year? Do they not factor in the fact that a puppy will destroy stuffed animals and they constandtly need replaced? I buy 1 new stuffed animal each week, because that's all the longer they last for me. He rips the stuffing out of them. And what about chew toys/bones? Puppies teething need those things.
    I know - I shouldn't even have posted it. There are other sites under "cost to keep a bird, dog, cat..." etc. Only if you haven't had one, or haven't had one with particular health or behavior issues, you really don't know what to expect so those estimates should be taken with a big grain of salt.

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