done.

Hey everyone, I was wondering about parakeet breeding. I bought a cage that is 17 in. long, 13 in. wide, and 22 in. high. I want to buy another parakeet in a month, but I want a pair. The parakeet I have is too young to tell if it is a boy or a girl so it would just be a random guess. Do you guys have any advice on that or on parakeet breeding. I added pictures of pete (my parakeet) and his cage!

That cage is WAY too small for a pair in my honest opinion. I would also add some wooden shredding toys for Pete, budgies LOVE that stuff. 'Bird Kabob' is very popular for small birds, and you can find it at local stores. Budgies need to shred in order to keep their beaks conditioned, as beaks grow like fingernails.

What is a good size cage? and okay i will look into it!

This is actually the best cage for small birds. And it's actually not THAT big

My budgie uses EVERY inch of this cage!

Fallen_Parakeet another aspect.
Are you gonna do it for money or for fun?
If you want to make money on budgies, I don't thinks so.
Go to any pet store and look how many of them is there. Plus, you have to give it for lover price, lower than & 20 considering that it's a store prize. From what I see stores put verry often 100% to your prize...
If you want to sell through websites such as Craigslist or similar, make a false add first and check if anybody responds. I see every day a lot of budgies on my Craigslist.
The problem with budgies is one: they are overpopulated and too cheap in the stores IMO. People often buy them without wondering, because that cheap prize make them thinking: O let's get it, it's cheap anyway. And later a lot of them finish unwanted...
Don't take me wrong, I'm not against breeding, smart breeding of course. But I would say: not budgies. It's your choice of course! If you'll be lucky, good for you!

If I were to breed, even if it were teeny weeny budgies, I would make them sign a contract, find an avian vet, and give them a handbook on proper care, as well as a handful of toys and food. I would probably charge around $50-60 for this. Even then, I wouldn't be making more than a few dollars.

I would never breed any animal for money. I want to breed my parakeets for fun. When I say breed i mean it like a one time thing, not to breed them over and over again. Btw I really liked that cage, I want to buy a big one like that, but I like just bought this cage.

Your little guy is wayyyy too young to start breeding. Wait until you've had him for at least a year before you decide to breed him. And even then the mate needs to be over a year old.

Just because their bodies are mature enough to reproduce, doesn't mean they are ready. Just because a 13 year old hits puberty, doesn't mean they should have kids!

I know, i am gunna wait till he's at least 1 and a half years old. I made my first post in a hurry because I had to run to the store, sorry.

That cage is far too small for a budgie pair. Minimum size for one budgie is 18 x 18 x 18; I would double that for two. Also, I would suggest more toys and wood to chew on. My budgies go through popcicle sticks like they were going out of style.

Also, I see that you're only 13. I would seriously advise you against breeding any kind of birds, budgies or not. The amount of time and money that needs to go into bird breeding is not something a 13 year old is capable of handling, no matter how mature that 13 year old is.

To breed birds, you need to ensure that each hatchling is being properly cared for by the parents. This may require you to pull the chicks for handfeeding, something that is very time consuming and needs to be done accurately to prevent crop impacting, crop burning and/or a variety of other infections. You need the appropriate materials -- formula, syringes and thermometers to name a few.

Since you appear to want to breed a very young budgie, you would also need to be prepared for bad parenting. The hen may not know what to do with a baby. In this case, you'd need to handfeed to allow the chicks to survive. Baby birds require handfeeding every couple of hours around the clock. This means you'll need to wake up every 2 hours for weeks at a time to feed the babies.

Further, breeding birds is also dangerous to the hen. Hens, especially young hens, can often become egg bound. An egg bound bird can and will die without the proper medical attention. If you don't know or don't think you'd be able to tell when a bird is having an issue, breeding is not a good idea.

It's very possible to house two budgies of different sexes without any egg laying. I've successfully done it. You need to be diligent about removing any possible nesting spaces and preventing hormonal behaviors, but it can be done.

Aside from those considerations, you'll need to quarantine the new budgie for at least a month. A separate small cage is acceptable for this. The birds should be housed in different room with no contact between then. This will prevent the spread of a disease if either bird carries one.

I wouldn't be discouraged, Fallen, we're not trying to put you or your wish to breed your budgies down!! I would do a LOT of research. Read, read, read, read, read. Books, magazines, articles, everything you can get your hands on. People here have given good ideas, but I would try to get advice from people who have spent years breeding birds. As with anything, I guarantee you it's 500% more of a responsibility than it looks like at first. But if that's your dream, make it happen!! Just make sure you are BEYOND prepared to deal with whatever may happen, because in my experience, it's best to be ready for the worst!!

LyzGrace wrote:

I wouldn't be discouraged, Fallen, we're not trying to put you or your wish to breed your budgies down!!

I'm definitely not trying to put anyone down, but I stand by my assertion that 13 year olds should not be breeding animals of any kind. The responsiblity, emotionally, physically and monetarily, is much too great for an adolescent to handle.

KayLayUh wrote:

LyzGrace wrote:

I wouldn't be discouraged, Fallen, we're not trying to put you or your wish to breed your budgies down!!

I'm definitely not trying to put anyone down, but I stand by my assertion that 13 year olds should not be breeding animals of any kind. The responsiblity, emotionally, physically and monetarily, is much too great for an adolescent to handle.

Hahaha it's fine, you didn't put me down. And thanks for the advice.

LyzGrace wrote:

I wouldn't be discouraged, Fallen, we're not trying to put you or your wish to breed your budgies down!! I would do a LOT of research. Read, read, read, read, read. Books, magazines, articles, everything you can get your hands on. People here have given good ideas, but I would try to get advice from people who have spent years breeding birds. As with anything, I guarantee you it's 500% more of a responsibility than it looks like at first. But if that's your dream, make it happen!! Just make sure you are BEYOND prepared to deal with whatever may happen, because in my experience, it's best to be ready for the worst!!

OK thanks soo much for your post! I will do more research, even if I was going to consider breeding it would still take me another year to even get ready too. hahah. Pete is still very young and doesn't even have a friend yet, haha.

KayLayUh wrote:

This may require you to pull the chicks for handfeeding, something that is very time consuming and needs to be done accurately to prevent crop impacting, crop burning and/or a variety of other infections. You need the appropriate materials -- formula, syringes and thermometers to name a few.

I wasn't planning to handfeed the babies if I was to breed parakeets, I would only take the baby birds out for a couple times (to get used to humans) once they were 12 days old.

Fallen_Parakeet wrote:

I wasn't planning to handfeed the babies if I was to breed parakeets, I would only take the baby birds out for a couple times (to get used to humans) once they were 12 days old.

Then you have already first problem. If with any reason Mamma bird refuses to feed the babies(which happens), you have to do it. Otherwise bird is dead. So you have to learn how to hand-feeding birds anyway. Good luck!

Margaret wrote:

Fallen_Parakeet wrote:

I wasn't planning to handfeed the babies if I was to breed parakeets, I would only take the baby birds out for a couple times (to get used to humans) once they were 12 days old.

Then you have already first problem. If with any reason Mamma bird refuses to feed the babies(which happens), you have to do it. Otherwise bird is dead. So you have to learn how to hand-feeding birds anyway. Good luck!

ya, thanks for the advice!

I disagree that 13 is too young. I was breeding hamsters when I was about 10. It was absolutely enthralling and to have a little hobby that paid for their food was very cool. I didn't have any sort of support or mentoring. Fallen Parakeet has us.

Read as much as you can. Get your supplies together before you put up a nestbox. Have handfeeding formula and baby raising stuff around just in case, or be mentally ready if the babies die without intervention. Be mentally ready that babies die sometimes. Make sure the pair's in a quiet spot away from a lot of disturbance.

It's been a long time since I last bred budgies, but I'll answer any questions I can. I'm sure Capt and Flappinghappy will help, too.

http://www.budgieplace.com/breeding.html
http://breedingparakeets.blogspot.com/

Roz, now that you mention it, my daughter had gerbils she was breeding when she was about 11. She was doing this entirely on her own as well. I'd forgotten about it until you brought up your hamsters. To make a blanket statement that someone is not capable of something because of their age (whether young or old) is something we should probably be careful of, huh?

that would be awesome. Thank you- both of you!

GlassOnion wrote:

If I were to breed, even if it were teeny weeny budgies, I would make them sign a contract, find an avian vet, and give them a handbook on proper care, as well as a handful of toys and food. I would probably charge around $50-60 for this. Even then, I wouldn't be making more than a few dollars.

yay! yes I agree. : )

And Anita, I love your budgie setup!!! I saw a similar cage yesterday for sale for under $350 and was so tempted to get it, but then I'd have to get another budgie... or two... LOL. : )

I'm sorry, but that cage is definitely too small for two budgies and even one if he spends a lot of time in there. As far as the smaller cages go, longer rather than higher is typically better.

Hey Jan, thanks for the compliment!

Those flight cages are usually around $120-160 even bought brand new online.

GlassOnion wrote:

Hey Jan, thanks for the compliment!

Those flight cages are usually around $120-160 even bought brand new online.

You mean like what you have??? Ooooo...


Also, I forgot to mention adding different sized perches and in a variety of materials too - better for the budgie's tootsies. : )

As for Fallen's age, I think age is less of a concern for someone than levels of maturity and respect and compassion. I've met some really immature 13 year olds, and some very mature and responsible ones.

Yes! Very very worth the investment in my opinion. I've seen cages that are half that size priced at the same as my flight cage.

Look up HQ Flight Cage or A&E Flight cage, on google.

GlassOnion wrote:

Yes! Very very worth the investment in my opinion. I've seen cages that are half that size priced at the same as my flight cage.

Look up HQ Flight Cage or A&E Flight cage, on google.

Wow, I'll do that. And shipping & handling isn't an arm and a leg? We're not to far away from each other in terms of geography! Did you order from a US company or Canadian? I like the fact that it's white too. And both Apple and Spice live in it? They get along ok?

And yes, I spent just over $100 on Sputnik's cage and it's a lot smaller! Still a good size for one budgie tho.

Sorry to highjack your thread Fallen!!!!