Budgie Screeching

[Pandapop]

I have six budgerigar (3 male, 3 female) in a large flight cage commercialized towards larger parrots. Lots of different toys, different types and widths of perches and ladders, mineral blocks and cuttlebone, three separate feeding dishes, a bird bath...

I spoil the crap out of my 'keets, and for the most part, they seem pretty darn happy.

They're fed a blend of a seeds with egg food and given veggies every other day. Millet spray once or twice a week. I change their water every morning.

There's one keet in particular, a young male I've named "Finn," who... screeches. A lot. Doesn't seem like angry screeching, and it almost feels like he just doesn't know how to use his "inside voice." He's singing when he isn't screeching, or he chatters quietly to himself. He's really the only one that does this, unless he gets one of my other males, Peeko, to screech back at him (annoyed maybe?).

As far as I'm aware there are only two fully mature keets in the cage... Piper, a female, and Ghibli, a male. There's a breeding box hanging from the top bars (on the outside to save room), but no one has bothered to even check it out yet. It's been in there for weeks.

There's never any fighting, just the occasional small squabble when fresh food is introduced, or someone wants a currently occupied perch/toy. Their wings were originally clipped but I've let them grow out, since they have no desire to come outside of the cage anymore.

Why's my bird so sassy?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Because budgies are noisy busy bird. It's part of their charm. They are all individuals with some being louder than others. In Australia they live in huge flocks, so you gotta be loud or else you won't get heard.

 

[Pandapop]

You think that's all it is? I've gotten used to the sound, but it made me wonder if maybe something was wrong with him or he wasn't happy.

 

[sourland]

You think that's all it is? I've gotten used to the sound, but it made me wonder if maybe something was wrong with him or he wasn't happy.

I'd guess that exactly the converse is true. He's feeling at the top of his game and is showing off for the ladies.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I think they screech more when they are happy. Mine have times when they quietly talk, and times when they are louder. Generally dawn and dusk. It sounds like you have them set up well.

Could be your young male is maturing and trying to get the girls to notice him.

 

[Pandapop]

He very well might be showing off! Kind of makes sense. The only other bird he seems interested in showing off for is another male though, haha. I've never seen him feeding or preening the females.

They're all quiet up until around 5:30-6:00am when they'll start to chatter a bit, but the screeching starts whenever I've uncovered them and lifted the blind to the window in that room. They'll all settle down once it starts to get dark.

Unfortunately my boyfriend works from home in the room right next to theirs, and sometimes the screeching is just too much and I'll have to cover them back up while he's in a phone call.

 

[Serin]

Some are just happy shriekers. With a flock of six he should be quite happy. But never keep nests in a cage with more than one hen as they will fight over neat sites when in season and even kill each others chicks. And this us with enough boxes. With one box... It will be a bloodbath when the hens all mature.

 

[Pandapop]

Oh, yikes... I'll take it down today.

There's this one pet store I go to a couple times a month and they have this wide, walled off area that's elevated full of their budgies for sale, and another for budgies that are breeding. There's several breeding boxes all lined up and they just put the pairs in there... and everyone seems to do okay. They're all clipped and can't fly over the glass wall.

I wonder how they were able to do that? Regardless, I'm not taking any chances.

 

[Serin]

If there are enough for every pair and all at the same height it can work but there is always risk. With not enough boxes, its dangerous

 

[Parront]

He very well might be showing off! Kind of makes sense. The only other bird he seems interested in showing off for is another male though, haha. I've never seen him feeding or preening the females.

They're all quiet up until around 5:30-6:00am when they'll start to chatter a bit, but the screeching starts whenever I've uncovered them and lifted the blind to the window in that room. They'll all settle down once it starts to get dark.

Unfortunately my boyfriend works from home in the room right next to theirs, and sometimes the screeching is just too much and I'll have to cover them back up while he's in a phone call.

He might be feeling competitive with the other male. He's the young stud with some status to gain. Can you give him his own cage with the female you want him to mate? Then, maybe he will pay attention to her!