Question about finches, and budgies (parakeets),

[deerman]

Know what you mean, but sometime a pair will do anything to raise another batch.

Thats what I mean about how easy budgies and cockatiel are to raise.

When I seperate mine they are with other birds just same sex.

 

[deerman]

pics of some of my breeders.

 

[crtrlovr]

your whiteface mutation is very pretty! Do you have a breeding pair of AGrays?

 

[deerman]

Yes also a pair of double yellow head amazons.

 

[First To Hatch]

read some on cockatiels, now that i did they seem to kick out finches and parakeets.

now im stuck between parakeets and cockatiels price seems to be the only thing stopping me from getting cockatiels, they seem to need bigger cages, and the birds themselves cost more, also i would like to maybe breed cockatiels.

but breeding parakeets seems more manageable

 

[deerman]

First, try and find a breeding pair. You can start will just one pair.

They do cost a little more ,but live 2 times longer over 15 years.

Wish you were near, I sell my breeders for 75.00 a pair.

 

[duckncover]

I need a female cockatiel so I can have a breeding pair...I'm in PA. I definitely have a male so deerman do you ever come to Scranton PA 18512? lol!

 

[deerman]

No, but do make the Mt Hope auction in Ohio

 

[Bettacreek]

I miss my cockatiel. We had to send him to hubby's aunt's place while we were moving, she fell in love, so we let her keep him, but then she gave him away without telling us!

 

[FrChuckW]

Most of the parakeets you find in the Petshops are what are called American parakeets as they are color mutations of the original Grass Parakeet or Budgerigar from Australia. They are similar in size and appearance to the original birds imported from Australia.

Occassionally you will find what are called English Budgerigars for sale in those shops. These are genetically the same as the regular parakeet, however they are almost twice the size of your average keet. These birds were developed and bred for show purposes. However they can be tamed and taught to talk just as readily as the regular parakeet.

Parakeets in the wild are colony type breeders, and thus you do need two to three pairs to stimulate them to breed, along with greens and sprouted seeds. They will call to each other and chatter as long as there is light around them. If you are going to breed them in an aviary type situation you want to provide at least one more nest box than pairs and have them all at the same height to prevent fighting for nesting spots. However, you will not be able to be positively be sure of the parentage of the birds this way. If you are breeding for a specific color or pattern then you will want to cage breed them and keep them one pair to a cage.

In taming a single keet, it is best to have just the one bird without the distraction of others, as has been already suggested. Studies have shown that a low soft voice, such as a childs or a womans, gets the best results in teaching them to talk. You can get training cd's or tapes at most pet stores.

For more information on Parakeets or Budgerigars you can check out the ABA (American Budgerigar Association) or the BAA (Budgerigar Association of America) websites.

Cockatiels are also native to Australia, for more information on them got to the NCA(National Cockatiel Association) website.

Zebra Finches are another Australian Native and do well in groups of 6 or more. For some reason, 1-4 birds do not do well, as they are social little things and seem to be able to count up to 4, once you have 5 or more the aggression between the males and females goes away seemingly, as the males are distracted by the other birds. They are prolific breeders once started.