Does a parrot need a mate?
The wavy, like any member of the Parrot family, is very important to communicate. In its natural environment, this bird spends its life in a flock of its own kind, calling to each other, flying from tree to tree in search of food. Such is the character of this creature - it is inquisitive, active, playful.
Does a budgie need a mate?
However, it is not so uncommon for a parrot to live alone at home. As a rule, he gets along well with the person who is nearby. Especially if he talks to him, lets him fly around the room, tries to establish contact, tame him and generally spends most of his time nearby.
And if the owner one day suddenly realizes how much his feathered friend misses his own kind, and decides to find him a mate, it is not at all a fact that the union will work out. Accustomed for several years to communicate only with humans, the bird can receive a stranger warily and unfriendly. Jealousy and subsequent fights are not excluded.
However, this does not always happen. Much depends on the number of years the parrot has spent without a partner, and on his character, of course. For each of these wonderful birds has its own temperament and personality.
The appearance and care of chicks
Chicks are born on the 18th day one after another. The hatched chick is blind and almost naked. He is absolutely helpless, at first he is not even able to raise his head, so the female feeds him lying on his back. During this period, the female practically does not leave the nest, warming the babies. Despite the fact that the chicks hatch at some interval, are different in age and are at different stages of development, the female pays equal attention to all of them.
How are they born?
If the chicks are healthy enough, and the air humidity in the nesting area is approximately 60%, the chicks use their “egg tooth” to make a hole in the egg from the inside, then, twitching their wings and paws, the chicks try to get out of the egg. Then the female comes to their aid. The shell is usually eaten by the female. In the wild, in savannah conditions, where the air is very dry and hot, the chick cannot do without the help of the female.
When a chick pecks from an egg, the shell, which is located under the shell, in hot air conditions almost instantly sticks to the baby’s body and he cannot do without outside help.
The hatched chick weighs from 1 to 1.6 g, and chicks of larger show breeds weigh 1.6 g.
Benefits of keeping one parrot
Keeping a single parrot at home is, of course, easier. We can easily highlight several very significant advantages.
Pros of keeping one budgerigar
Here they are:
- A bird living without a pair will always be aimed at communicating with a person as its main environment.
- Experience shows that it is possible to tame such birds faster.
- By listening mostly only to human speech and trying to repeat it, your wavy will “talk” faster. In addition, he will probably learn to imitate various everyday sounds.
- A single cat requires a smaller cage.
- You will also be able to save on food (along with the necessary additives).
Important! As breeders recommend, if you want to tame a parrot as quickly as possible and even establish a “special connection” with it, it is best to purchase a young bird, no more than 5-6 months old.
In what cases is reproduction impossible?
As a rule, novice poultry farmers make a lot of mistakes, and then ask questions about why their pair doesn’t work out.
One of these mistakes is the incorrect selection of a pair of budgies. It often happens that instead of a male, an unscrupulous seller gives away a female, and vice versa. It is quite simple to verify this; the sex of a bird can be determined by the color of the wax, the shape of the head, and also by temperament.
Also, Wavys will not make any progress in a relationship if they are not attracted to each other. This happens quite often, especially if the female is older than the male. In such a situation, she can behave aggressively and even start fights with him.
Another reason why reproduction in budgerigars will be impossible if the pair has a partner that is too young or too old. The best age for producing offspring for these birds is from 2 to 8 years. Despite the fact that wavy birds can live up to 20 years in captivity, older birds, as a rule, do not fertilize clutches.
If the owner of the parrots does not comply with the breeding conditions, namely, the birds sit in a small cage and do not have a nesting house, then most likely they will not mate. We will talk about what conditions birds should have a little later.
It is worth remembering which budgies should not be allowed to breed:
Flaws
There are not many disadvantages, but if you think about it, they seem much more serious than the advantages:
QUARANTINE, ADAPTATION, TAMING A BUDGY PARROT!!! DAY 1!
- Even despite the presence of a wide variety of toys in the cage, nothing can replace a bird’s society of its own kind. And from melancholy (no one will brighten up the loneliness of their pet by sitting in the apartment all the time), the parrot can become depressed;
- A bird sitting for a long time in an empty room will inevitably deteriorate in character. She will start screaming, wanting to attract attention. Or she will turn into an apathetic creature and lose her appetite, which will affect her well-being;
- In addition, a single wavy may begin to pluck its feathers. Over time, this will become a dangerous habit for your health. How to choose a mate for a budgie;
- If you purchased a parrot in order to teach it to imitate human speech, then you should not rush to buy a second one.
A single person will cope better with this task. Two birds will be much more willing to chirp and call to each other than to listen to the voice of the owner.
If the well-being and joyful mood of your charges is much more important to you, it is best to immediately take a pair from a common enclosure from the breeder (or in a pet store). Take a closer look at the birds, which are vigorous, active and cheerful, with smooth, shiny plumage.
If some of them prefer to stay together and do not quarrel, and if they are also of different sexes, buy them without hesitation. Most likely, the parrots will get along well and will not conflict in the future.
By the way, with most breeders you can agree on a return in case the new tenant or tenant does not come to the yard.
