new budgie

Question

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Followup To

Question -
i have a few question so here goes:

1. do budgies drink tap water?

2. how do you keep their claws short? you clip them?

3. how do you make them stop singing in the night?

4. how do you tell if its a boy or girl when they are babies?

5. thanks for all your help!

Answer -
Hi,

Hopefully this response will help answer your questions:

1) Budgies can drink tap water, but filtered water (or de-chlorinated water) is preferred. If you drink your tap water though, then it should be fine.

2) You do need to trim their nails to keep them at a proper length. You can get a cement perch to help keep the nails better filed down in-between nail trims. (But, since these rough perches also scratch up a bird's skin on their feet, you should only place one in the cage at a time- and the bird should always have other natural-branches available to perch on). If you have never trimmed a bird's nails before, you should have a vet show you how the first time. (Restraining a bird improperly could injure them).

3) Birds should not sing at night, they need their sleep too. Some birds might sing or chatter right before bed- or if you keep a light on, they might continue to think that it is day-time. Try covering the bird(s) at night to make it darker and more secure for them.

4) You cannot tell if the bird is a boy or a girl until they are at least 7 to 9 months old (when they become sexually mature). Then you can tell by looking at the color of their cere (blue for boys, brown/tan for females).

-Maggie

i heard that you could keep the claws short by having natural branchs.

what fruits/ vegetables should i feed my bird?

do i have to give it a bath or will the bird wash her/hisself?

Answer
Yes, thick natural branches will also help keep the nails worn down. But, this is not a subsitute for regular nail trimmings.

You can feed your bird lots of different fruits and veggies (among other "people food"). Some good choices are Kale, carrots, bell peppers, oranges, grapes, apples, broccoli, dandelions, mustard greens, and more.

You can get more information on diet at this avian vet's website: www.epah.net

You can provide your parakeet(s) with a small dish of water, and most of them will bathe themselves. Otherwise, you can mist them lightly with a spray bottle and plain water.

I hope this helps.

-Maggie