Thanks for the advice. i dont...

Question
Thanks for the advice. i dont know the sex of the budgies, as the one that is on its own is an albino, and the other two have rather hard to tell looking ceres...i think they are both pink. ive opened both the doors and put the cages together as best i can, so ill see what they choose to do with that.
i would build a tree like yours, but i dont tend to let the birds out. i know it is advised to let them out regularly, but i did this once when i had a budgie and i was a child, and it got caught on the curtains and died when it panicked, so ive been really wary of frightening budgies since. also, i did try letting the albino out once, and closed the curtains so that it wouldnt fly into the windows, but it didnt go back to its cage and i didnt want to leave it out overnight, so i had to try and catch it, which i dont like doing since i dont like to make them panic. i may make perches just for their cages though. is cork-screw hazel ok? i think thats the type of hazel i have in my garden. and do you have to clean it in any particular way before the birds can have it?

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Followup To
Question -
Hi, i was given one budgie a little while ago, this budgie had been found on the street, and i have it in a cage on its own. A couple of months after this i was given 2 more budgies from someone who no longer wanted them, as i had wanted another budgie to keep the first one company. after a few days of having their cages side by side i tried introducing them, but they didnt get along, so i now have them in the 2 seperate cages, still side by side.i was just wondering if having them side by side will make them as happy, or if you have any tips on anything i can do to keep them happy, because they dont seem as vocal or active as they first were and as i expected them to be if they were content. Each cage has toys, treats, fresh food and water (which i often put tonic in),grit, a cuttlefish bone, a mineral block, perches and a water bath (although they do not seem to enjoy having water in it, so i leave this empty and just often spray the birds with water and plume spray). Thanks!
Clare
Answer -
Dear Clare,
thank you for your question.
It's very unusual that parakeets don't get along. Do you know if they are male or female? Females often don't get along so well, but males or males and females should be fine. It's best if you have an even number of males and females. I'd try to introduce them again, just open the doors of both cages can let them choose for themselves if and when they want to visit each other. It might take a while, but I'm sure they will live together after a while.

It is probably a good idea to let an avian vet check a feces sample and a crop smear. Especially birds that were found outside may have been infected with some disease. If you don't know if there's an avian vet near you, you might find one here:
http://www.vin.com/vetquest/index0.html

Your cages sound very nice. My birds don't like to bathe, too, a lot of parakeets prefer getting misted. You don't really need the mineral block, it's better to use branches from non-resinous wood as perches (hazel, beech, birch, oak, apple, plum, pear, willow...). The birds will eat the bark and get minerals from it - apart from that, natural perches train the bird's muscels. You can build a parakeets tree from those branches, too, the birds will love that. It might take them a while to use it, but they will eventually especially if you offer them millet spray on the tree. Here's a picture of my bird tree:
http://foto.arcor-online.net/palb/alben/80/94180/1024_6561313736666263.jpg
I hope I was of some help to you
Jennifer  

Answer
Cork-screw hazel is excellent, they'll love it.
I can only recommend letting them out, they will get bored in the cages soon and they need the excercise to stay healthy. Since you have had them for a while now, they know the room they are in and won't panick as easily. They will usually  go back into their cage when they are hungry, but if they don't hold the cage up to the place where they sit to make it easier for them. If they still don't want to go inside, wait until it's dark or darken the room. The birds won't be able to see and will be very easy to cath without frightening them much. Just make sure that they cannot slip from your hand.