Do you know where I can get an old enough budgie?

Question
QUESTION:      Hello, I was wondering if I should get my budgie a girlfriend. He doesn't usually like to come out of his cage. I figured if he wants to stay in his cage, I should at least get him a mirror for company. The problem is that he almost NEVER leaves the mirrors side, and he gets SO frustrated because it won't talk to him.
    Most places sell budgies young, so I can't look at their cere to see what sex they are do you know another way? Should I get another bird?

ANSWER: Budgies do better in groups.  In the wild, they live in flocks of sometimes thousands of birds.  But a girlfriend isn't always the best option.  I suppose it depends on whether or not you want them to breed.  

If you don't, obviously another male would be the logical choice.  That way he won't be lonely, but you don't have to worry about babies.

If you do want them to breed, the ones at the pet stores generally aren't the way to go.  They're usually very young so you end up with two main issues:
1- you can't tell sex easily without a vet's help so you may not get what you want.  The cere is pretty much the only way to tell unless they're mature.  The females tend to be more aggressive and fan out their wings more, but in younger budgies this behavior is harder to distinguish from the males.
2- a female should be at least a year to a year and a half old before you start to breed her to avoid complications.  If you breed them too young, they can become eggbound, leading to pain for the bird, high vet bills, and if untreated, death.

Let me know if you have other questions!
-Leah

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION:      Thanks! I probably won't get him as female because I don't want to get into all of that. My budgie is still kind've young, but he's old enough that his cere is almost completely blue. My aunt has a male budgie, Mojo. I would let Jake hang with him, but Mojo's VERY aggressive. If I do get another budgie, though, should I introduce it to Jake right away? Do you know where I can get an older male budgie? And should they have seperate food, water, toys, etc.?

Answer
If you think Mojo would be too aggressive, then that's probably not the best choice.  You should try to find one that is used to being around other birds.

You could try other pet stores, or put an ad in your local paper looking for one.  Look through local classified ads too; lots of people unfortunately decide that they don't want their pets anymore, and give them away.

Separate dishes and toys aren't necessary.  They should be able to get along.  I have three birds, two females one male, that all share the same things.  They can be a bit possessive and picky at first, but usually they adjust pretty quickly.