I have a new bugie

Question
QUESTION: Hi i i just got a budgie the other day and i just need to ask a few questions and i am little stuck if you could help me out i would appreciate it.
1. How much does a budgie drink or how much should it drink?
2.How do they sleep and how long for?
3.Is it better to have one budgie or two and why?
4.How do you keep a budgie clean?
5.Where does a budgie like to be kept?
6.How long does it take a budgie to grow its confidence e.g. talk.
7.How do you know if a budgie has got an illness?

ANSWER: Hi, Farzana.  Thanks for posting!

1.  I don't really know exactly how much a budgie drinks every day.  I have about 15 budgies in a large cage and they go through about 8 ounces of water every 3-4 days.  Some drink more than others, on hotter days they probably drink more if they are active, and they drink more water if they are on seed diets than if they are eating moist food in addition to seed.

2.  They normally sleep on their perches, some hang from the cage wire, some might sleep in a Cozy Hut if one is provided.  You should allow your birds to sleep 12 hours per night.

3.  If you want a pet bird, only have 1 bird.  This is because birds prefer other birds to humans.  If your bird is tame and you want to keep it that way, only buy 1 bird.

4.  Your bird should bathe on its own.  If it doesn't, you can spray mist the bird.  Birds normally keep themselves clean if their environment is kept clean.

5.  Each bird is different.  Do you mean in a cage or location in a home?

6.  Most budgies don't learn to talk.  It's rare, but I've had 2 male budgies that learned to mimic (they don't actually talk).  Talking doesn't necessarily mean the bird is confident.

7.  You need to learn what is normal behavior for your bird.  When your bird deviates from this normal behavior, then it could be sick.  In addition, there are signs of illness to watch for.  However, by the time we see these symptoms, the bird has actually been sick too long and you would need to get the bird to a certified avian veterinarian ASAP:

- Change in droppings
- Weight loss
- Change in eating/drinking behavior
- Discharge from mouth or nostrils
- Feathers fluffed up when bird is not sleeping
- Behavior changes
- Messy vent
- Bird staying on cage bottom

Visit the following websites for more information:

www.angelfire.com/falcon/birdinfo/index.html
www.birdchannel.com

The internet is full of information on budgies.

Chrys

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

QUESTION: 1. How would you know if your budgie is confident.
2. I was thinking to get another budgie because my budgie jus sits there without doing anything or making any noise.
3.When i say where do budgies like to be kept i mean in the house
4.Sometimes my budgie blows up(like a big yawn) and looks really fat does that mean anything bad?
Thankyou for answerig my questions i thought you wouldn't  get back.
ANSWER: Hi again, Farzana.

I'm not sure what you mean by "confident."  Do you mean tame?  

If you've only had your bird for a week or less, you need to give the bird time to settle down in his new environment in your home and get used to you.  The bird may not be very active until then.  It's stressful for a bird to move from one place to another and with new people, so give your new bird some more time.

Budgies don't have a preference where their cage is located.  However, I'd recommend a place where your bird can get some sunlight during the day, but shade at the same time.  You want your bird to be located where he can see what's going on in the home and where the people are if you want a pet bird.

Please describe better what you mean by "my budgie blows up."  Do you mean s/he puffs its feathers up when it isn't sleeping?  Tell me what you bird is doing when s/he "blows up."

If you post a question to me, I will always answer.  You may not always like my answer, but I will always answer.

Chrys

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

QUESTION: 1. when i say confident i mean when it starts making noises and plays about with his toys.
2. Okay this is going to sound weird my budgie blows up like a big yawn for example if you have a balloon you blow it up and it goes big doesn't it? like that and when it does that his feathers puff up a bit and he does a really big shake.

Answer
Hi again, Farzana.

How old is your bird?  If it's still a young baby bird and if it hasn't settled down yet in its new environment, it may not be very vocal or playful until it feels more comfortable.  If it's a female, it may not make much noise...males are more vocal than females.  Also, perhaps the bird doesn't like the type of toys you have provided.  Budgies like swings, things they can climb on/in/through...you might want to try different types of toys to see which ones your bird prefers.  Every bird is different and has its own likes and dislikes.  

I think what you are describing when your bird blows up is normal.  This is a budgie's way of putting all its feathers back in their right place, shaking off anything that might be on/in the feathers, etc...it's a normal behavior for a keet.

Chrys