Dear Yahoo! Answers Members,
Hello, I have a female parakeet, and it’s species of parakeet is budgerigar. Sunbeam (female parakeet) is showing many of the signs, such as:
Puffier Vent/Bottom-
Sunbeam’s vent/bottom isn’t large, but it does look a little bit puffier, and she’s not trying to drop feces. I’ve seen some pictures of a puffy vent/bottom, and I think Sunbeam is in the early stages of it.
Droopy Tail-
Sunbeam’s tail is a little droopy, but it’s not broken. She can move it up and down, back and forth, and some other ways, but she likes to keep it droopy. P.S- I heard that this is how they protect the eggs when they came out.
Dark, Secluded, Quiet Places-
Sunbeam absolutely hates loud, bright, and busy rooms! She will stay in her cage (the top is always covered, but the front is open, so it’s dark), or go to our closet. She will stay there for a pretty long period of time. Also, Angel is always near or next to her. And if he leaves, she will not stop chirping until he does come back.
Larger/Smellier Dropping-
Sunbeam has been having extremely stinky dropping, and they are a bit larger than normal, too.
Angel (male/mate) has been showing signs of them being a breeding pair, also.
Near/Next To Sunbeam-
Angel loves to be by Sunbeam twenty-four/seven, except for eating or drinking. When he leaves, Sunbeam doesn’t like it. Also, Angel doesn’t like to leave, for example, if you’ll pick him up, he flies over to where Sunbeam is. Sometimes he’ll stay for a little bit and rub his head against mine (he only does this to me), then he’s off to Sunbeam again.
Soft (Nesting?) Materials-
Sometimes when we carry our three hamsters (long-hair Syrain, Robo, Russian dwarf) into the living room to play and let them run around, they drop hay to the floor, and Angel swoops down, picks it up with his beak, and carries it back to Sunbeam. He also does this with tissue boxes. He will sit on the box, and actually pull out about three at a time, and carry one at a time to Sunbeam. He does this a lot.
Aggressive/Territorial-
We have two other birds, which are Normal-Grey cockatiels. Whenever they get close to Sunbeam, he will bite them, harass them, and a lot of other things. Today, Grey-Grey (female cockatiel) was sitting on my shoulder and I went to clean their water/food trays, and Angel flew on my should and attacked her! He also does this to animals, humans, and inanimated objects! He also walked up to our Cockerspainel, and bit his ear! Angel is only a little budgie, and he’s getting way to cocky and over-protective of her.
I’ve asked this question, and everyone says that I’m going to have little birds running around. Also, I thought about breeding them, but I changed my mind. I was going to the pet store that exact day to buy a new cage for Sunbeam, and Sunbeam was showing the signs! So I don’t have a choice. Also, I do have eight responsible and loving homes lined up for them. But I do have a couple of questions, though.
Mutations-
The female/mother is a Lutino budgie with some spots of green on her. The male/father is an Albino male, with red eyes. They are both budgerigars. I was wondering was mutations I could get? Could one be like its father, a Albino? Or could one be a Lutino like its mother? Or both, a combination of Lutino and Albino? What would I most likely get?
Calcium/Nutrients-
I heard that powdered milk is good for calcium? I have a cuttle bone in there, actually two. What are some other ideas about calcium?
Handling-
I haven’t been handling Sunbeam, but my dad says that her about to lay eggs makes no difference. How can I tell if she broke an egg inside of her? Also, should I leave both male and female in the cage, or should I let them out? I put their cage on the floor, leave the door open, and they crawl in and out (mainly Angel) and they come and get water and food whenever they want. Should I keep them in their cage all day? Also, what are the early symptoms of being egg-bound?
