I have been somewhat hesitant to write this article because I foresee one of reactions; pity or anger. This should not be the case. People who have seen my two handicapped budgies in the flesh were also first appaled, but seeing how happy they were, soon came to the realization that I had made the right decision to let them live. I couldn’t kill a creature anyway. But other folks who have no idea about caring for animals come out with crap like “That’s cruel, how could you let such a bird live” or “Nobody will buy that bird, why do you continue to feed it”. Because I love my budgies very much and although the two birds (Hinkelbein and John Silver are their names) have obvious deformities they have adapted to their disabilities and live totally normal lives. Do we condemn people to death because of handicaps?
Hinkelbein has both legs pointing out at 90° from the side of his body and sleeps either in a special nest which I have built for him or on the ground and he is very cosy…thank you very much! John Silver has the same quirk but just with one leg which points out at a 90° angle in the air, while he sits on the perch with his other leg, hence his moniker. Both birds are male and are horny at the moment so they are feeding and trying to mount the females in the aviary. Oh Yeah! Did I forgat to mention that all 7 other birds are totally fit. John Silver is competing for the position of “King of the cage” so it’s obvious he can’t be too badly off. Hinkelbein has no interest in such petty politics and observes with a slightly bemused glint in his eye.
I have included a picture and a video for you to inspect the birds and wish to let folks who have no idea about birds know that even though the birds may look odd they are totally happy and I intend to keep them and any other disabled budgies which may arrive in the future…..
I don’t see why someone would think this so awful. They are simply very flexible, like my budgies are acrobatic and like to hang upside down
Hey, this is a great blog, buddy! Thanks much.
Question though, do you make your own food for your baby budgies?
Hey there,
We let the mamas nurse the babies in the nest so it is more important that the papas have enough food to deliver and that he gets all the nutrients needed to do this tough job! This builds a stronger bond between the birds….
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Hey! I just got a budgie myself…I was wondering if you had any tips for me?? at the moment he is just staring at the towel that I put over his cage a little bit. He is also opening and closing his beak and breathing heavily…is this because he is nervous? Thanks
Yes…the heavy breathing is when they are nervous or anxious…it also takes them some time to get used to new environments. If you give them plenty of love they will eventually lose their fear and be cheeky little budgies. ;o)
The legs stick out at 90-degrees because the infants were not given the right conditions in the nest — this is a preventable and, if caught soon enough, treatable condition. Having ‘handicapped’ home-bred birds is not a sign of care but of neglect. Sad.
My budgies are very well treated and as I say they were like that from birth but since you seem to be a big “know it all” then there is nothing more to say!
Also, how dare you imply that my budgies are “sad” they are extremely well treated and love me very much….
hey i think this is a great article, it is about time people realised that just because these birds look different there is no reason they cant live normal lives. i too own a splayed leg budgie, both of his legs go out to the side (he looks exactly like your budgie in the forst picture). i was wondering if you could maybe help me, i am reaching out to all bird lovers not i have a baby budgie with a damaged top beak, it is loose and i fear it is going to fall off, it is damaged right to the cere. i am just wondering what soft foods i could feed him if his beak does fall off that he will be able to eat on his own (i am still handrearing him 3 times a day even though his sibling was weaned 2 weeks ago)? is it possible that his beak will grow back? any help will be greatly appreciated,thanks
email me at dlouw101@webmail.co.za
I have four budgies. I want to get them to have babies, but it has been about four months and nothing has happend. Don’t they still have thier nateral instincs to build a nest? They even have a tarrariam to build it in, with palm leaves and sand. How long do u think it’ll take fo them to have chicks? do u think it’ll happen at all?
Hi Jessica,
Budgies don’t build nests but you need to get a nesting box from the pet store….make sure to ask the store assistant for a “Budgie” nesting box because you can also get them for other birds but they need to be a specific size….or you can make one….http://www.ehow.com/video_4951846_build-nest-boxes-budgies.html
Then make sure that it is nice and cozy inside…I recommend some cotton wool…just a little on the floor of the nesting box…
The female will instinctively know what to do and will check it out. (But budgies are fussy about which partner they breed with but hopefully they will “feel the love” when they see the new sexy love pad!
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that bird is soooo cute! he looks like a cloud, or even better, fluffffffy!
They do that fluffy feather thing when they are happy or looking for love…..
That budgie is so beautiful, and he has a great personality! Great videos.
Thanks a lot I really appreciate your kind comments!
Hi does anyone know if there are any virus going round? One of my two budgies died last week, he was not ill, Thursday he was his usual self and Friday he went down hill. He was a tamed budgie, so when he was on the floor he came up to me before passing.
That is so sweet, isn’t it? Not that your budgie died but that he said goodbye. In all my years of breeding this happens so often…they come, say goodbye and pass on. They are a shining example to us humans. As for a virus, I haven’t heard anything recently but hope that there isn’t one on the loose.
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I still have problems with him not wanting to sit next to me or on me. What else can I do to help him trust me besides love
If he wasn’t hand trained as a baby then you will need a lot of patience. Firstly, you will need to hand feed him only. No treats, just sand and water and feed him 3 times a day by hand. It may take a while for him to come…but he will and when he is used to your hand he will trust you and you will be his partner
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Hi. I need some advice for my budgie, please. He recently lost his left leg a few weeks ago. He has been amazing in trying to adapt, and I’ve been doing my best to try and keep his spirits up. He comes out every day and flies with the other birds which seems to cheer him up, but he gets tired very quickly. Trying to stand on one leg ALL the time and balance obviously is tiring and frustrating for him sometimes, especially when he wants to go to bed and sleep. He has good days and bad.
I kept him in a separate cage for a while away from his two budgie friends, but yesterday I put him back so he’d have their companionship again. I’ve put a towel in the bottom, have set low perches for him and got him a cozy tent which I KNOW would help him sleep at night if he’d just go in it. It would help him balance and he could rest and be all warm and comfortable. But he won’t go in it! Do you think he will figure out it’s good for him? Should I leave it? In a way it’s an obstacle and adds clutter to the cage, but I really want him to use it. Any way to entice him to go in? Some parrots are reluctant to go into enclosed places, but do you think he will try it in time? He’s sat near the entrance, but so far that’s it.
Any tips for modifying his cage more to help him? Thanks for any advice.
Hi Lenoir,
I am terribly sorry for my late reply but it has been a struggle this year.Is he still alive…I would imagine he is as they are very adaptable. It sounds like you are already doing a good job. The only advice I could give is that he has easy access to food and water…preferably at ground level. We use a small (radius 2 inches approx.) hay dispenser for guinea pigs as a nest and our handicapped budgie sits in it like a nest but more often that not likes to sit on the floor of the cage. Budgies are very intelligent so they adapt and learn quickly. Has the tent worked out? I imagine not as I could only see a female using it as a nest, but I have been surprised by budgies in the past! LOL We also have some small old twisted branches in the corner for him to try sitting when he wants. Also, one of those small mirrors on a weighted ball that always stand upright (like those kids punching clowns that always get back up) are great to play with. But basically they will adapt by themselves. Just keep an eye on him and if something seems to be making life difficult just adjust it or remove it as necessary.
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Hi
I had recently a short term disabled budgies. She could not use one leg. All the experts doctors said she will probably die or be like this for the rest of her life. I did separate her as in the beginning I had to wipe her vent daily as she did not sit properly to poop. I bought her a cork part so she could sit on it and not to stress her healthy leg. She did not really use it a lot but loved to sit on a horizontally placed ladder. I also put in soft cloth but she got once caught in the fibre and I had to help so I took it out as she did not really use it anyway. What I saw was amazing she adapted to her situation well used her beak a lot. I looked after her for about 6 weeks and realised that she started using the lame leg suddenly again. Every day a bit more after a few weeks she was so well and she is now back with her friends in the aviary. I am so happy that she is well again
That makes me very happy…Fantastic Job!!!!
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I think that it is great that you decided to keep the budgies alive.
As you said, we don’t kill handicapped humans.
As long as you can care from them right and they are happy I see no reason to disciminate against them.
You seem to really care and love your budgies and that is fantastic.
Hi Alex,
Thank you for your kind words…one of the birds got married few months and is very proud…he will be making babies this year. The other has a male partner who feeds and cleans him constantly so he is also very happy. I love them to bits!
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Hi! I was wondering, yesterday my daughter was playing with our new budgie and now he won’t use his right leg, it just hangs there. He sits on a perch but struggles with balance. Is he in pain? will it get better? What should we do?
Hi Barb, It doesn’t look good. It sounds like the leg is damaged and he certainly has pain. Yo need to take him to a vet that has experience with budgies. If the leg is not treated he will be in pain and if it heals incorrectly he may no be able to use it properly again. Without seeing the leg I cannot say much more but you say it is “hanging” and this is NOT good! If it is treated he may recover but it needs to be done ASAP.
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Just an update. I called all over and could not find a vet who took care of birds where we lived so we just tried to make it so he didn’t have to move around a whole lot to get what he needed. After a couple of days he started to use his foot a bit more each day. After about a week he was using it like nothing ever happened, he has even left the cage a few times to fly around or to perch on a finger. I feel very luncky and he seems just fine! Thanks for your advise!
hi, i think it is great how you care for these birds and it is evident that you love them a lot. I am planning to get two budgies in the near future and have been doing a lot of research and have heard about clipping your birds wings. i think it is very cruel but others say it is for their good sand prevents them from escaping. should i consider this?
NO…definitely NOT! Sorry, but that is my opinion lol For me it’s like putting shackles on a person. Unless you want to let them roam the garden like a pet cat or dog but otherwise I find it cruel and think that as long as you love them and treat them well they won’t want to “escape” anyway. Just make sure you have a big enough cage for them and if you let them out to fly that all windows are either closed or have mesh (preferably metal as they will probably gnaw through the plastic type) covering or even better that you have an outdoor aviary. Thanks very much for your question and best of luck if you decide to get some budgies ;o)
I have one more question, I would like to get two budgies ,and as I am away from eight in the morning until around four o’clock in the afternoon every week day, I want my budgies to have some company and not get bored.
BUT I heard that when you get more than one bird it reduces the chances of them talking, and may effect their relationship towards you.
I have one big worry about getting budgie. I go away for weekends and occasionally a week or two and don’t know anyone who would want to look after my budgies and have no relatives nearby.
Have planned up to three holidays in Summer which may be up to one week each, and don’t know an aviary where they can be looked after and I don’t want them to suffer,
do you have any suggestions for a trusted aviary where they can stay happily and get the attention they need.
Thank you for your time
I have a question! First of all I’m not new to the bird world, I’ve had pet birds for about 7 years now. (At the moment i have 1 quaker parrot, 2 cockatiels, and 4 budgies.)
Well my mommy budgie has had about 10 babies and they’ve all been sold except this last one. She did great, up until the last clutch. She suddenly lost her beak. I read that it was from malnutrition, and just assumed it was because she’d had so many little ones, and it was taking a toll on her. I also read that it would eventually grow back. (The daddy has been feeding her every day ever since).
Well it’s been like 3 or 4 months now and has barely made any progress. The vet told me to feed her some baby food- sweet potato and a little chicken for protein. But i can NOT get her to eat it! I started trying today, and i have no idea. I don’t clip her wings… so how should I feed it to her?
Should i just go ahead and clip her wings? or hold her? What would you do? Thanks!
I think clipping her wings would be the last nail in the coffin. She sounds line she has enough stress already. Have you separated her into a small transport cage? Then you would have easier access to feeding her and she couldn’t fly away. As for the beak….it’s really a 50/50 situation. They sometimes grow back but I also had a bird which lost it’s beak and developed a kind of hard skin. It survived for a couple of years being fed by the other birds. I suppose every situation is different and all birds have their own personality and endurance limit. It also sounds like having so many babies really took its toll but it was great to hear that they were all raised healthy. You could also try feeding the same pulp/mush mixture which breeders use to feed babies when the mama won’t do it or they want them to be hand tame. I hope she gets well but it is really up to her to take the first step if she has both the will and strength do do it. Good luck and I hope she gets better.
hello, my daughter who is 18 years old and has her own place has just recently adopted two 9 week old budgies.
Would you Please advise me of everything these babies need to stay healthy throughout their lives?? I have had kids, dogs, cats and fish but birds are something new to me.
Thank you for your time, Laura
Hi Laura,
Please refer to this post:
http://caringforyourbudgie.com/10-things-budgies-love-to-eat
and these tips:
1. big enough cage
2. let them fly free once a week (they will go back into the cage when they are hungry)
3. plenty of fresh seed, clean water, sand and cuttlefish for their beaks
4. lots of love
That’s about it!
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