Don't get budgies.

[platedlizard]

WARNING, I am ranty McRanty today.


I am serious. If you guys ever want a pet bird, DO NOT get a budgerigar, otherwise known as a 'pet store parakeet'. You know, the really, really cute, brightly-colored, CHEAP parakeets down at your local pet store.

Why?

They get sick on you, you spend about a hundred times more in vet bills for them then you originally spent at the pet store. And then they die. Contrast that with my conure, who has never had a sick day in his life and probably won't until he croaks in about 20 or 30 years. Spending that extra $200 was a real savings, considering that his species is just about bullet-proof. Plus he's smarter, has learned TRICKS (I seriously need to youtube him), and is tame.

So, about two and half years ago I bought four budgies, and in this past year I lost one to megabacteria, one to a liver infection, and one for reasons unknown but probably fatty-liver disease. And now my final budgie isn't putting weight on her right leg. Mind, her leg AFAICT is fine. When I caught her up yesterday I couldn't feel any broken bones and she is getting circulation. This means that there is probably something wrong with a nerve, which probably means (oddly enough) A) an egg laid internally (if I'm lucky) or B) ovarian cancer if I'm not. The ovaries are right next to the leg nerves, so if something goes wrong there it generally manifests itself as leg-paralysis. Or so I'm given to understand. She had never laid eggs, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything, and unfortunately ovarian cancer is fairly common in female budgies (thanks, breeders!). I may be completely off with my non-expert diagnosis--actually, I hope I am. I left a message at my vet today and will hopefully be taking her in tomorrow. I may decide to just put her down if it isn't an easy fix.

Oh, and she's about six or seven years old. We think. That's actually not very old, even for a small parrot. Or it wouldn't be if she wasn't an inbred BUDGIE. Most parrots that size can live 10-15 years, or more. My turquosine parakeet (a grass parakeet the size of budgie) is four years old, and will probably live another ten. The average lifespan of budgies used to be similar, but thanks to massive inbreeding by breeders trying to churn out pretty colors at the expense of the bird's overall health, not so much anymore. They're just cheap birds and who the fuck cares what the future owner's vet bill is going to look like? Again, thanks breeders!

Compare and contrast with one of my cockatiels. Birdie is probably about thirty. That's right, thirty. A cockatiel. I'm taking him in with the budgie because he's old and it's time for me to get into the habit of taking him in for an exam a couple times a year. Otherwise he's healthy.

I will never, ever get another budgie as long as I live. EVER. If I ever get a hankering for another parakeet then I will stick with the bitchy turquosines. They may have an attitude the size of Texas, but at least they don't drop dead on you.

Comments

[akuni.livejournal.com]

I'll second that. Pet store budgies are about as sturdy as a snowman in May. :S My brother had dreadful luck with his.

At the same time, we had cockatiels and a parrot that were much heartier.

[platedlizard.livejournal.com]

Hooo, yeah. Snowmen in May is right. It turned out to not be as nearly bad as I though, although my budgie seems to be going through a sex change (will blog about that in my next post, lol). Way I figure it by now I've 'saved' about five hundred dollars in vet bills on Wesley compared to the budgies. And I've had him longer.

Of course, last summer he managed to CAUSE some vet bills by attempting to murder my turquosine, but that's another story altogether. I love my conure, but he can be an asshole.

Unfortunately cockatiels are starting to turn into the new budgie. Most of the new types, such as the whitefaced and pearl tend to have problems and shortened lifespans as well, and lutinos are notorious for being inbred (a good breeder outcrosses every couple of generations, unfortunately not everybody's a good breeder). The normal greys are usually pretty healthy, that's what my old guy is. The oldest cockatiel I know of was 36 when he kicked the bucket.

[akuni.livejournal.com]

Sounds like you have quite the menagerie. :)

One of my brother's budgies was actually fairly ok for years, but they had to move so many times, he eventually just couldn't cope. That was a pretty fun bird. He used to love to get into your booze - you had to literally swat him away as soon as he found out what was in your glass, lol!

We had a basic grey cockatiel that we inherited from someone, and he was awesome. We got a white (dunno what kind) to keep him company a few years later, but we got it from a pet store and it wasn't as healthy and had an extra helping of cadged-animal behaviours. My folks had to give them away when they moved again when I was away at uni - the grey supposedly had a very long and happy life. :)

[platedlizard.livejournal.com]

If the 'white' cockatiel had yellow and orange cheeks he was a lutino, if he was pure white he was a lutino/whiteface. I'm betting it was a lutino, whitefaces didn't get common until about ten years ago. Lutinos have been around for a lot longer. Lutinos can also be kinda crazy, whereas whitefaces tend toward mental retardation, and no I'm not exaggerating there. Not all are, of course, but far too many. Unfortunately bird breeders tend to focus on color, not temperment.

LOL booze drinking bird. My conure LOVES wet tea leaves. I try not to let him have it because he's trouble enough uncaffinated, but sometimes the beak is faster than the eye.

[akuni.livejournal.com]

Yeppers, was a lutino then. This was... phew, more than 20 years ago now.

Haha omg caffeinated birds! You know, that budgie got into the rum & coke most often - wonder if that's what did him in. :p