My sister wants to get a budgie from a breeder, but the breeder only has one 7-week old budgie left and she thinks it is a female. Can a female make a good tame pet, or should she look elsewhere for a male? Is there a huge difference?

my own personal experience. and opinion. i was told males were easily trained to talk and a lot quieter et c etc etc.

to me from what I have read females if you spend the same amoount of time with them as you would with males. you will end up with a wonderful budgiee

thats my opinon.
i just happened to get a male due to the color of him. and i didnt want babies so ended up getting another male for company. and to help with joeys disposition. which I must say worked......... they are buds now..... and do everything together........

.you may get many different answers to this question you have asked....

I've never owned a female budgie, I have 2 makes, but I will tell you what I've read and heard:

Females tend to be more aggressive but I've heard that female aggression is generally seen when dealing with other females. But like Lavender said, I'm sure that it's possible to tame a female by taking the time to bond with her.

You should be prepared to deal with babies - although I've heard conflicting opinions as to whether or not they will breed without a nest box. Some say that without providing a nest box you shouldn't have to worry about breeding, but I'm not certain of that. When I brought home my 2nd budgie I knew that I wanted a male mainly so that I wouldn't have to deal with the possibility of eggs. I have absolutely no experience with babies and didn't think it wise to possibly end up with babies.

I had heard that females tend to bite more. My mom had a female and named her Tiger because she could really bite. Both mine are males and neither bite. This is just what I have read and my limited experience. But I also have read wonderful stories about female budgies so maybe it just boils down to individual personality.

I think it is individual personality. My first ever bird was a female budgie called Chirpy. Even breeding she was gentle. Peewee our tamest budgie is female. They are fairly feisty compared to the males. They are bossy to say the least. The only blood letting has been among the females but I don't think this lessens any pet quality. The aggression is towards another female budgie not the human. I don't think they try breed without a nest box, they not the same as teils that are ready to breed anytime anywhere.

I have had a female, (along with my male) and I think that they are a bit nippy at first, also they are bold (just as 2horse puts it they are bossy)but, they make great pets IF the proper amount of time is spent with them everyday. I like both personally. In my experience the males learn to mimic lots better and faster, so the decision is up to you. Can you wait? or do you want this one?

In my pet store when we rounded all the budgies out of the playpen into their cages for the night we could always tell the females by their bite lol. That being said, I look at it as they have alot of responsibilities and need to be vigilent since they have to raise babies. My female budgie is really the "nicest" one in the house. She tries to be friendly to the others and they don't reciprocate. She sings to the outside birds all day long. She's the first one out of the cage in the am with the most positive attitude.

And she's not well, she has lipomas and looks a wreck. She drags around an additional 10 grams of fatty tumors but still tries her best to fly as much as she can. She appreciates her little life and makes the best of it.

Everyone needs a home and they all bring unique and endearing qualities. I'd take a female in a minute. And I think they are smarter, too. No offense to boys, lol.

I can't tell from your post if it's an additional budgie or just to be by herself. It maybe harder to introduce a second later but definitely worth it. I probably wouldn't introduce a hen to another hen if the people arent experienced on how to do it.

When possible, I always believe in a pair, male and female. You only have the possibility of eggs once a year if you follow "the rules" and even then you don't have to hatch them. (sorry ~J~). You just replace with fakes or freeze their own and let them sit till they lose interest. I believe a single budgie is a lonely life (no offense to other people) yes, they act "happy" but there's no comparison when you see a happily matched pair. They have someone of their own kind to communicate with and support. Even if they arent male/female pair but that's how nature intended it. They are flock loving just like Tiels and blossom that way.

... ... ...

I know, I know......I'm always torn when I say that....especially about little budgies....

Thanks for all your feedback, everyone. It turns out the breeder sold the female yesterday, so we'll have to look somewhere else for the budgie. From all the feedback you've given me, it seems that a male would be the better choice. Of course, if we find a female with a great disposition, we won't overlook her.
Cindy215- We do plan to keep the budgie by itself, but we will give it daily attention and out of cage time. I understand that budgies are very social creatures, but we will act as its flock. If the budgie were to act depressed and not seem to enjoy human interaction, we could consider a companion for it. However, my aunt kept a single budgie, and she let him out of the cage every day. He would fly around the room and land on her head, trying to regurgitate seeds into her mouth. He seemed really happy with my aunt as his flock. Every bird is different, so we'll see if our budgie thrives on his own or if he needs a companion.