I've been thinking of getting Pogo a companion for some time -- it seem to be in the back of my mind all the time. He's all alone in a huge cage now, and he's home alone during the work week. He seems to handle it just fine with all his toys, but I know he would be happier with a companion.

I have his old cage to quarantine a new bird for a while and get it finger tame before putting them together.

I'd like to ask all you members who have gotten a 2nd Budgie for any helpful tips in getting another Budgie and introducing it to Pogo and his environment. I think Pogo would be very friendly to a new bird ... if I show him the pictures of birds on his food bag he will fluff up and give them "kisses". Pogo is very smart, and if I show him to himself in the bathroom (large) mirror he checks himself out for about 10 seconds then loses interest ... it's like he knows the reflection is himself. But any detailed pictures of Budgies shown to him and he reacts much differently.

So, please chime in with your experience and comments associated with getting a 2nd Budgie and bringing it in to the family. Any advice would be appreciated.

I think it would be a wonderful idea. I have two Budgies in one cage. One is three and a half, the other was only hatched this past May. Male and female.
They have a great time together playing, cuddling and bickering. Rosie is not as tame as when I first got her though.

Getting a 2nd budgie has only enhanced Jerry's life. As you know I was very bonded to Jerry before bringing Winston home, and I still share that special bond with Jerry. He gets crazy and flies around and plays with Winston, but he still looks to me when he calms down and wants to snuggle and fall asleep on my finger.

As far as introducing Jerry and Winston, I kept Winston closed off in a bedroom for a little over a month. This was for a couple reasons: to make sure that Winston didn't have any illness that could affect Jerry & Lulu, and also to allow him to get used to us and our environment and interacting with us. But he was not a typical case because Winston was an adult when I got him and he was very apprehensive about everything, in addition to being cage bound. He's still learning to socialize more after all these months, but he's learned so much from Jerry. And Jerry has learned how to sound like a budgie again from mimicking Winston

I even wondered if I was capable of sharing another deep bond with a budgie. And while my relationship is different with Winston vs. Jerry, different in what we've gone through so far and his personality type, I do share a very special bond with Winston. We have a unique understanding and trust with each other and he's very much considered a flock member by myself, my husband, and Jerry and Lulu.

I think Pogo will LOVE a budgie companion and flourish even more. They are colony birds and it's always beneficial. Even though people are afraid of breeding I always recommend the opposite gender since it's more natural and you could always not breed anyway. But as everyone else here has shown with budgies two males can be best friends. They will call back and forth and then you slowly move the cages closer together and when they both show interest they can both come out and explore each other OUT OF A CAGE at first. They will go back and forth between cages over and over and either will decide to stay in one together or not....it all depends.

(Note, though I would never have three or any odd number ....not that you were going to....just so in case someone finds two homeless birds and thinks it would be good to add to a single, I wouldnt.)

Yep. Jerry and Winston choose to live apart thus far. Jerry was a single budgie for about a year and a half before Winston came on board and Winston was housed by himself for a long time (to my knowledge) so I think they are both just used to having their own space at the end of the day. They both retire into their own cages and show no interest in being roommates. And that's fine with me, when Winston's cage got upgraded I though that they may decide to make that neutral area their own space together, but Jerry shows no interest in that, he always puts himself away in his own cage. The only time he shows interest in Winston's cage is to ring Winston's bells Doesn't matter one bit if Winston is in here too, he'd much rather just play with Winston's toys

Jerry cracks me up. It's like I know him

Would that be "What's mine is mine and what's your's is mine" ? LOLOL

I agree with Cindy. I thought so much about the new Budgie i was a wreck. I almost got a girl Budgie & wish i had some days. Laker is such a 'dude'. Being older he really isn't into the younger Budgie but they love to fly & explore together. Poor Rio is a lot like Jerry & a little like Pogo in that he loves to play & is quite the gymnast. If Rio was a female he would be more interesting for Laker & he won't be flying off all the time to be by himself.

Why 3 - typical 2's company & 3's a crowd? If they were all males would it still be a problem??
When i was looking for another Budgie i did look at the local shelter & local ads. Lots have a 'pair' for sale or a couple {males}. I even thought a pair would be OK - as Laker could have company but still be my special pal - i thought. But i worried about trouble. Lots of worry.


We got our second Budgie from a breeder because in the back of my mind [+ my husband wasn't very supportive] I knew quarantine wasn't going to go well. Laker & Rio were very excited to know that there was another Budgie nearby. Quarantine lasted 7 days or so - Laker just flew into the living room to find him. I had been letting the baby out in our son's room for flying & for taming time.

As long as the new Budgie is healthy you just have to accept there friendship for what it will be. Even if you get a female there is no 100% guarantee they'll be friends but as Cindy said it is probable they'll have a more natural relationship. Females can be friendly but are not all so outgoing as a male. If you really just want a friend for Pogo a female might be best???

I love your new cage & hope to see a new Budgie soon. Good luck - I think you know how to pick them. I'm very excited for you.

Personally i'd love to get 2 more.......

^^ Same here. I agonized over whether or not to take the plunge and get Winston. Dave and I talked a little bit here and there about possibly adding a 2nd budgie but nothing was very serious until I found Winston. And in the back of my mind I kind of knew that he was "the one." But the morning when we had decided to go and see Winston one more time and make the final decision, I literally cried over the prospect of losing my special bond with Jerry. I knew that was selfish and in the end I wanted what was best for Jerry's well being and my gut told me to bring in another budgie friend. (I really think that during the week of deliberation about Winston I lost about 5 pounds because my stomach was in complete knots and I couldn't eat much LOL).

Scott, you have such a wonderful relationship with Pogo that I seriously doubt you'll lose that. You're part of his flock and he'll simply expand his flock and not exclude you.

Well I think Laker will be more accepting of the baby when he's grown. It's typical I think same like kids lol. Right now Rio is still cute dorky but not so cute to Laker LOL. That'll change I'm sure when Rio loses his babyishness. Regardless, it's a comfort to both having each other ime. even if Laker wont admit it!

Actually IME hens can be sorta rough on a male, actually. But I'd still get a hen just with caution. It's a requirement I think that they be strong in constitution to do all the mothering and the males just carry out orders more or less so it's tricky but Budgies ime are very accepting and crave the flock. I'd just be careful what hen I picked and match up ages a bit so the grown male doesnt try and force breeding on a baby hen who could get hurt not knowing what's going on. That's almost what happened to Piper.

Right now my budgie hen with lipomas is a trip. She entices the male somehow (not speaking budgie I cant understand lol) then when he tries to be physical with her she half the time lets him (just beak stuff) and the other half she tells him off. She's probably not speaking to him at all but to Piper and Toby in the other room or the outdoor birds but I cant tell. But for a supposedly "sick" bird she is very strong in personality albeit pathetic and weak looking. That's prolly why, she is not 100% and has to take care of herself from any perceived threats or something. But the two are ALWAYS together, I feel sorry for him since he's stuck with a sick wife.

Budgies are usually so much more mild like Tiels but fights can happen under the wrong circumstances like ONE food bowl is not cool, and too small confinement is definitely the worst thing.

2horse could probably give better exact stereotypes since she has a colony and breeds birds sometimes. The other factor is a BIG space so they can escape each other like her beautiful aviary or at least a room or giant cage when they are together.

Another stereotype ime is special mutations are always more high strung. Like albino and lutino so couple that with a hen and you have someone who may be a bit more sensitive and persnickety.

It's hard to guess what Pogo would be like he's so extroverted and fearless. He could go either way at first. LOVE a bird, ignore a bird, love certain birds who knows lol. But I' m 100% sure he and every other budgie will end up happIER with a friend.

Yeah, three is bad and ime it doesnt matter the gender except worse with hens....someone is always odd bird out. Then that bird gets short changed in food, bullying, companionship and stress. I'd only do even numbers strictly.

This may not apply in a BIG flock, I had a ton together in my playpen and it didnt matter but they were in transit so nobody paired up for long.

Homebird maybe in your situation I'd get two hens because if you get a pair all three would be wanting the one hen. So two more males or two hens imo. But never one hen and three boys omg. lol. I notice they even "talk" differently whatever it is they are saying.....

Thanks to all for the information from everybody so far ... very helpful !!

This might be something I would do too ... keeping the new one in a separate cage in a separate room for awhile until I could get it tamed some. I would get a very young Budgie, so this wouldn't take too much. I had Pogo finger tamed in about 2 days. Then introducing them in separate cages would be a good next step, and let it progress from there.

Might be looking around this weekend for a Pogo companion. I'd probably like to get another male as long as they would get along. Not sure I'd want to deal with mating and eggs and possible egg binding issues if Pogo had a female around. He's quite the bird's bird.