Advice needed on getting a budgit please!

Is another dog out of the question for you as you say you’re a dog lover? There are lots of older dogs looking for new homes out there, and people offer home boarding if you’re going away on holiday. Just a thought, but they are such good company - as you know, you’re never lonely with a dog.

Thank you all for your informative comments!

Like many families, we had one growing up in the 60s. One of my negative memories is how much mess our Joey created. He ate his hanging millet spray and shook the surplus onto the floor. If he fluttered there would be a flurry of feathers and seed husks out of the cage.

I think they are sometimes looked on as an ideal pet for elderly and housebound. But there is a certain amount of work involved in keeping them clean. Having said all that my Dad was particularly fond of ours and walked about with it sitting on his shoulder.

Birds are meant to fly free. Not caged!!

We had one when I was growing up but I have different thoughts now and really don’t like the thought of caged birds it all seems so cruel that they are kept in little cages in captivity when they should be free to explore their world

(I thought that in the 1950s/60s, all budgies were called Joey!)
In January my friend's dad, (in his 90s & living alone), got two budgies: he is able to care for them and they have been a Godsend for him during lockdown. I would advise getting two budgies - they need the company.

I would sooner have a Zedgie!

Everyone used to have a budgie in the 1950’s and 60’s ( or it just seemed that way.) Am not keen on them really, but many people find them company and an easy pet to keep.You can leave the cage door open and let them fly around the room and land on you or go back into their cage when they want to.
My Grandma’s budgie ( Petey.....they were all called that!) used to land on me regularly, which is probably why I don’t like them much.You can teach them to talk ( although I prefer their own little chirps and trills.)

Check how long the bird will live for, I look after my neighbours parrot when they go away and it’s 35 years old !
They have had it for 20+ years and it’s now mentioned in their Will (so they say).
They often find it a tie as it doesn’t like them being away for more than a week and will sulk terribly despite my best efforts to entertain it and offer cage enrichment toys.
Obviously they are not going away at the moment so the bird is super happy !!

Our house rabbit chewed through the television wires so you need to block off certain areas but they are rather more substantial than a bird, though just as tricky to catch when you want to put them back in their cage!

Lots of information and groups dedicated to caged birds. We always had budgies during my childhood and lived next door to a man who bred them as a hobby. He had a large aviary with the beautifully coloured birds flying around.

Would you be able to let the bird fly free in your living room? I always feel sorry for birds when they stay in a cage 24/7. It does give you something to talk to and it might even learn to talk back!

Have you thought about a house-rabbit?
? - I know that's not a budgie!

We had a cockatiel for many years. It was a spur of the moment purchase. We were at a bird show/fair, we only went to look, but there was a gentleman selling his cockatiel as his daughter had developed an allergy to it. My children fell in love with it, so as husband had kept birds in his youth, we took it home.
She was a noisy bird, but really good at alerting us to anyone coming to visit. She heard visitors long before the dog did!
I wouldn't mind having another bird, so I would say, go for it.

Birds are often up for rehoming. You could contact a bird charity like Birdline either to offer to foster or to adopt. In an ideal world birds should be free flying in an aviary rather than a cage. We fostered birds for many years for Birdline.

Thank you for your reply grandtanteJE65. First, I would like to say 'mea culpa' for not proofreading more carefully in my post title, as I have previously moaned on the Pedant's Corner about proofreading! When I was a child, we did have a budgie and it was rather noisy, but I am fairly deaf, and remember that covering the cage at nighttime let them know it quiet time. I am Googling everything I can find and will think carefully before I decide.

We had budgies when I was a child. I remember them as very noisy birds, and none of ours learned to talk.

As you have been used to dogs and have no experience of cage birds, I wonder whether one would be the right pet for you.

Surely, there is an association of bird breeders? Have you tried googling budgie breeders?