Female Budgie

My auntie had a female budgie which she did manage to get to talk eventually but not very prolifically unlike another auntie’s male budgie. This one was definitely female as she even laid eggs.

Budgies are great little companions. They do like company but if you are with them every day then that should be fine. Human company is company. Anyone who goes out to work should get two budgies I think, even f they are in two adjoining cages.

Our female budgie did somersaults and acrobatics on the bars and we had to applaud her. If we didn't clap she would make such a fuss! Lots of loud squawking and screeching which you couldn't ignore. Then you clap and she would get so excited and chirp madly. She was a real attention seeker.

My in-laws had a succession of budgies, all of which talked. MIL could never understand how they learnt to swear even though they sounded just like FIL! I was told that only solitary birds will talk, and that having a mirror can deter them from doing so.

I agree -*Hetty58*. I didn’t want to be unkind, but caged birds indoors isn’t my cup of tea, although both birds I knew of were much loved and well looked after by their owners.

I like to see them in an aviary (indoor or outdoor) but can't help feeling sorry for them when in cages, especially alone. We ended up with two (Peter and Paul) from MiL. One escaped and couldn't be found, the other looked sad, so went to a neighbour's aviary.

I think you have to keep repeating short phrases to your budgie to get her to “talk”

Both my DGM and MiL had budgies and both talked. Oddly both called Bobby, but it took many hours of sitting beside the cages repeating the same phrases over and over. MinL’s could even recite his name and address. Like another poster, my Grandad already had a huge aviary in his garden for his pigeons, so when those went, he replaced them with a few budgies and ended up with dozens!

It can be difficult to introduce a second budgie to one that already lives alone. We tried it when I was young and they fought so much that Dad ended up building an aviary in the garden so they had more space and added 4 others. We became the local rehoming centre for budgies and the population grew. We didn’t intend to breed but they took it upon themselves. The most delightful were a budgie that was donated (the owner didn’t want it anymore) and one that had been found in a neighbours garden which was more shaped like a sparrow with budgie regalia. They had babies that had violet feathers!
I think your lady sounds perfectly happy with you as a companion.

Thanks for your replies!

Well she will be loved and cared for whether she talks or not. I did not realise how entertaining they are-climbing along the bars and hanging like a bat upside down.

I wonder though if she’s lonely.

She sounds lovely! If she's already doing “impressions” of sounds she hears repeatedly, that suggests she has the ability and willingness to copy sounds - so why not your voice too?
We always had boy budgies at home and I don't recall any of them ever ‘speaking’ despite my mother’s best efforts.

No budgies here but as I noticed your post in the 'Unanswered' section I simply had to comment to bump it, you are both clearly delighted with your new house guest and I do hope that she starts to talk for you.