Cockatiels and budgie hybrids are cute birds, small, easy to care for, and both make for excellent company. Both types are extremely friendly and intelligent birds. These birds won’t hide when you open they’re but are very outgoing and trusting.
Both birds are smallish, with the cockatiel being the biggest of the two. Cockatiels are generally pretty gentle and companionable and they will spend a lot of time interacting with you without getting bored.
You can keep a dog’s attention for about 5 minutes but a cockatiel will give you a lot more. Budgies are much the same; smaller and only ignoring you if they have close bonds with other birds that share their space. But how would a budgie hybrid and cockatiel get along?
Can You Breed A Budgie With A Cockatiel?
In general terms, a budgie will get along just fine with a cockatiel, however, they’ll never breed, regardless of whether they exhibit any sort of courtship or mating rituals. The problem is, both birds belong to a different genus and the budgie is the only bird within its own.
Birds that can mate and breed with one another have to fall within the same genus. Since budgies are of the Melopsittacus undulatus genus, whereas cockatiels belong to the Nymphicus hollandicus.
In terms of getting along, both a budgie hybrid and a cockatiel won’t have any qualms with one another unless you expect them to live in a small cage together. Without much space, they do tend to get aggravated with each other.
Can A Budgie Cockatiel Pairing Result In Fertilized Eggs?
The pairing will never result in fertilized eggs, however, that doesn’t mean that the female won’t lay any eggs because she very well may. The male won’t be able to fertilize them and there are ways to discourage mating behaviors anyway.
You really don’t want the female laying eggs anyway. Only the complete, egg-laying, bird-hatching cycle will turn off the female’s internal desire to be an egg-laying factory that never stops. Without the hatching—which won’t happen—she may keep laying them.
If she keeps laying eggs that can’t be fertilized and never hatch, you have a real problem, since the process is draining on the female’s internal resources, such as the vitamins and nutrients that she needs to live a happy and healthy life.
Did The Alleged Budgie Hybrid Cockatiel Hybrid Chick Realy Happen?
There’s very little substance to the story of a budgie hybrid mating successfully and producing a chick with a lovebird outside of its genus. Anyone can make claims and although there was such a claim, no other evidence was provided.
If it were to happen, the offspring would be a mutation and it likely wouldn’t have been a mutation in a good way, like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It’s more likely that the chick would have died soon after.
The biggest point going against such an event would be that it’s scientifically, provably, not possible for a budgie to successfully mate outside of its genus. The fact of the matter is that anything within a millionth of a percent of success would be a hideous mutation.
Can Cockatiels Crossbreed?
The only bird a cockatiel can successfully mate with on a consistent basis would be a cockatoo. The resulting bird is classified as a galahtiel. Its interesting variation in names and, of course, cockatiels can mate with other cockatiels.
Cockatiels are not typically friendly with other lovebirds, however. It’s advisable not to ever attempt keeping a cockatiel and another lovebird, especially if you plan on keeping them in the same cage.
There’s the idea that a quaker parrot can possibly mate with a cockatiel but it’s never been something that was proven in one way or another. In fact, in most states, it’s illegal to breed a quaker parrot since they’re considered to be an “invasive species.”
Can Budgies Breed with Other Birds?
Budgies are the only bird that falls within their genus and therefore, cannot breed with any other. Since budgie hybrids are typically sterile, a hybrid would be even less capable of doing so. It works much the same way in mules (offspring of a horse and a donkey).
Since budgies are the only ones within their genus, they lack the genetic similarities necessary for breeding with other birds. That doesn’t mean that they won’t try, just that nothing will come of it.
How Well Do Cockatiels and Budgies Get Along?
Budgies and cockatiels are more than capable of getting along just fine. However, you want to give them a slow and steady introduction. Give them time to get to know each other before they go into the same living space together for long periods of time.
There’s always a chance that they won’t get along. Cockatiels with other cockatiels are generally happy, friendly, and playful. The same can be said of budgies with other budgies. With one another, you should closely observe them for a while to see how things play out.
You also want to invest in a large cage for the budgie. They like larger spaces and a smaller cage will agitate it enough so that it will agitate the cockatiel and then things will only go downhill from there.
Final Thoughts
While Cockatiels and Budgies are known for getting along, generally speaking, they won’t breed with one another and certainly won’t produce any viable offspring. That’s not to say they won’t make the attempt, but such behavior should be discouraged.
It’s also a good idea to make them work for their meals, at least a little bit. If food doesn’t seem like it is abundant, the female will be much less likely to be hormonally triggered into laying eggs, which can make life difficult for you if that becomes something that’s common.
If they have plenty of living space, are well treated, and get plenty of attention, a cockatiel and budgie pairing is certainly not unheard of. It probably wouldn’t even be considered uncommon. You should get plenty of entertainment, love, happiness, and companionship.
