Fairy Fids™

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Why do some colors cost more?  

True Rainbows are very difficult to find in the United States for two main reasons. First, the recessive clearwing gene, one of the requirements of a rainbow, is uncommon all by itself. The clearwing gene removes all or nearly all melanin from the wings of a budgie while retaining full intensity body color. Second, one must combine multiple recessive genes (blue, opaline, and clearwing) in a single bird to create a true rainbow. This requires in-depth knowledge of budgerigar genetics plus many years of work and multiple generations of babies to achieve. In addition, only a very small percentage of the babies in a clutch will be true rainbows. By definition, a True Rainbow is defined as blue series (including grey and violet body color) with yellowface, opaline, and clearwing mutations visible, and without any additional mutations.  

Silver Rainbows (aka "full body color greywing rainbow") are equally rare since they also have a visual clearwing gene, but it is combined with the greywing gene. This combination gives the wing markings a silvery color rather than removing the markings nearly completely, and still retains full intensity body color. Though they are not considered "true" rainbows by the official definition due to the presence of the greywing gene, they are equally valuable and beautiful. A Silver Rainbow is a blue series with yellowface, opaline, and clearwing combined with greywing.   

Clearwings and Silverwings (aka "full body color greywing") will not be yellow-faced, but they do have the rare clearwing gene, so their value is also elevated. Mine are all opaline as well and they are very angelic-looking. Pastel Rainbows do not possess a clearwing gene and instead have two copies of the dilute gene, but they can be used to produce future rainbows and look nearly identical to a true rainbow. The only difference is that their body color is about 70% the intensity of a true rainbow, making them appear more pastel in color. Their paler color does not negatively affect their brilliance.  

Yellowface Blue Opalines are also lacking the clearwing gene and have normal dark melanin marking their bodies, and mine are all split to either clearwing or pastel (aka dilute). They can also be used to produce future generations of rainbows so their price is also somewhat elevated. Yellowface also causes interesting color changes to occur in their body feathers during their first molt, so they are a very fun color mutation to own!

What about Individual Personality?  

I don’t set prices higher or lower based on initial personality traits because it is too variable at such a young age. Some babies wean very quickly and become independent immediately, but then go on to bond just as closely as any other handfed baby with their new owner once in their new home. Others take a lot longer to wean and may appear to be more “cuddly” than their siblings while I am still raising them, but then they become equally independent once they are fully weaned. In addition, budgies will go through puberty and a "teenager" phase from around six months to a year in age. That being said, I always do my best to give an accurate description of each baby's personality as I currently experience it.   

All hand fed and well socialized babies are human-oriented just the same. It is the time spent with them after they go to their new homes that will form their bond with you. What you can be assured of is that my birds will not bite when picked up, they step up naturally to come out of their cage, and they will settle comfortably into their new home environment in as little as a few days - as opposed to a month or longer with much effort and patience, or possibly never, for a parent-raised bird. I have never raised a handfed baby that did not seek human attention even if they appeared timider in the beginning, and even while being raised alongside other birds, some of which were not hand fed nor very tame.  

Please also note that there is no such thing as a quiet budgie! Boys and girls both sing and screech alike, although boys are often more vocal (usually singing, which can be loud, and may include screeches as part of the repertoire). Girls may be a little bit quieter overall, but all of my girls sing (and screech) too. If your budgie is being very quiet for too long and isn't singing and/or playing, it may be frightened, lonely, or possibly ill.

And finally, boy budgies are NOT guaranteed to talk! It is a worthy goal to try and achieve, but please do not ask for a male budgie simply in the hopes or expectations that it will learn to talk. Some will pick up human speech as part of their vocal repertoire, and especially hand-fed birds that bond closely with their human should be more inclined to do so, but many do not.