Pet Care - Budgies

General

Pet budgies can come in various colours. Wild budgies however, are green. Budgies are very good at acrobatics.

Budgies are very social birds, so it's ideal to keep them paired up.

Budgies are awake during the daylight and asleep at night. Budgies originally come from Australia, living in huge flocks on dry plains where they continually eat seeding grasses.

Housing

Budgies should be housed in a large cage inside a house or outside in an aviary if you are planning on having a lot of budgies. Position the cage or aviary so it is away from direct sunlight and draughts. The cage should have adequate cover on the floor to help with cleaning the cage out. The cage should have at least two perches made from wood, apple tree branches are ideal as the natural variation in diameter exercise the birds feet. They also provide stimulation as the bird will peel the bark. Care should be taken to avoid branches that have been sprayed with chemicals and they should be thoroughly cleaned in water before placing in the cage. A rectangular cage with horizontal and vertical bars is better, as the budgie likes to climb about.

Budgies should be cleaned out at least once a week.

Gnawing

Budgies must have a cuttlefish block in their cage to gnaw on regularly (these can be found at reputable pet stores). This helps to keep their beaks in shape.

Food

Budgies eat millet seed and fruit, iodine is also very important in the budgies diet. If the seed does not contain iodine, a separate iodine block should be provided to avoid dietary deficiencies. Budgies should also be offered fresh fruit and fresh water should always be available.

Exercise

Budgies need large cages so they can fly around their cages / aviaries for exercise. They are also acrobatic and like to climb and swing along their bars and perches, they also enjoy bathing and a bath with shallow water should be made available.

Handling

Budgies don't like to be handled unless they have been hand reared, so at first you will need to spend some time with your budgie everyday to get him used to being picked up by you. Your budgie's back should lie on the palm of your hand, using a small cloth may be helpful. It is very important to not put any pressure on the side of a budgie's neck, as this can make it difficult for your budgie to breathe. When putting your hand into the budgie's cage, make sure you put it in slowly, as any sudden movement will make the budgie feel threatened and then it might attack. Never hold a bird upside down.

Buying a Budgie

The best place to buy a budgie is directly from a reputable breeder or reputable pet shop. Buying from a breeder means that the breeding has usually been planned carefully and the babies should be healthy and of good temperament.