Budgerigars (budgies)

Available in almost every colour combination imaginable (except red/pink!), budgies are small, energetic birds which are one of the most popular pet birds available. Although budgies can be kept on their own as pet birds, they are happiest in large social groups, and will usually breed freely when housed in this way.

Common Name	Budgerigar / Budgie
Latin Name	Melopsittacus undulatus
Colours	Many mutations of colour and pattern available including light green (wild type), sky blue, dark green, olive, cobalt, mauve, violet, grey, albino, lutino, spangled, yellow-face, pied etc.
Lifespan	Up to 10 years
Size	18cm
Origin	Australia
Diet	Seeds and greens
Sexes	Male: Cock Female: Hen Sexing is by using the cere on adult birds, which is blue in cocks and brown/pink in hens

Exhibition budgerigars are not a different species, but have been bred over the past century of so to confirm to an ‘ideal’ of the perfect show bird. The head is much bigger and heavily feathered, the bird is longer and wider, and overall about 30% bigger than ‘normal’ budgies.

Feeding

Budgies love their toys

Budgies are traditionally fed on a dry seed diet only. However, they will benefit enormously from being offered fresh fruit and vegetables such as apple, orange, grape, melon, pomegranate, broccoli, peas, lettuce and carrot. Foods are often more readily accepted when they are grated or very finely chopped. Never feed any parrot or parakeet avocado or chocolate – both are highly toxic to them. All fresh food should be removed at the end of the day, or earlier if it has spoiled or it is very warm.

The staple diet should be a combination of the fruit and vegetables detailed above, combined with sprouted seeds and a good quality commercial budgie seed and/or complete diet. Seed mixtures should be very clean and contain a mixture of millets and plain canary, perhaps with a little niger, linseed and groats. Complete diets available include Psittacus Micro Maintenance Formula and Versele Laga Nutribird B14 pellets, which also contains all the necessary vitamins and minerals for their health. Sprouted seeds are available as a commercial dry mixture which is then soaked overnight then sprouted for 24-48 hours. One of the best is the Original Sprouting Blend from Best Bird Food Ever, which sprouts very quickly and contains the complete protein for parrots and parakeets.

Supplements are required for all birds on a seed-only diet and should include multi-vitamins, including D3, and calcium. Even birds on complete diets will often still require a calcium and D3 supplement. Seed diets are very low in vitamin A and calcium and these can cause health problems. Budgies should also be provided with grit – either fine oyster or a mixed grit containing oyster shell, coral and charcoal.

Clean water must be provided daily, and changed more often if required. Positioning perches out of the way of water bowls will help to reduce soiling from droppings and food waste.

Housing, Accessories & Cleaning

Budgies love to fly, and unless they are allowed exercise time out of the cage the permanent home you choose should ideally be longer than it is tall. This will allow them to flutter from perch to perch along the cage – tall cages are not much use unless they can fly like helicopters! Budgies will also enjoy climbing, so look for a cage with lots of horizontal bars. Buy the largest cage that you can afford and fit into your home – your budgie(s) will appreciate the extra space, particularly if they have to be confined for their cage for any period of time. Bar spacing should be no larger than 10mm, to ensure that they cannot put their head between the bars. Good designs will include a removable tray for waste and a floor grille to stop the budgies accessing the waste tray. The waste tray can be covered with newspaper, sand or wood-based cat litter pellets to absorb the moisture from droppings and food spillage. We find the latter to be the best as it stays put and lasts for up to a week.

The cage should also include at least three swing-out food bowls or external hoppers – one for water, one for dry food and one for sprouted seed and fresh food. The swing out design allows the bowls to be accessed without opening the main cage door, whereas external hoppers are filled externally and a portion pushed back through the bars for the birds to access. The perches provided with cages are usually the straight wooden dowel type, which are not ideal. These should be switched for natural branches, sanding perches, and other cage furniture to exercise feet and legs more efficiently.

Site the cage against a wall or in a corner so that the birds feel secure. The best room is the living or dining room where the budgie will integrate into family life. Avoid putting the cage in the kitchen, especially as Teflon coatings on pans become toxic to birds if the pan is allowed to overheat.

Cages, stands, bowls and toys should all be cleaned regularly with a bird-safe disinfectant. We recommend F10 or Avisafe from The Birdcare Company. Both are available in a ready to use spray or a concentrate. Depending on the tray covering, this may need to be cleaned either daily or weekly. Also wipe over all surfaces of the cage each week, removing any droppings, food, feathers and dust.

Budgies enjoy toys just as much as larger parakeets and parrots, but make sure the size is appropriate for them. Avoid mirrors as they often cause birds to attach themselves to the reflection. Bells and swings are very popular and budgies seem to enjoy these types of toys more of all.

Indoor birds require additional lighting, known as UV or “full spectrum” lighting. A range of solutions are available, including screw-in bulbs which fit into standard E27 fittings, right up to stand-alone overhead lights or florescent tubes. The product you choose will depend on your budget, home and the number of birds that you have.

If you are keeping your budgies in an outdoor aviary, then then you must make sure that it is wind-proof, predator-proof and budgie-proof. The mesh should be small enough not to allow mice or wild birds into the aviary, and strong enough to withstand constant chewing from the budgies. Indoor quarters must also be provided as shelter from wind, rain and extreme cold. If the aviary is large enough you can keep other species with budgies, such as finches, canaries and cockatiels, and also a few quail if the aviary floor is suitable.

Breeding

In the right environment, budgies are very easy to breed. A colony of a dozen or so can be provided with nest boxes and a good diet and should produce clutches of 4-6 eggs quite readily. The eggs are incubated for around 20 days. The young are fed by both parents, who will offer them regurgitated soak seed and egg food. The chicks fledge at around 4-5 weeks and are usually independent at around 6 weeks old.

Health & Handing

Although they are small, budgies still have a strong beak and can give a good nip. Regular handling is a must for performing health checks, and for house birds it will improve your relationship with the bird.

To assess the health of a budgie, look at the obvious signs first. Are the feathers bright and shiny or dull and dark? Are the eyes and nostrils (nares) clear? Is the bird fully feathered or does it have bald patches?

Budgies, as with all parrots and parakeets, are prone to respiratory problems, and keeping the housing clean is the first step to prevention. Watch for excessive sneezy, blocked nostrils or runny eyes and nostrils. Poor feathering and brown or barred patches on feathering can be a sign of stress, but also of poor nutrition, particularly a lack of Vitamin A. Switch to a complete pellet diet if possible, increase fresh vegetables and offer a multivitamin supplement.

Find a good avian vet before you purchase your budgie – you may need to be prepared to travel some distance. When you first get your budgie, you should take it for a full health check, and if it has not already been done you can also ask you vet to microchip your budgie too.

Equipment List

Cage
Additional perches
Toys
Sprouting mixture – with either sprouting jars / automatic sprouter
Complete food such as Psittacus Micro
Budgerigar seed mixture
Liquid calcium supplement
Book on budgies
Name of local avian vet
UV lighting

About
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Catalina Tate

I’m Catalina and I’ve always loved birds.

Outside, inside, wild or domesticated.

There’s something about birds that makes the world seem more alive and makes my life richer.

The past

It began with bird-watching trips with my parents from the age of 4 and continued throughout my childhood with trips to zoos and nature reserves both at home and abroad. I could name over fifty species of exotic waterfowl while I was still at primary school (cinnamon teal anyone?) and my fascination never waned.

Despite the plethora of other pets at home (cat, stick insects, hissing cockroaches, gerbil, dwarf hamsters), birds never featured in the line-up. Perhaps partly because my Dad accidentally trod on his own pet budgie at the age of 11?

The present

My first pet birds were chickens. A wedding present from friends, we were given three beautiful blue-laced bantam Wyandotte pullets. These were soon followed by three friendly-but-dim light Sussex bantam pullets and two buff rock bantam pullets. Hens have been a permanent feature in our garden ever since.

My husband and I purchased our first parrot in 2011 – Jo, our blue-fronted Amazon. By this point we had established our own bird supplies shop in Boldon http://www.gardenfeathers.co.uk, so we knew she could be with us 24/7.

The flock soon expanded to include a rescue cockatiel (Paul), a yellow-thighed caique (Skippy), a donated African Grey (Jimmy), two rainbow lorikeets brothers (Bert and Ernie), several pairs of Celestial Parrotlets and most recently a pair of black-headed caiques.

The future

I don’t know where life will take me, but if there’s one thing I’m certain of, it’s that birds will always be a part of my past, present and future.

Catalina Tate