Budgies
Budgies (budgerigars) are an extremely popular pet bird, and for good reason. These small parrots make delightful pets, and are usually friendly and easy to tame. While they can sometimes be difficult to understand, they are quite capable of mimicking speech.
Budgies are sometimes also called parakeets (specifically shell parakeets) as they are members of the parakeet family.
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Life span: 10-15 years (up to 20).
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Origin: Australia.
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Gentle and docile bird, very easy to tame if acquired at a young age.
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Pairs of birds make good company for each other, but usually will not bond as well with their owners or mimic speech as well. A single bird is fine, as long as you spend a significant amount of time interacting with the budgie on a daily basis.
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Very playful and active, and quieter than some other parrots (although they can still be noisy).
ABOUT
Basic Care Plan for Budgies
Never rush your budgie!! It will adapt on its own. Stay close to the cage and talk to it sweetly and quietly as you wait for it to adjust but don't try to handle it. It will soon get used to you. Keep the bird in "Quarantine" for four weeks if you have other budgies.
Eventually as it becomes used to its new environment, start interacting with it more and more and eventually it will know you are a friend and not a predator. Other wise they may start being a little anxious and afraid. This will cause them not to bond with you.
Its food mostly consists of seeds and fresh fruits and vegetables.
Also, remember to never feed your budgie chocolate, caffeine, or alcohol, and make sure it has enough to water to drink. Keep clean and fresh water in its cage at all times, & change it daily to prevent bacteria build-up.
When it's bed time, simply throw a light towel or blanket over the cage, so it covers three of the four cage walls. Make sure there is sufficient air ventilation - you don't want to suffocate your new bird! If it is noisy you can do this too, it will calm them down, but it would also be good if you could move the cage if possible. If you believe it might be too dark, you can provide a small night-light in case your budgie gets a fright, this prevents it from flying around the cage blindly in fear & slamming into a cage wall/toy/perch, causing injury.
The cage should be at least 18cm D x 18cm H x 30cm W, at least. Try to buy a cage that is wider than it is tall & one with a square top. The reason for this is because budgies fly horizontally, not vertically like a quail, & fancy-topped cages are simply a waste of space. The budgie must be able to spread its wings & fly - do not crowd the cage with toys, perches or other budgies.
Make sure to buy toys & perches of different thicknesses, shapes, & textures. Natural perches are great, especially compared to dowel or plastic perches. Make sure the wood is safe for the bird, such as eucalyptus. Dowel perches or plastic perches can cause foot problems due to the lack of foot exercises. Also try to avoid concrete perches as they are hard on the birds feet, but if you must use them, position them at the lowest point possible.
Name your Budgie, this will let them get used to the name!
Cuttle bone is a good source of natural calcium for budgies.
Clean out the Budgies cage at least once a week and fresh water every day.
Always treat your budgie with love & kindness. Remember they are very fragile & require you to handle them with care. Keep them away from small children, & always remember to teach people new to birds how to handle & properly play with these delicate little creatures!!
