Description
About Budgies
Budgies or Budgerigars are parakeets that can be found in many parts of Australia, from the inland desert areas to some coastal regions as they travel for food. In the wild, they are mostly green colour, but Budgies in captivity come in a wide variety of stunning colours like yellow, blue, grey, purple, and many more. Wild budgies live in flocks that can vary from a few birds to huge masses in the hundreds of thousands. A budgie can learn hundreds of words and can talk up a storm. First recorded in 1805, they are popular pets around the world due to their small size, social behaviour, and ability to sing or mimic human speech.
Traits & Behaviour
The English budgie is generally a calm and laid-back pet. They are easily hand tamed and can become a loyal, loving little friend to a patient owner. Budgies are social birds and do better in a pair or a small flock. Budgies housed together do remain friendly if given enough contact. The budgie is the best talking bird among other parrots, able to learn words, phrases, and whistles easily. They have a greater tendency to swing, hop and play around by bobbing their heads.
Environment
Housing: Get the largest cage that you can. Even if your budgie will be out of his cage a lot, give it a roomy, secure home. A budgie cage should have bars that are horizontal and spaced close together so that the budgie can climb around and hang on comfortably.
The cage should be placed in an area that is draft-free, shaded, and not in direct sunlight. A cage cover or a towel helps your budgie to get the rest it needs.
Bedding: Wood chips are a popular option as it is easier to remove and will not become a soppy mess like paper towels or newspaper when water is splashed onto them.
Toys: Budgies are generally playful and social birds. Provide toys for them to play with to mentally and physically stimulate them. Ropes, swings, blocks, bells, and perches are popular toys for Budgies.
Bath: They also need to be given a bath 3 – 4 days a week. Place a shallow bowl in the cage and allow the bird to hop in and enjoy its bath. However, if the bird doesn’t hop in after a while, you should use a spray bottle to bathe it yourself. Always remove and replace the water after every bath.
Nutrition
Staple Food: A Budgie seed mix or budgie pellets should always be available. Check the food regularly and replace it if soiled. Don’t be fooled by the empty seed husks they will leave in the dish. Refill it daily.
Fruits and Vegetables: Offer a healthy mix of vegetables, such as carrots and carrot tops, broccoli, beets, green beans, sweet potatoes and eggplant (to name a few), as well as pasta, rice and even whole-wheat toast daily as part of their morning meal. Fruits should be considered a treat and offered minimally.
Cuttlebone: Cuttlebone will supply your budgie with calcium, phosphorus and other minerals. Hang it in the cage, out of the way from droppings, which could soil it. Change it every two months. Cuttlebones also allow Budgies to help trim their ever-growing beak by biting at it.
Treats: Packaged seed treats, honey sticks, and spray millet are great options. They provide your budgie with the variety a variety of different choices and induce natural behaviours. Treats will keep Budgies busy picking and gnawing while giving it a tasty alternative to staple food and salads.
Water: Water should always be freely available. Clean out and refill their water bowls as often as needed as they can get covered in seed husks, droppings, and feathers. Budgies may even bathe in their water bowls and treat them like birdbaths.
Habitat Maintenance
Daily maintenance should consist of spot cleaning by removing soiled bedding and refilling their water drinker/bowl. Entire bedding should be changed once a week. Remove any leftover food that you find around their enclosure. The entire enclosure should be cleaned every couple of months.
Supply Checklist
Here are some necessary supplies owners will need to keep their Budgies happy and healthy~
- Appropriate size and well-ventilated enclosure
- Bedding
- Food bowl
- Water bowl
- Perches
- Toys
- Bird seeds
- Treats
- Cuttlebone
And you’re set! All the best to you and your pet Budgie!
For further enquiries contact us at 03-7733 7469 or drop by our shop and speak to our team!