Budgies | How to Take care of Budgie | Budgies Guide For Beginners
Budgies, a bird that is kept in cages as well as flies freely in wild Australian woods. Budgies are the most famous pet birds kept in cages around the world. These small fluffy cute birds are extremely playful and love to interact with there surroundings. They eat different types of seeds, fruits, and vegetables.
Budgies Type :
Here I m not going to discuss different mutations of budgerigars but their two basic types :
Pet Budgies :
This type of budgie is kept as a pet, also know as show budgies. They are extremely playful but shy to interact with human beings at first. Commonly these small parakeets eat seeds which are mostly their diet in cages. Water is provided to them in bowl or bottles.
Wild Budgies :
These budgerigars roam freely into the wilds of Australian Grass. They are mainly in Green color which is the oldest and original color of budgerigars. They feed on seeds and fruits available by nature. For a water source, they rely on to ponds and rivers in the outback of Australia. They fly in small flocks that join together to create one big massive flock of budgerigars.
Budgie Colours :
Well, mainly wild budgerigars have a primary color which is green. But, in pet budgies, the primary colors are two.
Growing Up Pet Budgies :
Well, every pet needs time, Following is a list of things that need to be taken care of.
For a single pair of these mates, you need a cage which is two feet each in height, width, depth. How much is the cost of a budgerigar cage? I think not more than 30 Dollars. Exercise and space are must for these birds as they are consistently playing around in there surrounding. Without exercise, they will develop body fat which will lead to further problems. In order to keep them in the best shape, you need a cage where they can expand their wings and fly.
Food And Water :
More than 70 percent of their diet consists of seeds. How much does budgerigar food cost? Approximately for a single pair, these seeds won’t cost more than Two Dollars for a month, until and unless you want them to feed on numerous varieties. You can feed them with different varieties of seeds like millet, canary seed, sunflower seed, etc. But as an add-on to these seeds, budgerigars also need vitamins that can only be provided to them in way of fresh fruits and vegetables they eat.
Water can be provided to them in bowl and bottles but here I would recommend you bottles because these birds create a lot of mess in the cages making water undrinkable for the next day. So don’t forget to change their water bowl and bottles on daily basis. Water, if not changed, is the leading cause of many sicknesses in your pet budgie.
Cleaning of the cage :
The second most recommended precaution for your budgie health is cleaning of the cage. Budgerigar has a high metabolism rate, thus they keep on eating seeds and fruits time to time and waste material is secreted respectively. So in order to keep your bird healthy, you must keep their cage clean.Below are some tips for keeping the cage clean:
- Place an old newspaper or plastic sheet at the bottom of their cage so that by removing it you can easily get rid of budgies mess at bottom of cage.
- Place new wood shaving at bottom of cage when you clean cage as it stops making cage smelly.
- Give your bird a shower from a water bottle or add a water bowl in which it can bath on hot days to keep the mites away, and fallen feathers are removed from the body of the bird.
Room temperature :
Now best temperature for keeping a budgerigar happy is in between 20 to 30-degree Celsius. Temperature less than 20 is cold for a budgerigar and temperature more than 35 is quite hot. Hot temperature will stress your budgerigar and too cold could make it less active.
Building Relationship with your Budgie
Well if you bought a budgie today and want it to sit on your hand or shoulder by evening, sorry it’s not going to happen. You are not sure when a budgerigar will take you as your friend. This is a process of patience, as it is never easy to gain the trust of your budgie. Agree with the fact that it is a relationship that builds over time.
To start building with this relationship arrange some treats for your budgie which he likes. Daily provide it with that treat and sit close to his cage and talk to him whether he responds or not. Try it for a week.
Week 2 :
After a week come real close to his cage and provide him with his favorite treat let’s suppose Millet Spray. Start talking to it in a slow pitched voice. Always make a whistle when you are going to present him with a treat to build signals of relationship.
Week 3 :
On the third week when you see your birdie is comfortable whenever you visit him. Search for signals like when you arrive at the cage he whistles and starts showing some excitement. Now is the time to give him treat in your hand through the cage door. Be patient as this is really critical if he is scared, drop the idea and continue next day and wait for the day when he is suspicious, cautious, and jumps on your hand.
Budgies bite or grab things in their beaks at first. If it bites you little on finger don’t be afraid and don’t make a scream as it is going to scare him off and break the bond. Bear with this small pain.
Once he starts eating you can try same day by day you are progressing. Take him out of the cage by placing him in your hand talk to him. Birds also have feelings like us they bond over time once they trust you.
I have been a budgie breeder and caretaker since my school days if you wish to ask any question feel free to comment.