Bridget's Budgies

How do I tell a male from a female?

This is generally easy to do. What you need to do is look at your budgies cere. The cere is the fleshy nostrils of the bird. An adult male budgie has a blue cere wile an adult female has a tan or brown cere. Now their are some exceptions. Some color mutations cause a males cere to be a light purple instead of a blue. I would look at the gender tools page for visuals. 

How long do budgies live?

A budgies life expectancy largely depends on two factors breeding and care. A breeder that selectively breeds healthy birds is more likely to produce a healthier bird than say a mass breeder. Also a bird that is taken care of is more likely to be in good health and live a long life. A budgies life span is normally between five to eight years. But depending on the breeding and care a budgie can live three years or even up to fifteen years. 

What makes a better pet a male or female?

There are myths out there that say male budgies are better pets than female budgies. I have found this to be completely false. It all depends on the budgies personality. I have had some males that don't want anything to do with me and females that love to follow me around everywhere and the other way around. So I would say both males and females are great pets. 

Is a male budgie a better talker than a female budgie?

I personally have never tried to teach a budgie to talk. I have asked around and it seems like both males and females can talk. I haven't heard that one can talk better than the other. I do know that it takes a lot of repetition and hard work. Also it's nearly impossible to teach a budgie to talk if it's in a cage with other birds. Now I did say nearly I have seen it done but it's hard work.

How many budgies should I have?

Well it all depends on what you want. A single budgie can live happily by itself if you pay attention to it often. A budgie is a flock animal it needs flock interaction to be truly happy. So if you plan on spending a lot of time with your budgie one will be fine. But if you work most of the day adding a second bird to your family is suggested. This way they have someone to play with all day wile your gone. As for more than two it's all up to you. As long as you have the time money and space to care for your birds properly the sky is the limit. 

How do I introduce my budgies when I get home?

I suggest putting your new budgie in quarantine for at least a week. This is done to protect your old bird from any illnesses your new bird may have. I would put your new bird in a totally different room than your old bird. Then wait a week. 99% of the time your new bird will be in good health and will be ready to meet your old bird. But you shouldn't put them in the same cage together just yet. I would put the cages side by side so they get use to each other. I would do this for about another couple days to a week. Again 99% of the time all introductions go as planed. Then I would put them in the same cage. It is normal for them to peck at each other at first. This pecking shows what bird is more dominant. This should last for a couple days. No blood should be shed and they shouldn't be locking feet and rolling around on the bottom of the cage. If this does happen separate the two birds immediately. 

What do I need to buy before purchasing my new budgie?

The first thing I would buy is a cage for your budgie. Cages usually come with food bowls and perches. If not or if you choose to buy more I like having three food bowls. One for water one for seeds or pellets and one for treats like veggies fruit millet or grit. Also most bird like different size and shape perches. As for food I would ask what the bird is eating and get what ever that maybe. You can change the birds diet if you need to in the future. Things like cuddle bones and chew blocks are a great for your budgie to chew on. This keeps their beak at the perfect length. Toys are always a must. Your bird will need stimulation when your not playing with it. Just make sure the toys are made for small birds. 

How big of a cage should I buy?

Are there any health issues related to different colored budgies?

No, there isn't any specific health concerns with any color budgie. But there is a health concern with different feather types. There are tufted budgies and feather dusters. Tufted budgies have tufted feathers on their heads and feather busters have very long feathers all over their body. The problem with these different feather types is the feathers can grow back into the birds skin and cause deadly infections. So I would stay away from buying a bird like this they may not live very long. 

Can female budgies lay eggs without a male budgie present?

Yes they can. A female budgie can lay eggs with out a male budgie the only difference is they wont be fertile. Now most females wont lay eggs on their own but some do. I would try to staying away from giving the female a nest box or an empty food dish. Taking these steps will prohibit breeding behavior.

What color mutation is my budgie?

There are hundreds of different combinations of mutations out there. I would take a look at the color mutations page. If you still have questions please e-mail me. If you are going to do this having a photo of the front and back of a bird helps a lot. 

How to tell if a budgie is sick budgie?

There are some signs to look for. The first thing I would look at is the birds feathers. The feathers should be flat and smooth no bold patches. Also if a birds feather are always fluffed even when their not sleeping they maybe sick. Then I would look at the beak. It should be smooth, there shouldn't be any rough spots. Then look at the eyes. They should be clear. No discharge or redness. They also should be a good body weight. All you have to do is put a finger on either side of the birds breastbone. You should be able to feel the beast bone but the bird should also have muscle on either side of the breast bone. The chest shouldn't be sunken in. A skinny bird almost always means a sick bird. And last I know it sounds strange but look at the poop. Usually birds droppings are a small coil with a white dot. But watery or large poop could be a sign of a sick bird. But keep in mind when females lay eggs their droppings drastically increase in size. 

What is clean up like?

You should clean the litter or paper every other day. And the cage should be cleaned once a week. Do not clean anything with soap or bleach. These can kill your bird. You can buy bird wipes or just soak in water. I actually use some vinegar and lemon juice diluted with warm water and it works great. You should also make sure the water and food dishes are clean every day.

How much should my budgie eat?

A budgie should eat about two teaspoons of seed per day. But a little more on less doesn't hurt either. That's just the average.

How much sleep should my budgie get?

About ten to twelve hours of sleep a day is the average for a budgie. But budgies take frequent naps during the day as well as sleeping at night.

What should I feed my budgie?

There are so many different types of seed and pellets out there. When you get your budgie ask what they are eating now. I would start with that diet. If you want to change it do it slowly I would mix the new food with the old food and slowly wean them off the old food. A lot of people feed their birds fruits and veggies. I would research what ones are best for your bird. Grit is also something to think about. Grit and cuddle bones are a great source of calcium. I have found that my birds do very well on ecotrition seed blend, cuddle bones, calcium drops in their water and a little millet. That's just what I have found works best for my birds. You need to find what works best for your own. 

I have a male and a female budgie but I don't want to breed. What do I do?

Well to tell you the truth some birds will never breed. Just like humans they have to like each other. The first thing to look for is if your birds are showing signs of mating. You can also tell if a female is ready to mate by the color of her cere. If her cere gets dark brown then I would separate them. If the female starts to lay eggs I would start changing the location of the perches and toys and also the location of the cage. This should take her out of breeding condition. 

What should I clean my budgie's cage with?

Never clean your budgies cage with soap. Any residual soap can make your budgie very sick. You can make a white vinegar and lemon juice solution that will clean just as well as any soap. You can also make it in bulk for when ever you need it. Just fill a gallon jug with tap water and add one cap of vinegar and lemon juice. Even if you accidentally leave any cleaning solution behind it won't harm your budgie.

What temperature should I keep my budgies at? 

Budgies should be kept between 65 and 85. If the temperature drops below 65 the budgies can be chilled. Any warmer than 85 and they could get heat stroke. 

My budgie won't eat or drink after a couple day of being brought home. What is wrong with them?

This is normal. Most budgies become stressed when put into new environments. They will usually stay on the same perch for a few days and only eat and drink when they are covered at night. As long as you can see empty seed hulls by the forth day the budgie will be fine. My budgies eat Ecortition parakeet blend and one sprig of millet once a week per bird.