Caring For Your Budgie

With patience, Budgies can become quite tame although it is essential they are trained from an early age, and by one person only. The first step is to get the bird used to being stroked inside its cage – use a stick or perch, not your hands. Start by gently stroking its chest a couple of times a day, then encourage it to jump onto the stick. Next, repeat the whole process through the door of the cage rather than the bars. Finally, repeat again, using your hands this time instead of the stick. This is a gradual process that may take several weeks but usually works in the end.
To pick up your Budgie, ensure your palm covers its back and wings while your middle and index finger surround the bird’s neck. Be gentle – Budgies will bite if they feel stressed. If catching an aviary bird use a padded rim net and never try to catch it in mid flight - always wait until it is perched safely.

Labels: budgie care, pet birds, pet care

Hello there...one of my readers asked a question...

Thank you Bina for your question...I don't have your e-mail address so I have to answer you here...

Not everything we can eat is non-toxic for budgies. There are some fresh foods which budgies can't eat. They include: green beans, avocados, lemons, plums, grapefruit, raw potatoes, and green potatoes.
Despite common belief an all seed diet is not adequate for a budgie. If fed only on seed you may be damaging it's liver and risking illness. A good diet for a budgie is a mix of budgie pellets/crumbles and a good quality seed mix (with as many different seeds as possible). Budgies also require fresh vegetables (spinach, broccoli, corn, carrot, etc) every one to two days as well as constant access to a source of calcium (cuttlebone) and a mineral/iodine block. Some things to avoid with budgies is apple seeds, chocolate, alcohol, avocado, salt and sugar. Wash all vegetables before giving them to your budgie as most have been around pesticides.


Budgies cannot eat any dairy, as they are lactose intolerant. Two of the most poisonous foods to budgies are chocolate and avocado. Never give a budgie either of these! Junk food (such as potato chips) should be avoided as well. You should avoid iceberg lettuce as well, as the pesticides on it are harmful to budgies. As a matter of fact, any foods with pesticides should be washed thoroughly before giving to your budgie.

There are quite a few fruits which are safe, but before you give them any fruits, make sure you wash them! Pesticides can be harmful to your budgie. Some fruits which are safe for your budgie include: kiwi, pears, bananas, apples, pineapples, grapes, oranges, peaches, tangerines, melons, strawberries, figs, cherries, raspberries, apricots, and blackberries.

So if your budgies like dates...then why not...

Mine love to eat the leaves from turnips and they love lettuce....just like people their diets vary but as they are such social animals whatever one picks at the rest will join in ...in case they miss something yummy...

I hope this helps,

Nigel.

Labels: bird feed, budgie diet

The Smartest Parakeet, The Budgie Budgerigars, or budgies, are one of the most commonly kept pet bird in the world. Although most parrots will talk and mimic for attention, researchers have recently discovered that budgies have the ability to speak in context. The Budgie Research Group (www.budgieresearch.com) has recorded and documented countless hours of budgie-speak. Victor, the first budgie to be recorded by the group not only had a vocabulary of more than 800 words, but he apparently understood what they meant. Since 2000, the Budgie Research Group has been recording budgies’ speech to prove that these parakeets are sentient and conscious beings that should not be overlooked.

Cheri Collins of Maine has a 1½-year-old budgie named Buddy. He is also one of more than 20 budgies that are currently part of the Budgie Research Group. “The reason he is part of this prestigious group is his ability to speak in context. This talent is not something that was taught to him; it is something that he has always had the ability to do, I only helped him to realize his potential.”

Sarah Cordish is also a member of the Budgie Research Group. Her budgie, Herbert, can say hundreds of words and even makes up his own sentences. “Herbert is a gray budgie, but there is nothing gray about his personality. I once told Herbert that I would let him out of his cage at 4:00 pm. At 2:30 pm I heard him say, ‘I can’t wait until four!’”

He also understands the concept of naming. “Last summer, he was given an aviary-bred hen to raise a family [with] if he wanted. He fell in love with the hen; and the feeling was mutual. I had not named the hen, so Herbert did. What name did he choose? He started calling softly to her, ‘Sarah, Sarah.’ What an extraordinary compliment.”

Budgies are extremely bright and capable of complicated cognitive abilities. Like all pets, they need encouragement and patience in order to encourage their learning process.

Labels: talking birds, talking budgie, teach your bird to talk

Just like you and me, your pet budgie can also become ill. But don't worry, there are some telltale early signs to watch out for. Keep an eye on your budgies health and be aware of the following items:

Weekly health check:

Is underneath the tail clean?

Do they have all their toes and claws?

Are they clean and not overgrown?

Do the legs move freely with no staggering or stiffness?

Are the beak and nostrils clean with no discharge or scaling?

Is the beak straight and not overgrown?

Are the eyes bright and clear?

Are all the feathers clean with no bald patches or parasites?

Blow in the feathers; the skin should be healthy not red, dry or flaky.

Feel the body. Is it fat enough? It should not feel bloated or bony.

Listen to the chest. Is the breathing almost silent with no wheezing?

Potential health problems:

Scaly beak:

Budgies can catch scaly beak from being in contact with other contaminated birds. Mites burrow under the skin around the beak, eyes and legs. It is essential that it is treated early.

Parasites:

Budgies can get mites and lice in their feathers. There are sprays available to treat this.
Check your birds and their food and water supply twice daily.

Beware:

Do not feed LETTUCE or AVOCADO as these can be harmful. You can give birds very small amounts of fresh fruit and vegetables, but no more than twice a week.

Do not keep them near televisions or stereos as these can produce high frequency sounds that will irritate them.

Aerosols, hot cooking oils and hot Teflon can give off toxic fumes which can be fatal to birds. So keep them out of the kitchen.

And be sure to change their water regularly.

A few toys are essential, especially when keeping a single bird. Please don't overcrowd their cage with them and beware of toys with jagged edges or which can catch their claws. Just because it's in your pet store doesn't mean it's good. In fact, some of the best toys I have are home-made. I will give you some tips on how to build your own budgie toys in another post.

O.K. If you have any questions - ASK ! I'll try my best to answer them.

Till next time,

Nigel.

Labels: birds, budgie, pet care

A lot of people want a very tame and playful budgie that is attached to people, and they think they can achieve this only if the budgie is kept alone.
However, this isn’t true. There are numerous examples which show that also small groups of budgies can become very tame, yet on the other hand there are enough budgies – alone in their cage – that refuse close contact with people their whole life long.
It has to be understood that as human beings, we can’t replace the natural budgie to budgie contact. It also doesn’t work that well with inter-species partners, such as canaries or other bird species. It's true that most of the solitarily kept budgies don't show their sorrow, but then again, would we truly recognize their sorrow if we saw it? Put yourself in their place: A budgie on its own will sit in its cage, no partner to scratch or groom their head, or talk to before going to sleep. Nothing but a plastic replica bird; to whom they often feed, perform courtship displays to and event mount in their despair. However cute it may seem: this behavior makes them ill. Often inflammation of the crop can occur, which can sometimes prove fatal. The budgie needs a companion and if you decide to keep a budgie, you should buy at least two for the mutual benefit of the creatures. It goes without saying that you should be aware that amusing though their antics may be, budgies are living creatures and if we are going to rob them of their total freedom, they deserve to have a companion of the same species for their health, happiness and companionship. You should also give them a chance to fly free outside their cage every day.

Labels: animal cruelty, pretty polly, teach a budgie to talk, two budgies