Caring For Your Budgie

The budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus) belongs to the parrot species (Psittaciformes) and to the family of the actual parrot (Psittacidae). Budgerigars are recognizable by the undulating pattern of their plumage.

The home of the budgerigar is Australia where it was discovered by the money forger Thomas Watling supposedly in 1792. In 1840, the first live specimens were exported to England. The trade with budgerigars rose in such leaps and bounds that the Australian government finally imposed an export prohibition for budgerigars in 1884. This export prohibition is still valid today although the budgerigar doesn't belong to the list of the threatened species in Australia.

The budgerigar is originally green with a yellow face. There are currently approximately 100 standard color types that are acknowledged by the breeding associations. The brightest colors of budgerigars are blue, yellow and gray. There are also white budgerigars.

Budgerigars are regarded as relatively easy to keep and care for, nevertheless some things should be heeded so that these birds can live life to the full.

Budgerigars are swarm birds. Therefore you must always keep at least one pair but they are better still held in a smaller swarm with several birds. The cage should be sufficiently big and should have at least one length of 80cm for one pair. A small swarm of maximum 6 budgerigars needs a room aviary of at least 1m² space. Furthermore you should keep an eye on it that the budgerigars get free flight in the room daily. The cage should be cleaned with a mild washing liquid and lots of fresh water thoroughly at least once weekly.

Budgerigars are fed with the trade standard seed mix. Additionally, the budgerigar therefore needs different kinds of ripe millet which are very high-calorie only as a treat and daily fruit such as apples and pears or vegetables like Cucumber or carrot. However, the budgerigar doesn't tolerate all fruit and vegetable types. Therefore, a veterinarian or budgie expert should be consulted if there is any doubt.

Budgerigars need fresh water in a bird bath and drinking water which both must be changed at least once a day (minimum). Budgerigars also need very fine grit (sand) for their digestion. It is also necessary to provide your budgerigar with a cuttlefish shell or a mineral stone with which it can rub its beak smooth.

One should refrain from using perch poles and toys from plastic. I recommend perch poles from natural material like wood in different diameters with which it can train the joints and can nibble at. And please, by no means put plastic budgerigars and mirrors into the cage as they are regarded as animal cruelty objects (torture). Such 'toys' are no substitute for a partner and cause major behavioral disorders and aggressions with birds which are kept alone.

With proper care budgerigars can live to be very old. Ages of over 15 years are not uncommon.

Labels: bird feed, birds, budgerigar, budgie, budgie diet, budgie stories, budgies

Everyone knows that to have a pet, you have to be sure you are following through with all of the things that you need to do to make your pet happy and healthy. Some people like to have animals and be involved in the breeding process, and this is a decision that you might decide to make. However, when you have pet birds, as when you have other animals, there are several things that you have to keep in mind before you begin breeding.

You should never get into the business of breeding your pet birds or any other animal unless you want to do good things for the particular breed. You should never get into the business of breeding animals for the money, or for the experience. If you want to be breeding your pet bird, you have to be sure that you are doing it so that you can help the breed of bird that you have, and that you can do good things for the birds. You want to be sure that your motives are completely genuine, because breeding for money always leads to problems.

After you are sure that you are breeding animals for the right reasons, the next step to take is to make sure that you have all of the knowledge that you need to be breeding that particular animal. With birds, this means that you have researched the type of bird you are breeding and that you understand what this kind of bird needs to thrive and what its breeding and producing of babies takes from the owner. You have to be sure that you have all of the things that are necessary, and that you have done all of the research that you have to do to make sure that the breeding can be successful.

The last thing that you have to be sure that you are doing is being a responsible breeder. This goes along with breeding of any animal, not just your birds. Being a responsible breeder means that you are willing to learn about the birds, and that you are willing to find homes for any offspring that you might have. Being a breeder that is responsible is something that you have to strive to be, and there are a lot of things that go along with it. This is why breeding of animals is something that you have to think about and make wise decisions about first.

Labels: birds, budgerigar, budgie care, budgie pictures, budgie stories, budgies

This week was a little strange for me.

I have had many pets in my life...dogs, cats, fish, rabbits...etc. and the only time I really cried was for the death of one of my dogs when I was 7 years old. I am now 43 and didn't realize how profound an effect the death of one of my favorite budgies would have upon me until it happened this Monday. This is for a few different reasons but the most important being the fact that he was the healthiest bird of my aviary. I checked everything and it seems he just died. No blood, no wounds, no struggle...he just lay down and died.

So what makes something so full of life give up the ghost. Well...I think it could be loneliness that broke his heart. I recently bought two new hens and if you know anything about budgies then you know that it doesn't matter to them what gender a bird is as long as they have a partner. So it's very common to have gay pairs. Anyway, to cut a long story short, his cock (partner) became interested in one of the hens and wouldn't feed him or clean him like he was used to. In fact he totally ignored him and just drooled over the babes. I knew he had a little psycho stress but I didn't think he was suicidal !

He was such a beautiful singer and was the friendliest and most social of all my birds. And even though I had thought I would be immune to sadness at such a ripe old age, it did leave me a bit depressed for a few days.

But luckily the other budgies are there and I can grow closer bonds with the 2 new hens. But my favorite cock "poopy" will never be forgotten.

May he rest in peace.

Labels: bird feed, birds, budgie, budgie care, budgie diet, death, die, pet birds

Firstly, birds will be attracted by the geographic location of your garden.

To find out which birds are at the moment in the geographic area, you will have to consult the specialty magazines and documentations. Maybe even the whether guy can provide some information regarding this aspect although this is not always true. Libraries and book stores have books based on migration, on the roads that some bird species take to get to their summer or winter residence. Also, taking pictures of bird you see around you and confronting them with informative materials that you already have or searching for information related to them can be an option to find out if these bird are going to make a stop in the area you live in.

Birds need water. This is highly important. A bath or a pool, no matter the size or the material, would instantly attract many bird families, even wild ducks and gooses.

If you could also arrange a place where they could find some food, bird seeds, bread or anything else they might like, that would increase the chances they made an escapade in your garden. You can try, for instance with corn. Seeds of any type also hold an answer to the question related to attracting birds towards your garden. The seeds that almost all birds prefer are sun-flower seeds, extremely easy to find, and cheep also. Anyway, before buying the seeds, you should make a list with all the birds that are in the area and with every bird’s food preferences to assure you can provide food for many types of birds present.

These are the first steps that you have to make to attract birds in your garden. The second step is keeping away from the garden all the things that might scare or disturb birds. Animals from the next garden, neighbor’s dogs can scare the birds. Try and ask the neighbors to keep the dogs chained or in the house, because they are mostly scared by dogs.

Also, you must know that some birds do not agree with each other, so that a certain species might avoid your garden because there is another species in it. Some can also stay away because of the fact you have children and the noise is too loud, and others can stay away because the place doesn’t look natural enough. So, knowing their nature and customs can be a decisive factor in bringing them in our backyard.

Labels: bird feed, birds, budgerigar, budgie stories, budgies