Pet budgies have always been a popular exotic species to own. On average they live between 7 and 15 years and provide the owner with companionship, beauty and song. But, keeping a budgie at home is no simple task as they have many unique and specific requirements to ensure their quality of life is acceptable. So, what are some of these requirements? Let’s find out.
Table of contents
Firstly, what exactly is a budgie?
A budgie, or budgerigar, belongs to the parakeet species which in turn belongs to the psittacine order. Generally speaking, there are two main captive budgies, the English and the American, which differ slightly in appearance. The former has a broader head and chest, whilst the latter has a more athletic build.
Should I own a budgie?
A difficult question. As with all pets, one shouldn’t simply buy a budgie naively. A lot of time and effort needs to be devoted to learning the needs of a captive bird to ensure they receive a high standard and quality of life.
The following outlines the basic needs of a captive/pet budgie:
Diet
Budgies are herbivores, so meat does not form any part of their diet. More specifically, they are granivores so consume grains and seeds to live. A captive diet should include a variety of pellets, fruits, seeds and vegetables. Examples of suitable vegetables include leafy greens, broccoli and corn; BUT they should never be given avocados.
Budgies remove the outer shell, or husk, of the seeds prior to ingestion, therefore do not require grit as part of their diet. It should be noted that seeds are quite high in fat, therefore should not form the majority of a captive budgie’s diet.
Cage requirements
The cage used to house a budgie needs to be away from direct sunlight and be at least 46cm wide and long, however this is regarded as an absolute minimum – in reality birds should be kept in as large an enclosure as possible. The spacing between cage bars should be approximately 9.5mm, to prevent escape, and be horizontal, facilitating climbing. You need to provide several perches, at several different heights to allow your budgie to exercise by jumping between them. Additionally, the diameter of said perches needs to be between 0.95 and 1.9 cm in diameter, allowing easy grip. The perches should vary in material and shape, for mental stimulation, but you need to ensure they are not made from sand paper, as this can make their feet incredibly sore.
Quality of Life needs
There are several things you can do to increase a budgie’s quality of life, which include:
- Being kept in pairs or groups. As budgies are social creatures and not solitary, living in large flocks in the wild, you should always consider keeping more than one budgie together. This will bring comfort to the budgies ultimately providing a better quality of life.
- Regular baths/water misting for healthy plumage.
- Ensuring several toys and chewing objects are provided, which should be changed frequently to ensure your budgie remains intellectually stimulated.
- Time spent out of the cage. In the wild, budgies fly large distances, therefore should not be confined to a cage the majority of the time. You should allow them several hours per day free from their cage which encourages flying and socialisation. However, please make sure the environment is free from potential hazards which your budgie may injure themselves on.
Common diseases and preventative measures
As with many exotic pets with more particular and complex captive requirements, there are many ailments which affect budgies which could ultimately have been prevented with better husbandry and diet. Commonly, diseases arise due to receiving a diet solely consisting of seeds, as this causes a nutritionally deficient diet – for example in vitamin A, calcium and protein. To avoid these types of diseases ensure you provide your budgie with a well-balanced diet. To find out more about common budgie ailments, and how to prevent them, please ask your vet for individual, tailored advice.
Conclusion
This was a quick guide to the requirements in keeping a pet budgie and is by no means an exhaustive list. They are a difficult pet to keep well and require you to spend a lot of time and energy researching and caring for them. But if you have done your research, built an enclosure as big as possible and provide them with ample enrichment items and a well balanced diet, keeping a pet budgie may be the right decision for you.
Discussion