The Budgerigar
Budgerigar
Name Dutch: Budgerigar
Scientific name: Melopsittacus undulatus
Origin: Australië
Age: Average 5-10 years (in captivity).
Height: About 18 to 20 cm from head to tail tip.
Birth: Egg laying (Average 4 to 5 eggs per nest). These hatch after about 18 days.
Activity: Day active
Legislation: No CITES, but legislation: Must be at least 43 days old before they can leave their parents.
Climate: From a desert climate to a (sub)tropical climate.
Stay: A large cage or aviary with a loose java tree or playground.
Minimum size: Minimum dimensions 80x40x60cm. ''The bigger the better''.
Food: (70%) Pellets and/or Nutri-Berries in combination with (30%) seeds, fruit, vegetables and nuts. Always provide stomach grit with a seed mixture.
Description
The budgerigar is one of the most commonly kept bird species in the living room. Many people know someone who has a budgerigar, who spends the whole day chatting in the living room. This social characteristic also makes the parakeet so suitable as a pet. Budgerigars are relatively easy to care for. It is best to get two budgerigars so that they have a buddy and are not alone.
A male budgerigar and a female budgerigar look the same except for the nose cap. In adult budgerigars, the male parakeet can be recognized by its (dark) blue nose cap and a female (also called a ''doll'') parakeet has a pink/brown nose cap with sometimes a bluish haze. When the female is broody, this nose cap becomes darker and is clearly dark brown. In young budgerigars, the nose cap has a white/pearl-like color. We often see that the colors of the nose caps seem reversed. Young females often have a white/pearl-like nose cap with light blue edges. While a young male has a pink nose cap with often a blue/purple haze.
Budgerigars live an average of 5-10 years. But if you take good care of your budgerigar with good nutrition, climate, UV light, and so on, they can even live up to 15 to 20 years old.
The breeding season
During the breeding season, females lay an average of 4 to 5 eggs. Sometimes there are outliers and they lay more. During incubation, the female remains on the nest and the male will be on the lookout. In addition, he regularly visits the nest to feed his doll as she prefers not to leave the nest. After about 18 days of incubation, the budgies hatch eggs. The young are then completely dependent on the parents. They are therefore fed in the nest. After about 4 to 5 weeks they can leave the nest for the first time. They also start feeding themselves. The advice is to add spray millet to young budgerigars.
Minimal age
Because young parakeets still have a lot to learn from their parents such as, "What it's like to be a real parakeet", "What can I eat and what not", "How do I get along with other budgies" and so on. On 1 July 2014 a law came into effect ''Decree holders of animals'' stating the minimum age an animal must be before it can leave its parents. After research, they have determined that a budgerigar cannot leave its parents for 43 days. This gives the bird plenty of time to develop with its natural parents.
a buddy
Budgerigars don't like being left alone and if left alone in a cage all day, they can get bored quickly. Our advice is therefore to furnish the cage as fun and challenging as possible. It is also our advice not to keep a budgerigar alone. Two male budgerigars are easy to keep together. A pair of budgerigars (a male and a female together) also generally works well.
However, 2 couples or 2 dolls together often causes problems. Both combinations are therefore not recommended. When introducing the 2 birds that do not yet know each other, you should pay close attention to whether there is a click between the two birds. When pairing the budgies, make sure that the cage has been completely refurbished (you can do this by removing, moving or replacing items). The environment is new for both budgies and they can explore everything together.
If a bird has been alone for a long time, it is sometimes difficult to add a second bird. A size is often desired, but it must be carefully checked whether this size is suitable. This partly depends on the species of bird, but the individual character of the bird must also be carefully considered. Because maybe he/she prefers to be alone and not at all waiting for a (busy) boyfriend.
Tame
Budgerigars can be tamed well. There are several methods to do this. But it always takes a lot of patience. For example, you can do this by offering a treat in an open hand and waiting for the budgerigar to come up to you to take a peek at what you have to offer. This way you teach the budgerigar not to be afraid of your hands.
If the parakeet is a little less afraid, you can try if he wants to step on your hand or finger to eat something tasty that you offer between your thumb and index finger. If successful, try getting the budgerigar to step on your index finger and place it on your shoulder. It is always the advice to give the budgerigar time to grow towards you and if you take the time to do this you will have a friendship for life!
The diet of a budgerigar
In general, crooked beaks eat seeds, nuts, fruits and vegetables, in varying proportions depending on the species of bird. But beware: if they get the chance, they often eat selectively. This selective eating behavior can cause problems in the short or long term. This is because in the selective eating behavior the need generally goes out for the fattest seeds and unfortunately not for the healthiest vegetables. They are in fact ''just like children'': if they can choose between Brussels sprouts or pancakes, 9 times out of 10 they will really choose that delicious pancake.
Reward
Crooked beaks are best when they are tame. This can be achieved by starting this at a young age. Take your time for this, a bird is not tame one day! Take the bird with you regularly and then reward it with a (healthy) tasty snack. This can also be a piece of fruit or vegetable, for example. The more often you handle your bird, the more used it will become and the tamer it will become. There will be another page about this later.
Interior of the cage
It is preferable to use natural sticks with different sizes to furnish the cage, because these sticks are soft on the legs, they can wear their nails well, they have more grip and because of the different sizes they also train the legs. There are various ground covers on the market such as natural bedding, beech chips, corbo and shell sand. It is mainly a matter of testing what suits you and your bird. Natural materials, such as Discovery Bedding, are the best because they are closest to what your bird would have in nature and it also gives the cage a natural, nice look.
Budgie toys
To avoid boredom, it is best to have a buddy for your budgerigar. After all, you are not always at home and loneliness sets in quickly with parakeets. Parakeet toys are also recommended for the cage. There are special demolition toys for parakeets. The toy is made so that parakeets can destroy it, this is natural behavior and should be stimulated. This allows them to have a good time and they do not proceed to demolish the cage or other things. In addition to demolition toys, foraging toys are highly recommended, do not offer food in a simple bowl, but in a playful way.
More information?
Do you want more information about the budgerigar? Or have you become curious whether a budgerigar is something for you?
Please feel free to visit us to see what we have for sale. Our bird staff are happy to inform and help you. We always sell budgerigars with a warranty. If there is anything, after the warranty period you can of course always contact us!
