I just rehomed by retired breeders to an sanctuary, and the 2 oldest were 11 years old...And yes, personally I know other breeders with Budgies over 20, one that is 21, while I have heard of others living over 25.
It's all about diet, environment, and healthcare. The first rule is weaning the bird onto a healthy pellet diet with a healthy seed mix as only a supplement, along with lots of daily fresh veggies and fruits. I also have been giving all of my birds a daily probiotic supplement on their food since I had Keety, as I learned this from my mother. It helps with digestion and keeps yeast/fungal infections away. And getting a yearly wellness exam done with a Certified Avian Vet that includes fecal cultures and routine blood work is also a part of the plan...
Great to know about Budgies that cross 20. It takes a lot of dedication on the caretaker not to look at these birds purely in economic terms.
The world record when this article was written in the early 2000s was 29 years 2 months. But to be realistic, any pet owner who has kept a budgie for 10 or more years had done a great job.
The Long And The Short Of It
Coming to India
1. Yes Diet is important. Pellet diets are not common in India. But a seed diet with multiple grains and lot of veggies would hold good I presume.
2. PROBIOTICS - Yes! Many pet owners should realise these are much more important than antibiotics. But which are the right types for birds and do they vary with species? Would natural yoghurt from cow or water buffalo milk make a good probiotic?
3. Certified Avian veterinarians with expertise in Parrot medication. These are practically non existent or very inaccessible.
If the above 3 factors are addressed, Well being and lifespan of budgies and indeed all parrots can greatly improve.
I guess we have digressed greatly from the original topic, but this is important
cheers
Avin
I understand the issues and limitations of keeping a pet parrot in some countries, particularly the issue with finding a proper Avian Vet. However, they do exist in India, they are few and far between, but it seems that in every emergency post made by someone in India with a sick or injured bird, when they say that there are no Avian Vets anywhere near them, we are able to fine at least 2 or 3 online that are close enough to them to see, and it works out pretty well. So even though you may not be aware of any Avian Vets near you, do not just assume that there aren't any, you have to do a search online.
The other thing to keep in mind is that there are a good number of livestock vets in India which specialize in poultry birds, and if you do a thorough search online and cannot find an Avian Specialist/Parrot Specialist (I suggest if this ever happens you post here about it and have us try to find one near you before giving up), then the next best Vet is going to be a Poultry Specialist, as chickens, ducks, all game birds and poultry are still birds, they still have the same basic anatomy and physiology, and the same basic Avian medicine applies.
As far as probiotics go, it's not a good idea to give birds any milk products or anything with lactose in it, as this can cause an upset GI tract, vomiting, loose stools, and even sour crop. In the US when a parrot or a reptile, such as a Bearded Dragon has a fungal/yeast infection within their GI tracts and the owner has no probiotics on-hand, we can buy Soy Yogurt to give to the bird or the reptile, and yes, this works very well and will not upset them because there is no milk/lactose. But I would stay away from any milk-based or lactose-based yogurts.
As for which probiotics to give them as just a regular, daily supplement, you can simply use an acidophilus supplement, or you can you a multi-probiotic strain supplement. Here we can buy "Avian" Probiotic powders at pet shops, but the truth be known, there is absolutely no difference between these Avian Probiotic supplements that contain many different strains and a human-grade probiotic supplement. I used to buy an Avian Probiotic powder at the pet shop, but now I give all of my birds the same daily Probiotic supplement that I take. I buy it at the grocery store, drug store, or department store, they all carry it, and it's a Probiotic supplement that contains many different strains of bacteria, PLUS it also contains several different strains of naturally-occurring Digestive Enzymes, which can help to keep their crops clean and ensure they always fully empty. I often here complaints from people, especially in my Bearded Dragon forums, about how expensive Probiotic supplements are and how they are too expensive to buy for pets...Well, I buy a bottle of 200 tablets of Spring Valley brand Digestive Enzymes with Probiotics at any Walmart for $5.87. I crush a tablet up to a very fine powder in a mortar/pestle and then sprinkle it all over the top of my bird's pellets or their supplemental seed/grain mix. That's all there is to it.
And yes, I know it's hard to find any Avian pellets, let alone good ones that are fortified with probiotics and such. As stated, the key to feeding your birds just a seed and grain mix is to make sure that you use a large variety of different seeds, grains, legumes, etc., and go easy on the high-fat seeds such as the millets, as this is the leading cause of Fatty Liver Disease in pet parrots, and one of the largest reasons that pet birds die young. With Budgies in-particular, especially in the US, the main reason they die so young is because most people buy a really crappy, high-fat, awful "Small Bird" seed mix that is nothing but different kinds of millet seeds and usually some sort of sunflower seeds, both extremely high in fat. So the poor Budgies develop Fatty Liver Disease and then the other problem that compounds with the Fatty Liver Disease is the fact that most people don't give their Budgies any exercise at all, when they need to be able to get proper exercise every single day.
