Possible budgie! Should I?

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SolarEclipse

New member
Jul 24, 2014
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Hey :)
I am hoping to get a budgie and I would like to know the basics before I see to get one.

Any cage, food, and toy suggestions? I kind of want to get from a pet store, since the bond I'll get would be stronger if I built it myself.

Not for sure if I'm getting one yet, but I thought I would ask y'all to get a feeling on what a commitment it would be. I have had some pets and currently do, and they are all amazing, and I'm very devoted to being a pet parent.

Thanks for your time!!:09:
 
well, cage and toys and food are pretty simple for budgies, theyre more easily met than other parrots due to how many stores have more small bird products.

minimum for a single budgies is 18"x18"x24" but bigger is always better if you can. make sure bar spacing is 1/2" because theyre so little.

food.... seed, veggies, cuttlebone... pellets are good, but you can also choose to go the other way and offer sprouts, eggfood, etc. variety is the best, but make sure if you do choose pellets you only offer 20-30% of the diet because theyre so high in protein. budgies come from an arid habitat and their little bodies have adapted to the lower-nutrient diet. their little bodies cant handle high amounts of protein and such (same goes for cockatiels, lovebirds, etc). some people are against pellets, some are for them. personally i like pellets to bridge any gap in the diet that i am missing because you dont know how much your bird is getting when you balance their diet. it rules out any vitamins and nutrients you are missing. in the end, its the owners choice and i think too many people get their underwear in a bunch trying to argue with one another over it.

toys, they like things they can shred, bells, beads, foraging toys... i think foraging toys are especially important for birds as its enrichment that they dont often get in captivity. they have to find their food in the wild but we offer their food freely in captivity. so its always great to encourage your bird to work for treats and such and allows them to use their minds.

i have nothing against good pet stores myself, nor will i ever judge where someone gets a bird. some suggest rescue, some breeders, and some pet store. all have their pros and cons. but tame or untame, you can find them at other places besides a pet store too. keep in mind some people may not agree with the pet store idea, but its your decision :)
 
I think it's great that you're doing some research FIRST before trying a new type of pet :).

Budgies are a VERY active species. As far as a cage goes, is get what they call a "flight cage". Click this link for an example of a flight cage. I'm thinking of getting my Budgie Twigs one of these. HQ Flight Bird Cage - Presented by BirdsComfort.com

Flight cages are large and roomy so the little guy can fly around and not feel cramped in one of those little typical "parakeet cages". Plus, they're specifically made for smaller birds with the appropriate bar spacing and wire gauge. Also remember, after you fill the cage with plenty of toys, swing, ladder, perches, etc. that takes up a significant amount of room.

My little guy Twigs loves the toys made of soft balsa wood or yucca wood, he loves dinging bells, toys from shreddable materials like wicker or palm leaf, tiny brightly colored bead toys, etc. Remember that for chewing toys it needs to be softer woods or materials or very thin pine like Popsicle stick toys, otherwise their little beaks are not strong enough. That's good news for your flesh though! Their little nips can hurt, but don't draw blood.

*Generally speaking* males are going to be more easy going and tame more readily than females. However, that is not always the case... my Twigs is male, and is just a more wild natured guy.

Get ready for some NOISE!! :eek: When I got Twigs and his late buddy, I couldn't believe how much noise came from such a little body. I enjoy the males singing and twittering, but they also have screaming fits at times, and it's surprisingly loud.

An ideal diet for a budgie would be sprouted seeds (like they eat in the wild), dry seed mix, fresh vegetables, high quality pellets.

If you can think of anything else you'd like to know just ask again :). Many of us here have Budgie experience.

Edit: I just realized the above post (DallyTsuka) came in as I was still typing ;) Great advice.
 
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Raven- thanks for the link! It's HUGE! And will definitely work! I am going to get a big selection of toys, and I was thinking about doing seeds ( a little bit) and possibly pellets, thank you,Dally! Mostly, hopefully, fruits and veggies, and how do you cook the eggs and greens, etc? Is there any certain beans of eggs, like would Egglands Best be ok? I don't like them, but I'd cook some for the Keet :). A little bit of millet to train, too! Thanks guys!
 
Sprouting For Healthier Birds

See the link above! Sprouted seeds are great for birds. Basically, you take parrot seed and soak it until it just barely germinates and has the tiniest little sprout budding out of it.

Most beans are okay for birds, but some of them require cooking. I cook all of them to be safe.

It's really awesome that you're so eager to do all the right things for your new bird!! Whatever budgie you pick up is going to be a lucky bird. :)
 
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Thank you, Kisota! I will definitely look into the article. I'm sure that bird would be! The problem is, I'm at school 8-3, would this be a problem? I would more than likely have him/her out in the morning, and after I do my homework. So they'll still get plenty of out of cage time. Beans, such as green beans, you mean? I gore peppers (green or jalapeƱo idk) would these be ok? No one wants them cuz they "aren't spicy enough" and I would of course make sure it's fine with everyone in the house first ^^
 
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Ok so anyone-- how do you get seeds with no chemicals or anything that could harm your bird? Could u get these at Walmart? Also I'm honestly kind of confused about what u need to sprout them XD
 
Walmart brands usually are really cheaply made and often are old.

Brands like Higgins are good.

When buying seed, make sure it's as dust free as possible, free of sticks and such. I buy my pet store's favourite blend. My birds love it and it's a nice clean seed. If you are in Canada I could link you the brand.

You can buy seed online too. I'll link you to some products of interest in a few minutes when I get on the computer (I'm on my phone currently)

As for school, it's not too bad as long as you let him out when you come home and give him a few hours of interaction. You may want to consider two budgies if you can't meet that. Leaving the radio on low during the day is good.

I work so the flock here has to wait til I'm home to have interaction. Single birds may become lonely if you don't spend enough time with them. I leave kids movies on for my birds :)

However, two birds means double the cost, double the vet costs should they get sick, double the food, double the toys, and if they don't get along double the attention and cages!
 
Also, you are in school... one thing.

If you live with your parents, are they willing to pay for the upkeep and for the vet costs? Or do you have your own income?

Not meaning to pry, nor is it really my business :p you don't need to answer this if you don't want to regardless, but it's something to consider :)
 
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I have my cockatiel in this cage Bird Cages & Aviaries: Prevue Wrought Iron Flight Cage F040 w/ Stand. Which has recently gone up $25 but I love the cage so does my tiel. For seeds you can usually find better values places other than wal-mart. I know at my local wal-mart its $6 for 2lbs of seed but at the local country store it's $10 for 5lbs which provides a greater value I also recently just tried sprouting for the first time and it's super simple theres a couple ways reccommended in my thread about sprouting questions listed under the diet and recipes section. Also make sure your bird has a varitey of perches in different sizes and preferably mostly natural wood and keep the straight dowels to a minimum. The perches are inexpenisve I have gotten almost all my perches for $5 or less at petco.
 
I would give the budgie hafl seeds and half pellets. I would also give it vegies and fruits. My cocktiel has eaten veggies yet but we are trying to convert from seeds to pellets and to some greens.
Best of Luck
 
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I have a parakeet now as well right now, but now I'm considering getting a GCC instead of a parakeet, but we'll see. I think my parents will allow it when they see how hard I'm working with my Keet :)
 
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