Mary Allen
If you keep two budgies – or even better a small flock – as pets, you will bring funny lodgers into your home. The way the animals interact with one another, their funny behavior, chatter, and their funny actions are simply enchanting to look at. With regular observation, the different bird characters can be quickly distinguished. If the budgie is kept in a species-appropriate manner with plenty of space, the small parrots stay lively and active.
Strong in Swarms: Budgies Need Company
In their Australian homeland, budgies are nomadic, sometimes in huge swarms. The large group offers the birds protection against predators. Because many eyes see more: if a bird detects a predator and sounds the alarm, the whole squad immediately goes to safety. Although the animals enter into monogamous communities, they communicate and act with other swarm members, make friends and of course, also harbor antipathies. There is a complex social structure within the group of birds. The most important thing when keeping budgerigars: Keeping a solitary bird is not appropriate to animal welfare. Even with so much care, you cannot replace conspecifics for the parakeet. Always keep a couple or a small group so that the animals can keep busy with each other.
How Should the Budgie Accommodation Be Like?
As residents of open, savannah-like regions, budgies are cross-country fliers and curve rapidly through the area if they have enough air space available. The space required for a swarm in your home is correspondingly large. A bird room of your own or as much supervised free flight as possible in a secure apartment is ideal. You design the free flight area with bird playgrounds as waiting areas and landing options such as wallboards or rope swings so that you can move in the middle of the crowd.
However, budgies need a place to feed and sleep and for temporary accommodation in the absence of humans. The minimum dimensions for a budgie aviary as a “bedroom” for a couple are 150 x 60 x 100 centimeters. The shape should be simple and square, the grilles mounted horizontally and never painted white – this creates irritating flicker effects in birds. A budgie shelter can never be too big: If you have a small flock and you do not have the opportunity to regularly supervise free flight, you should use an aviary where the birds can use their wings and live out their climbing instinct. A recommended minimum format – again for a couple – is two cubic meters with at least two square meters of floor space.
Is It Possible to Keep Budgies Outside in the Outdoor Aviary?
If you have the option of installing a permanent outdoor aviary: treat your budgies to this pleasure! Environmental stimuli and fresh air are good for the birds’ fitness and balance. Even keeping budgies in winter is possible in an outdoor aviary. In their Australian homeland, the wild birds are exposed to strong temperature fluctuations between day and night and are therefore less sensitive to cold than some keepers suspect. It is only important that the aviary is protected from drafts and has a heated shelter where the birds can retreat at night and when the temperature is too low. Movable aviaries are sometimes advertised as “suitable for outdoor use”. However, this only means that the accommodation can be pushed onto the terrace or balcony by the hour if the weather is suitable. The minimum size for a budgie outdoor aviary is four square meters of floor space plus an indoor area, for example in the form of a converted small garden shed.
What Else Do I Have to Consider When Keeping and Caring for Budgies?
In addition to housing, good and suitable food plays an important role in the life of the small parrots. In order to feed your parakeet flock appropriately, you feed a ration of 1.5 teaspoons of grain mixture per animal and day as well as fresh feed. Pay attention to the details and nutrition tips in the article “Budgie Diet”. As grain eaters, budgies seek their food close to the ground. A central bowl on the aviary floor for grains ensures sociability, feed dispensers are rather impractical. The real-life of the parakeet takes place on the upper floors of the aviary or the free-flight room: Whoever conquers the highest seat has an overview. Also, provide the animals with a selection of stimulating toys. Bells and movement toys such as swings or climbing rings are always popular. Always give preference to natural wood for toys and interior design. This allows the birds to live out their natural gnawing instinct; In addition, the unevenly shaped bars are ideal for training the foot muscles.
The Vet Visit: How Do I Transport the Bird to the Practice?
Whether for disease treatment or for routine claw cutting – every now and then a budgie has to go to the vet. Depending on what is going on, you choose a suitable transport container:
Transport options for the vet visit
- Bird transport box: These mini accommodations are actually only suitable for the short-term transport of a single bird. For the vet, a transport box has the advantage that the animal can be reached through the box without stress and without hunting.
- Small transport cage: If it is foreseeable that the bird – for observation or after an operation – will have to stay in the practice for a while, a mobile “sick room” is acceptable for a short period of time.
By the way: Preferably use the car (or taxi) to transport the bird: A long walk outdoors or journeys on public transport means stress for the animal.
What Do I Do With My Budgie During the Holiday Season?
During vacation time, budgie keepers are faced with the question of where the birds should spend their vacation. The answer is simple: if possible, at home in their familiar surroundings. Every unnecessary change of location means stress for the birds; taking it to a vacation spot is not a good idea. The ideal is a carer who conscientiously looks after the birds while you are away. It is best to team up with other parakeet keepers in your area and organize mutual holiday care. The holiday representative should find everything that is needed in terms of feed and consumables such as litter on site. List in detail all the instructions he will need to take care of the animals. If holiday care is not possible in your own home, you may find a helpful acquaintance who temporarily takes the birds into his household – a short transport in the box to the “holiday boarding house” is more justifiable for the birds than a long-distance journey. But: The birds must never be left completely unsupervised. Even if you’re only away for a short weekend getaway, someone should look after the animals.