Bird Lover's Guide: Basics of Caring for The Budgies Parrot

The bigger the cage, the better, so long as the cage bars are not wide enough for your budgie to put his head through. Anything up to 3/4" should be fine. I recommend a cage at least 10" x 16" x 16" for one or two budgies, if they are allowed out of the cage frequently. Round cages are not recommended. Birds tend to be more nervous if they don't have corners in their cage. Also, fitting perches, dishes, and toys on round cages can be troublesome.

PERCHES

Your cage probably came with plain wooden dowel perches. Please do not keep these as the only perches in the cage. If the bird is only able to perch on one type of surface, he may develop foot problems. Pet stores sell a variety of other perches made of natural wood, rope, and other materials. Even better, dry branches from outdoors are exactly what bird feet are designed for. If you use only dead, dry, but not rotting wood, you shouldn't have to worry about any poisons. You may want to bake the wood for fifteen minutes or so, or put it in the freezer overnight to kill any possibly parasites.

Please do not use the gravel perches or perch covers available in pet shops. They will do very little to wear your bird's nails down, and may cause him sore feet. In some types, the glue used to hold the gravel on may even be toxic.

FEED CUPS

You may want to buy an extra set, so that you can use one set while cleaning or waiting to clean the other. Most cups sold with cages are plastic, some are better than others. When I have a choice, I prefer rounded cups because corners are difficult to clean. Stainless steel cups are the easiest to disinfect and will last for a long time.

Water cups should be cleaned daily if possible. Bacteria builds up quickly in water, especially if it is the least bit dirty. Food cups can be cleaned and refilled as necessary. Birds have very high metabolisms and will not last long without food or water, so you should check their cups at least daily.

CAGE LINERS

I use plain newspaper and recommend it. Birds do not normally ingest the paper so the possibility of the ink being toxic shouldn't be a concern. Other substrates are available, and most work well. Corn cob bedding may grow the dangerous Aspergillus fungus, so if you use it, it should be changed frequently. Pine and cedar beddings are not recommended because they are known to cause respiratory problems in many small animals. Aspen shavings are fine, though. CareFresh, Yesterday's News, and other recycled paper beddings are also excellent. Never use clay kitty litter, because the bird may ingest it and it could cause intestinal blockages.

TOYS

Budgies like toys and they offer some fun in what would otherwise be a pretty boring cage. It's important that you give your bird some variety in toys, and offer new ones fairly regularly. Birds get easily bored with the same old toys.

Be careful about which toys you buy. Not all are entirely safe for birds. Some contain galvanized wire or fasteners which can cause zing poisoning. Most are fine, though. Budgies seem to especially enjoy swings, mirrors, and toys with plastic beads, bells, and rope or twine. They don't chew wood much unless it's very soft, but most do love to chew paper and cardboard. Home-made toys make great toys, too. Paper towel tubes, small cardboard boxes, magazine subscription cards, popsicle sticks and all sorts of other things can be made into toys. You can even buy beads and other items from craft stores if you want to get more elaborate. Be careful of jingle bells, which can catch beaks and toenails in their little openings, and any painted items if they aren't labeled as bird-safe or child-safe.

Do keep an eye on your bird's toys. Unraveled rope should be snipped back so the bird can't tangle his foot in it. Any metal pieces that get rusty should be removed. Cracked plastic toys or mirrors may need to be thrown out.

FEEDING

A seed diet is NOT good enough for budgies. Seed does not have enough of several vitamins, too much of others, and too much fat. Seed-only diets cause illness and eventually death. Your bird should eat a variety of foods. If you bought your bird from me, he should be used to eating many foods and shouldn't be picky.

Pelleted diets are a good basis. I recommend those without artificial colors or preservatives, such as as Hagen Tropican, Lefeber's, and Mazuri. Don't believe the packages if they tell you pellets are the only thing you should feed. Others foods should be fed as well, including seed. I feed my birds pellets some days, seed others, because if I mix them the birds will eat only the seeds.

Besides pellets and seeds, vegetables should be fed at least several times a week. Green vegetables and vegetables high in vitamin A are especially good, such as spinach, dark green lettuce, broccoli and broccoli leaves, Brussel sprouts, carrots and carrot tops, sweet potatoes, and squash. Most vegetables can be fed either raw or cooked. Fruits are good too, especially apricots, mangos, papayas, peaches and cantaloupes. Most other fruits and vegetables can be fed, too, except for avocados which are toxic to birds. Fresh produce is better than frozen, and frozen is better than canned, but even canned can be fed so long as it doesn't contain extra salt, sugar or artifical preservatives.

Other foods such as pasta, rice, beans, bread, cereal, cooked eggs, cheese, yogurt and other "people food" can be fed, too. Even cooked white meat is good for birds on occasion. Avoid feeding junk food as much as possible, but a little is okay now and then. NEVER feed your bird chocolate, avocado, alcohol or caffeine, as these can be toxic to birds.

GRIT?

You do not need to give your bird grit. The only birds that need grit are those that swallow their food whole, such as doves and chickens. Budgies dehull their seeds and chew their food before eating, so grit is unnecessary. It can even be dangerous if the bird eats too much of it, because it may cause an impacted crop.

BUDGIES AND OTHER PETS

Other pets can be a danger to your bird. Budgies have quick, fluttery movements that are very attractive to predatory animals. Cats in particular often don't want to leave budgies alone. Cats are additionally dangerous because they carry bacteria in their saliva that can kill your bird. If a cat scratches or bites your budgie, he should be rushed to the vet for antibiotics even if he seems fine. It often doesn't prove deadly until about a day later. Most dogs can be trained not to bother the bird in the cage, but a fluttery bird flying or landing near the dog may be irresistable. There should always be a closed door between your budgie and any other pet you think could be a danger to him.

Your budgie may or may not get along with another bird. Most budgies get along great with other budgies, although they may quarrel sometimes, especially at first. Cockatiels also often are good friends for budgies, because although they're bigger, they're very laid-back. Finches and canaries are NOT good budgie companions, at least not in the same cage, because budgies tend to be nippy and mean with these birds. If they're in different cages though, budgies often seem to enjoy their sounds and movement in the same room.

Bigger parrots should also be watched around budgies. Bigger parrots have bigger beaks and could seriously harm your little budgie, even if they're just curious and don't mean any harm. The same is true of lovebirds, which aren't much bigger than budgies but have much bigger beaks and tend to be more aggressive.

HOUSEHOLD DANGERS

The best thing you can do to prevent any accidents is to supervise your bird whenever he's not in the cage. The cage door should never be left open, even if the bird normally stays in or on his cage.

Windows and doors should be shut or screened whenever your bird is out, even if his wings are clipped. Standing water, such as toilets and fish tanks, should be covered or kept behind a closed door. It's best not to have your bird in the kitchen if there's anything cooking on the stove. Don't let him chew on anything you're not sure is safe, especially metal items that may contain zinc or iron. Use your common sense.

Other, less obvious dangers could kill your bird. In particular, non-stick cookware can be a serious hazard. If the non-stick coating is cracked or broken, or if the pan is heated over 500 degrees f, it may release fumes which kill birds in a matter of minutes. Very few survive and those that do usually have lasting lung damage. I don't use non-stick pans out of concern for the safety of my birds, but if you must, please be very careful. If you just once forget and leave a pan on the burner, that may be the end of your bird.

Other fumes can be harmful to birds as well. Most things that come out of spray-cans should be used with caution around your bird, such as air fresheners, deoderant, cleaning supplies etc. It's okay to use them, just don't use them right around the bird's cage. Carpet powders can be dangerous, even those labelled for use around dogs and cats. Paint fumes can be dangerous, and if you're painting, your bird should be kept as far away as possible in a well-ventilated room. Of course, it should be obvious that tobacco smoke is very dangerous to birds, even moreso than it is to humans. Never smoke in the same room as your bird. You should also wash your hands between smoking and handling the bird, because the nicotine can get from your hands to his feet and cause sores.

HEALTH CARE

Birds do not normally require regular vet checks like dogs do, but it's a good idea to get them checked once at first so your veterinarian can get to know them. That way, if you have to bring them in later, your vet will know what is normal for your birds.

Not all vets will treat birds, and not all vets that say they treat birds really know much about them. If possible, you should find an avian veterinarian in your area. A list of avian vets can be found on this website:

http://www.aav.org

If you can't find an avian vet near you, try contacting animal shelters or bird breeders in your area and ask them who they recommend.

If you think there's something wrong with your bird, you should take him to the vet as soon as possible. Birds often don't show any signs they are sick until they are VERY ill, sometimes close to death.

DON'T USE PET SHOP MEDICATIONS

Most pet shops stock a variety of antibiotics, medications, and ointments for pet birds. These so-called "remedies" should never be used on your pet. They're the equivalent of snake oils, and even the ones that work should only be used under the direction of a veterinarian. Used improperly they may harm your bird. This includes products that are supposed to get rid of mice, lites and other parasites. Some of these pesticides are very toxic and could kill your bird if ingested. Your veterinarian has safer and more effective ways to get rid of parasites, should they be a problem.

LIFESPAN

A healthy, well cared for budgie should live as long as a dog, or about 8-15 years. Unfortunately, many budgies don't last this long, due to poor breeding or poor care. In particular, budgies are prone to tumors which frequently show up at around 4-6 years and may be fatal. Seed only diets often kill them in a similar period of time. It's unfortunate that the popularity of budgies has actually lowered their lifespans because of inbreeding, mass-producing and poor education about their care.