# Budgies



## Queen Dancer (Aug 16, 2013)

I am thinking of getting a budgie. I have been reaserching them for quite a few hours, however I feel many websites try to shine the best light possible on pets and in the process tend to leave out or even make up facts. So I want the truth. Budgies pros and cons? How to take care of them? What to feed them? Anything you can tell me is useful. Thank you


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## Guest (Aug 16, 2013)

Hello I used to breed Budges so know a little about them my experience with them - 

I would prefer to see a budgie in an aviary rather then a cage I don't like cages for birds I think their cruel and many birds spend too much time locked up.

Budgies are chattery little birds and relatively quite compaired to other species of parakeets, males are very good talkers my friends learnt to copy words from its owners which included a few very clear swearwords!

They are inexpensive to keep food is very affordable as are toys, treets ect.

They are easy to tame male or female but boys are the talkers. Males will have blue ceres (the nose skin) and a young female will have a pink cere while the older ones will have a browner one.

They are very good birds to start out with but as I mentioned early due to their intellegence I would prefer to see a budgie in an aviary then in a cage I'm not a fan of birds in cages as many designs are too small to mention.

Please ensure that you only buy from show bred lines not BYB's or pet stores, be sure your budgie hand reared so you can have the best bond. All though that said they are pretty easy to tame. Show bred budgies are more expensive but well worth it.


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## Sleeping_Lion (Mar 19, 2009)

Prowl, I've found with younger budgies the cere can change colour, so you think you've bought a boy, and then the cere alters to pink/brown and you realise you've bought a hen!! The only true and reliable way I've found to tell them apart is to handle them when young, if it's a hen, you may lose a finger  

Joking aside, it's not easy to tell youngsters apart, and you need to buy a youngster if you want them to be a pet. So the eye should still be all or mostly black with no white iris, and the striations, which are the stripes across their head, should come all the way over and down to the cere, as they grow older, they lose the striations at the front and have a white or coloured cap. Although some varieties don't have the striations or many marking so again, it can be difficult to tell. The necklace and spots around their chest are usually something that develops as they age as well. If you're not sure, try and find someone who knows more about budgies and they should be able to help


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## Guest (Aug 16, 2013)

Sleeping_Lion said:


> Prowl, I've found with younger budgies the cere can change colour, so you think you've bought a boy, and then the cere alters to pink/brown and you realise you've bought a hen!! The only true and reliable way I've found to tell them apart is to handle them when young, if it's a hen, you may lose a finger
> 
> Joking aside, it's not easy to tell youngsters apart, and you need to buy a youngster if you want them to be a pet. So the eye should still be all or mostly black with no white iris, and the striations, which are the stripes across their head, should come all the way over and down to the cere, as they grow older, they lose the striations at the front and have a white or coloured cap. Although some varieties don't have the striations or many marking so again, it can be difficult to tell. The necklace and spots around their chest are usually something that develops as they age as well. If you're not sure, try and find someone who knows more about budgies and they should be able to help


LOL yes true some people find it very hard to tell females from males a young male cere can be a pureply blue colour making it hard to tell but a female who is young is ALL WAYS pink!

In the hens it browns as she gets older and I think males have braorder heads too.

Young birds can be identified by their eyes they have very dark eyes whem their younger.

Even adult birds are fairly easy to tame though boys are generaally easier to befriend then the girls.


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## GeoffLondon (Feb 17, 2010)

LOL, yes, hens have a nasty bite...I've had blood drawn more than once.

Budgies are great little birds and I'd highly recommend them. I've kept them in an aviary, but I've also a pair in a large cage and they were happy enough to start laying eggs. They really don't cost much to keep - and if you want to keep seed costs down you can buy food from online stores, such as Haiths. I do that and buy big bags of seeds which is MUCH cheaper than buying little boxes of Trill etc. 

I agree with buying birds young...they're easier to handle and tame at this age. If you can, search for a local breeder so you can visit them and pick out a budgie. That way, if you choose a male and it develops into a hen, you can probably go back and swap it. With a pet shop that's not really possible.

Good luck!


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## Queen Dancer (Aug 16, 2013)

While I see why The Aviary may be better, I am only getting one and am not keen to setting one up for it. I would like to get a cage that the bird would be happy in. I would let the bird out. I would like to ask what kind of cage should I get and how often should I let the bird out? Also how often should I clean the cage?


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## Sleeping_Lion (Mar 19, 2009)

You can buy indoor aviaries these days, that allow birds to stretch their wings. They're not hugely expensive, if you search around you may be able to pick one up second hand. 

Depending what size cage/aviary you get, that depends on how often you clean it out. I used to have a couple of budgies in a large indoor aviary, and cleaned it out once a week. You will find however, that they have favourite sleeping perches and you really need to clean up every day to remove the night time piles of poop. I used cat litter in the bottom of my aviary, worked a treat.


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## Queen Dancer (Aug 16, 2013)

OHhh okay that's great!! Ummm how big is an indoor avairy? I nned it to fit in my room...


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## Queen Dancer (Aug 16, 2013)

Ummm they are wayyyyy too expensive. I probably should have mentioned this but I'm 16 and will probably have to pay for most of it myself. I make okay money Irish dancing around town And im trying to get a job but uhhh I can't afford a $1000 aviary.... I can keep looking but..... >.<


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## Sleeping_Lion (Mar 19, 2009)

I only paid about £140 for my indoor aviary, much bigger than a cage, enough to give them room to stretch their wings  

A quick google and they range from between £100 to £200 plus. 

Are you sure it's a budgie you want? I'm not meaning to sound derogatory in any way, and budgies make brilliant companions, but there are easier pets that don't require such a large initial financial outlay.


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## Guest (Aug 16, 2013)

It would be cheaper to make one with wooden pannels you would be looking at under £100 :>


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## Queen Dancer (Aug 16, 2013)

Is this good? 18X14X60


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## Guest (Aug 16, 2013)

Queen Dancer said:


> Is this good? 18X14X60


Can you link me to the cage please? I can't really see from a small image


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## Queen Dancer (Aug 16, 2013)

Well I love animals, my my dad doesn't want the house to be farmy I guess. I have some fish and a cat (and there is no way I am letting her harm the bird I will take every precaution) but there are few pets I can get, every other pet iv tried neither parent will let me get. My moms okay with a budgie though...still have to convince my dad >.< 
I have tried guinea pigs, rabbits, sugar gliders, and dogs. :/


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## Queen Dancer (Aug 16, 2013)

Canary Parakeet Cockatiel LoveBird Finch Bird Cages --18"x14"x60"-*Black:Amazonet Supplies


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## Queen Dancer (Aug 16, 2013)

I like this one too

http://item.mobileweb.ebay.com/viewitem?itemId=231020650887


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## Queen Dancer (Aug 16, 2013)

do either of those work? How often would I have to clean it?


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## mehasubeta (Aug 22, 2013)

i use & like it:

 

needforpets


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## Queen Dancer (Aug 16, 2013)

Anyone going to help me...?


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## dogandbone (Apr 21, 2010)

Any decent size cage like that should do the trick. I always think it's best to get at least a couple of birds, don't forget budgies live in huge flocks in the wild so enjoy the company of others.
Depending on how many you get you're looking at cleaning the cage on a weekly basis. Obviously you'd have to change their water every day, and replenish food levels too. 
If you let your birds out, make sure the room they are in is secure (windows and doors shut, net curtains/blinds drawn so they don't fly into the window, no other pets in the room, remove any dangerous objects...) you can take advantage by cleaning the cage properly then. Hope this helps


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## Queen Dancer (Aug 16, 2013)

I was thinking of setting up a tent in the backyard to let the bird fly around in periodically. I would only be able to get one though.


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