Most people know that the budgie, or to give it it's proper name the Budgerigar ( Melopsittacus unduiatas) originally came from Australia. In the wild they live in large flocks and feed generally on seeding grasses and can be seen in great numbers at watering holes.The most common colour of a wild budgerigar is light green, but a few other colours have mutated and can be seen flying with the flocks. These 'other coloured' birds generally do not last long as they 'stand out from the crowd' and are therefore easily preyed upon.
In 1840 a naturalist explorer, John Gould, brought back to Britain, from Australia, a number of live birds including some small parakeets which we now know as budgerigars. All of these birds were light green in colour.
Over the generations new colours have emerged giving us the vast array we have today. You may have noticed that budgerigar colours do not include red, pink, brown or black, which commonly occur in other parrotlike species. Several people are, however, trying to breed these colours through selective pairing, so who knows what colours we will see in the future.
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Four Week Old Skyblue |
Four Week Old Cinnamon Skyblue |
Five Week Old Yellow Face Cobalt |
Selecting Your Bird
When you are going to select a baby budgie may I firstly recommend that you go to a reputable Budgerigar Society member and
not purchase one from a pet shop, unless they can assure you they are locally bred baby birds. Many 'pet shop' birds have been imported
from the continent and are not locally bred. Some are even small adults and not even babies!
The Secretary of the Budgerigar Society may
be contacted to help you find a breeder local to you.(Use the Links page on this site to connect directly to them. Also if you live in
South Wales, the Breeders Directory on this website gives you details of some of the breeders near to you.) I would suggest that you try
and purchase a baby bird aged about six to eight weeks old, however, if one is not available, a bird up
to the age of twelve weeks old can be easily tamed and trained. I recommend that all pet budgies should be cock birds as they tame more easily. A cock bird's cere can vary between dark pink to
dark blue, depending on variety. A hen's cere is usually white through to brown. However, the breeder will be able to sex it for you. A young budgie can be recognised, in most colours, by several pointers
such as a solid colour eye with no iris around the outside. They also have faint lines across the head immediately above the cere ( nose )
in the white or yellow area. A bird starts to develop an iris after the first moult around twelve weeks old and it should be more or less fully
developed at around six months old. After the first moult the barring or lines disappear above the cere giving a clear head.
Some of these pointers are no good if you select an Albino or Lutino. Other specialist varieties do not have an iris in adulthood. Any good breeder will be able to give the date the bird hatched. The bird should also have a closed ring on it's leg with the breeders registration number, it's unique number and year thereon. Six Week Old Light Green Six Week Old Cobalt Ten Week Old Spangle Cobalt Housing Your Bird
It is always better for a budgie to fly, in the company of other budgies, in a reasonably
sized flight or avairy.
Ten Week Old Spangle Violet Four Week Old Albino Ten Week Old Spangle Cobalt Feeding
You should always feed your budgie on a basic diet of mixed seeds. You can either buy this
by the kilo from a pet shop or buy it in a packet from most supermarkets. I always used to feed my birds on Trill until they stopped selling it in bulk a few
years ago.The Trill mixture is always clean and the quality is always excellent.
Five Week Old Yellow Face Cobalt Four Week Old Skyblue Four Week Old Cinnamon Dark Green Health Care
You have probably heard, on the news, about the so called 'bird flu'. The chances of anyone
keeping a pet budgie catching 'bird flu' is vertually impossible. Most pet budgies, are kept indoors and well away from wild birds. The wild bird population of
the UK does not have 'bird flu' in it. In Conclusion
If you decide to buy a budgie as a pet, I am certain it will give you many hours of pleasure
and companionship, and remember they are a lot easier to keep than a dog or cat and a lot more interesting than a goldfish!
However, the average pet owner keeps his or her budgie in a cage, indoors.
When selecting a cage always purchase the largest oblong cage that the space and pocket allows. I am not a fan of the round cage as it does not give
the bird chance to fly from perch to perch.
Try not to put too many toys in the cage, but one or two will keep your pet entertained when you are not there.
Always place your budgie's cage out of any drafts and direct sunlight.
Budgies also like treats such as millet sprays, carrot, apple, a small amount
of lettuce and believe it or not sweetcorn.
Always put into the cage a small iodine block and cuttlefish. Apart from the beneficial effects of these
the birds enjoy chewing them for pleasure.
It is essential that budgies have access to clean fresh water all of the time.
Always put either a
sand sheet or bird sand on the floor of the cage. Never use newspaper, as it is not clean enough.
Birds kept indoors are very unlikely to get any illnesses that they can pass on to you, but always keep their cage
clean though.
If your pet ever looks a little unwell always seek advice from an experienced bird keeper or a vet. Many Budgerigar Society members have
vast knowledge of all aspects of bird keeping and readily give advice. Some vets have specialised in bird keeping and your local vet should be able to put
you in touch with one of these. Most minor ailments can be treated easily and quickly without any great expense. However, there are times when a vets'
knowledge is essential.
14th. March 2009
