Budgies are adorable birds. They are affectionate, incredibly curious and love to talk! They are highly sociable animals, and therefore require plenty of attention, or a companion.

I therefore come to the first important point for consideration: budgies must be given a companion, unless you plan to give them a great deal of attention! If you are honestly thinking of bringing one of these birds into your household, you must consider critically whether you think you can offer your feathered friend the attention he deserves. If not, then this may not be the right pet for you, or you could consider purchasing two.

Of note is the fact that a mirror does NOT count as company. Budgies will happily chat away to a mirror for some time, but eventually, it does seem to wear thin on them. Budgies are highly affectionate creatures, often preening or feeding each other, and chatting animatedly in high pitched chirps. I think it is safe to suggest that this need can not be satiated by a mirror.

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Next, we must consider the size of cage. Ideally, you should aim for the largest cage possible, and the bird should ideally be able to fly and absolutely be able to stretch its wings. At a rough estimate, my own budgie cage is around 60cmx30cmx60cm, and this seems to be the right size, although i would not recommend you purchasing a cage any smaller. The issues raised by a smaller cage can be somewhat alleviated by allowing the bird times when it can ‘free range’ around the room, fixing a perch to the outside of the open cage door, so the budgie can return inside when necessary.

As for furnishings for your cage, toys are vital! Budgies are highly curious birds, and love all manner of bells, beads, mirrors and other assorted brightly coloured toys. These can be purchased from your local pet shop, or even hand made, as my budgie currently has bottle caps tied together by string as one of its toys. The base of the cage needs to be covered by sand sheets, which you will need to purchase from your local pet shop. Try and cover as much of the base with sand sheet as possible, as this is easier to dispose of when cleaning out your new friend! Your budgie will also a food holder, or ideally, multiple food holders, as this is more practical for more than one budgie, and allows you to wait longer before disposing of the chaff and replacing it with fresh seed. Finally, your budgie will ideally require a source of grit (be this scattered on the ground, in a bowl or in a food holder). Grit is used by budgies and many other birds in the process of digesting food, to aid in grinding up the food.

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Budgies eat millet (a treat they particularly enjoy), sold on a portion of the stalks typically. Primarily, however, they will eat a mixture of seed, sold for consumation by budgies and other assorted birds. This should be available at your local pet shop, and often can be found in the supermarket too. Healthy treats can include carrot, lettuce (although this is most certainly an acquired taste, as many budgies are highly suspicious of it at first!), broccoli and many other assorted vegetables. Often, vegetable, fruit, seed and nut treats for your bird are available at your local pet shop. Under no circumstance should a budgie ever be fed chocolate, avocado, alcohol or caffeine, as these are incredibly harmful to them, and they may very well not survive the ordeal.

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In conclusion, budgies make wonderful pets. They are cute, endearing and undeniably loveable, and can be taught to talk! With trust, they will happily perch on your shoulder or arm, and mine has a particular liking for rearranging and preening my hair to his satisfaction! Consider them as a wonderful pet for all ages, but remember to be gentle and patient with your new friend, as he or she will undoubtedly be shy at first. With love and time lavished on them however, budgies can be incredibly affectionate pets, and a hilarious member of the household.

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