Budgies or the Budgerigar (a word no one uses) are wonderful birds.  They are small, come in many exotic bright colors, are long lived, and FUN!!!   They are highly  social birds and watching them interact is very entertaining.  They are also easy keepers and won't break your budget--you get a lot of bang for your buck when you buy a budgie. They can be tamed and even taught to speak words!  If you are looking for a parrot that has personality and is playful, but you don't want the hassle and demands of a large bird, the budgie is your bird! 

Budgies in the Wild

Budgies belong to the parrot family.  They have hooked bills and thick tongues, and like all other parrots, they have the reversed, or climbing foot--two toes face front, two back.   They are among the smallest breeds in the parrot family.  

Budgies hail from the grasslands of Australia and were introduced to Europe in the mid 1800s by the famous ornithologist John Gould.   They were successfully bred in captivity and soon color mutations appeared.  Budgies gained worldwide popularity after WWII. Today, Budgies are the most popular pet bird in the WORLD!                                 

American/Pet  Budgies

American budgies (or pet budgies) are similar in size to the wild budgie of Australia.  In the wild, the budgie's natural color is green.  The American budgie is the bird typically sold in pet stores.

English/ Exhibition Budgies

English budgies (or exhibition budgies) are larger than the wild Australian parakeets.  Their larger size is due to selective breeding and they have larger crests than the American (or pet) variety.  Like the American budgie, they come in an amazing range of colors.  They are called Exhibition or show budgies because they are the parakeets that are entered in bird shows.  The English and American budgie are the same species.  They can be interbred.

  Blue budgie on left and albino (white) above are American/pet budgies. The other great beasts are English/Exhibition budgies.

One or Two?

Budgies are extremely sociable  and enjoy each others company.   Unless you plan to spend a lot of time with your budgie, be sure to buy more than one.  Kept alone, without extensive interaction with other birds or humans, a budgie will become depressed and not eat well and generally not thrive. 

The more time you spend with your budgie(s), the more you will enjoy them.  If you want to tame your budgie, you need to start with just the one bird.  Keeping a single budgie is a big responsibility, because you are in essence signing up to be its buddy.  Budgies need company.  It would be cruel to keep a budgie alone if you did not spend adequate time with it.  I would imagine that you need to plan on spending at least a half hour a day (at a minimum)  with your budgie pal to keep it happy and to tame it.  Many people say that parrots should be out of their cages for two hours per day to keep them happy.  Both males and females make excellent pets, although a male may have more talent when it comes to speaking.  Remember, the more time you spend with your bird, the tamer and friendlier it will be become.

 Budgies have unique personalities.  Some are quiet timid, while others are bold and extremely curious.   By carefully observing your bird you will learn what your bird is like and the key to his/her heart.  There are many good articles on budgie taming on the internet. (see links).   The handfed baby budgie in the photo above right is enjoying some time with a human friend.  Be sure to have your budgies wing feathers trimmed properly, when you are taming your bird.  This is for the safety of the bird.  Having its wings clipped will prevent the bird from crashing at full speed into windows or mirrors, flying into a toilet and drowning, or escaping out an open door.  With its wings clipped, your budgie should be able to flutter to the ground safely. 

This sweet hand tamed budgie comes when called.  Note the roomy cage--its actually designed for the larger cockatiel. It doesn't take long to tame a budgie, but it does take consistent effort.  You are lucky if you can find someone who will sell you a handfed budgie.  However, budgies are so sweet that you can successfully tame them without hand feeding them.

Keeping a group of budgies is equally fun.  They are very entertaining to watch.  Their chatter is perky and bright.  Budgies are great house pets because they are not loud like many other breeds.

Budgie Accommodations

Budgies don't require too much.  However, do NOT skimp on the cage you buy for your sweet bird. The bigger the better.  For Budgies, you should buy a cage that is at least 13" by 18" inches.  The bars on the cage should be 1/2 inch apart.  Your bird needs plenty of space to move about, but they should also have a couple of perches and toys for entertainment.   Buy a cage that has a nice big door so that you can get your bird in and out of its cage easily.  The cage pictured left is a good size (note how small the budgie looks inside!)  It also has a very nice door. 

The cage on the right has a guillotine style door.  Do Not buy a cage like this.  You will regret it!  They are very hard to use.  This cage is also much too small.  (Note the size of the cage compared to my hand!)

You may also want to purchase a playpen for your budgie to play on when it is enjoying some time out of its cage.

Or make your own budgie playpen!  This one was made from an apple branch (make sure any branches you use for your birds aren't sprayed with any type of insecticide).  The branch is stuck in Plaster of Paris.  I think the birds prefer the homemade version--its tastier!

Budgie Diet

Providing your budgie a good diet is extremely important in maintaining your bird's health.  Budgies need fresh water and seed daily.   They also need fresh fruit and vegetables.  My birds seem to love best peas (I use frozen)  and thinly sliced apples.  You may have to persevere somewhat with birds that are not used to eating fruits/vegetables.  If your birds don't seem to be eating your green offerings, try using a clothes pin and place the fruit or vegetable so they can reach it while sitting in their favorite spot on their perch.  Sooner or later, they will give in and try it. I use avimin in the birds' water. I also keep a mineral block in the bird's cage. Budgies love spray millet, but it is fattening so I would not recommend feeding it more than occasionally.

Finding a parakeet breeder is not all that easy.

 There are not too many parakeet breeders, but you can find some by searching on the internet.  Most parakeets sold in pet stores on the East Coast come from large wholesalers in Texas and other states.  When I first decided to get some budgies, I drove out to the breeder thinking I would buy three or four budgies to start out with.  Well, I made the mistake of bringing the kids along and we ended up buying ten budgies. Visiting the breeder was very educational.  Be sure to have a cage or aviary set-up before you buy your birds.  By the time we got home, the kids had names for each one.  Unfortunately, we did experience a tragedy.  I brought the birds home in a large cardboard box.  When I attempted to relocate them from the box to the outdoor aviary I had built,  I opened the box up and held the open space against the door of the aviary.  In the process, I lost two birds.  Watching them fly away was extremely disheartening.  Parakeets panic when they escape, and naturally fly up.  Once up in the sky, they get caught in the wind and can blow far away in a hurry.  Lost parakeets are rarely recovered and quickly perish due to lack of food or predators.