Both of these pairs have been placed in good homes as there were a few territorial problems. The front budgie on the left was very “Chirpy” and “Bitey”. A real rebel and a troublemaker. Her name was butch! Behind is her psychotic boyfriend who flew around the place like a lunatic. His name was Bugsy! (Butch and Bugsy) And before you ask, these birds were always well treated but like people they all have their own personal characters. For example, the budgie pair on the right were total sweethearts but we can’t keep every bird we breed. They are also in a good family home with kids. On the left is “Tweety” and on the right is “Bonzo”. They are both beautiful singers as opposed to the screeching budgies.

The Picture on the left is “John Silver” and the white budgie is his babe “Snow White”. They are really lovely and kiss all the time. Tom likes to play with his balls which have bells in them and Snow White looks on in awe. She loves him a lot. These are among my all time favorite birds as they are really uplifting to watch. The other pictues is one of each of the top birds together for a pairing test. Can you spot which two they are???

I love my budgies and cannot wait till the next batch arrives so that I can watch them grow into their own individual characters. As anybody who holds budgies knows…they are the best pets in the world! ;o)

Hinkelbein has both legs pointing out at 90° from the side of his body and sleeps either in a special nest which I have built for him or on the ground and he is very cosy…thank you very much! John Silver has the same quirk but just with one leg which points out at a 90° angle in the air, while he sits on the perch with his other leg, hence his moniker. Both birds are male and are horny at the moment so they are feeding and trying to mount the females in the aviary. Oh Yeah! Did I forgat to mention that all 7 other birds are totally fit. John Silver is competing for the position of “King of the cage” so it’s obvious he can’t be too badly off. Hinkelbein has no interest in such petty politics and observes with a slightly bemused glint in his eye.

I have included a picture and a video for you to inspect the birds and wish to let folks who have no idea about birds know that even though the birds may look odd they are totally happy and I intend to keep them and any other disabled budgies which may arrive in the future…..

Everything begins with the mother; a female budgie’s birth cycle involves the laying of one egg every two days until there are about four to six eggs. The female budgie will then sit on the eggs for a period of approximately twenty days to keep them warm(without the warmth the female budgie provides, the unborn birds would die). Sometime around the twentieth day of their existence, the baby birds will begin breaking their way out of their shells. They come out blind, naked, and completely incapable of surviving on their own (they are so feeble one can see through their tissue delicate skin; for the first few days the food in their stomachs is visible). Thus the mother must nourish the baby budgies with food pre- chewed in her mouth. The mother also continues to provide warmth for the budgies because they have not grown their feather insulation yet. After four days outside of their shell, a very fine feather down begins developing. Once the baby budgies have spent ten days outside of their shells, their eyes open and become functional.

The young budgies feather-down will start to develop into actually feathering after roughly twenty one days outside of their shells. At this point the budgie is no longer considered totally helpless. Through the third and fourth week, the younglings will grow enough that by the fifth week the parents will be able to leave them alone, often times leaving the nest completely unguarded (juvenile budgies use loud screeches in place of actually strength as a defense mechanism). During this time the little budgies will flex their wings (to gain muscle) before summoning the courage to attempt actual flight. The sixth week marks the budgies first attempts at leaving the nest, and on average by the seventh they are completely weaned of their dependence on their parents. It is important to note that the completion of said weaning varies for each budgie; some are matured at six weeks while others will not leave their parents until they are nine weeks of age.

At the age of four months, the budgie molts (molting is the shedding of a bird’s feathers) for the first time. This molting marks the reaching of full adulthood. By five months the female budgies are capable of laying eggs. Finally around the seventh month the budgies go through their final evolution; a white ring appears in each eye (this is referred to as an iris ring). Afterwards the healthy budgie will remain largely unchanged, and if properly cared for, will live a long and comfortable life.

The following is a list of tried and tested foods that budgies love to eat. Obviously all animals are different and like people some birds have exotic tastes but the following foods are those which all my budgies found delicious.

The foods are in no particular order but I will tell you when I list the food how much they liked it.

The image on the left is Chickweed but I couldn’t include all images on this page but I do have a link to images if you don’t know what it looks like click the Picture link after each food type.

1. Carrots

Fresh crunchy organic carrots (organic if possible, otherwise thorough washing is required because small animals are much more sensitive to pesticides, chemical fertilizers etc. than us human beings and what might give us bellyache could do a lot more damage to your birds…this goes for all fresh fruit and vegetables you buy which are non-organic) can be cut into strips or hung by string in the cage. I recommend hanging it low because I have found that the birds love the juice inside and tend to spit out the rest which will decorate your floor with orange colored flecks if it is placed too high in the cage.

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2. Stale Hard Bread Rolls (Brötchen)

Yeah…I know…..”What … stale bread for my push-kins …is he crazy???? lol

Really…. not only do they love the taste but it keeps them amused for hours.

You need to take an old bread roll and drill (scissors) a hole through the middle and hang it in the cage again with string or cable making sure to secure the ends so that your birds don’t catch their claws. They love pecking the bread to play and they find it delicious to eat. Watch day-by-day as the bread roll begins to disappear piece by piece….mmmmh!

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3. Stem Cabbage Leaves (Kohlrabi Blätter)

Budgies also love the leaves from stem cabbages (stem turnips) and eat them ravenously, but unfortunately, they find them so yummy that sometimes they don’t know when to stop…. therefore you must only give them this treat in small doses (one leaf per fortnight) as the strong taste can cause diarrhea if taken in large doses. Think very hot Thai Curry …. you can eat it every so often and it is delicious but not every day! It contains vitamins that they love but in small doses as a treat. Place them in a small feeding dish or basket.

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4. Cucumber

My birds go wild for cucumber and they don’t leave even the skin go to waste. It is great for them because besides the minerals it contains it also has a high pure water content. This can be cut into cubes/strips and put into their feeding dish or hung whole. (1/4 of a regular sized cucumber) You can give this as often as you like cause it is good for your birds health.

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5. Lettuce

Lettuce should be treated the same as No.3 because although budgies like to eat it too much is not good and so it should be given in moderation. Again try to use organic whenever possible.

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6. Dog Biscuits

Really…. I swear… I’m not pulling your leg!!!!

Take a Bonio type dog biscuit (can be a regular generic dog biscuit as long as it contains similar ingredients) and hang it from a piece of string. Don’t ask me… I am not a budgie, contrary to popular belief… but whatever is in these doggie treats is a pure delicacy as far as my feathered friends are concerned. Again, like the cucumber, their is little leftover by the time they have feasted. lol

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7. Cuttlefish Skeletons

Of course you shouldn’t replace the regular beak sharpening stone or chalk but the skeletons of cuttlefish which are available to buy in pet stores. (we take a trip to the beach once a year and collect a dozen or so which is more than enough for the year). But if you do collect it yourself make sure that it is totally dried out before you give it to your birds. It serves the same purpose as chalk but it must taste great because the budgies can’t get enough!

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8. Chickweed

If it were possible for budgies to have a barroom brawl over food then this would be the cause of the fight. But budgies aren’t really aggressive by nature but they are very protective of this particular treat and will push and shove to be first (not normal pecking order lol) to partake of this special meal. Therefore, if you have more than one bird it is better to put a few sprigs in separate corners (parts) of the cage. This plant grows wild and can also be cultivated but needs really moist soil.

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9. Red/Yellow Millet

When you buy most budgie food mixes either at the pet store or the supermarket it will contain millet seeds. This is a standard part of the diet of budgies. So why is this a treat?!?
My birds love it when I give them dried/fresh millet that is still on the stalk. Did I say love it…I meant that they crave it almost as much as the Chickweed. Also, for some reason they sing like opera singers after a dose of this delightful surprise. We have also found that if you take the red and brown millet seeds from regular “store bought” seed mixes and grow them for a few days (like mung beans to make Chinese water sprouts) in a dish with a little water (so the bottom of the dish is barely wet…let them grow till they are about an inch tall…make sure they stay moist or they will shrivel and be sure to rinse them before giving them to your budgies) the birds really love this vitamin rich gourmet side-dish.

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10. Apples

Appropriately, apples come at the bottom of the list. They eat it and realize that it is good for them but they don’t necessarily go crackers about it! Again, this fruit should be sliced and placed into their feeding dish or quartered and hung for them to eat as they wish.

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It should be common sense, but besides the bread rolls, cuttlefish chalk and the dog biscuits, you should keep an eye and see when it starts to wither… usually the next day because we are responsible for our pets and no matter what type of food we give them if it goes bad then it will likely cause problems and the vitamins and minerals will also be gone. So lets keep it fresh folks!!!

I hope this guide will help you but don’t forget that every animal also has their likes and dislikes and although I have tested these treats with many budgies (all of whom were completely satisfied) this is only a guide and it could be that you find the one exception….but I doubt it….

Please feel free to add suggestions by leaving a comment…..

One of my readers has few very ill budgies at the moment and has asked for some advice so I thought rather than just emailing her the answer I would publish it here because the tips involved may be of benefit to all budgie keepers.

My email went as follows:

There are a number of things to do to help the situation.

Firstly make sure that the birds that are separated stay separated….what we think as mean to separate them may save all their lives and when they are well again they can go back together.

1. Make sure that the birds are kept out of drafts and cold places. They should be kept warm.

2. If you are using plastic water feeders/dishes throw them out and buy new ones because plastic is a great carrier of infections and if you have metal water containers then sterilize them in boiling hot water. (don’t use any cleaners or disinfectants—birds are too sensitive) and make sure to change their water and clean the water containers twice a day.

3. Put a red warm light over one side of the cage (but not the middle) so that they can go to the other side if they want a break from the light. Red light has soothing and healing qualities. Put a thermometer on the inside of the cage near the perch to check the temperature of the red lamp…remember too hot and you will cook the poor bird too cold and they won’t benefit from the healing properties. An ideal temperature is between 25 degrees Celsius and 30 degrees Celsius. Adjust the height of the red light over the cage as necessary in order to achieve this temperature.

4. Make sure the birds are getting enough vitamins and minerals mix…those little packets in the store with seed and minerals mixed and put them in a separate feeder from their normal seed so that they can take only what they need.

5. Don’t give them any fresh fruit and vegetables when they are ill.

6. Change their ground paper and sand and make sure the cages are always feaces (diarrhea) free as this can infect the other birds.

7. Ask your Vet which medicine he used because there are two types normally used for this illness and sometimes the birds don’t react to one so the other should be used. They are called Tetracyklin and Chloramphenicol.

8. Play some light classical music at a very low volume and talk regularly to the birds.

The tips above are only my opinion as I am not a qualified Vet but have been holding budgies for most of my life and have lost very few birds.

I hope these tips help you and that your budgies return to full health soon.

As you can tell from the pictures of the baby budgies below, they were taken a few days apart but they are really growing fast. We are feeding them freshly cut cereals which they devour and also fresh grass stalks. We have 5 budgie babies and it is the pairs first batch. We expected one or two baby budgies but now we have a small army. lol

My daughter loves to hold them so I told her I would put her picture on my budgie blog.

Hope you enjoy the pictures!

Well…I haven’t written anything for a while because I have been busy with work and my Harlequin budgies just had 6 baby budgies. LOL

They are a beautiful pair and I wanted to show you the mother, father and baby budgies but the father was too busy so today you only get to see the mother and baby budgies.

All the baby budgies are totally healthy but I don’t want to disturb their feeding and the mother gets irritated so I let them in peace. I suppose if a giant hand came into the roof of my house and tried to grab my newborn child…then I would be a little irritated and stinky too!

The only one that looks a little worn out from the whole feeding regime is the father but you can see in his eyes that he is really proud.

The oldest is about 10 days old because the female has been laying like a battery hen. It is their first batch and we thought they may not be able to handle it but budgie couple really surprised up.

Now we have to increase our cage to a full size aviary. LOL But we don’t mind as there are many people here that dsaid they would love to have a harlequin baby budgie.

In my opinion they look great and my favorite are those made from wicker.

The only problem that I have with Exotic Bird Cages is that budgies have a tendency to eat things and crap all over the place, so despite the beauty of such objects, I prefer the more practical and easier to maintain metal cages.

Here are some tips on buying a bird cage:

How big should it be?

The cage should be big enough for the number of birds you are holding.
(i.e. 1/2 m2 per pair of budgies)
But remember that if your birds don’t get regular free flight (you don’t let them fly around outside the cage for a while every day) then I would at least double the recommended size.
Birds can also become claustrophobic and this will lead to either aggression or depression.

Should the cage be round, rectangular or square?

There are different opinions on this theme but I have used all three and found that the shape itself isn’t really important but the amount of room inside.

How big should the bar spacing be?

About 1/2-1 centimeter is needed between the bars to prevent the budgies from sticking body parts out and damaging or killing themselves. Budgies areplayful creatures which like a challenge and see such things as a game.

Is it user friendly?

If you have kept budgies for a long time then you know that a practically designed cage can save many headaches. I prefer those with 4 – 4 doors. One main bigger door on the front and a few smaller ones on the sides and back. Make sure also that the doors are secure and that they close tightly. Budgies can and will open loose or badly fitted doors for fun. This makes it easy to get into the cage from any side and is necessary for changing toys, water, food etc.
Also try to get one where the floor slides out without having to open the doors. This makes for easier paper changing.

What kind of perches are the best?

Avoid thin perches at all cost as these are not good for the birds feed. I try to keep away from plastic perches and only use wooden ones. These can be cleaned by hand and afterward be put in the dishwasher for extra disinfection without damage. But a budgies favorite is a branch that you find in the park. Just strip off the leaves but leave the twigs on and they enjoy picking and sitting on it. But make sure it isn’t poisonous. I use oak, birch and horse chestnut personally.

Can I build my own cage?

If your budget is too tight to buy a cage and believe me we are all feeling the pinch at the moment then it is possible to build your own cage. Please be sure that all wood is sanded and oiled but not varnished. Budgies pick off the varnish which can be fatal when ingested. Also try to use a strong gridded material for the bars. If you must use chicken wire be sure to NOT leave any loose ends to injure the birds. Or better still place a lat of timber over the areas where the ends meet.

Nigel.

P.S. These are 3 of my 6 current birds…and sadly I lost 3 to illness during the summer through buying a female from a different seller…lesson learned!

There are budgies that can speak correct words and sentences, but all budgies speak through their gestures and tones. Every budgie is different and has its own character. One notices that if one has two birds or more to compare.

How do I understand my budgie?

The bird slumps on its perch and has floppy wings…

Exhaustion if the condition passes but if it persists it is likely an illness and you should seek the advice of a veterinarian.

Yawning…

Tiredness because oxygen level in the air is too little

Budgie plucks at its feathers…

Body care

Frequent scratching…

possible parasite invasion

Budgie pulls aggressively at its wings…

In adult animals especially: The bird has trained too little in free flight and needs to exercise its muscles by itself…think how stiff you are in the office sometimes and you lean back and stretch.

Hectic irritation of the bowl…

Hunger or possibly too delicate stomach lining

Budgie plucks at your ear or eyebrows…

I love you!

What is my budgie trying to say to me?

A short violent cackling means anxiety if one annoys the budgie or he feels threatened. A delicate whimpering is a type begging. Soft, quiet twitter means that your budgie is either satisfied or maybe has too much imput and needs to chill out. If you listen then you will eventually hear the difference and if your bird is a little stressed and needs a “time out” then simply cover the cage with a light cloth cover for an hour till they have a little nap.

How does my budgie learn speak?

Budgies can be very gifted. It is best if you begin practicing speech with your budgie when the bird is very young. Is important however that your budgie is well acquainted with you and is already so tame that it comes on your hand or finger. Your budgie should trust your voice. The next thing that you need is patience, patience and even more patience. There are some budgies that learn a couple of words very quickly while others can take months or even years to learn one word if you are lucky. Remember that being a dummy isn’t an exclusively human trait.

The best time is the late afternoon or the early evening. Start small, so that you do not overexert your small budgie. Do Not exceed 20-30 minutes a day. Recite small sentences or single words again and again to the budgie. Make sure you use small and easily pronounceable words that are not too difficult for the birds voice e.g. bobo, i love you, give ma a kiss, good boy etc. The best words are 1 or 2 syllable and the best phrases should be made up of 2 or maximum 3 words.

Some owners are of the opinion that budgies don’t really communicate when they speak but purely mimic the sound of the owners words and voice. This is total B.S. and I can guarantee you that if your relationship is close enough with your budgie that the phrases they use match the circumstances too uncannily to be pure coincidence.

And sometimes you can try till the cows come home and not get a single word…. There are many budgies that simply do not learn to speak which is especially the case if the budgie lives together with one or several more birds. Of the seven budgies we own only one ever speaks and that is our original bird. In fact it is well known that holding a single bird is the best way to eventually have a speaking budgie. The downside is that you must treat it like a baby as they are very sociable creatures and if you don’t have that kind of time to give it is a little cruel. When all is said and done amusing and interesting to play with members of their own species and to speak in the budgie language which is how nature intended it. Under no circumstances should you keep a budgie for the sole reason of having a speaking novelty for your friends. A budgie that has other budgies to speak with will happily twitter and chirp all day long in its own language.

As a side note here and being very close to my birds, I notice that even if kept in large groups those birds that don’t learn to speak can very easily learn and respond to often complex whistling patterns….but that’s another story….

So maybe sometimes, it’s better as they song goes, to let your budgie “say it with a kiss”!