Hi.
Welcome to my blog. I document my adventures in travel, style, and food. Hope you have a nice stay!
Welcome to my blog. I document my adventures in travel, style, and food. Hope you have a nice stay!
Behavior
Sounds
Avian food pyramid
Seeds & Nuts
Fruits
Veggies
Cage
Toys
Training
•Behavior•
The budgerigar is very easy to tame. However, these are social birds. They don’t last for a long time if you keep them by themselves. The best thing that you can do is to make sure that you get another budgie. Although a single one will be ok too if you talk with him and entertain him every day.
When it comes to kids, budgies are ok with them as long as your child won’t cause it stress by handling it too much to the point it becomes uncomfortable for the bird. That’s why adult supervision is recommended in such a situation, just to be safe. Even though your budgie is hand tamed, when the budgie parakeet is angry or scared from over stimulation , he can still try to use his beak to nip you, telling you “hey I need a break and leave me alone”. Even if the beak is not that large or powerful, it’s important to note that he can still hurt some small fingers.
•Sounds•
Budgie parakeets are very smart. In fact, the budgie is one of the best-talking birds out there. He can learn whistles, phrases, and words without that much of a problem. Some budgies are known to repeat more than 1700 words. While you can’t expect something like this from all birds, it’s safe to say that they are smart and you can easily talk with them and teach them words
•Seeds & Nuts•
Seeds are an important part of the budgerigar’s diet. When they out in the wild they mostly feed on oily seeds, grassy seeds, grain seeds, and herb seeds. Hence when you serve seeds, make sure that they are fresh and not exposed to the sunlight or heat for long.
I know you’ve heard that high-fat food is harmful to birds. But, you can serve nuts in moderation. Nuts that are healthy for Parakeets/Budgreigars are walnut, hazelnut, macadamia nut, cashews, pistachios, unsalted almond, and pecan. However, don’t give them more nuts in one day. Just one nut per day is good enough to maintain the balance of nutrients in their diet.
•Fruits•
Except for Avocados and seeds of Apples and Pears, fruits are an extremely healthy diet for birds. You must also include berries in their diet. Especially berries which are packed with loads and loads of anti-oxidants such as strawberries and blueberries. But be careful while offering cherries, plums, peach, and apricots. Scoop out the fruit pits of these fruits.
You can offer citrus fruits, apples, grapes, watermelon, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, elderberries, kiwis, melons, papayas, grapefruit, cantaloupe, peach, passion fruit and etc.
•Veggies•
Birds love greens. So go for spinach, kale, cauliflower, beans, beetroot, cabbage, carrots, broccoli, squash, yams, sweet potatoes, zucchini, and etc. They also love lots of colors in their food. So you can serve tomatoes, bell peppers, asparagus, peas, parsley and etc.
But, do not serve tomato leaves, uncooked potatoes, onions, and garlic. They are reportedly toxic for birds. You can serve them with skin on. However, don’t forget to cut them into small bite-sized pieces.
•Cage•
Usually, the larger the cage, the better the experience your budgie will have. Even if they are small birds, you have to remember that they are nomads. They love flying and exploring new locations. While they can’t do that while being trapped in a cage, it does help if the cage you get is a large one. So just because you see a smaller bird, don’t assume they need a small cage. The budgie parakeet is a social bird, so adding in another budgie in there might help. But then again, you do need a large cage just to be safe.
MINIMUMS
The standard minimum cage size recommended by bird professionals is 12- by 18- by 18-inches for a single bird. This cage size is fine if your budgie is outside of the cage most of the time, but if you have a cage-confined budgie, it's going to be much too small to keep your bird happy and healthy. For two budgies, 39- by 20- by 32-inches is a recommended size. The bars of the cage should be horizontal and spaced no more than 1/2-inch apart. Wider than this and your little guy could get stuck trying to escape!
••• Cleaning the cage •••
No one likes to live in a dirty house, and your bird is no different. As a bird owner , you are responsible for keeping your pets cage neat and clean—a must to ensure his health and comfort.
Birds can be messy creatures, and sometimes you need more than just a damp rag to tackle stubborn stuck-on food and droppings. Because birds are so sensitive to chemical fumes and odors, caution must be taken to choose a cage cleaner that won't harm your pet.
•Non-toxic bird cage cleaner •••
- Vinegar solution ( ONLY white vinegar or apple cider vinegar) * diluted with water *
- Lemon juice & baking soda * diluted with water *
( NOTE: DONT EVER RE USE THE SAME SOLUTION, MAKE A NEW BATCH AFTER EACH USE IN A CLEAN SPRAY BOTTLE)
•Toys•
It’s no secret for any budgie owner that budgies are some of the most playful birds out there. Enhance their playfulness even more by giving your budgie a toy.
So, here is a list of 15 different types of toys that are great for budgies.
There are some negative consequences if you buy your budgie a mirror. Your budgie might become obsessive over the mirror, convince itself that it is another budgie and bond with the mirror instead of you or another budgie in the cage… which might result in becoming aggressive towards you or other birds.
Also ropes and plush toys (or bird hammocks) - Their nails can get stuck and they could easily break a leg and hurt themselves in other ways very badly.
•••Bird Toys to Avoid•••
While most toys that are marketed towards birds are generally safe, there are some types of bird toys that you will want to avoid giving your budgie.
The first type is any toy that may fall on top of your budgie, particularly if it is a little heavy. Budgies are fragile creatures and getting squashed by a large toy can critically hurt them.
If you decide to get curtain hooks for your budgie, make sure that they are not made of metal. These can seriously hurt your budgie, and your budgie might get its head stuck in the toy, which could cause your budgie to suffocate.
Other than suffocation, a budgie that gets trapped could die of stress due to panicking.
When getting a toy for your budgie to chew on, make sure you read and research carefully about how safe the materials in the product are.
Is it organic?
Is it made of non-toxic materials?
Don’t let your budgie chew on any of your products that are made of leather and intended for use by people. Leather, particularly dyed leather, is harmful to budgies. You also need to make sure that any other product you purchase is made of non-toxic paint and is safe if ingested by your budgie.
you get your budgie a rope toy or something similar that has fibers, avoid anything that has very small fibers so your budgie’s toes, legs, and other body parts do not get caught in it. Find rope that is thicker to prevent this from happening.
Jingle bells are great toys for a budgie, but if there are tiny crevices in them, this could cause your budgie to seriously get hurt. Try and find closed bells, or even cowbells, to prevent any possible danger.
Double check any swings, ladders, or other such toys that you get your budgie for any crevices in them. These can hurt your budgie’s toes.
Any toys that have pins, staples, or tacks that are easy to remove should also never be anywhere around your budgie. Budgies are naturally curious birds and will most definitely get hurt by one of these- especially should it decide to try and eat it.
Overall, you absolutely need to make sure that the toys you get will be safe for your budgie. This means no really small parts, any sharp parts, anything your budgie could get caught in, and anything containing paints or dyes that would be harmful if ingested.
You want to make sure that your budgie has fun, but not at the cost of its health.
•Training•
It's important to understand that training a parakeet takes time, and there is no set amount of time it takes an individual bird to learn a particular behavior. Some keets learn to step up or come when called within a few sessions, while others may take weeks or months, and speaking is a highly-individual talent that many parakeets never master. Whatever happens, remain patient with your pet, and accept him for who he is. Remember that he has no control over his living circumstances, and he relies on you for his health and happiness.
••• How to train your budgie to “Step up” •••
1. Let your pet have a few nibbles on the millet to remind him it's a tasty treat.
2. Slowly and gently reach into his cage with your index finger extended.
3. Press it gently against the lowest part of his abdomen as you simultaneously say "step up." Most birds step up as a reflex because they naturally want to perch on the highest point available.
4. When he steps onto you finger, calmly offer him a nibble of millet and softly tell him how good he is.
5. You can work in some quick repetitions by placing your other index finger in front of and slightly higher than the finger your pet is already perched on, and then ask him to step up again.
6. Repeat this process a couple more times as long as your pet doesn't seem overly stressed. If he does, give him time to rest before you hold another training session. With practice, stepping up will become second nature to him.
••• How to train your budgie to come to you when you call it’s name •••
1. Training your parakeet to come to you when called, also known as recall training, is one of the most important trainings of all, especially if you give your pet time out of his cage in a safe environment. This training builds on the step up training.
2. (Sometimes fasting your bird for 3-4 hours helps and your bird will be okay) Using millet as a motivational treat, press your finger gently against your keet's lower body and ask him to "step up." Immediately reward him with a few nibbles on the millet spray, and return him to his perch with the "step off" command.
3. Next, add a little distance between your finger and the perch; about four inches should be enough. Hold the millet spray close to your finger with your other hand, and this time ask your pet to "come" or "fly to me," as used in the video demonstration below. Gently repeat the word or phrase every few seconds until your pet hops the short distance to your hand, and then reward him with soft praise and a little more millet. Repeat the training at this short distance until your keet responds immediately when you tell him to come.
4. Slowly increase the distance with each successful training session until your bird will come to you from anywhere within the room.
••• How to teach your budgie to talk •••.
1. Move your parakeet's cage to a quiet room where he'll be able to hear you clearly.
2. Choose a single word to begin with, such as hi or hello.
3. Get close to your pet and repeat your chosen word for a few minutes, which will give him time to settle down and really focus on the sounds you make. You can tell he's concentrating if he cocks one side of his head toward you and his pupils dilate a bit.
4. Repeat the word slowly for a few minutes, and then return you bird to his cage and put the cage back in its usual spot.
5. Tell your bird hi or hello every time you pass by his cage, interact with him, and change his food and water. If you're lucky, he'll eventually return your greeting.
6. Once he masters his first word, you can move on to the next word you'd like him to learn. Many parakeets will learn quicker with each new word or phrase.
