The budgerigar, also known as the common parakeet, shell parakeet or budgie, is a small, long-tailed, seed-eating parrot. Budgies are the only species in the genus Melopsittacus. Naturally, the species is green and yellow with black, scalloped markings on the nape, back, and wings.
The most common parakeet in captivity is the budgerigar or budgie. In captivity, budgies can live anywhere between 7-15 years of age. This is almost twice the life expectancy of a wild budgie. In the wild, budgies can live between 4-6 years because of threats of predation.
When given prime care, a budgie can live between eight and fifteen years. That is the same age range as a dog. Indeed, there are even reports of birds reaching twenty years. That's beyond most dogs!
The oldest budgie they have on record lived was named Charlie and lived in the UK from 1948 to 1977. That made the little guy 29 years old when he passed!
Budgies also have longer life spans than many people realize. Budgies in captivity can live to be 10 to 15 years old; the same as most dogs.
A budgie should not be left alone for more than 6-8 hours. They are social animals and seek companionship with other birds or people.
Although some budgies do miss their owners, this is not necessarily the case for all budgies. In this article, I will talk about why a budgie would miss its owner and how you can tell if your budgie misses you when you're away from them.
Care & Feeding
Budgies can live between 7 to 15 years, though the average is far less than seven due to mistreatment, accidents, or lack of knowledge about appropriate bird care.
Budgies fare better when they are kept in pairs or small flocks. A single budgie lacks interaction with other budgies—something that is essential to its emotional well-being. A happy budgie lives as naturally as possible, and nothing is more natural to them than bonding with their own kind.
Budgies like to live in groups and need the company of other budgies, so we recommend that your budgie has a friend or two. Ideally, buy your budgies at the same time so they already know each other. It's best to keep male and female budgies separate so they won't breed.
If you decide not to buy a new mate for your budgie, they can live alone even though they are flock animals and prefer the company of their own kind. In spite of this, generations of domesticated budgies have adapted to human company and many pet budgies are now perfectly happy with just their owners for a friend.
Here are the best tips to help extend your budgie's lifespan: Healthy feed: Providing your budgie with a healthy diet is a great way to keep their life long. Its healthy diet should include seeds, nuts, pellets, fresh fruits, and vegetables. However, don't forget to keep its diet balanced.
It doesnt matter what species they are, budgies see them as part of the flock. They need companionship, don't get one and leave it alone in a cage for all eternity. They need to be loved like any other animal you'd keep as a pet.
How Much Sleep Do Your Budgies Need? Budgies need 10-12 hours of sleep every day. They need this much sleep at night to keep themselves healthy.
Every budgie needs a cage—not just because you need to keep it safe in case you open a door or window, but also because it needs a safe space of its own where it can feel shielded. In the wild, budgies live in trees with lots of leaves to shelter them.
If you are very close to your budgie and have their full trust, there is a big chance they like to cuddle you. My budgie Sky, for example, loves to sit on my shoulder and snuggle up to my neck.
A male and female budgie pair may breed and have chicks, so carefully consider keeping an opposite-sex pair. One disadvantage to consider when keeping a pair of budgies is that they may devote more attention to one another and become less dependent upon you for companionship.
Ultimately I feel like a good guideline is that your budgie should have time out of the cage for about two hours a day. But, we must acknowledge that this absolutely won't work every day. There will be days that you're able to let them out for 15 minutes and days that are missed entirely.
These charismatic little parakeets are loveable and affectionate. They are easy to tame if they are acquired at a young age, and are able to mimic speech like larger parrots. Budgies are easy to care for and are considered excellent “starter birds” by most aviculturists.
Taming a bird is all about being patient and building trust. It is true that your budgie will not like being picked up by her body, because she feels like a predator is grabbing her. Budgies are prey animals, so anything coming from above or behind can be alarming.
If his feathers are drawn close to his body, making him look thinner than usual, he's afraid or stressed. If he's flapping his wings or spreading them away from his body, that's another sign that he's deeply unhappy about something. If he's his usual, slightly fluffed-up self, he's happy.