How to Keep Budgerigars? A Full Guide to Care Methods and Precautions
The budgerigar, also known as the budgie or shell parakeet, is what we commonly call the "tiger-skin bird," and it is also known as the "jiaofeng." They are gentle in temperament and easy to tame, small and cute, with bright plumage, making them a very popular pet bird. How do you keep a budgerigar well?
How to keep a budgerigar
1. Budgerigars have a fairly strong urge to gnaw, so wooden cages are not suitable for keeping them. Therefore, we need to choose a metal birdcage. As for size, 2 pairs of birds per cubic meter is better. Inside the cage, set up perches, hanging rings, food boxes, water dispensers and other such daily necessities.
2. Budgerigars mainly eat hulled grains. For daily feeding, prepare millet, panicum millet, barnyard millet and other hulled seeds for them. They can be fed as a mixture; do not feed only a single kind. At the same time, you can also feed an appropriate amount of vegetables and fruits. Feed some green vegetables, cabbage leaves, shredded carrots; for mineral feed, you can add some cuttlebone, shells and the like.
3. When keeping budgerigars, clean the birdcage regularly, scrubbing it once a week, and wash the food boxes and water dispensers every day. Feed an appropriate amount of food, and clean up the leftovers thoroughly. When bathing a budgerigar, use warm water at about 30°C for a spray shower. After washing, do not place it directly in the sun to bake; instead, let its feathers dry naturally in an environment at room temperature of about 10°C.
4. In summer, when temperatures are high, change the water frequently, and do not leave food out for a long time to avoid spoilage. In winter, the room temperature should be kept above 0°C. In summer, when temperatures are high, pay attention to cooling and ventilation to prevent the budgerigar from suffering heatstroke.
5. When keeping multiple budgerigars, be careful that the number of males is not higher than that of females, and do not let them be overcrowded. At the same time, whether they can be kept in the same cage also requires careful observation, as some budgerigars have a restless personality while others are quiet.
6. During daily care, pay attention to the budgerigar's health condition and do not let it catch a chill. We can observe its droppings. If there is diarrhea, you can add a few drops of enzymes to its drinking water and slowly regulate it.
7. Budgerigars need regular release time. Letting budgerigars out to exercise has a great effect on strengthening their physique. Do not grab budgerigars that have been let out directly. After they get tired from flying, you can raise the cage to where they land, open the door facing them, and let them return to the cage on their own. However, this needs to be cultivated gradually.
You and your budgerigar should first become familiar with each other, let it get used to you, slowly eat food from your hand, and then stroke them with your hand to give them a sense of security.