Can you have a budgie/parakeet alone?

It is super common to see someone with more than one budgie/parakeet. Is keeping a budgie/parakeet alone a good idea? Can a budgie thrive being alone, as in will they be the optimal avian alone? We only want the best for our birds so lets dive in!

I have kept budgies alone and in pairs now and this is entirely from my knowledge and observation having kept both.

Can Budgies be happy alone?

They can be happy alone. They tend to have times when they are happiest though. for example my budgie (Pete) who was kept alone was very happy when myself or my family where around and when she was playing. My pair (Pekoe and Baloo) are constantly happy they are just as happy being out hanging out with me as they are on their play stand or in their cage playing with each other.

When I was not home Pete would call for me to the point where I could hear her as I pulled in the driveway after work.

What kind of demands does an owner with only one budgie have?

Okay. If you go to work or school you should NOT have a single budgie. When I had Pete I was in school (from home) and worked less than 6 hours a day. I hardly ever went out I dedicated my life to that bird and ensuring she got enough attention etc. The demands on your time that a single budgie will have is nearly unrealistic for majority of people.

Why did I keep her alone? Why didn’t I get another when I learnt better?

Pete was purchased alone, she was away from the rest of the other birds, she was severely under socialized. By the time I learnt they are better in multiples Pete had been alone for far too many years and was far too bonded to me I knew the other bird would need to be kept in a separate cage and separate out of the cage time to Pete. Yes she probably still could have benefitted from being able to talk to another budgie but i just did not think the risk was worth it. Aside from that I also was very bonded to her and knew when her time came (she was very senior) it would crush me and I wasn’t sure if I would be able to hold it together enough to care for another bird.

Will a pair of budgies still bond with their human?

I am sure there are cases where budgies form such a close bond with each other that they ignore their human but that’s very rare. If your budgies are on a proper diet and they know you give them millet or whatever their favourite treat is they will absolutely want to interact with you.

Personally mine enjoy time with me just as much as with each other. I know many budgie owners who have flocks of 4+ budgies and their budgies still enjoy being around them as well as the other budgies.

How they live in the wild.

Budgies are incredibly social and highly interactive with their flock in the wild. Wild budgie flocks consist of hundreds of bird that all flock together, eat, drink, migrate, and forage together. It is VERY rare to see just one budgie in the wild!

These birds are designed to be in large flocks the best you can do for your budgies is provide them with at least 1 friend

Benefits to keeping budgies in multiples

• You do not have to feel bad when you are at work or school and your bird is home because they have toys and their buddy!
• They are entertaining to live with; I think it is super cool when I am sitting here writing these posts and they are out on their playstand and they just decide to fly around together and when they talk together or play with the same toy.
• Comforting; they have the comfort of their companion at all times, for example Pekoe was willing to eat out of my hand before Baloo was but Baloo saw Pekoe eat out of my hand and that made him more comfortable eating from my hand.
• Less Stress, going with the above point they have each other if something startles them or stresses them out.

Okay, your budgie is alone, and you want them to have a friend

This process can take time it is not overnight now lucky for you budgies are generally pretty accepting of mates, that being said there are always some budgies who don’t like each other, just like people.

Step 1 – Determine the gender of budgie you want

Male pairings seem to get along the best they tend to get along well and because males are generally less aggressive than females they are more likely to get along than a female pairing (not to say female pairings cant happen and be successful they can you just need to be more patient)

Male Female pairings. These can work out fantastically the only thing I want to ensure you know is you must be SUPER strict on hormone management, you do not want a male and female getting hormonal and having babies!!!

Step 2 – Quarantine

When it comes to adding a new bird to your flock you must ensure the bird is free of disease the last thing you want is to introduce a sick bird to your bird then you have multiple sick birds.

A 30 day quarantine where the bird is in a separate room and cage and does not share anything with your current bird(s) is ideal! ensuring you wash your hands before and after you handle both birds with scentless soap.

You can also take your bird to the vet and get them cleared by a vet but you really can not do a ton of disease testing with budgies since they are so small so honestly I just recommend quarantine.

Step 3 – Let them see each other

They have likely been talking to each other through your house but now out both cages in the same room if they seem okay with each other and maybe even a little curious you could let them out so they can get used to each other (supervised).

Step 4 – Moving in time

it can be days, weeks, months or maybe even never before this step happens

Once they are comfortable and happy with each other outside the cage you can house them together I would supervise this for the first time just to ensure no one is cage territorial.