What They Don’t Tell You About Budgies!

When considering budgies and you read a book or look at the pamplets at the pet store or even talk to the employee you can often be misinformed about what it is really like living with and caring for a budgie. I am going to deep dive into things I think you will want to know that you might not already know as a someone who has owned 5 of these amazing feathered creatures.

They can get REALLY excited!

These birds can become very excited and very heightened very quickly and have a really good talent of finding the worst times to do so at. They can decide to get excited when you are on the phone with your doctor or say you work from home, they will absolutely get excited when you are in a meeting. They will fly around their cage, scream, bang toys off the side of the cage, rattle bells or any loud toys, and some of mine have found it super fun to sit in their food bowl and kick all the food out of their dish. While this behaviour generally does not last for hours on end it is important to know that parakeets/budgies are loud, excitable and super energetic at times.

They are VERY flighty

budgies are very small and skittish, they are difficult to handle at times due to those factors.
they are prey animals which lends to them preferring to fly away from something that they are unsure of.
they are very good flier and can make it through cracked open doors and windows
If you don’t create a bond with them you will be seen as a predator forever and you will struggle to ever tame them/catch them when they are out of their cage.
They LOVE to fly so add that with being a prey animal, they can either be super fun to tame or your worst nightmare that depends on your personality and interests.

Diet is super important

these birds are prone to becoming seed junkies.
they are so small that their diet is super important as they can quiet easily become chubby because they are so little.
learn more about diet Basics of a Small Parrot Diet

Store bought vitamins and supplements are not good

When a bird is being fed the proper diet they should not need any vitamins or minerals you will find at the pet store.
Should your bird be lacking in a specific vitamin or mineral your veterinarian will be able to advise you on this and generally will suggest food prior to processed vitamins or minerals or water additives etc.

They still require training just like larger birds

all those skills and tricks you see larger parrots doing, your budgie can and should also be doing. Some skills like toweling and being syringe trained are something you must do regardless of the size of your bird, it makes your routine vet visits and emergency so much easier.
since most budgies come from pet stores they are often clipped which makes them “easier” to tame since they really can’t say no. when a budgie is flighted they can leave and interact with you when they want if they feel they want to. Budgies are no easier than any other type of parrot to train they are just easier to force into submission than a cockatoo. When training you should be respecting your birds boundaries and going at their own pace.

Other pets

Ideally your parakeet/budgie should not be living with dogs, or cats as their saliva is HIGHLY toxic to parakeets, or you have a room of your house dedicated to your birds and your pets are not allowed in their and you wash your hands and change your clothes when you go into that room. again this is a perfect world situation lots of people have multi species homes, but personally I would not take the risk.
other pets can bring out door diseases inside, this is dangerous as budgies/parakeets do not have a ton of medical procedure options unlike their larger avian counterparts, you cannot put a budgie/parakeet under anesthetic safety, drawing blood is risky with such small birds.

If you want to learn more about common myths and beginner mistakes 4 Myths About Parrots/Budgies 5 Mistakes New Parrot Owners Make! – don’t make these!

There are lots of things people will warn you of but some things that often get forgotten are;

how dangerous other pets in your home can be.
They require training just like any other parrot/animal
Store bought vitamins and minerals are unnecessary
They are very flighty and can be difficult to handle
They can get quite excited
They need you to be very serious about their diet just like any other parrot