Budgerigar (Budgie) Care Guide

The budgerigar is a small Australian grassland parrot and probably the most widely kept pet bird in the world. In the US it is usually sold simply as a “parakeet”. Budgies are flock birds that fly a lot and chatter all day. They suit beginners who can keep at least two, give them daily flying time, and feed them pellets and vegetables rather than a bowl of seed.

Care requirements

Need	What to provide
Enclosure	At least 1 × 1 × 2 ft (30 × 30 × 60 cm) for one bird. Go larger for a pair, and give at least 6 hours a day out of the cage (VCA; RSPCA)
Temperature	Within about 54–79°F (12–26°C), away from radiators, stoves and draughts (RSPCA)
Humidity	Normal indoor air. Aviary birds need a draught-proof indoor shelter (RSPCA)
Lighting	Flicker-free bird UVA/UVB lamp run for natural daylight length, with shaded perches (RSPCA)
Diet	60–80% small-bird pellets, up to 20–25% vegetables, greens and fruit, and seed as a small extra (VCA)
Lifespan	5–10 years (MSD)
Social needs	A colony species. Keep budgies in pairs or groups, in a cage or aviary sized for all of them (RSPCA)
Legal notes	No common restrictions; check local rules.

Seed is a treat, not a diet

Wild budgies eat a changing mix of grass seeds, fruit and greens as the seasons turn. Pet-shop seed mixes contain two to eight seed types. VCA says these mixes are high in fat and carbohydrate, low in protein, and short of vitamins and minerals. Budgies also pick out their favourites, usually millet. VCA lists obesity and iodine deficiency as the main diet-related problems in budgies.

What VCA recommends instead:

• Pellets for small birds as 60–80% of the diet, offered first thing in the morning when the bird is hungriest.
• Vegetables, greens and some fruit up to 20–25%.
• No grit. Budgies hull their seeds, and some overeat grit until their gut blocks.
• No seed-based “molting”, “song” or “conditioning” foods. These are just seed in different combinations.

VCA explains what a seed-only diet leads to:

• Goitre. Seeds hold very little iodine, so the thyroid swells. The bird develops a squeaky voice, regurgitates, and is often overweight.
• Fatty liver disease. This can kill.
• Fatty lumps. Budgies are prone to soft white lipomas and to xanthomas on the wings and belly.

Switching to pellets

Converting an adult budgie can take days, weeks or months. VCA suggests:

• Offer pellets on their own first thing in the morning, before any other food.
• Spread them on a flat surface and tap among them with a fingertip, since wild budgies feed on the ground.
• Grind pellets to a powder and sprinkle it on a little moist food the bird already eats.
• Or mix pellets into the seed and cut the seed back a little each day.

Only remove seed completely once you have seen the bird eating pellets.

Fresh food: safe, limit, avoid

Cut produce small, wash it (the skin can stay on) and serve it in its own dish. Remove it after a couple of hours so it doesn’t spoil. A thumbnail-sized portion for a budgie is like a dinner plate for a person (VCA).

• Safe (from VCA’s budgie list): broccoli, carrot and carrot tops, kale, romaine, spinach, peas, peppers, squash, sweet potato, dandelion leaves, bok choy, sprouted seeds; apple, banana, blueberry, mango, papaya, strawberry, and cherries with the pit removed.
• Limit: millet spray to small amounts once or twice a month; dairy, because birds are lactose-intolerant; iceberg lettuce and celery, which are mostly water (VCA).
• Avoid: everything in the Avoid list below.

Keep fresh water available at all times, and wash dishes and bottles daily with soap, then rinse well (VCA).

Pairs, groups and flying time

Budgies breed in colonies in the wild. The RSPCA lists them among the few birds that can share a cage or aviary as a group. Its sizing rule for a group cage is that height, width and depth should each be at least twice the largest bird’s wingspan. Add 5% to the size for every bird beyond the first two, for birds under 50 g like budgies.

A cage is only the base. The RSPCA says caged birds also need at least six hours a day flying free indoors. Before you open the cage:

• Close windows and doors.
• Switch off ceiling fans.
• Cover large mirrors and windows.
• Keep the bird out of the kitchen.

A single budgie can still be finger-tamed and taught words. VCA notes that males tend to talk better, and that taming and talking both take daily work. A lone budgie depends entirely on you for company, though.

Tumours, mites and other budgie problems

VCA’s list of common conditions has several that are specific to budgies:

• Kidney, ovary and testicle tumours. These are common. They can press on the sciatic nerve and cause lameness on one side, which owners often mistake for an injured leg.
• Scaly face and leg mites (Knemidocoptes). These cause crusty growths on the beak and feet, and can leave the beak misshapen and overgrown.
• Psittacosis (chlamydiosis). This is common in budgies from crowded pet-shop cages. Some birds carry it with no signs, while others sneeze, tail-bob, have diarrhoea or develop a swollen belly. It can spread to people, so wash your hands after cleaning the cage.
• Egg binding. It happens even in females housed alone, and is more likely on a seed diet low in calcium and vitamin D.

A new budgie should see an avian vet soon after you bring it home, then twice a year (VCA).

Five things new budgie owners get wrong

• Buying one bird and a small round cage. Budgies are colony birds, and round cages leave every perch over another, so droppings land on the lower perches (RSPCA; VCA).
• Feeding loose seed and millet. On seed alone, budgies get fat and develop goitre and fatty tumours (VCA).
• Mistaking a limp for an injury. One-sided lameness in a budgie can be a kidney or reproductive tumour, so it needs a vet (VCA).
• Ignoring a crusty beak. Scaly face mites can deform the beak permanently if not treated (VCA).
• Cooking with non-stick pans near the cage. Budgies are among the birds most sensitive to PTFE fumes (VCA).

Avoid

• Non-stick (PTFE) cookware, irons and heat lamps. When overheated, PTFE gives off odourless fumes that kill small birds quickly. Never keep budgies in the kitchen (VCA).
• Avocado. Parts of it have caused fatal poisoning in pet birds (VCA).
• Onion and garlic. They contain chemicals that may damage a bird’s blood cells (VCA).
• Chocolate, caffeine (coffee, tea, soda), alcohol and salty snacks such as chips, pretzels and popcorn (VCA).
• Apple seeds and cherry pits. The ASPCA lists the seeds, stems and leaves of both plants as containing cyanide-releasing cyanogenic glycosides. Core apples and pit cherries before serving (ASPCA; VCA).
• Grit, gravel and sandpaper perch covers (VCA).
• Honey sticks and seed “treat” bars. They are seed glued with sugar (VCA).
• Synthetic rope and fibre nesting material. Loose strands wrap around toes (VCA).
• Cracked plastic dishes that trap food and bacteria (VCA).
• Ceiling fans and uncovered windows during flying time (RSPCA).