Budgies are birds that people love keeping as pets. If you live in the United States, then you’re likely more used to calling these wonderful pet birds parakeets.
No matter what they’re called, it’s easy to see why they’re so loved. They’re nice companion birds that can bring a lot of joy to your life if you choose to care for them.
If you’re considering buying budgies from a pet store, then you might be doing a bit of research on them. It’s good to want to be a pet owner who understands how to care for pets properly.
What can be done to make budgies as happy as possible? Are there things that you need to know to find success?
Read on to learn how to make budgies happy. If you follow the advice below, then you’re going to have a much better time caring for parakeets.
1 – Ensure That Your Budgie Has a Comfortable Cage
The first thing that you should focus on is giving your budgie a very comfortable environment to live in. Birds aren’t going to be used to being caged because that’s not how they would be in the wild.
If you place a budgie in a cage that is too small and doesn’t give them enough room to move around, then it’s not going to be nearly as happy as it could be. You should buy a cage that is big enough for the bird to feel as comfortable as possible.
Many people choose to keep multiple budgies in the same cage as well. It’s fine to do this, but you need to remember that multiple birds will require more space.
It’d be better to have a larger cage than you need than a cage that is a bit too small. If your goal is to make your budgies happy and comfortable, then considering the size of the cage is of paramount importance.
When birds are placed in small cages, they’ll have a tendency to get depressed. You want your budgie to be happy, and cage size is one of the most important things that you need to get right in order to make that happen.
Remember that the space between the bars of the cage needs to be no more than half an inch. Any larger than that and the budgie might get its neck caught.
2 – Pay Attention to the Nutritional Needs of the Budgie
Paying attention to the nutritional needs of the budgie will also help you to keep it happy. It probably won’t surprise you to hear that budgies that are heating a healthy diet and getting enough food will be happier than those that aren’t.
Budgies will be healthiest when they have a balanced diet. This means that giving them types of grains such as oats and millet will be important.
You also need to ensure that the budgies are eating vegetables and fruits. The budgies will appreciate being given fresh veggies and fruits when you have the time to feed them.
Some people give their budgies vegetables and fruits for breakfast each day. Just keep caring for your budgie well without overfeeding it and you’ll be in a good position.
3 – Consider Hand-Feeding Babies
You might want to start caring for budgies as early as possible to truly build a rapport with them. If you’re buying baby budgies from a pet store, then it’d be a good idea to take the time to feed them by hand.
Hand-feeding budgies will be something that will help you to bond with them. Baby budgies won’t be able to eat the adult feed that is given to adult budgies.
There are feed mixtures on the market that you can find that will work well for baby budgies. If you need help finding something appropriate, then you should consult with your veterinarian.
Feeding the baby budgie by hand will take a bit of time and effort. Some people feed baby budgies using equipment such as spoons or nozzles.
Remember that you’re going to need to feed a baby budgie six times per day or more. These birds have very fast digestive systems and they’re going to need to eat regularly to grow strong.
If you don’t have the time for this, then it might be better to get adult budgies from a pet store. Just know that feeding baby budgies by hand can help you to form a great bond.
This doesn’t mean that you can’t bond with adult budgies. You can get adult budgies to eat out of your hands as well, and they can learn to appreciate spending time with you in this fashion.
4 – Maintain the Right Budgie Sleep Cycle
Maintaining the right budgie sleep cycle can help them to stay happier as well. Under normal circumstances, budgies are going to go to sleep when the sun sets and then wake up when the sun rises.
It’s in your best interest to maintain this sleep schedule for the budgies so that they can be as happy and normal as possible. Budgies will usually sleep between ten and twelve hours each day depending on certain factors.
Sometimes budgies might nap during the day if they get tired out after being especially active. Just know that it’s going to be wise to place a blanket or something such as a towel over the birdcage to shield the birds from light sources so that they can sleep.
There are many unnatural light sources in people’s homes. You have the light from televisions, lamps, computers, smartphones, and many other devices.
Placing a small blanket over the budgie’s cage when it needs to sleep just makes sense. It keeps them from seeing the light and allows them to maintain a natural circadian rhythm.
You can place the blanket on the cage when the sun sets. Once the sun has risen, you’ll be able to take the blanket off of the cage since it’s time for the birds to wake up.
It’ll just become part of your morning routine to wake up with the birds. When the birds are keeping a good sleep schedule like this, they’re going to be a lot happier.
5 – Temperature and Humidity
The temperature and humidity levels in your home will also have an impact on the budgie. For the most part, average house temperatures will be fine for budgies.
Budgies seem to like temperatures that range from 65 degrees Fahrenheit to 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Most people who are living in a temperature-controlled environment will keep things somewhere around 72 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit, depending on how hot or cool they like things to be.
If you don’t have air conditioning or some other method to cool your home, then that could be a problem for the budgies during the hottest months of the year. For example, if it winds up becoming 90 degrees Fahrenheit or hotter in your home, then the budgie really isn’t going to like that.
Humidity levels also need to be considered since budgies aren’t going to do well when the humidity is really low or way too high. Try to keep the humidity levels between sixty and seventy percent if you can.
You can use a humidifier to increase the humidity levels in your home if you live in a dry environment. This should help you to get the best results for your budgie.
6 – Try to Keep Things Quiet Near the Cage
Trying to keep things quiet near the cage is another important thing when you’re trying to keep your budgies happy. Budgies are not going to be able to relax if things are noisy and chaotic near the cage.
This is because budgies need things to be quiet in order for them to sleep. Whether they want to nap or if they need to go to sleep for the night, it’s going to be essential to have a quiet and relaxing environment.
You should find a spot in your house that makes sense for the budgies. Some parts of your home might be noisier than others, and you’re likely going to want to keep the budgies away from noisy spots.
For instance, you might not want to have the budgies located near a television or near a room where your children run around and play. If you can provide a relatively noise-free environment for the budgies, then they’ll be able to thrive.
7 – Keep the Cage Clean
You probably already know this, but it’s going to be necessary to clean the cage now and then. If you do a good job of cleaning the budgie’s cage regularly, then it’ll stay healthier.
Overall healthiness and happiness go hand-in-hand in many ways. Budgies want to be able to maintain good hygiene and you are going to need to help with this by cleaning out the cage.
Yes, birds can be rather messy, and this means that you’ll be putting in a lot of work to clean things up each day. This is something that you need to become comfortable with if you want to keep birds as pets.
8 – Give Your Budgies Perches and Toys
Perches are absolutely essential and budgies are going to need them so that they can sleep properly. You might be able to get away with one or two perches, but it’ll be best to have several.
Having perches in the cage that are positioned at various levels will help to keep the birds happy. They can change perches so that they can enjoy a different view when they get bored.
This is very basic stuff, but someone who is new to owning birds might not understand just how important perches are to the health and happiness of birds. It’s also going to be a good idea to provide your budgie with various toys.
If your budgies have toys that they can play with, then they’re going to be a lot happier. When budgies have toys, they’ll always have something to do even when you’re not around.
Budgies that don’t have toys can get bored and this will negatively impact their mental health. Get some good budgie toys from the pet store so that your birds can have fun.
9 – Ensure That Your Budgie Has a Friend
You might have surmised this already, but budgies are very social birds. They like interacting with people and they also like being with other budgies.
It’s likely that your budgie will be happier if you keep it alongside another budgie. This is why so many people choose to buy budgies in pairs instead of just getting one.
If you really care a great deal about keeping budgies happy, then it makes sense to get two budgies. You will need a larger cage and it’ll cost more to care for two budgies, but it’s well worth it.
Budgies can be fine when raised alone, but you’ll need to put more effort into spending time with the bird. If you don’t have a substantial amount of time to spend playing with your budgie each day, then you should really keep two budgies.
Two budgies can entertain each other when you’re gone for work. They’ll play with toys and communicate with each other even when you’re not around.
Final Thoughts
Learning more about budgies should allow you to have a good time taking care of them. If you’re thinking about getting budgies sometime soon, then you should know that they’re truly great pet birds.
They do require regular care and you’ll need to be able to pay attention to them. To keep budgies happy, it’s going to be necessary to care for their needs properly.
This means cleaning the cage regularly, feeding them a balanced diet, and ensuring that they have a quiet and peaceful environment to live in.
You’ll also want to give them toys and make sure that they have more than enough perches. The cage that the budgies are in needs to be more than big enough so that they won’t feel cramped, too.
If you can provide budgies with all of this, then they should be very happy. It’ll also be good to keep budgies in pairs so that they’ll be able to keep each other company when you’re not around.
Don’t hesitate to keep budgies as pets so long as you have the time to care for them the right way. They’re really nice birds that can give you excellent companionship.
I have two Associate’s degrees, one in Medical Assisting and the other in Computer Technician, and I am roughly five classes from a bachelor’s degree. Though I never ended up working in the medical field, I have five and a half years of experience in IT. I recently became a stay-at-home mom to my two young boys and also have two dogs and two cats. I grew up with pet dogs, cats, hamsters, budgies, cockatiels, and fish and also love horseback riding. In my spare time, I love to bake and read pretty much anything I can get my hands on.