Should I Get a Budgie?

Taking a budgie home is a big responsibility. You’re wholly responsible for the well being of your new pet day in, day out. And that will still be true once the novelty wears off. At the risk of sounding like a spoil sport, there are a few things you need to consider before you bring a budgie home.

Time and Effort

Taking care of a budgie’s basic need doesn’t take up a massive amount of time. But it does take a little of your time every day. A budgie needs fresh food and water, a clean cage and regular companionship.

In the wild budgies live in huge flocks. And within the flock they have an immediate family that they are very close to. It’s a common myth that a budgie alone in its cage will be happy. The truth is that they are very social animals that have a deeply ingrained need for company. As your budgies adopted family you will have to spend a decent amount of time with it if it’s housed alone. Otherwise it’s likely to get depressed.

Cost

Now, budgies aren’t expensive pets to keep. Far from it. But there are costs that come with owning any pet. The obvious initial expense is a decent sized cage, but you’ve probably already realized that. A regular supply of food, sandpaper, grit and mineral blocks does add up. As well as the need to buy new toys every now and again, so your budgie doesn’t get bored with them.

Also, it’s a good idea to put a little money aside each month to pay for vets bills when you need to. Alternatively you can get pet insurance. Nothing is more heartbreaking than not be able to pay the vets bill that could save your pet’s life. Or having your budgie suffer because you don’t have any money for treatment. A saying that I heard recently really sums up this point, ‘If you can’t afford the vet, you can’t afford the pet.’

It only costs a couple of bucks to buy a budgie, but then it’s your duty to make sure you can look after it.

Is A Budgie The Right Pet For You?

While budgies are great companions that can bring a lot of joy into your life, they’re not right for everyone.

A relationship with a budgie is much more hands off than a relationship with other pets. Budgies will sit on your finger and let you stroke them for some of the time, but they’re certainly not pets that you can have a very physical relationship with. So, if you’re looking for a pet that you can cuddle and stroke often, then you are probably better suited to owning something furry.

Noise is also something that you need to think about. Are you going to get irritated if your budgie squawks all the way through your favorite TV or radio show? If there’s a steady stream of sound, like a conversation going on in the room, you budgie will often join in. Also, a budgie tends to create a fair amount of mess. Feathers and seed husks will usually litter the floor under and around your budgies cage. And when your budgie’s flying around the room it’ll leave stray feathers all over the place. This means that you’ll likely find yourself needing to vacuum slightly more often than you do at the moment.

Budgies and Other Pets

You’ll often hear tales of a small bird being introduced to a cat, and of the cat getting on well with the bird. Of the cat taking a curious interest and then leaving the bird in peace. It sounds cute and it probably does happen. But it’s the exception rather than the rule. Generally, if you have larger animals like cats or dogs they’ll need to be kept apart from your budgie. Since your budgie needs time every day outside his cage, you’ll need to house him in a room that you’re happy to lock the cats and dogs out of while your budgie flies around and explores.

Budgies can be housed with quite a few different species of bird. They’re not suitable to be kept with all types of pet bird though.

Budgies and Children

You might be thinking about getting a budgie primarily for your child. If you’re child wants a budgie, that’s great. They’re good pets. And your child can learn about responsibility as well as gaining a loving companion. However, children generally like to be hands on with their pets. The younger they are, the more hands on they tend to be. So your child will need to be taught how delicate a budgie is and supervised when handling it.

Lastly you should remember that as the adult you have the primary responsibility for the budgie’s welfare. Your child might want a budgie more than anything in the world right now, but what about in six months time? Are you prepared to look after the budgie in the years ahead, if your child gets bored of it?
Brandon Westfield is the author of Better Budgie Care. Find out more about budgie care by visiting http://www.betterbudgiecare.com today.

Budgies – 3 Mistakes That Can Kill Your Pet

It’s easy to get into bad budgie care habits. But these bad habits that are easy for us to live with are hard for your budgie to live with. Your bad habits can hurt – or even kill – your budgie.

Let’s take a look at some these common mistakes:

1. A huge mistake is feeding your budgie an all seed diet.

Budgies need more than just seed mix to stay healthy. Giving your budgie just seed is like you only eating turkey. Turkey might be good food, but you wouldn’t stay healthy if that’s all you ate, right?

Now, when you bring a budgie home it’s probably only been fed seeds so far. So when you give your budgie other food it rejects it. That’s a natural reaction. If you’d never seen a potato before, you would be a little suspicious of it when one turned up on your plate.

It’s this natural reaction from your budgie that leaves may budgie owners saying things like ‘my budgie only likes seed,’ or ‘I just feed my budgie seed and it looks fine.’

The truth is no animal that has a poor diet will be very healthy, or live as long as it could do.

2. Exposing You Budgie Extreme Temperatures

A mistake that’s not so obvious – but just as deadly to your budgie – is exposing your budgie to sharp temperature changes and drafts.

Sitting your budgie’s cage next to the window, so it can have a pretty view and watch the birds fly by is actually dangerous. You see, constant draughts will likely make your budgie ill. And a budgie that picks up a chest infection can go downhill very fast.

Also the heat can kill your budgie. If your budgie’s cage is getting the full heat of the midday sun it’s easy for your budgie to get dehydrated. If there is no shade in the cage then your budgie has no choice but to sit there while the heat makes it uncomfortable.

Budgies might be hardy animals, but there are some conditions they just aren’t suited to living in.

3. Unscreened Windows

You might not have even considered this one. Your windows are dangerous to your budgie, and so are any glass doors. When you let your budgie out of it’s cage and it flies around, the budgie often doesn’t realize that the glass is there and tries to fly through it.

This isn’t just dangerous – it can be deadly. Sorry if that sounded kind of melodramatic, but I’m being serious here. Loads of budgies break their neck flying into windows. Not to mention shattered beaks and other injuries.

Sadly more budgies die this way every year. Hopefully your budgie won’t be one of them.
Brandon Westfield is the author of Better Budgie Care. Find out more about budgie care by visiting http://www.betterbudgiecare.com now.

How to Tame a Budgie

When taming a budgie, it takes a lot of time and patience. In order to tame a budgie, you must develop a bond of trust between you and your pet. Remember that you are bigger than your budgie, and it is possible for him or her to feel threatened by your size. By developing your relationship slowly with plenty of patience, ease and affection, your budgie can become one of your closest friends in no time. Read on to learn how to tame a budgie

Things You’ll Need:

Your pet budgie

• Patience
  
• Affection
  
• Trust
  
• Love

Step 1

Begin your training sessions with 10- to 15-minute sessions a day. These will be the tools to building a bond of trust between you and your bird.

Step 2

Visit your bird by his cage at about the same time every day. Talk softly to it, and leave your hand in front of the cage so that he or she can see it. Don’t wave it with any big motions, but just leave it still so that they can see it. Make sure that you aren’t moving around a lot during your first few times of training. You can say things such as “Pretty bird” or “Hi birdy.” Talk very softly as if you were talking to a baby or young child.

Step 3

Begin slowly opening the door to your budgie’s cage after about four to seven days of just talking to your bird. At first the budgie may act afraid, but with time and your trust, he or she will slowly begin to open up. Start just by leaving your hand in the cage without actually putting it near the bird. The idea is to let your budgie get used to having your hand in the cage.

Step 4

Offer your budgie a treat such as millet spray or wet leafy greens. Try this trick after about another four to seven days of leaving your hand in it’s cage. Hold the treat near the budgie’s perch or where he/she can reach the treat. With a little time and patience, the budgie should eventually come over to your hand to take the treat. Just lay your hand still holding the treat so that it does not appear threatening to the budgie. Start by holding the treat far away at first, and then gradually hold it closer and closer as the budgie begins to trust your hand. This could take three to five different times before it is successful.

Step 5

Hold your hand near your budgie once he or she has learned to trust your hand. Approach your bird slowly, so that it does not scare him or her. Use your index finger as a perch for the budgie. Take your finger and hold it under the budgie’s lower abdomen and try to get it to sit on your finger. The budgie may appear afraid at first and go away. Take plenty of patience to try again, and avoid using your hand to go after the budgie. Let the budgie decide for itself when it will jump onto your finger. Once the budgie has gotten onto your hand, hold it very still, and then reward him with a treat. Talk softly to the budgie as it sits on your finger.

Step 6

After your budgie has gotten onto your finger, you can be awarded with a great bond of trust from your budgie. From this step, you can begin training to let your budgie out of it’s cage if you wish. It could be some time before your budgie decides to move away from it’s safe area. Congratulations on your first steps towards taming your budgie.
Would you like to have an article written like this one? Get articles and content for your personal or business needs. Articles can be written on family, relationships, crafts, finance, religion, internet, and more. Check out more information at: http://www.arianacherry.info
Read more great How To’s by Ariana at:
http://www.ehow.com/members/arianacherry99.html

What Do Budgies Eat?

Parakeets (more accurately known as budgerigars) are like most other birds, they enjoy a varied diet rather than just the same old seed day in day out. So what do you feed your small feathered friends? Budgies are vegetarians so they enjoy a nice balanced diet of seeds, vegetables and fruits!

So what kind of fruits do we give to our budgerigars? Budgies are known to love a wide range of fruits including mandarins, apples, and pears, if you want to get really adventurous then you can try some tropical fruits as well! Fruits are an important part of a budgie diet so make sure you accommodate your little parakeet’s dietary needs and give them a slice of apple in their cage now and then.

Different fruits in different locations can add a bit of excitement to your budgies life as well as valuable nutrients! Use feeding time as another moment to bond with your parakeet, share an apple, hand feed mandarins or even prepare a wet lettuce leaf for your budgie to eat and bathe in!

You can mix up your budgies diet with a variety of green vegetables as well. Your parakeet will enjoy things like Broccoli &/or Cauliflower leaves, Bok-Choi, Cabbage leaves, Dandelion leaves, Mustard leaves and even Kelp! You have to be a little bit careful though as some greens can have negative effects on your Budgie, including calcium deficiencies and liver problems.

A good diet can be critical during budgie breeding and can make the difference between healthy and unhealthy chicks! For these reasons it is very important to have a piece of cuttlebone and also a mineral block for your budgie in your breeding cage.

Budgies love to eat a number of different seeds but people are often surprised that they also enjoy eating different nuts and grains! Budgies also will eat things like lentils, beans, almonds, tofu and even Sesame seeds.

As you can see budgies will eat a wide range of different fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains and seeds so you can easily add some entertainment and variety to their life by giving them more than the standard budgie seed mix. Like any animal with higher intelligence budgies need some stimulation and excitement! Ideally you will keep a couple of budgie’s together to give each other entertainment, but even then a mixed diet can really make the difference between a sad and unhealthy budgie and a happy and playful budgie.
Timothy Augst is the owner of http://www.thebudgiecage.com and has been a budgie enthusiast for some years.
If you are looking for some more information on what budgie’s eat The Budgie Cage offers more information on their budgie diet page.

Are You Sure That You Need A Budgie?

Before buying a budgie think about the following questions:

One or two budgies?

Budgies in natural conditions live in flights and it will be boring for one budgie to live in a cage. His friend, who can replace the company of other bird, could be a person but only in case that he spends lots of time with his feathery friend, speaks to it and lets it fly. If the bird is alone most of the time it becomes sad and very often gets sick. If you are unable to spare enough time for the budgie or if the family is absent for a long time, it is better to start breeding a couple of birds.

Many people think that when living in a couple budgies do not become domestic because they do not need human presence anymore. But if your patient enough and if you have enough time you may breed budgies separately while they grow up until they become domestic and start perching on your arm and only then to bring them together into one cage.

Will anybody help you?

It can happen that on some days you can be very busy and to be unable to care about the birds It is very important someone of the family to take care of them. And will it be possible for the bird to move around your home?

Home budgies do not need to look for food alone and to fly kilometers away but they also have to “exercise” their wings. These feathery ones will not be vital and healthy if they do not fly daily around the room at least for an hour. But is very difficult to keep the cage in one room with a cat–it instinctively chases birds and the is no trouble in catching the flying budgie. But an obedient dog very soon realizes that the bird is a member of the family and that it must not be disturbed.
Geomil Georgiev is owner and editor of http://www.birdscomfort.com where you can find information on every type of pet birds. BirdsComfort provides detailed information in decorative, large, custom, acrylic, antique, wooden, and discount bird cages sale, as well as cage covers, bird cage playstands, bird perches, bird toys, bird swings and bird foods.

Interesting Facts About Budgies You May Not Know About

Budgies are some of the most popular pet birds in the United States today. People love them for their colors and their ability to sing, but there are quite a few interesting facts about budgies that you might or might not know. You would be surprised at finding some of the facts about budgies that you never knew before. You will find these facts quite amusing and you will probably like your budgies just a bit more after you have learned these facts. Without further ado, read below for some fun facts.

Budgies can register 150 images per second. Imagine that! With such quick speed, an old school film must look very strange to them. Even with films that move at like 60 images per second, they can basically see them moving. For humans, they can only register 16 images per second. That means if the film were to move at 8 images per second, one can sort of see the images rotating. That would actually be extra slow for budgies.

Budgies also have the ability to see color in the world. They will not have trouble registering different colors. No more black and white films for these budgies. They want to see everything in color!
Another interesting fact is that they can count. Yes, they have the ability to count. Can they count up to 10,000? Unfortunately that is not possible. But they do have the ability to count up to three. That is quite amazing. This is because they can store a bit of memory in their brains. For instance, they can hear a range of sounds from 400 to 20,000 Hz and can store them for a bit. So to think that birds are not intelligent would be a big mistake. In fact, they are smarter than most animals.

One more thing, they are sort of like owls in the sense that they can turn their heads 180 degrees. Is that not interesting? They would have so much fun during Halloween. That also gives them a great visual. This is because in their natural habit, it is important for them to be able to look at all directions so that they do not get attacked by predators easily.

Lastly, one more interesting fact is that they go to the bathroom a lot. While you would think some other animals go to the bathroom a lot, but budgies will beat that easily. They go at every twelve to fifteen minutes. That is quite impressive and you would have to clean up very often if you were to take your budgies to places. Good thing that typically they like to stay within their own bird cage. Otherwise, it would be a big nightmare.

After all these fun facts, hopefully you will find more enjoyment in your pet and you can start noticing some of the actions they do and appreciate them for the wonderful creatures that they are. Be sure to look out for more interesting facts perhaps you will find more for everyone to enjoy.
To find more information about interesting facts about budgies and if you are interested in getting budgies cages, please visit this site

How To Recognize A Healthy Budgie

Whether you are looking to buy a budgie, already have a budgie or even own multiple budgies, health is of utmost importance. A budgie can go downhill really quickly if it gets ill, so it is really important to know what a healthy budgie looks like and to watch for any signs that may be pointing to the bird being slightly unwell or even very ill.

A healthy budgerigar is easily seen by it being active and chirpy, with bright, clear eyes and well preened feathers. He (or she) will also have a healthy appetite, so always check to see that the bird is eating and drinking well. The bird should also have a clean vent, with no fecal matter (poop) sticking to it and his breathing should be quick and quiet.

Now that we’ve determined what a healthy budgerigar should be like, let’s see what signs there are that your budgie might be feeling under the weather or unwell.

Your bird may become unusually quiet, sit fluffed up at the bottom of the cage, stop eating and drinking. Its eyes could become sore, his feet can get swollen. The breathing could become noisy and seem like it’s a lot of hard work for the budgie. It could develop a visible lump (possible tumour), or it’s legs and beak could get crusty and sore (possible scaly face).

Other things to watch for are scruffy looking feathers, major loss of feathers or a dirty vent. Do note that budgies are very good at hiding illness so they really need to be watched closely.

If you should at any time find that your bird is exhibiting symptoms like this, please
always try to get advice from an avian vet if possible, or even a breeder if you can find one as they will usually be able to help you decide which steps to take to help get the bird better again.
Anna-Marie Stewart keeps and breeds pet budgerigars.
Visit Adorable Budgies for information, pictures and forum
http://adorablebudgies.co.uk
This article is available for reprint in your opt-in ezine,
web site or ebook. You MUST agree not to make any changes
to the article and the RESOURCE BOX MUST be included.
(c) Anna-Marie Stewart All Rights Reserved

Budgies As Buddies – What to Expect With a Budgerigar As a Pet Bird

Budgies, formally known as Budgerigars, are one of the most popular species of pet birds. Here in the United States they are more popularly known as parakeets and are usually green with black stripes on their wings and toward the back of their heads. If you’re considering adopting a Budgie, here are some important facts to know about pet Budgies.

Personality Budgies are extremely social birds and they are often adopted in pairs because they make such good company for each other. Two males, or a male and female are best. Females sometimes have a harder time getting along and may fight. They are active, friendly, and easily tamed particularly if they have been hand fed as babies and handled regularly. They can also imitate speech quite well, but are less likely to do so when paired with another bird. While they are generally quieter than most parrots, they can still be quite chirpy.

Cage A large cage is needed (at least 2 feet in all directions and larger is better) to allow for proper exercise and normal activity. Be careful to leave plenty of space inside the cage so they can move freely. Bars should be less than ½ inch apart and should contain several horizontal bars for perching, climbing, and play. A cage with several different perch sizes will more naturally imitate the wild and will help keep their feet healthy. Make sure perches are free from toxins, and consider using tree branches rather than store-bought perches. They also need to be given time to play outside the cage. At least an hour each day is recommended and this free time will result in a happier, healthier bird. Be sure to keep wings trimmed to prevent accidental escape through doors and windows.

Food Budgies do best with a variety of food. Seeds and pellets in conjunction with fresh vegetables and fruits daily. Recommended vegetables include broccoli, spinach, corn, carrots; fresh fruits should include apple, grape, kiwi fruit, mango, melon, nectarine, orange, peach, pear, pomegranate, plum, strawberry, tangerine, and watermelon. Fruits and vegetables should be washed, cut into small pieces, peeled, and free of pits, cores, and seeds. Avoid chocolate, avocado, rhubarb, and any products containing caffeine or alcohol. Because birds are lactose intolerant dairy products should also be avoided. And of course, fresh drinking water is required daily.

Lifespan and Health With proper care many Budgies live anywhere from 7 -14 years with 10 years being the average. Observe your bird to establish base lines of normal patterns for eating, sleeping, socializing with other birds and humans, play, and energy level. Once you determine what is normal for your bird, it is much easier to detect health problems early. If any of these patterns change significantly take your bird to an avian veterinarian immediately. Birds have incredibly sensitive respiratory systems, and keeping respiratory passages clear will reduce the number of infections, keep your bird healthier, and help it live a long and happy life with you in your home.
An excellent resource for a HEPA air purifier to keep your Budgies’s air passages clear (and yours too) is offered by PurerAir.com– the Bird Dander Purifier at http://purerair.com/bird_dander_air_purifier.html

Expert Tips on Caring For Baby Budgies

If you’re breeding budgies, you will soon have a few chicks on your hands. Although the mother and father will do most of the work, there are a few things you’ll need to do also. Here are a few tips on caring for baby budgies.

Development

It’s important that you check on the chicks everyday. They may experience development problems which can be fixed if caught early. It’s common for the little ones to get food stuck under their top mandible, or beak. The accumulation of food can cause an undershot beak, so you’ll need to remove it with a toothpick or something.

Another common developmental problem is splayed legs. Since their bones are still forming, the problem can easily be corrected. To treat the problem, you will need to tie the chick’s legs closely together. Also, mothers sometimes don’t wash the baby’s feet well enough. If droppings are allowed to accumulate and harden, it can hinder the little one’s ability to move its toes. You will need to prevent this by washing them yourself.

Taming

Most owners want a tame budgie. If you plan on selling them, you’ll need to keep this in mind. You can easily start taming baby budgies after they’re two weeks old. Simply handle them carefully 10 minutes everyday. Two weeks after this, you can start handling them for longer than 10 minutes.

Light

If you’ll be taming the chicks, you will need to take them out of the nestbox. Their nestbox is very dark inside. When you take them out, it’s important that you shield their fragile eyes from the bright light. After they get a little older, you won’t need to shield them from the light anymore.
These are a few tips on caring for baby budgies. To ensure the ideal health of your birds, it’s important that you learn everything you can about proper budgie care. So, click here now to learn how to care for pet budgies properly.

Expert Tips For Breeding Budgies

Breeding budgies is a time-consuming but rewarding task. If you want to breed these birds, there are a few things you will need to know. Here are a few tips to make the experience a bit easier for you.

Age

Budgies reach sexual maturity quite early, usually between three and four months old. However, it’s best not to start breeding them this early as it can cause problems down the road. Wait until both the male and the female are at least a year old before you allow them to mate. If you can get a pair that has already bonded, you find things will progress a bit faster.

Season

You should be aware that these birds aren’t fertile throughout the year. If you’re in the United States, you will need to breed them anywhere between October and March. This is the only time that they will mate. Around this time, you will start to notice them acting differently.

The birds will start tearing up the newspaper lining. They will also start feeding each other. Another common sign is tapping their beaks on their perches. The male may also start clicking his beak towards the female.

Lighting

Lighting is very important when breeding budgies. If you want to get them into condition for breeding, you need to provide at least 13 hours of lighting. This shouldn’t be done all at once though. Instead, increase the lighting gradually over a few weeks up to 13 hours. Conversely, you should cover their cage at night to provide the necessary 12 hours of darkness.
These are a few tips on breeding budgies. To ensure the ideal health of your birds, it’s important that you learn everything you can about proper budgie care. So, click here now to learn how to care for pet budgies properly.

5 Valuable Points For the Bird Novice on Successfully Caring For Their Pet Budgies

• SEXING

You must by all means necessary make sure that it is pair of budgies that you have acquired. As in a Male and Female.

Depending on the strain / mutation a cock may have a light purple / blue cere, which is the fleshy area where the nostrils are located above the beak; and the hen once in prime breeding condition will have a brown cere, this may be a light tan colour if the hen isn’t quite ready for copulation.

• HEALTH

I can’t stress on the health factor enough because a lot of beginners actually told me they picked an unhealthy budgie, unknowing to them of course; simply because it looked much more quieter and tame than the other birds which just wouldn’t stop flying around the cage frantically.

Please make sure that you future pet / breeding birds’ eyes are well open and bright, not half way closed. Make sure the bird’s beak and legs are not scaly, feathers are not missing or plucked out and you witness the budgerigar moving effortlessly in its flight.

• DIET

For optimum health, your budgerigar diet should consist of a clean dust and mold free parakeet seed mixture; you can easily find such parrot food as some people tend to call it, from a wide range of pet shops and malls or stores that offer parrot supplies.

An occasional mix of vegetables, fruits and greens, interchanging these daily will help to keep your bird in peak health and bring it to a prime breeding condition .eg lettuce, apple and carrots, just make sure that you take care and wash them thoroughly before feeding to your bird.

Last but certainly not least a good soft food / egg food / rearing mixture this plays a heavy and important role in the rearing and parenting stage of your birds.

• HOUSING

Where you decide to keep or breed your birds must be adequate to accommodate the decision or motive you have in mind and obviously the health and availability to exercise and flight room is of the up most priority to the budgies.

The aviary / bird cage / breeding house / nest box must be well disinfected and prepared preferably before you introduce the birds to their new environment.

Try not to cluster the bird cage with too much bird training or pet toys as the space is usually an issue and they will need as much flying room as possible.

• CARE AND DEDICATION

This is by far the most important point of them all that I will mention today. Please do not start something that you are not going to finish.

Do not neglect your birds, they cannot go out and find food for themselves or fend for their lives ,you as the pet owner are fully responsible for your birds life and prosperity for it you who controls their diet, the amount of exercise they get and what nutrients, toys and facilities they have access to.

Scaly Face in Budgies

Scaly face is a common condition in birds caused by a mite called Knemidocoptes. This scaly face condition is seen mostly in budgerigars and by knowing what symptoms to look for you will be able to provide treatment to your bird as soon as possible. If the mites are not identified early the damage could be severe.

Knemidocoptes is a burrowing mite that can cause disfiguring changes of the beak, legs and feet of birds. The mite has a three-week life cycle and stays on the bird the whole time. The mites burrow into the skin and feather follicles around the cere, feet, and face, and feed on keratin. As the mites burrow they leave characteristic honeycomb lesions. The mites are transmitted from bird to bird by close contact.

Although this mite most commonly affects budgerigars, many different species of birds are affected. This mite can affect all chickens, turkeys, finches, canaries, parakeets, and parrots. Although the clinical signs of this mite can vary between species of birds, the basic lesions are the same.

Knemidocoptes occurs mostly in older or sick animals that have a weaker immune system. Lesions to look for include scaling, crusting, and grayish lesions on the skin around the beak, eyes, legs, and feet. The mites burrow into the skin leaving large tunnels resulting in the characteristic honeycomb lesion.

In severe cases the beak will start to grow malformed and it might become hard for the bird to breath. Also, the legs and feet will also become malformed and the bird will become lame. Swollen nail beds and misshaped nails can also occur.

Both male and female budgerigars may be affected, but the disease is most commonly seen in fledglings and younger adults. The lesions usually appear over the course of months and the progression of the disease is slow.

Normally the first lesions to appear are at the corners of the beak. In most cases the condition is confined to the base and top of the beak. Normally the condition does not cause itching in the birds. The fact that the condition does not cause itching is why the honeycomb lesions, and the location of the lesions will help your veterinarian determine that this condition is scaly face.

Your veterinarian will usually do a skin scraping of your bird to help confirm the diagnosis. Treatment usually consists of either one of two drugs, Ivermectin or Moxidectin. Either of these drugs can be given to treat the mites, these drugs can be given in varying forms and doses, so consult your veterinarian before treatment.

By knowing what signs to look for in your budgerigars, you’ll be able to catch this condition in its early stages to hopefully prevent further disease.
Visit my pet website at and ASK A VET your bird question!

To Prepare the Cage for the Budgie

From the smallest parrots with great popularity among the lovers have budgies – their weight reaches up to 40 grams, and the length of their body is no more than 20 – 23 cm. Usually cages for budgies are sold equipped with perches, made of wood or hard plastics. But after that the owner of the feathery ones has to complete the interior with several real, rough, unattractive twigs, because if the budgie never changes the position of its toes and always holds tight to the flat and smooth surface of standard sick, its toes start swelling, rubbing sore and there start to appear wounds and scabs. If you don’t have fine sandpaper to cover the floor, you can spread out under the layer of very fine ballast (or very coarse sand ) and an ordinary newspaper, which must not have colored illustrations. Most printing inks are poisonous for budgies. Something more that can threaten your birds is using twigs from the coniferous tree – yew, whose wood is also poisonous for birds. It is best for this purpose to use twigs from orchard trees.

WHAT DO THEY NEED?

My recommendation is to use transparent feeders – thus it will be easier for the budgie to find its food, when it sees the food. Feeders must be two types – one for seeds and sand with stones and another bigger one for the vegetation and fruit. The sand could be from the sea, mixed with crashed shells and mussels ( but not from the white one that is sold for the canaries), and the stones should be from granite or flint. Budgies get bored with the same toys, so it is better to change or to take turns of them into the cage. It is considered that a mirror makes the loneliness of the bird more endurable – looking into the mirror the bird start imagining that it is not alone, but I consider that constant looking in the mirror is not recommendable because of danger of inhibition.

Choose the most spacious cage, which you can afford and which you can dispose at home. It is considered that the ideal size of cage for a couple of budgies is 91/45/45 cm, and when only one bird is going to live in the cage its size could be 2/3 from the stated one. Don’t be in a hurry with you purchase – many cages are sold in the zoo shops, but you can have the chance to buy a suitable already used one. Different constructions exist, so it is sensible not to hurry so that you can buy something really good. You buy a home for your budgies, where their life will pass, so do your best to choose such, where they will feel best.

Choosing a cage it is not bad to think about some things. Is it spacious enough? Is its shape proper – you might like a high circular cage, but in “lodgings ” birds very often don’t have enough room to move and to outspread their wings. It can seem less important, but closing the door must be secure. There should be a mobile plastic bottom in the cage, which to ease cleaning it. The sticks of the cage can be chromium plated or glazed and it is good to have horizontal not only vertical sticks on the sides of the cage so that the budgies can climb easily. The perches must be located so that birds can reach all feeders and watering troughs and place one higher than the other ones. Don’t install them near the sides of the cage, because staying on them, budgies will constantly rub there tails on the metal sticks. Prepare the cage before buying your feathery friend. And when you take it from the shop, put it in a cardboard box, handle it with care and quickly take it home. If it is cold outside wrap the box, but so that you don’t reduce air flow. At hoe wash the whole cage with very hot water, but neither use soap nor washing detergents, use only special disinfection means, that are intended for birds’ cages. This is absolutely compulsory if you have obtained a used cage. Dry very well the new home of the bird. Place a sheet of very fine sandpaper on the bottom and spread fine ballast. After that, install the perches, feeders and water troughs.

Birds don’t like the location of the cage to be often changed, that is why choose the most proper place for them in your flat right in the beginning. The place should be lighted up enough, but not to be lit up directly by sunlight. If you have a glassed balcony from late spring to early autumn you can keep your birds there. You can put pots with big – leaved plants around the cage. Thus birds will feel well. The balcony should not be facing south, because during the hot summer days the bird can die of overheating. When temperatures get lower you should bring the bird inside the flat Watch out not to put it near the central-heating or other heating devices because air is drier there. When you bring the birds in be careful because the make lots of mess around especially when they start flying in the cage.

It is known that budgies like to have company – your feathery pet will feel best in the room where the whole family gathers. Choose a room, where you can let the bird fly free –this is very important for its education. Budgies also need fresh air – that it why the room should not be stifling. Exactly because of this reason the cage of the birds should not be put in the kitchen as some beginners do. The steam that appears when cooking is harmful for birds. Except for that, it is very dangerous when flying in the kitchen the budgie to have a tragic end.

The cage should not be put in front of the window – there the sensitive feathery creatures very sensibly feel the atmosphere changes – the cold in winter and the burning sunrays in summer. The cage should not be exposed to draughts, very close to the radiator of the central heating or near the fire place. Whether the cage is placed on a special for this purpose rack is not very important – it could be placed on every solid table or shelf. But on a special rack the cage takes less space, it can be put higher, which the birds will like and it will be easier to move it.

Budgies suffer if the don’t sleep enough. That is why you should cover their cage with a light material – it reduces light, but birds don’t stay in full darkness.
Geomil Georgiev is owner and editor of http://www.birdscomfort.com where you can find information on every type of pet birds. BirdsComfort provides detailed information in decorative, large, custom, acrylic, antique, wooden, and discount bird cages sale, as well as cage covers, bird cage playstands, bird perches, bird toys, bird swings and bird foods

How To Keep Your Budgerigar Happy

A budgie is one of the cutest pets one could wish to own, but how do we keep them happy?

Budgies are instinctively used to living in a flock and love constant chatter and
company. I would never suggest getting a budgie if it’s going to spend most of the day all on it’s own. The least a single indoor budgie needs of company would be either radio or tv.

If you are going to be able to spend a lot of time with your bird, then by all means just get one, but if you think he might end up feeling lonely due to not having a lot of company around him, then get at least 2.

Keeping one budgerigar is totally ok so long as you understand he will need a lot of attention from you, especially if you feel that you would like to get him at least finger-tame. Spend as much time as you can with your budgie, and talk to him whenever you’re around him. He’ll love you for it.

If you’re keeping more than one budgie, make sure the cage you buy is big enough for however many will be housed in it. Remember the rule of thumb: No wing or tail feathers are to touch the bars.

If you’re going to keep a lot of budgies, it might be better to have an indoor or outdoor aviary. Budgies make a LOT of mess, so consider that before you make any decisions.

No matter where, or how, you decide to house your budgies, toys are a must-have.

Home-made wooden ones are fabulous, but you can also buy pretty cheap ones
(usually plastic) from most pet shops. Either way, always check your birds toys on a regular basis as small parts can loosen and choke the bird, strings can fray and a bird can strangle itself on them.

Birds get bored very easily, so have plenty of toys available so you can change them at regular intervals.

Make sure your birds cage is always clean and that there’s always food and fresh water available. Follow these tips and you’ll be well on your way to having a very happy budgie indeed.
Anna-Marie Stewart keeps and breeds pet budgerigars.
Visit Adorable Budgies for information, pictures and forum
http://adorablebudgies.co.uk
This article is available for reprint in your opt-in ezine, web site or ebook. You MUST agree not to make any changes to the article and the RESOURCE BOX MUST be included.
(c) Anna-Marie Stewart All Rights Reserved