Budgie basics: the cage, the perches and the one rule everything depends on

The budgerigar is a tiny bird with an enormous social appetite. In its native Australia it lives in flocks hundreds strong, chattering all day, and it does not switch that mode off in your living room. Anyone who has listened to two budgies holding their afternoon meeting knows: this bird wants to discuss everything with someone. And from that follows the most important rule of keeping them.

Never keep just one

Budgies do well in pairs or small groups, never alone. For a lonely bird all the owner's efforts fall short, because a human does not speak budgie: you cannot preen with them, cannot answer in bird language, and you are not even home during working hours. A mirror is not a companion but a trap, the bird ends up feeding and courting a reflection that never answers. Two birds are not twice the work, but they are many times the spectacle, and your conscience gets to rest easy too.

The cage: width above all

Budgies fly horizontally, they do not ride lifts, so with a cage it is the width that counts, not the height. A pair needs a cage at least 100 centimetres wide, and the tall, narrow tower-shaped models look striking but are useless for flying. The bar spacing should be roughly 1-1.2 centimetres, and at least part of the bars should run horizontally, because those can be climbed, which is a parrot's favourite way of getting around.

The cage belongs in a bright, draught-free spot, with at least one side against a wall so the birds know nothing can surprise them from behind. The kitchen is a poor choice, not least because of the steam, the temperature swings and the smells of cooking.

Perches: foot care in disguise

The plastic perches in factory cages are worth replacing straight away with natural wood ones. The reason is simple: on a smooth plastic rod of uniform thickness the bird's foot always rests in the same position, while a natural branch of varying thickness works the foot differently with every grip and takes care of wearing the claws down too. A good perch set therefore comes in several thicknesses.

Two placement mistakes are worth avoiding. Do not put a perch above the bowls, because that is where droppings land, and do not overcrowd the cage: perches go at the two ends, with free airspace in the middle for wingbeats.

The daily routine: flight, bath, greens

The cage is a base, not a prison. Daily free flight in a bird-proofed room (windows covered by drawn curtains or closed, no open flames, no unattended containers of water) is a mandatory part of keeping budgies, and it is when you find out what a skilled flyer this tiny bird is. Bathing is another passion for many budgies: a cage-mounted bird bath filled with fresh water a few times a week tends to be a great hit, and a bird who is not the bathing type can be pampered with a lukewarm misting instead.

The diet rests on a good seed mix, but greens are due every day alongside it: lettuce, chickweed, grated carrot, sprouts. A cuttlebone for beak wear and calcium should always be in the cage. One thing to watch closely: avocado and chocolate are toxic to birds, not a single bite of either.

A healthy budgie is lively, keeps its feathers sleek and provides running commentary on the day. If your bird sits fluffed up, sleeps a lot in the daytime or stops eating, see a vet who knows birds.

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