Animal-World > Birds > Parakeet: Types of Parakeets > Budgerigars - Parakeets

Budgerigar, ParakeetsBudgies

Family: Psittacidae

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A Group of Very Colorful BudgiesMelopsittacus undulatusPhoto © Animal-World: Courtesy David Brough

     Not only does the Parakeet or Budgerigar make a super pet, but is also available in over 100 color forms!

   Colorful, attractive, and lively are just some of the great attributes of the Parakeet or Budgerigar. With their warm and inquisitive personalities, they make a great pet for both the beginner or an experienced bird keeper. They are quite hardy, inexpensive, and easy to care for.

To learn more about Parakeets and their needs visit:
Guide to a Happy, Healthy Parakeet

Scientific Name: Melopsittacus undulatus

Overview, history, and species variants:      The parakeet, or Budgerigar, belongs to the family of true parrots, which explains why the parakeet is relatively adept at learning to talk. The parakeet comes from Australia and the first European to write anything about these colorful birds was John Gould in 1865 in his work titled "Birds of Australia".      This bird, along with about 30 - 45 other small broad-tailed parrot species, belong to a tribe called Platycercini. The members of this group are all native to Australia in particular, but also to Australasia, New Zealand, New Caledonia, and nearby islands. Besides the Budgerigar, It includes birds like the grass parrots, Rosellas, and the New Zealand parrots.      In the wild, the Parakeet or Budgerigar, comes from the interior of Australia where the landscape is almost desert-like and there are no regular rainy seasons. This arid environment will go for months and sometimes years without rain. Needless to say, this is a hardy bird.

Pet appeal:      Parakeets make very good pets as long as they have a lot of attention and love. These birds are very social by nature. Living in groups of 20 to 40 and sometimes as many as 60 birds in the wild, and don ’t like to be left alone. So if you own only one bird and you work 8 hour days, think about possibly getting him a mate or finding someone to at least keep the bird company for part of the time that you are gone. Parakeets make just as good of pets singly or in pairs or more, but make sure that you introduce one bird at a time.      Parakeets are monogamous so once they find a mate it is usually for life unless of course one of them has an untimely death in which the other would then find a new mate. Parakeets are very good flyers. In the wild they fly back and forth across vast regions searching for food and water, so provide them with free flying time and you will have a much happier birds.

Description:      Parakeets come in over 100 color forms but primarily in green (typical in the wild), various shades of blue, opaline, gray, white, yellow (lutino), pied (combination in one bird), and in various shades of these colors, some rarer than others.      Parakeets are 7" to 9 3/8" in length from the tip of the bill over the head to the tip of the tail. The tail by itself is 3 1/8" to 4 1/2" long. Parakeets weigh anywhere from 1 - 1.4 ounces ( 30-40g). The life expectancy of the average parakeet is 12 to 14 years. They reach sexual maturity at 3 to 4 months. By this time they have there adult plumage which is quite unusual in the bird kingdom.

Care and feeding:      Ready made staple seed mixes are usually available at your local pet store or super market which contains a mixture of canary grass seed, white millet, yellow millet, oats and groats and red millet, niger seed and linseed. Some higher quality seed mixtures come with thistle, anise, rape, sesame, and safflower seed. Vitamin pellets with iodine in them are sometimes present to prevent thyroid problems. Store seed in a dark but airy place. Not in plastic bags but in a clothes bag in a closet. Offer fresh foods such as eggplant, green peas, cucumber, young dandelion greens, sweet corn, beet greens, carrots, unsprayed lettuce, green peppers, sorrel, spinach leaves, tomatoes and zucchini. Fruits that are suitable are: Pineapples, apples, apricots, bananas, most other fruits.      Food that is bad for birds includes: All members of the cabbage family, raw and green potatoes, green beans, grapefruit, rhubarb, plums, lemons, avocado.      Parakeets also need a mineral block and a cuttlebone in their cage. These provide all the minerals and trace elements that they need. Offer spray millet every so often as a treat. And of course fresh water daily.

Housing:      Provide a roomy cage with the minimum dimensions of: 20" long x 12" deep x 18" high. The ideal size is: 40" long x 20" deep x 32" high. Preferably a cage with horizontal bars to make climbing easier. You can also attach a perch/play area on top of the cage. In the cage have about three perches of different diameters (or branches with some angling) without the sandpaper guards. A swing and mirror among other toys are available but be sure to leave enough room for flying! Food and water dishes, preferably automatic dispensing, or if not, ones with guards to prevent waste contamination. Clips to hold spray millet and fresh food. A bath house with a textured bottom is a favorite, or a slow running faucet will do. Provide a breeding box if breeding is what you have in mind.

Maintenance:      The basic cage care includes daily cleaning of the water and food dishes. Weekly you should wash all the perches and dirty toys, and the floor should be washed about every other week. A total hosing down and disinfecting of an aviary should be done yearly, replacing anything that needs to be freshened, such as old dishes, toys and perches.

Handling and training:      Take it slow at first and let the parakeet get used to you and its new surroundings before trying to get him to go onto your finger. Allow flying time and don ’t worry about catching him to put him back into the cage, leave the cage door open and sooner or later he will get hungry. After a while curiosity will overcome fear and training can begin.      Most but not all parakeets have the inclination to talk, be repetitive and patient.

Activities:     Free flying time is very important. Try to offer several hours a day in a bird safe room. A bird tree ( this can be made by wiring branches together into a tree or surrounding a tall house plant with perches, not poisonous of course), is very useful. Set it across the room from the cage, so that they fly back and forth. This will provide them with ample exercise.

Breeding:      The male parakeet's cere is blue and the female ’s is tan or light yellow. The "cere" is the area located at the base of the beak, just below the forehead or crown area. It is where the two nostril type openings (nares) are also located. There are a few exceptions, but for the most part this coloration is fairly accurate. In young parakeets, under 3 months, it is pale pink to tanish but changes after sexual maturity.      If a pair of parakeets are ready to mate they will court one another first by playing and then feeding each other. The male then attempts a balancing act on the females back and lowers his tail under hers till the vents connect.      The female picks the nesting sight and lays her eggs, one or two every other day, for a total of 4 to 6 eggs in a clutch. Incubation is 18 days but the hen will remain on the nest till the chicks start to get feather ’s. Separate the nesting hen from the other parakeets. Nesting material is not necessary till after the chicks hatch then you can cover the bottom of the box with pine shavings, never saw dust. Be sure that the hen is feeding the young and if not, hand rearing may be necessary.

Potential Problems:      The most common would be a parakeet plucking out its own feathers. This is usually caused from loneliness and boredom. Another problem is if the leg band is too tight then a veterinarian will have to remove it. If taken care of, the parakeet is a hardy pet well worth the money and effort!

Availability: Budgies are readily available and inexpensive.

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Latest Comments
I have a pair of australian budgies. The female (named Bonny) is an albino and is the calmer of the 2. The male (named Jazz) is a blue and grey pied and is very skittish but he calms down when he's out of his cage. These are great animals to have and you cannot be dissapointed with them!!! James van Wyk 2009-12-24
Hey, my name is lesley and I saw that birds live 12 - 14 years. I've only had my bird for 10 years and I am really sad because it died today, december 14 2009. I really loved my parakeet, he was the best. I yelled as hard as I can and I cried as much as I could, but now I know that my bird is in a happy place. Sorry, I can't finsh this... Lesley .G 2009-12-14
I'm 10 and i have a parakeet right now shes about 6 years old and her name is Tweety. I had another parakeet but it died 1 week later i bought it, i didn't even name it and it died. The pet store told me that my bird was carrying her own virus, and got to the other bird and died. But at least I still have my bird. She's all yellow with white cheeks. To me she looks rare for some reason.I love my pet bird!! ~ Elisha 2009-12-09
I love having parakeets. I had a beautiful girl named Bebe for 3 years, but someone left the door open and she flew away right before a hurricane like storm, so I lost her. I cried for 2 days because she did lots of cute stuff and my husband and I loved her alot. Then,a year ago I got 2, Dude and Precious, and Precious died a couple of months ago. We had a funeral for her and buried her under an oak tree. Now I got Zen about 4 months ago, and I thought it was a boy, but the cere changed color so I think its a girl! I am confused, and may have to call her Zena! Anyway she plays soccer with a golf ball and carries a tiny baseball bat around in her mouth and is very funny. Dude is rather timid but is a beautiful white and turquoise. I am thinking of getting another one soon. I love them! Laura Reyes 2009-12-04
I'm 11, and I got a parakeet in may. She was 7. She died 3 nights ago. Her name was big blue because of her size and color. I MISS HER SO MUCH! Ryan Bennett 2009-11-30
Some of the coolest comments:
I have a 10 year old buggie male, this is my 3rd one in my 51 yrs of life. I got to tell anyone that just got a buggie, don't ever give up. Just when you are about to quit... they start talking! Spend as much time as you can with them. Have them on your finger and talk very slowly to them, repeating over and over to them. Pronounce the words, buggies will pick up certain letters in a word. They talk very fast, eventually it will slow down. They are more friendly to you if they don't have another bird with them. They are very social but you have to give them a lot of attention. They will back off at first, but have a routine with them, and don't give up! It took me 6 months with Tigger, now he talks all the time. He does forget some sentences. He use to say "here kitty ,kitty kitty" and "hi sweetie". His w's are not pronounced very well but his r's are overexagerated! We keep the cage open when we are home. He gets depressed and quiet if he is caged when we are home. He loves all human food except sweets except for fruits, although he wants some of yours, he won't eat it in his cage only if it is greens. He loves Cherrios, the pet store told me that was a great treat! When I am not at home I put on the radio for him. If not he gets sad, and yes, you can tell their moods. He loves to be kissed on the beek and the louder and funnier you talk to him he will get very excited and want to play. His favorite toy besides mirrors is a cat buzz ball. He will knock it down to the floor and play soccer with it and do a little dance thingy that cracks everybody up! He loves to sit on your shoulder and just hang out! He LOVES jewelery! They were thieves years ago when they lived on islands... so they are mischievous! He is the love of my life and loves to play with my two dogs too! I also had 2 cats that he loved to tease, he dive bombed them a lot. Eventually the cats just left him alone or just would lay and watch him play soccer on the floor. He is still very healthy. I guess I feel it is because we give him a lot of fresh food, good healthy stuff, although he will fight with you for your spagetti! A very simple toy is a spoon... they love their reflection. He talks to shiny pans and windows a lot, he has quite the character! My advice is just spend a lot of time with them. Make sure you have them in a room where you are mostly in and away from doors and drafts! This little $14 bird has been the joy in my life! Margie 2010-01-07
It is really recommended to take the birds to a vet if you observe something odd is happening. We have six beautiful and cheerful little baby honey birds here in the house, and one of them is ziggy, who is my husband's favorite because it has been with him for a long time. For the last two years, ziggy has been suffering from organ failure (according to the vet) because still his belly gets bigger or bulky. The doctor needs to excrete the excess fluid from his body and we maitain the medicine that he has to take everyday. We wanted to know exactly the main reason of the problem, to cure it, and prevent of losing her. Even my husband spent a lot already, but he is still willing to do everything to keep our little ziggy with us. LIZIEL COOK 2009-10-22
Comments Dr Jungle REALLY Likes to Hear!
I might get a parakeet and I was researching, so thanks for the information a lot! bob 2010-01-17
I have two baby Budgies that I purchased from a "bin'o'budgies" at a local pet store three months ago. They all had good coloring, were clean, appeared healthy and treated well. I think one is around 3 mo old and the other 4 or 5 because of the feathers on the forehead and iris/lack there of. Unfortunately due to lack of human contact in their first days it took awhile for them to trust me. However, with time and patience I have gotten them to be finger trained and hang out with me outside of their cage- right now they are sitting on top of my laptop, that is on my lap as I'm laying on the couch :) I had a cockateil that my family adopted and I loved dearly, but I left him at home when I moved out because I wouldn't have the time to spend with him like he is used to. I missed him so much that just had to fill the empty spot in my heart. Sure enough these two little guys have done that and more. They sing and chirp so beautifully and merrily, it sounds like spring every morning in my house. Just a heads up- they poop every 12 minutes! Thanks for this very informational site. I read as much as often as I can to make sure I give these sweethearts the best life possible. Nicole Brader 2009-08-19
I just received my parakeet as a gift and have been at the computer for hours trying to find out information on how to take care of it. Thank you so much for all the information you have written, it was the first bit of information I could find on how to take care of my bird. I hope to get many hours of enjoyment out of it. Joyce Ferringer 2009-07-18

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