The Good, The Bad and the Ugly about BUDGIES!

[zuzanqa]

Ahhhh UGLY not UGLE, sorry!

I´ll go first

The Good: Well, they are adorable, very sweet and quite ¨cheap¨to keep. Cheap in the sense that I am sure the quantity of food they consume is much smaller than that of a macaw and the toys for tiny birds are also cheaper than those for big birds, and they last longer. Mine last forever but my birds are not avid chewers. Budgies don´t have temper tantrums (at leats mine don´t), they are very emotionally ¨stable¨ and chirpy. They are active, curious, playful little clowns.
They are great apartment birds. Mine are never aggressive and they are never territorial. The females can be little meanies sometimes!

The Bad: For me that would be their relatively fragile health and short lifespan. They are extremely picky with food and they are known to rather starve to death than eat pellets instead of seed, for example. Very stubborn. I´ve also read egg-binding and liver problems and tumors are a common issue. Also, if you don´t like hearing chirp chirp chirp squawk squawk ACK ACK all day long, a budgie is not for you They are not loud but the noise is constant. Especially if you´re watching a movie. Get headphones!

Also, if you get a bird from a budgie bin at a random pet store, getting it to trust you takes a very long time and a lot of patience. I know many people say they are not cuddly birds (mine are not) but they CAN be, it depends on the individual bird. However, like I said, taming them takes an eternity. It is worth it though. But if you´re looking for a bird that will sleep in your shirt from day 1, a budgie might not be for you. And they are very skittish.

Another thing is that they do better in pairs or groups. They are extremely sociable creatures and they´re wired instinctually and behaviorally to be part of a flock. Depriving them of a flock is, well, a little sad. Then again, a budgie will always choose another bird over you, so it might be disappointing (for you).

The Ugly: Can´t really think of anything here...

 

[Anne & Gang]

I was so hoping you would start this thread!!! When I think of budgies, I automatically think of you. Yes, they are very much flock animals. That being said, housing two females together is a mistake as they will often duke it out. We have three budgies, all in separate cages. The two females, Jacqueline and Little Alice fight it out when housed together but they do like each other so we have them in side by side cages. They have lots of toys & are happier than all get out..and wild as hell.

Baby Boy Blue is the resident "stud", or so he thinks. He is completely tame and yaks all day long. Because the tiels hate his guts, we can only let him out a few times a day for an hour each time as they all flee or try to fight him, while he is only trying to er ah..well you know. He visits his little budgie girlfriends and goes from cage to cage (even in their cages to feed them) though he has never once tried to do the nasty with them. Even though he goes in and out they still will not come out. .He is also the yakkiest budgie alive and so far we have counted well over one hundred words. He is non stop talk talk talk...

I love them and yes, they are so short lived that it is very sad to see them go because you can form such an attachment to the little devils. Also mixed colored mutations are very prone to tumors and cancer . that is how our little Sweety died and it was so very sad. She was also completely tame and just a darling little girl. I cannot imagine my life without the little devils. They are feisty and fun..also extremely aggressive. I would not recommend mixing them in with other breeds in the same cage.

 

[cassiesdad]

THE GOOD: I don't think there is a species of bird so full of the zest of life than a Budgie. Just watch one (or better yet,two or three!) for awhile. Flying around, playing,exploring the world-all the time chirping and squawking. You can't help from getting a smile on your face.
They are easy "keepers"-but that doesn't diminish them in any way. They are big birds in their heart and soul. A person who brings a budgie into their life must know that.


THE BAD: Budgies need to have company.As Zuzanna and Anne have said, they are predisposed to be part of a flock. To me, a lone budgie is a sad budgie. So, you must have multiples to create a flock.
Being a big bird in a small body,sometimes budgies can become bullies. Our tiels know, for example, not to come into,or even land on the budgie cage. One of the budgies will immediately go on "toe patrol" to drive the offending tiel away!
Yes,the relative short life span is a drawback, as is the tendency for tumors. Neither of those reasons are strong enough not to have budgies in my life, though...

 

[cupoftea]

From my experience dealing with three budgies, overall I found these general characteristics:

The good: Very cheerful, playful and fun birds. Mine have been quite the acrobats, even climbing upside down in their cage. Love spending time with you. Sing a lot, especially when there's more then one bird in the house. Capable of great mimicry, though I've never had a talking one yet. They are tiny and VERY cute, I can't stand how adorable they are.

The bad: Can be quite skittish, and therefore I found it would take awhile for them to get used to new toys and new objects. My females didn't like to be too far away from their cage. While they liked being with us humans, if we took them too far away from their cages they would fly back. Both my females were very cage territorial, but playful once outside their cage. If you don't like birds singing (first of all, why would you get a pet bird, LOL), then a budgie may not be for you because they sing a lot, and it can be loud. They not only sing, but chitter and chatter with whatever and sometimes they do this shrieking angry sounding voice. I could hear my budgies singing from outside my house. I guess they were really strong singers. They can be very hard to tame if you buy them from a petstore.

The ugly: Nothing that I can think of... but budgie bites can actually hurt a lot more then you'd expect... but that's coming from someone who's only ever known budgie bites so far, LOL. But seriously, my females have drawn blood due to their territorial cage behaviour.

 

[mrstweet]

 

[DJandVanna]

I have been a previous owner of 4 budgies, whose lives all ended in tragedy. I am still grateful to have been apart of their lives, and I won't sugar coat anything. I promise I'll tell you my full experience with these tiny parrots!

The Good: Well for starters, they are relatively cheap! PetSmart birds go for only $21 compared to the whopping $1800 for a Greenwing Macaw. However, buying a Pet Store bird is never the best bet. But that is how I acquired my budgies, and luckily ALL had been healthy and full-of-life (although this may never be the case for you). Budgies are fun and really enjoy life. They love to fly, play, and chirp! I find the chirp cute, although it can be a little harsh to were you may flinch yours eyes Another good, is they don't require that large of a cage! Sure those plastic cages are only $30, but consider getting the biggest size cage you can (but remember not too big of a bar size or else it could get out, or even stuck in-between the bars). They also don't require toys that are the size of your arm! Another plus is the wide selection of color mutations there are! From blue, green, yellow, white, to cobalt or even albino! Theres easily 70+ mutations of the budgie! Also, I didn't have to spend $100 a month on food, toys, etc. for him. They are cheap, so if you don't like the loud squacks of macaws, or even conures, get a budgie!!! They also make good apartment birds.

The Bad: Theres not a whole lot of bad. There size may be a drawback because they can fit into tiny holes and other stuff that can be hazardous. Mine loved to chip off paint off of everything! This was really bad because it could lead to death, and that is always sad. I also think the lifespan are very short. My oldest lived to be 4 years old, so he was reaching the prime of his life I had good runs with them. They do like to be near you, and that's not a good thing. That's how I lost my bonded pair.

The Ugly: Nothing really! But they aren't perfect. No bird species is! They do require some training, and they aren't the best talkers, but they can learn a lot of words, if given the proper time.

MY BUDGIES FROM THE PAST:
Pipsqueak was my first budgie I had, and my longest surviving one. He was easily my favorite, and friendliest. He loved to cling onto you and even formed a very close relationship with my dog, Summer. He was a male and I loved him! I bought him when he was 4 months old. He was in a tub with 10 other budgies and when I bought him, the guy used a net and basically knocked him out Sadly, it was a very hot day in 2007. Temperatures reached 95 degrees and we opened some windows on the bottom level of our 3 story mansion. Pip liked the 2nd story and declared that "his" section. But on this day, he went down to the bottom level, and flew straight out of the house. It took us hours and hours of looking, but too no avail He will always be in my heart, and he is the one that introduced me to the world of birds!

Phoebe was your typical green budgie with a yellow face, known as the "wild" type budgie. She never did form a bond with me, or anybody in the 2 years I had her. Sadly in August 2009, my cat, Dexter, jumped onto the table holding her cage (he somehow opened the door). He knocked the cage down and ate the bird. I arrived home and feathers were everyone in the 6th bedroom that I had private for Phoebe. R.I.P Phoebe! Gone but not forgotten

& Big Boy & Girlfriend were my last budgies. Although the white budgie with a blue bottom looked exactly liked Girlfriend, Big Boy did not look like that avatar. He was gray with a yellow face! He was really beautiful. At first, we got Big Boy but when we observed him, he kept close to his white friend (who became Girlfriend). I thought it would be best to keep them together as they did not leave eachother in the 30 minutes I watched them. After all, they were in a cage with 30 other budgies, so their bond must have been special However, they did not like me and only stuck to eachother. They did follow me though everywhere I went. One day I went grocery shopping and I kept the door open because I still had bags in the car, when all of a sudden BB and G flew out the house. I was devastated and I just said to myself they would be my last budgies. I will miss all four of my babes and still have their cage and toys in my shed.

Hope you liked this (long) read! Enjoy
- DJandVanna

 

[Saemma]

I agree that there is no ugly about budgies.

 

[zuzanqa]

I love it that we get to the "ugly" and everyone is like... "yeah... nothing really"

 

[shel]

i have 6 budgies, have had them for about a year. we "rescued" them from an idiot that was going to let them go to fend for themselves. none of them are tame, but with 6 of them i'm pretty sure that their emotional needs are met by each other .i'm just a food and water dispenser...lol.

tame or not, i love them! i love the noises they make, i love to watch them, they generally bring cheer and happiness to my life. whenever possible i like to nap in the afternoon and i think it's great that they sing me to sleep.

the good is: fairly cheap, easy to care for, and cute, cute, CUTE!

the bad: short lifespan and if you don't like bird noises it may get on your nerves.

the ugly: their poop. that is the only ugly thing about them. but it's more than worth dealing with to have such endearing little friends.

 

[The Bird Keeper]

Good: They are adorable, they sing, they don't cost much, they are one of the quietest pet birds, they can be very friendly, they don't take up much space, they are fun to watch, they are not dangerous (compared to Macaws, Cockatoos, and other large parrots, they can talk (but not all can; mine can't).

Bad: Not much really. They usually don't live very long, even with the best care, getting them to eat pellets or veggies is hard, they can be pretty skittish, they are not as hardy as bigger birds.

Ugly: They can be messy- very messy for their size.

 

[Tohru1529]

Good: They are sweet,and fun to play with

Bad: None to say about. They do not live long

Ugly: Messy

&Birdie and Jazmin, Hi everyone I used to have 2 Parakeets Birdie and Jazmin. They were the best birds ever. I went to petsmart with a friend to look at the birds. My mom let me buy one. I name it Birdie,because I was young and did not come up with a name. She used to bite me,but I work with her and she was biting less. Then I went to the pets store 1 year later and got Jazmin. She was a sweet heart. She never ever bite anything or anyone. Well one day I had a paperclip in the cage to hold a toy. Well it rust and Jazmin was stuck. My dad save her life she was ok. 1 year later,we took her to the vet. The vet took care of her beak for me,because it was long and she had a hard time eating. The vet guy came back and said the hole were her throat was is not healing and she may not have long to live. Well days later she die November 15,2008. Birdie live untie she was 5 years old. She die October 21,2010 So I am glad I am get a parakeet again. Can you guys give some tips,because I have not had a parakeet in 4 years.

Birdie Female and Jazmin Female I think not sure


Oliver new member in my flock still need to work with him. Tomorrow he will be with me for 5 weeks. I am still new at raising a parakeet.

Can you give me a few tip of training Oliver. He fly very well and its hard to train him when he flying and still nerves. And I want to clip his wings,I
am going to bring to a breeder to clip him. How do I do that when he nerves around me.

 

[MenomaMinx]

The Good: reliably bossy, and in the absence of an African grey, this is the bird running the show if you have a mixed flock. Unlike the grey, however, the budgie is completely in it for the budgie-- that the interests of the other birds coincide with their's this is a happy coincidence

These birds seemed happier free flighted. They have a strong affinity for swings, millet branches, and torturing the other birds foolish enough to go higher on the human's body than the budgie is. They like chewing the buttons off off your clothing.

They absolutely are co-conspirators with other birds. My CAG Valentino and Debbie bird thought it was exceptionally funny to take over my computers voice recognition software that types for me. I could watch TV and come back to entire screen full of," itty-bitty little birdie birdie birdie itty-bitty "which would extend for several computer screens........... these were the only human words that budgie knew, but she couldn't turn on the microphone without using my voice – which Valentino could.

They are absolutely honest as well. The budgie is mad at you, you will be scolded and you will know their wrath! It's a very cute wrath

The Bad: they are escape artists. One of mine named rainbow actually had a bamboo cage and was out within less than 24 hours of joining our household – that room he marked is permanently his by proceeding to have green droppings all over the the walls. Rainbow also like to torture the cat we had at the time by staying just out of reach pacing back and forth in front of her...... doing a swoop by when that Attention span waned only to start all over again.

Beanie and both Debbie birds had a thing for torturing cockatiels. They like to chase them off my dad's chest when he was in the recliner(none of these parakeets aforementioned lived in my house at the exact same time so it's probably a species trait thing).

These birds require an extraordinary amount of attention if you want to see their full personality-- remember, with birds is small, you are their toy and they are absolutely in charge. I keeping bringing this up for a reason: you can't do anything with them they don't cooperate with.

The best example would be food. I had a budgie with permanent throat damage due to a vitamin A deficiency that was caught by the vet just in time to keep from getting any worse--- be completely impaired her ability to make any sounds that aren't natural to a budgie-- and she was on what was considered a high grade budgie specific food seed mix--- the manufacturers lie!

A budgie should have a fully fledged complex diet, very little of which should be seed. Yeah, good luck with that, but it is what they need.

The Ugly: a budgie will never tell you when they are sick. You'll find them on the bottom of the cage floor and you will be devastated :-(

The most common budgie toys incorporate mirrors, and these can kill your bird via psychological feedback loop...... your budgie will literally stop eating just to spend more time with its reflection it's a real bird. I haven't seen this one personally, but I know enough people that it's happened to personally – keep the birds away from the mirrors!

Budgies are not cheap. The lab tests cost the same as any other bird in your flock – occasionally more expensive because it takes two trips to get all the blood you need. You still need to take these birds the vet once a year like any other bird in your flock. Unfortunately, these birds have been labeled throwaway birds by society, so most never see a veterinarian of any kind, nevermind an avian vet.

The animal control officers do not enforce harm to budgies laws. At least, not in Burlington County, where I was sold a slightly undersized parakeet named Quark, who lived for less than a month. He came from a pet store that was located in the Burlington Mall in New Jersey and was shut down for health code violations not long after my birds death – but there was never any justice for my bird.

Although most budgies can be safely free flighted in a room with the door left open for years, and extraordinarily rare occasion they can be spooked out of the room. Because of the years of false security, lots of people will leave the door open to that bird's room. Take my word for it, it rarely ends well :-(

I had two budgies die of broken necks this way, which brings me to my next point.

No veterinarian who is not an avian veterinarian will treat a budgie in my experience – not even in an emergency – especially in an emergency!

This happened to me several times over and I'm still extremely bitter over the situation. All veterinarians have to have a working knowledge of avian anatomy – specifically chickens – to graduate veterinary school...... so this is just flat-out plain selfishness and I'm so angry even after all these years :-(

Now the very worst for last:

The portrayal of these birds being started birds is just plain cruel and ridiculous. They have a 15 year natural lifespan in captivity or longer. What happens to the bird when you feel you've learned enough to get the actual bird you actually wanted?

Often, these birds are shoved in the corner and just fed and watered. Sometimes, they are palmed off to friends and relatives. Some number of them end up in pounds meant for four-legged creatures. Still more end up in the occasional avian sanctuary/rescue if they're lucky. I think this is completely sadistic. I am sick and tired of the emotional and physical and psychological abuse of these sweet birds just because they have been monetarily cheap, so therefore that makes her life cheapened – this is wrong!

Before anyone thinks I mean them, understand that we of AA are different breed of bird owner. I don't think this could happen to an AA bird who's owned by a member of our community. We would at least try to rehome at worst because we would want the best. We have a tendency here to put a personality value on the bird over monetary value, and it's a very valuable piece of morality there that not everyone has towards our feathered family.

I can only think of two other communities online off the top my head that would put the same value on a budgie, and this saddens me greatly :-(


There's so much more I want to write here, but my 1 1/2 budgies come home tomorrow (Nemo, the one winged Angel That's not from a Final Fantasy game, and Forest) And I'm still trying to figure out the best configuration for a bird with one wing...... also, although that person is now dead, the breeder who kept Nemo alive instead of euthanizing her was a saint among breeders – wherever you are, thank you

 

[Perfs14]

The last time I had budgies was about 20 years ago. We had bought a mating pair from the pet shop. She was all yellow, he was green. They did mate and raised two little green chicks of not determinable gender...

The gender was never determined because the Mum went insane - one day we returned home to find three dead birds on the floor of the cage and the yellow mother bird with blood splattered all over her beak, crest and pectoral feathers quietly roosting above...occasionally keeping her eye on the bodies below.

The whole scene was so bizarre and unexpected that for a few hours we did not know what to do. Eventually I decided to remove the bodies...as soon as my hand was in the cage the yellow maniac attacked with some considerable ferocity. I did manage to remove the bodies after some difficulty. Next day the cage was empty and the door was open.

 

[Despicio]

The Good: They look quite cute and don't require a macaw sized cage or louds of expensive toys/food to be kept happy. My hen likes to throw a little jingly ball of her cage and then look down at it as if wondering how it got down there.

The Bad: They're not particularly intelligent compared with many other parrot species or if they are intelligent then they hide it well. They don't do well as lone birds but if you have two, there's a good chance that they won't show any interest if if you live or die (possible having one as a lone bird for a few months before getting the second one would help solve this.) They can be shrieking little monsters. They are generally very neophobic and mine have never been particularly inquisitive or playful. They aren't generally very hands on, mine would sit on a finger and eat millet and a couple of times a year would allow me to give them head scritches. Mine seem to moult almost every other week. I should have kept the feathers and started a pillow business. Budgies are also the only bird species to bite and then hang off my finger like a tiny pitbull.

The Ugly: Budgies will insist on trying to live forever just to spite you (That might just be my hen budgie)
Exhibition type budgies often look grumpy and tend not to live as long as standards.


Some of the issues above might have just been to my budgies being particularly deficient but I don't want people to get the wrong impression about them. If what you really want is a 'proper' parrot then wait until you can get a proper parrot or look into other small species such as parrotlets, mountain parakeets and sierra parakeets which are like the bigger parrots only small. A lone male budgie is probably a fairly amusing pet as long as you know that you'll be spending a lot of time at home for the next few years.

 

[Bren]

Canaries and budgies is where I started...Going off tangent my first bird was a Canary and cage I won at a school fair...A couple of days after my cat Lucky got very lucky and managed to get the poor old Canary...So a cage and no bird...In enters my first Budgie. a little green one and I cannot remember his name it was so many years ago. Since then I have had budgies in my life on and off till 1999. I moved down south to a farm and the night we moved there was a terrible frost. I had forgotten the budgies were in the garage on top of the freezer as we had had a hell of a day moving. They were frozen the poor birds...Since then I have not had them....

The Good: Chirpy happy little fellows that do not cost an arm and a leg

The Bad: Fragile little critters.

No Ugly!

 

[chainsawbuddy]

The Good: You will never have trouble finding a budgie or supplies, be it housing or toys! They come in so many morphs these days that finding one that suits your needs in both looks and personality shouldn't be a problem. They're also so small that you won't need to sell a kidney housing them unless you're keeping a larger flock, and finding appropriate toys for them is easier than with the larger birds. Their flock/pair dynamics are also adorable! My bonded pair are a hoot and a half to watch, both in their cage and when their helicoptering around my room. Also, their poops are so small and tidy that I have no problem letting them loose in my room and just tidying the poops as I find them once they're back in. No need for bird diapers or flight suits, so long as you aren't squeamish with doing minor tissue swipes here and there.

The Bad: While they're small, they can make a big mess! Mine in particular like to throw their food around for the 'best' bits, and getting them to switch diets is an adventure. I'm still trying to switch mine from seed mixes to pellets with limited results, but we're slowly working our way there. The most obvious means of acquiring them these days is also the local petstore, which can make for some skittish, unhandled birds with unknown backgrounds. While I've had great luck with both of my petstore babies, if you have access to a breeder you absolutely should make them your first stop looking for new budgies! They're also noisy, with vocalizations varying between cute little chitters and peeps to outright screeches/screams, so be prepared for some level of noise!

The Ugly: They're small flock birds, which means they can be predisposed to being more flighty (haha) than other birds and if they're from a petstore this is veeery evident. Most petstores won't take the time to socialize their budgies like they will the larger, more expensive birds. They're also so small and 'cheap' that a lot of places/people treat them as disposable pets (ugh) and finding vets who will look at birds that small can be a pain. Given that they're used to such big flocks, you also don't want to keep a single budgie. While it seems like they'd bond to you without access to other birds, people can't really fill the void for most of these lil guys. Merrin was a solitary guy at first, and while he seemed content enough it was only after I introduced him to Pazuzu that his full personality really opened up.

 

[4friends]

I guess it depends from where you get your budgies. If you get them from a breeder, they are a bit more expensive, but it really is so worth it. My 2 budgies are super tame. I can kiss their bellies, tickle them, pet their backs and they are ok with it. I can hold them inside my hand to clip nails, they don't bite me.

The bad: Well, they love seeds. There a pellet days at my home and they do complain. However, veggies, rice, salad, kale, parsley - they will always eat right to the bottom of their dish.

The ugly:

 

[Sophia101]

I have had one budgie in my life but my friend has owned four. I got my budgie from this same friend who could no longer keep her in the same cage with her other parakeets as they were bullying her. Sadly Luna Belle is going back to this friend. I love my budgie to death but she was never very friendly. I have found that these small birds are very hard to tame and are flighty because of their small size.

The Good: Can be friendly if bought from a responsible breeder who breeds for personality. They are very low maintenance and are much more independant (if you like that kinda thing) They are good for new bird owners as a starter bird.

The Bad: They tend to be more flighty and nervous than their larger cousins but this can be helped by getting their wings clipped.

The Ugly: Well I cant say much here except that when they bite they bite HARD! They have to its their only way of escape. I used to have to wear thick gloves or socks to handle Luna Belle. They get very bored and depressed. They are high energy birds and need tons of toys! My parakeet didnt really like toys but I left a mirror and cuttle bone and plenty of perches for exercise. She didnt want anything to do with them until I found her slamming into the mirror for fun. After that I gave her some more toys before she hurt herself!

Overall they are great newbie birds and loving companions.

Owned By~ Stella Reda Luna Belle

 

[lovie lunatic]

Good - they're very sweet active little birds.

Bad - they chirp non-stop

I have two Sunny-Dee and Skyler and they little demons. At random times during the night start talking to each other and during the day they will scream there tiny heads off. Someone I know has 4 and they are half as loud as mine.

Sunny-Dee
Skyler

 

[MyAussieFriends]

Good - they're very sweet active little birds.

Bad - they chirp non-stop

I have two Sunny-Dee and Skyler and they little demons. At random times during the night start talking to each other and during the day they will scream there tiny heads off. Someone I know has 4 and they are half as loud as mine.

Sunny-Dee
Skyler

All 5 of mine chit-chat all day long, but it is nothing like screaming and is far from annoying.