The content of budgies

Budgerigars are very common pets and are as popular as cats and dogs. These birds are attractive not only for their colorful bright plumage, but also for their quick wit and ability to imitate different sounds and the human voice. But in order for the feathered pet to feel comfortable, proper care is necessary for it.

Any pet, including the budgerigar, requires a responsible and caring attitude and care. The activity and health of the feathered pet depend on how the care, nutrition and conditions of detention are organized. Before purchasing this bird, you need to clearly understand what additional worries and inconveniences its owner may have.

Budgerigars are early birds and chirp loudly and loudly when they wake up. This can wake their owners up prematurely. They have the ability to scatter husks from food and their feathers not only in the cage, but also around it and even on the floor. Therefore, additional daily cleaning will be required.

Budgerigars have a very developed sensitivity of the respiratory tract to various odors. It is forbidden to use strongly smelling substances (perfume, aerosols, air fresheners), as well as to smoke where pets are kept, as such smells can cause illness in them.

Parrots living in pairs cannot be taught this, but in this case females may have offspring, then there will be a need to arrange a special place (house) where the female will incubate the chicks.

Caring for budgies is as follows.

• Cleaning the cage. One of the conditions for a parrot's health is the cleanliness of its cage and all the accessories in it. Do not allow droppings, feathers and debris from feed to accumulate on the pallet for several days.
• Proper nutrition. The parrot needs a full, varied and regular diet. Feed and water should be changed daily.
• Health care. It is necessary to closely monitor the behavior and condition of the feathered pet. It is advisable to have a first-aid kit with medicines for emergency care at home, as well as information about veterinary clinics (phone number, address). Any change in bird behavior or feathering condition should be consulted by a veterinarian.
• Flights around the room. They should be provided to the parrot as often as possible, preferably every day.
• Compliance with the regime with full periods of sleep and wakefulness. Parrots need a good night's rest. If he does not sleep enough, he has a decrease in immunity and increased nervousness, stress arises, which can lead to illness.
• The parrot must get used to the regime and rhythm of life of the family where it lives, and then nothing will disturb its sleep and rest. But if in the room where it is kept, vigorous activity continues until late in the evening, then the cage must be covered with a dense opaque cloth that does not allow light and sounds to pass through. This will allow the bird to calm down and fall asleep. You do not need to cover the cage at night if a dim dim light is on in the room - it will not interfere with the pet's sound sleep.
• Communication with birds... It is also an important part of the care of budgerigars, as they are very sociable and needing birds. The owner must communicate a lot with the pet: talk and play with him, especially if the bird lives alone. The more the owner communicates with the bird, the more smart, sociable and cheerful the parrot will be.
• If you need to leave, you can leave a bird in an empty apartment for a short period - up to five days. With a longer absence, you need to provide yourself with a replacement, so as not to leave the pet without care and attention. But it is desirable that neighbors or relatives come to care for the parrot, and not give it to an unfamiliar environment, as this can cause psychological trauma to the bird.
• Organization of poultry leisure. Parrots are very active and mobile birds. In a caged environment, they need to be provided with the ability to move and play. For this, there are special toys that not only entertain the birds, but also contribute to the development of her ingenuity and communication skills.
• Useful for parrots and water procedures... In hot weather, special baths should be placed in the cages so that the parrot can cool off.

In addition, the pet must be safe. Therefore, it is important to exclude the possibility of dangerous situations for him during flights.

• Open windows, vents and entrance doors - a parrot can fly out into the street, get lost and not return.
• Open glass surfaces, freezer doors, washing machine doors - the bird can accidentally bump into them from the flight, hit and be injured.
• Electric wires are dangerous in that a bird that has damaged the insulation of the wire can be electrocuted.
• Left burning cigarette - the pet can get burned or poisoned if out of curiosity decides to taste it.
• Some indoor plants are poisonous to parrots. These are lily and foxglove, daffodil and rhubarb, dieffenbachia and amaryllis. Having pecked at such plants, they can be poisoned and die.
• Open containers of water (bath, aquarium) where the parrot can fall and drown.
• Newspapers - these should not be used for bedding in the pallet as lead can poison the bird.

Having decided to get a budgerigar, you need to responsibly approach his choice. It is usually recommended to purchase a bird that is 3-4 months old. Young chicks adapt faster and easier. You can distinguish a boy from a girl, as well as determine the age, by the wax.

The wax of young males is purple, while in females it is blue with white stripes around the nostrils. In an adult parrot, it has a deep blue hue, and in a female it is brown or beige.

Before buying a parrot, you need to prepare everything at home for the reception of a new tenant. A cage, a feeder with grain, a drinker with water, and toys should be waiting for him. For one parrot, you can hang a mirror. If the birds live in pairs, then the mirror is not needed, as they will communicate with each other.

Usually adaptation is a rather lengthy process, it can take from 1 week to 1 month.

Since changing habitat is stressful for budgies, it is necessary to create conditions for adaptation to take place as comfortably and quickly as possible.

1. First of all, the bird must move herself from a portable cage to a permanent, but so that it does not fly into the room. Such a flight can aggravate the stress state of the bird. Such a situation may further negatively affect the process of its domestication.
2. After the parrot is in the cage, you need to leave him alone and not disturb. He must familiarize himself with the new home, get used to it and get used to it. At this time, he can refuse food and water, sit motionless on a perch or rush around the cage.
3. The addiction lasts for some time, and it may even take several days before the pet begins to peck food and drink water. Usually, at first, the bird does it stealthily and most often in the absence of the owner and household members, or when they do not pay attention to it. Stress can be accompanied by mild digestive upset, which soon stops. To avoid this, it is recommended that at first not change the feed and feed with the same grain mixture that she ate earlier.
4. During the adaptation period, especially in the first days after the move, you need to treat your pet with patience and, if possible, not bother him often... There is no need to talk loudly to the bird or attract its attention with toys. This may scare her even more. It is permissible to speak only in a quiet, soft and affectionate voice. You can not try to touch or pet the pet during this period.
5. The parrot must be confident in its safety. The bird cage is best placed against the wall. This makes her feel safe. You can also cover one side of the cage with a light cloth. The parrot will have a hiding place where it can hide in case of anxiety and concern.
6. The cage must not be accessible to other pets (especially for cats) and it is advisable to temporarily keep small children out of the parrot.
7. While caring for a pet you need to behave very calmly, without making unexpected movements, without slamming the door... Hands can only be in the cage when cleaning. At the same time, you need to talk to the pet, call him by name. The name should be given as quickly as possible and repeated as often as possible. As a result of such daily actions, the parrot will gradually get used to the presence of the owner, and his behavior will become calm and trusting.
8. The atmosphere in the room where the bird is located should also be calm: loud music, screams and other sounds should not sound. And only after the parrot adapts and gets used to the environment and the owner, you can turn on the TV, computer, radio.
9. During habituation, you must not let the bird fly... Unaccustomed to an unknown environment, she can easily get scared and injured.

During adaptation, parrot owners often make these mistakes.

• From the first hours of staying in a new place, they give their pet increased attention, which manifests itself in a loud and constant conversation with him, they are all the time near the cage and try to pet or even take the bird in their hands. Doing this is strictly prohibited. The bird should be left alone.
• The owner often changes the location of the cage, transfers it from one place to another or to another room. During adaptation, the parrot surveys the room, remembers the objects in it, their location. This will help the bird make its first flight. The constant change of scenery only disorients the bird.
• Owners try to feed the pet through the twigs of the cage or even from the hand. During this period, you do not need to do this. The bird is tamed to such feeding gradually and only after it has completely adapted.
• The biggest mistake is that the owner lets the bird fly on the very first day. This could result in serious injury.

Not only good care, but also the correct maintenance of the parrot at home is of great importance for its health and long life. He needs to create certain conditions, which include factors such as temperature, humidity and lighting.

The humidity of the air where the bird is kept should be in the range of 60-70%. The increased dryness of the air negatively affects her health. To increase the humidity, you need to put a bathtub or other container of water in the cage.

Parrots love warmth. The most optimal temperature for them is approximately + 22-25 degrees. At lower temperatures, they require additional heating, especially in winter. You can use a regular heater, but you cannot put it near the cage. It should not be placed near the heating battery either.

Lighting is an important factor in the normal life of parrots. This is not only the light mode of the natural change of day and night hours, but also the intensity of lighting in the room. With a lack of light, they experience depression, disturbances in the work of the endocrine system and changes in behavior (pluck their feathers for no reason).

But at the same time, the night hours are necessary for the bird to sleep and rest properly. Due to insufficient rest, her immunity worsens, nervousness and even stress appears.

The required optimal duration of daylight hours in the spring-summer period should be approximately 12-14 hours, and in the autumn-winter period - 10-12 hours. In winter, artificial lighting is used to maintain the length of daylight hours, using an "Arcadia" lamp or the like.

On warm days and in summer, the bird cage can be taken outside (on the balcony). Fresh air and natural sunlight are very beneficial for her, but on condition that no direct sunlight falls on the cell. To do this, you can cover one side of the cage with a thin cloth.

Since parrots spend their entire life (with the exception of flight time) in a cage, it must meet the requirements for comfort, where the birds will feel comfortable. Budget parrots need space, so it is recommended to purchase a spacious cage.

For one pet, a cage with a length of 40 cm and a width of 30 cm is suitable, for a couple you will need a more spacious one - with a width of 65 cm and a length of 55 cm. For keeping several parrots, an aviary is recommended.

The floor in the cage should be made of hard wood, metal or plastic, and the bars of the lattice should be made of metal (but not copper). The density of the lattice should be such that a curious bird cannot stick its head between the rods. The gaps between them should be within 1.5-2 cm.

For the convenience of the bird, perches are placed in the cage, which are placed at some distance from the walls and so that the droppings do not fall into the feeders and drinkers. Perches can be oak, birch, maple (for sitting), willow (with healing properties) and apple, cherry, mountain ash (as a source of vitamins contained in the bark). Conifers cannot be used.

Before placing the perches in the cage, they need to be doused with boiling water or thermally treated (heated in the oven). This is done to kill parasites that may be under the bark.

To ensure the activity of the pet, they are placed in the cage swings, ladders, a bell, pebbles and toys are placed on the bottom.

Correct and balanced nutrition, containing all the necessary useful elements, is the key to the health, activity and longevity of parrots. The feed is based on various cereal mixtures, in which multi-colored millet makes up the majority. The mixtures also include peeled oats, sunflower seeds, canary seeds and other meadow grasses.

Most often, budgerigar owners use ready-made balanced cereal mixtures. Some of them have various additives in the form of dry fruits, vegetables and algae. In addition to cereals in the diet, the pet needs to include such foods.

• Fresh greens - lettuce, dill, "salad" of plantain, dandelion and clover leaves. In winter, greens are replaced with sprouted grains (oats).
• Fresh fruit, vegetable, berry additives. Budgerigars are very fond of carrots, beets and radishes, cucumbers and cabbage, tomatoes, zucchini and pumpkin. Fruit supplements should consist of apples, bananas, peaches, kiwi, strawberries.
• Mineral supplements - crushed eggshells, chalk and sepia, which can be bought in a specialty store.
• Soft food - it is useful to give the birds a mixture of cottage cheese with boiled eggs, various cereals boiled in water without salt: rice, buckwheat, wheat.

It is recommended to feed pets with a grain mixture once a day. The daily rate is 2-2.5 teaspoons. If the bird, having eaten all the feed, is not satiated and chirps indignantly, you can add half a spoonful of feed, or feed it twice a day, dividing the rate into 2 parts.

To avoid various infections, it is necessary to keep the parrot's dwelling clean. Cleaning of the cage, all accessories and toys should be done once a week. For washing, use warm water without adding any cleaning agents. It is only permissible to use a small amount of baking soda, after which everything is rinsed well with water.

You can use a brush (such as a toothbrush).After washing, the cage and accessories are wiped dry. The feeders, drinker, and tray must be washed every day. When cleaning is complete, you can place clean paper on the pallet. Daily cleaning will keep not only the cage clean, but also the area around it.

Flight is a natural necessity for a bird. It is necessary to release a parrot into free flight, since when flying, it develops psychologically. It is advisable to release it from the cage daily. The duration of flights should be at least an hour.

For information on how to care for budgies, see the video below.