Budgerigars

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FAMILY NAME:                             Psittacidae
LENGTH:                                       7in (18cm)
DISTRIBUTION:                              Australia
COLOR VARIANT AVAILABILITY:    Very many varieties avialable
COMPATIBILITY:                            Usually get along well if introduced outside the breeding period. Likely to

                                                        harass
                                                     smaller birds. Typically kept in flocks of their own kind.
PET POTENTIAL:                           Talented talker, Vocabulary can exceed 500 words
DIET:                                             Bird seed mix, comprised of millets and plain canary seed. Greenstuff such as
                                                     chickweeds. Also Carrot and Apple.
HEALTH PROBLEM:                       Susceptible to tumor. Overgrown bills common in pet birds and scaly face

                                                        common in
                                                      aviary stock.
BREEDING TIPS:                            Should be kept in a colony or single pair
NESTING NEEDS:                           6 x 6 x 10 inches Nest Box lined with concave
TYPICAL CLUTCH SIZE:                  4 - 6 eggs
INCUBATION:                                 Hen usually sits alone. Eggs should hatch after 18days
REARING REQUIREMENTS:            Provide softfood for breeding birds to raise protein intake. Also soaked seed.
FLEDGING:                                    Young Birds will leaved the nest at about 5 weeks old, and will be independent

                                                        by 6
                                                      weeks.
LIFESPAN:                                     Exhibition birds often live for no more than 5 years; pet birds can live for 7 - 10

                                                        years or more.


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Introduction
What can we say about the beloved Budgie. For most of us, this little bird was our introduction to Aviculture and our first pet. The Budgie has held the honor of being the world's most popular cage bird for over 200 years. They are not demanding as pets, adapt well to almost any situation and breed very freely and frequently. They also mimic human speech and can be taught to talk just as well as any expensive parrot!!! They come in many colors and can be purchased at just about any pet store.



ORIGIN OF BUDGERIGAR
The Budgerigar lives in the Australian interior, away from the coastal areas and rain forests. In the wild they live a nomadic lifestyle in flocks of thousands of birds. They forage on the ground for grass seeds and small insects and nest in holes in the trees usually just after the rainy season is over. The color of the wild budgie (the green and yellow) helps camouflage it in the grasses while it is feeding on the ground. The green and yellow or "bush" budgerigar is the only color of this species that occurs in the wild. Other color mutations would not be able to hide from other predators in the grasses and therefore would not survive.



Because of captive and selective breeding, over 1000 color combinations exist today. There are no predators for a cage bird (with the exception of the naughty house cat or very curious pooch) so birds born showing other colors have the same chance of survival as the green and yellow does. With the discovery of genetics made in 1900 by Gregor Mendel, an Austrian biologist, the Budgie had mutated into a huge range of colors that have never been seen before. So as a cage bird, the Budgie can be found in any color that pleases you but, in the wild, they are only green and yellow!

BREEDING BUDGIES
Budgerigars are extremely easy to set up to breed. The biggest problem is what to do with all the baby Budgies! Make sure you have plans for the offspring before you set up to breed. Budgies become sexually mature at 6 months of age but, birds should wait until they are at least a year old before they are set up for breeding. Males can be identified by their blue colored cere and females will have a brownish cere. Budgerigars are cavity nesters and require a nest box in which to lay their eggs. The nest box should hang on the outside of the cage so that you can check it without disturbing the birds. The standard budgerigar nest box size is 6”x6”x10”, no nest is built and very little nesting material inside the box is needed. Two weeks after the eggs are laid, they start to hatch and 3 to 4 weeks after that they are out of the nest box and practically on their own! It is not necessary to hand feed a budgie in order to make it tame but if you choose to do so, follow all instructions on hand feeding very carefully. Budgies, unlike any other parrot, feed their offspring on their backs!


BASIC DIET
Feed your budgie the following;

1.        Seed mix composed of 70% white millet (bird seeds) and 30% canary seeds,  refill daily if required.

2.       Vegetables, you can use the following; Kangkong or Sikwa make sure you wash it thoroughly. Feeding should be every other day and make sure you get the leftovers after 4 hours from the time you gave it to them these safety measure is to avoid birds eating soiled food.

3.       Vitamins, with the following mixture; 1 cup bread crumbs, 1 cup powdered milk and 1 tablespoon vionate mix till homogenous. Feed sparingly do not overfeed as this could cause obesity.

4.       Eggfood, mashed chicken hard boiled eggs. Take out any leftovers after 4 hours. Feeding should be done only 3x a week.

The Budgerigar may be the world’s smallest parakeet but, it has as much charm as the Macaw, personality as the Amazon, talent as the African Grey and affection as the Cockatoo. Whereas the bigger birds cost as much as a few house payments to purchase and set up, the Budgerigar can be obtained by a child who saves his or her allowance for only a few weeks. Budgies tend to be "throw away" pets but the well-cared for and trained Budgies are highly admired by everyone. This is the bird that unwittingly introduces people to the science of Aviculture even though it's just a "wee gem".




Shared by:   Joselito "Lito" Palacio - CAS Member
               Glenn Quisido - CAS Member



 

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