What do I need for budgies?

Before they arrive

• Two birdsBudgies are flock animals. A single budgie needs several hours of your attention every day to stay well, and most people cannot give that.
• The widest cage you can fitWidth beats height — they fly across, not up. Bar spacing under half an inch.
• Perches of varying diameter, in natural woodNot just the dowel that comes with the cage. Same-diameter perches cause foot problems over years.
• A pelleted diet plus fresh vegetablesAn all-seed diet is the main cause of early death in pet budgies. Converting them takes weeks — start immediately.
• Cuttlebone and a mineral blockCalcium, and something to wear the beak down.
• A cover for the cageThey need 10–12 hours of proper darkness.

The first 48 hours

• Leave the cage alonePut it somewhere they can see the room but with one side against a wall. No handling.
• Talk near them, quietlyGet them used to your voice before your hands.
• Check both are eatingNew birds sometimes will not touch unfamiliar food. Keep offering what they came on.

The first week

• Start taming with milletHold a spray outside the bars. Then just inside. Weeks, not days.
• Begin the seed-to-pellet conversionMix pellets into the seed and shift the ratio slowly. Never starve a bird onto new food — they can go downhill in 48 hours.
• Bird-proof one roomWindows covered, mirrors covered, fans off, other pets out, toilet lid down.
• Find an avian vetGeneral practices often will not see birds.

Can wait a month

• ToysRotate a few at a time once you know what they like. Too many at once crowds the cage.
• A bathMost budgies enjoy one, but let them settle first.
• A second cage or a bigger oneIf the pair turns into more.

Do not buy this

• MirrorsA budgie can bond with its reflection and start regurgitating for it, which causes real problems. Get a second bird instead.
• All-seed dietsThe biggest single killer. Seed is the treat, not the meal.
• Non-stick cookware in the same housePTFE fumes from an overheated pan kill birds quickly and are the most common accidental death in pet birds.
• Candles, air fresheners and scented plug-insBird lungs are extremely efficient, which means they absorb airborne toxins far faster than we do.
• Sandpaper perch coversThey abrade the feet without shortening the nails.