Birdie Care 101 - Caring for your Budgie

Everyone loves budgies. Whether you are young or old, these colorful birds are likely to catch your interest with their antics. Also known as Parakeets, budgies are the distant relatives of the Australian Parrots. Interestingly, budgies are the most widely kept bird in the world.

Domestic Budgies
There are two kinds of budgies: Wild and Domestic. The wild budgies can be up to or over 10 inches long and are found in Australia. The budgies that we keep are called the domestic budgies. These are generally 6 to 7 inches in length. Both the domestic and wild budgies come in an array of color that expand from yellow to green, blue, white and every hue in between.

Budgie Care Basics
If you live in Pakistan, you know that it's very easy to buy these birds. A single pair of these birds can cost anywhere from Rs. 250 to Rs. 400. And while shopkeepers give you the basic food and necessary items for these birds, in order to really care for them you need to know a few basics.

• Cage Size: Keep your budgie in a large cage as they require plenty of exercise. The minimum length of the cage for 2 to 4 budgies should be approximately 2 feet and width should be 3 feet.
• Budgie Hygiene: Keep the cage clean. Make sure that the cage has a slide tray and can be properly cleaned on daily basis. Also keep the water and food bowls clean to avoid any hygiene problems.
• Wide Spaces: Budgies flourish in wide cages and since they need some flying space, horizontal cages are preferred over vertical ones.
• Sunlight Exposure: Keep the bird cage away from direct sunlight and extensive heat, as budgies can die or get sick.
• Calcium Needs: Budgies need calcium as it helps them grow and keeps their feathers from falling. Therefore keep a calcium block(preferably 'sea foam' calcium) in the budgies cage.
• Mineral Needs: Also keep a small block of 'Lahori namak' in the cage as it contains healthy mineral content and budgies love to lick this.
  

Treating your Pet - The Sad Part
It's rather sad to see that many of us treat these beautiful birds as mere toys. Most parents buy them because their kids ask them to, not caring the least bit about how they would be kept. Many people keep these birds out under the bright hot sun, in small crapped cages. You must know that if you want to keep a pet (be it a cat, dog, fish or birds) you should know how to treat it properly, otherwise you don't deserve to keep one. Don't let kids poke these birds or man-handle them. If you are buying someone a budgie, make sure s/he understands how to treat animals.

So that's it for this week. Until next time... take good care of your budgies! Cheers :)