Hand Fed Budgie Parakeet - Melopsittacus undulatus (2024)

These specialty petbirds are all bred in Canada by caring aviculturists.

Noise Level & Talking Ability

Budgies are great talkers, and both male and female will learn to speak words if trained. A big factor in the birds talking is hand-raising. Hand raised birds are more likely to speak. Both male and female budgieshave theability to speak with proper training. In 1995,Guinness World Records credited a budgie as the bird with the largest vocabulary. The budgie, named Puck, was able to speak over 1700 words. Budgies are extremely capable talkers, but, as with all parrots, the owner must put time and energy into training their bird. Budgies are typically quiet birds but can produce some noise at times. They are suitable for apartments.

Physical Features

General plumage yellowish-green; back of head, sides of neck, upper back and wing coverts pale brownish, each feather barred with black and yellow; throat and facial area yellow; variable violet-blue patch to lower cheeks; three black spots across each side of throat; feathers to sides of breast with narrow black edging; primary-coverts pale blue; flight feathers grey-greenish with pale cross stripes; underside grey with whitish wing-stripe; upper side of middle tail-feathers greenish-blue with dark tips, underside blackish; outer tail-feathers green with broad yellow stripes, underside grey with yellow stripes; bill olive-horn color; cere blue (male) (brown female) ; narrow periophthalmic ring grey; iris whitish; feet grey.

Green Series: These birds have a pigment called Psittacin causing them to appear in shades of green or yellow depending on other mutations that may be present.

Blue Series: These birds lack a pigment called Psittacin causing them to appear in shades of blueor white depending on other mutations that may be present. In some cases there is only a partial lack of Psittacin, these birds appear blue-green orcream.

Rainbow Budgie: These birds are a combination of mutations that fall into the blue series. They are birds that are visually yellowface or goldenface, opaline, clearwing, and blue (including violet and dark factors). True rainbow budgies are quite rare. Exotic Wings has dedicated time and effort to ensure we produce healthy, true rainbow budgies.

Pet Profile

These budgies are hand raised and socialized by the staff and volunteers at Exotic Wings & Pet Things, this makes them ideal for companion pet birds to socialize with outside of the cage on a daily basis. Handfed Budgies make fantastic family pet birds and are great for first time bird owners. Do not let their small size fool you, budgies are very intelligent and will love to be socialized and to play. They are busy little birds who are always moving from one thing to the next.

Diet

IMPORTANT NOTE: Budgies must have access to an iodine block which should be placed near their main food dish. When shopping for iodine blocks make sure the product explicitlystates it is an iodine block and not just a pink coloured "mineral block".

Budgies do NOT require grit or gravel to be provided in the cage.Budgies are a parrot, and thus hull their seeds. Feeding grit can lead to many complications including crop impaction, digestive tract blockages, and even death.

Bird pellets such as ZuPreem Natural pellets should make up the majority of the diet. Their diet can be kept varied with fresh fruits and veggies along with whole wheat or veggie pasta plus cooked rice which has been cooled down to room temperate. Cooked sweet potato cooled to room temperature is also great for providing extra Vitamin A content!

Housing

A single budgie needs a minimum of approximately 3 square feet of cage area with maximum wire spacing of 5/8" inches.Proper toys and perches must be present in the cage. A variety of textures and diameters ensures the feet are well exercised and prevents bumblefoot and severe arthritis as the bird grows older. Toys should include shreddables and preening options. DO NOT put a mirror or fake bird in your budgie's cage. These have been shown time and time again to do more harm than good.

Generally we recommend housing handfed birds as one per cage. People have housed more than one handfed budgie together and had the birds remain fairly friendly. This does require the owner to spend a lot more time with their birds (basically every spare second you have) and often still the birds are not as tame as if they were housedseparately and did not have a "mate". This also raises the chances the birds may breed, which is a new set of responsibilities and dietary requirements to ensure the parents' and offspring's health.

Breeding Information

Budgerigars will most easily breed in captivity when provided with a reasonable-sized nest box. The eggs are typically one to two centimeters long and are pearl white without any colouration if fertile. Female budgerigars can lay eggs without a male partner, but these unfertilized eggs will not hatch. When the female is laying eggs, her cere turns a crusty brown colour. A female budgerigar will lay her eggs on alternate days. After the first one, there is usually a two-day gap until the next. She will usually lay between four and eight eggs, which she will incubate (usually starting after laying her second or third) for about 21 days each.

BREEDING NOTE: A budgie nest box should have a shallow circular divot for the female to lay her eggs in. Budgies do not need nor want nesting material.

Wild Status

Increasing - Least Concern
Last Assessed in August 2018 for the IUCN Red List