The budgerigar (Melopsittacus Undulatus) is one of the most popular pets in Germany. It is about 20cm tall, weighs 20 to 40g and has a long, feathered tail. Budgerigars are very sociable animals that feel most comfortable in the company of other birds of their species. These intelligent birds need variety, toys and wood to nibble on.
This small parrot species originally comes from Australia; the colour of the wild budgerigar is dark green. In the 18th century, people began to catch budgerigars living in the wild and keep them as pets. Since then, many different colours have been bred. There are now over 30 different primary colour breeds, from which hundreds of variations of secondary colour breeds can be bred.
The wild budgerigars are mainly found in the dry areas of Australia, occasionally also in more humid regions. The number of wild budgerigars is estimated at 5 million.
Due to its origin in dry and hot Australia, a budgerigar is susceptible to disease in damp and cold climates and should therefore be kept indoors. On warm summer days, you can put the cage outside, but not in the blazing sun.
Budgerigars can become tame and learn to speak well. With a lot of patience, budgies, like other parrot species, can learn to repeat a large vocabulary.
A budgie lives between 5 and 15 years. With the right food, they stay healthy and their life expectancy increases. A budgie eats seeds, fruit, vegetables and eggs. You should never give a budgie caffeine, chocolate or alcohol,
The sex of the budgerigar can be recognised by its beak. Female birds are more dominant, more talkative and usually more difficult to tame. The birds can breed all year round. A pair of budgerigars can have several clutches per year, one clutch has four to eight eggs.
How do you teach a budgie to talk?
How to recognise that budgies want to breed
