Budgies are one of the most beloved domestically kept parrots. Sometimes mistakenly called a “parakeet” (there are 100’s of species of “parakeet”), the Budgerigar comes in two forms, what is referred to as an “American”, “wild type” or called a  “Color Budgie” in Europe. These are the smaller variety often seen in the chain petshops like Petco or Petsmart We only keep the “English” Budgerigar, the same species as the typical budgie, but selectively bred for size. We don’t raise any of the gigantic ones sometimes seen on the web as they are typically short-lived, have difficulty seeing, flying and can be plagued with genetic problems.

We hand feed our English Budgies by request only, but are happy to take a deposit and raise one to be a friendly, tame companion, stepping up and enjoying human companionship from the moment you take your new friend home.

Budgies (as do all parrots), prefer a straight roof line cage with a minimum width of 24″. They are easy to keep, have pleasant “chatter” when they do choose to speak, and are one of the best talkers in the parrot world. Though they have a rather “robotic” voice, they can learn over 200 words and phrases. Males are rumored to be the best talkers, but either sex can talk.

They thrive on diverse seed and nut diets like the one we developed that is available by clicking HERE. It has over 60 Ingredients and is a fantastic base seed/nut/fruit/veg mix to avoid the Vitamin A deficiencies that many domestic birds suffer from. Pelleted diets are not recommended as they are heated and extruded, making them very dry. Australian Grassparakeets don’t drink enough water to break these down, and they are generally made from corn and soy, which are endocrine system disrupters. Budgies kept on these diets don’t breed very well, which is always the benchmark for judging how healthy a bird is. We recommend a dried egg food, Miracle Meal, and Bird Salad to also be offered daily in the cage. They also need a cuttlebone (easily hung with this holder), and mineral block.

Budgies when compared to the other two species we raise (the Cockatiel and the Linnie) are fun and playful with an almost ADHD sort of personality. They are smaller in size and have a more conservative minimum cage requirement (Cockatiels require 30″ width minimum). They love toys, and are very playful and enjoyable to watch and interact width. For younger children (no younger than 6) we like the Budgie and Cockatiels best. They have tight, dry droppings which are easy to clean up after when they have been out on you, furniture, etc. They are also the most inexpensive parrot of the 3 mentioned.

We love exhibiting, and encourage anyone that has contemplated trying their hand at showing to do it! We are happy to explain the process to anyone to take the intimidation factor out of it. It is a welcoming group and we love to see new faces! A great entry level show cage for budgies (as well as Linnies, Lovebirds, Canaries, Parrotlets, etc) is available HERE for a fantastic price. Contact Us here to have any of your questions answered. We are always open to phone calls or text as well.

If you are interested in seeing what Eddie’s Aviary has for available budgies, click HERE.