Q&A for How to Breed Budgies

Keep an eye on the nest or nest box that you provided. When your budgies are ready to mate, they'll be going in and out of this nest.

Your budgies must be sexually mature—at least 6 months and sometimes even older.

After mating it will take about 9 days until she starts to lay her first eggs. She will normally lay around 4-6 eggs so make sure you have a big enough cage for a family of budgies.

If your budgies are fighting, you need to separate them immediately before one or both of them get severely injured!

Their mating season starts at spring, and ends in fall. However, they can still mate at any time of the year.

Normally one egg is laid every other day until the clutch is done.When the eggs hatch, they will hatch in the same order--one every other day.

You can hold the chicks, but you should wait until they are two weeks or older. If you handle them too soon, you could accidentally injure them; they are very fragile and delicate.

No, they do not have the best sense of smell but you should be careful handling them anyway.

Yes! Not keeping a clean cage could be harmful for your birds, and it can seriously affect their quality of life at the very least.

No, the size of the birds shouldn't affect their ability to mate.

Yes! Check the nest everyday to see if the eggs are healthy and safe. If cracked, put the egg in a separate nest (a warm environment), and you may have to hand feed it.

Take a look at the ceres, the fleshy part above the beak. Male budgies will a blue or purple one. Females will have a pink or white one. A female's ceres will typically turn dark and crackly once she starts carrying eggs.

Yes, you do. If you absolutely cannot get a cuttlebone, buy a mineral block and put it in the cage. You can also use both: a cuttlebone and a mineral block.

Your budgie is most likely sick. Take it to a vet as soon as possible get it checked out.

No. It will not be cared for properly, may be forgotten and will not get enough warmth to survive.

Yes, you can do that. As long as there's enough space for all of them and you can take care of them they are your birds to do what you'd like with.

Yes, you can touch them. Birds do not have good senses of smell and will not abandon young because they carry a human scent. Just make sure to be very gentle with the fragile chicks.

A best age to start is when they have their feathers and have left the nest. Be sure the budgies can fully care for themselves such as eat, drink and fly properly. A common age to sell budgies are at 8-12 weeks old and depending on the availability you can sell your budgies from $10 to $40 if you wish.

It usually takes about 6-8 weeks for them to settle into their new cage. However, some birds may take less time or more time.

If you handle the bird or the eggs after she starts nesting, the mother may reject the eggs because she feels like something is wrong. She will be able to smell your scent in the box. Unfortunately, it's possible that your pair don't make good parents. Some birds aren't good breeders and may get into the habit of harming their young. You may be able to take the eggs and hatch them in an incubator.

If the remaining parent is not taking care of the chicks, you will have to hand rear them.

No. Get them a box big enough for a couple of eggs. They do raise the chicks in there, so it has to be big enough for mother, father and all the babies.

No. You have to socialize it at a young age to get it use to you and become tame. Picking it up will NOT tame it.

A best diet for your bird friend would to put them on a budgie seed mix which you can find at your local grocery store or pet shop. But you want to give them an interesting diet so be sure to supplement extra veggies and fruits. Another thing you can purchase is a cuttle bone for calcium and mineral blocks for vitamins which will keep your budgies healthy. Also, provide clean and fresh water at all times. Cuttle bone can be found on a local beach or you can purchase it from your pet shop along with mineral blocks.

No, hang it on the outside or if you have room put it in with the birds. The Vision Breeding Box is the best box you can buy as it has both options, inside the cage or outside.

Yes, they can. They just won't have any babies inside. If you want babies, they must mate.

She won't sit on the eggs all the time. You just might not be there to see her sitting on the eggs.

They will likely take at least 6-8 weeks to settle into their new environment. Then, they'll start to bond. However, some birds may bond faster, especially since these birds already knew each other before you paired them off.

If the female is already pregnant, then you don't need another male bird since she can raise the baby birds just fine by herself. You should get another male budgie if you want to breed her.

Budgies usually take eggs out of the nest because something isn't right about that egg. The mother may not smell her own scent on it anymore (like if someone handled the egg), or she may think the egg is unfertilized or damaged.