Q&A for How to Take Care of a Budgie

Budgies are flock birds and love the company of other birds, hence why mirrors are so popular in captive birds (their reflection keeps them company). It can be difficult to introduce a new bird to an established one, but a lone bird will do fine if you provide plenty for her to watch and chat to her on a regular basis to provide social stimulation.

It is easier to age a young bird, because they have "fledgling bars" or horizontal stripes travelling from their beak over the crown of the head. These start to fade as the bird molts and are replaced by white or cream feathers. This happens around the age of 4-5 months. Also, as the bird goes from juvenile to adult they tend to develop a white cap on their head. Once the bird is over 12 months old, it becomes very difficult to age them.

Ideally, budgies should be kept in pairs or groups. Budgies are highly social birds that love to chatter and interact with the rest of the group. If kept alone, you have to become their flock, and give the bird lots of time and attention

In the wild, budgies are exposed to nighttime temperatures of around 40 degrees F, which they can cope with for a few hours. However, the ideal daytime minimum is around 60-70 degrees F, which is necessary to avoid stress and to keep the bird healthy.