New Budgie Checklist

Supplies

Setting Up Before Bringing Home


ÿ        Cage – choose an appropriate size cage for the number of budgies it will house. At least 1.5’X1.5’ (45cmX45cm) for one budgie. The bigger (wider, not taller) the better.
ÿ        Food & Water Dishes/Dispensers – purchase what the cage doesn’t come with, or upgrade if desired.
ÿ        Perches – cage should be equipped with a variety of perch types & shapes, including at least one natural branch perch.
ÿ        Seed – choose a quality seed labeled for budgies (parakeets).
ÿ        Cuttlebone
ÿ        Mineral Block
ÿ        Toys – choose a variety of toys for the cage. Simple bells, rings, and lattice balls are favorites and inexpensive.
ÿ        Black & White Newspaper – one of the best and cheapest cage liners.
ÿ        Light Blanket – for use as a cage cover at night.

ÿ        Looking Up – look up and jot down the number for your local avian vet as well as emergency animal hospital that sees birds. Keep these numbers handy!
ÿ        Checking Up - Scheduling a new-bird checkup with your local avian vet is highly advisable.  Try to schedule the checkup for the day you’ll be bringing your new budgie home.
ÿ        Cleaning – wash all new (or used) equipment, including cage.
ÿ        Tidying – tidy up the room & surroundings your budgie(s) will be in.
ÿ        De-stressing – coming to a new home is stressful, so remove any stressors from the room & surroundings (i.e. turn off ceiling fans, keep other pets out of the room, etc.)
ÿ        Setting Up – set up the cage in its location and equip with food, water, perches, cuttlebone, mineral block, toys, and liner. Leave some space where budgie(s) can stretch and flap wings freely without hitting a toy or other item.


Choosing Your Budgerigar


The Surroundings/Environment
ÿ        Pet store/breeder’s place is clean and tidy.
ÿ        All birds are supplied with clean food & water.
ÿ        Flock is active.
ÿ        No sick birds are apparent in the flock.
Signs of illness:
       Consistently very fluffed
       Discoloration/discharge present on feathers above nostrils
       Lethargy
       Vomiting
       Inability to balance
       Stains or accumulated poop on vent feathers
       Crustiness on or around eyes, cere, beak, feet/legs




The Budgie
ÿ        Health & Vitality – this is the most important factor in choosing a budgie
A healthy budgie should:
       Be alert, playful, and interactive with the flock
       Have good weight (you should be able to just feel the breastbone, with a healthy layer of muscle on both sides)
       Have clear, bright eyes
       Not have any of the signs of illness listed above
ÿ        Age – if you plan on taming, choose a budgie 4 months or less
A budgie 4 months or less will:
       Have dark eyes in normal varieties
       Have bars all the way to the cere in normal varieties
ÿ        Personality – watch the budgies and ask to interact with them
Desirable characteristics:
       Curiosity
       Playfulness
       Tameness, or if none are tame, one that is less skittish and will stay on your finger for a short period of time.
ÿ        Color Preference – it’s up to you