How to Choose a Good Budgie

Co-authored by Pippa Elliott, MRCVS

Last Updated: April 29, 2024 Approved

Purchasing a budgie or budgerigar, also known as a parakeet, is a big commitment because they can live to be 9 to 14 years old. Because they live so long, you really need to make sure you are buying the right bird for you and your family. In order to find a good budgie, you need to assess the bird's health, personality, and happiness before your purchase. Finding a budgie that will be a long-term happy member of your family takes some diligence on your part, as well as a willingness to walk away from a bird that's just not right for you.

Part 1

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Choosing a Healthy Budgie

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Locate budgies for sale from a reputable seller. You can find budgies for sale online, in want-ads, or in pet stores. You can also get one from your local animal shelter. Wherever you get your budgie from, make sure the seller has healthy and humanely treated birds.
- Look at online reviews for the sellers you find. Are most buyers satisfied with the birds that they purchased from the seller?
- If you have a friend that has budgies, ask them where you can get good birds. This is especially helpful if they got their bird, or birds, recently.
Assess how they make you feel. Does the space feel clean and well cared for? Do you think the people working at the store or the person selling the birds feels responsible and invested in the health and happiness of the birds? If any of this feels wrong, walk away and look for another place.

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It is important they look after the birds well in order for them to be healthy and happy. ^{[1]
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Research source} Make sure they are cleaning the birds cages regularly. Are the sellers cleaning their hands before handling the birds? These are simple but important things that keep budgies healthy and happy.
Budgies need a clean and spacious cage. Are there so many budgies in there they can't all move? Is the cage or bin dirty? Does the condition of the cage line up with what the seller told you they do to care for their birds? Do the birds have water? Do the birds have appropriate food, such as seed, pellets, and vegetables? These are all important things to assess before moving forward with purchasing a budgie.
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Consider whether the birds look healthy and happy. Are the birds interacting with one another? Look at the head, body, and legs of each bird you are considering. If it is healthy and happy its feathers should be smooth and shiny, not all puffed up. It should have a healthy appetite, so you should see it eating seed. Its beak and feet should not be crusted. Its vents should be clear and it should not have any nasal discharge. The budgie’s feathers should be clean.
- The feathers should have an appearance that is shiny, sleek, and smooth.
- The budgies should not have any growths or abnormalities.
- The budgies' feet should be clear of mites and its toes should be clean and smooth.

Part 2

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Choosing a Budgie for Personality and Appearance

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Assess your potential budgie's temperament. If it is healthy and happy then it should be active and seem happy. Does it move around, eat seed, and drink water? While a budgie should be relatively calm when left alone, it is natural for a budgie to tighten its feathers when you come near its cage, so don't read that behavior negatively.
- Usually, the budgies from pet shops are not hand tamed, which means that you will have to be willing to take the time to help it get accustomed to your hand, if you want to be able to hold it. If you want to buy a budgie that is already hand tamed, you will need to go to a specialized budgie breeder. Trained ones are a lot more expensive.
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Look for a budgie that is young. You can tell the age of a budgie by the black bars on the forehead. A young budgie (under 4 months) will have black bars all the way down to the cere, which is the fleshy part above the beak. Above 4 months, the bars will disappear.
- If the budgie is "molting" it is around 6 months old, this is a good age to train a budgie.
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Determine if your potential budgie is male or female. This only matters if you have a preference and only works when they are old enough that the bars are gone. For males, the cere is blue or purple. For females, the cere will be very light blue, beige, or brown.
- Male budgies are slightly better talkers, so if you are concerned with that you might want to make sure you get a male bird.^{[2]
  X
  Research source} However, a young healthy bird of either sex can be a great talker with the right training.
If you are purchasing a budgie from a seller that has a lot of healthy and active birds, then feel free to pick your budgie based on looks. Budgies come in a huge variety of colors, so pick the color combination that you like best!

Expert Q&A

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Question

Is it normal for a feather on the tail to stick up?

Pippa Elliott, MRCVS
Veterinarian
Dr. Elliott, BVMS, MRCVS is a veterinarian with over 30 years of experience in veterinary surgery and companion animal practice. She graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1987 with a degree in veterinary medicine and surgery. She has worked at the same animal clinic in her hometown for over 20 years.

Pippa Elliott, MRCVS

Veterinarian

Expert Answer

The tail feathers should lie flat in a streamlined manner. It's likely one of the feathers got knocked and its damaged near the base. However, there is no need to take any action. The budgie isn't in pain. Avoid trying to remove the sticking-up feather as shaft of a growing feather has a large blood supply and trying to dislodge the quill could cause hemorrhage.

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I want to get a budgie but can't convince my parents. I already get good school grades (so can't work harder) and have tried the basics such as I'll pay for it, I'll feed it. What else can I do?

Pippa Elliott, MRCVS
Veterinarian
Dr. Elliott, BVMS, MRCVS is a veterinarian with over 30 years of experience in veterinary surgery and companion animal practice. She graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1987 with a degree in veterinary medicine and surgery. She has worked at the same animal clinic in her hometown for over 20 years.

Pippa Elliott, MRCVS

Veterinarian

Expert Answer

Actions speak louder than words, so show how responsible you are by keeping your room clean and tidy. Start earning money so that you can prove to your parents how serious you are, so offer to babysit, clean cars, walk dogs that sort of thing. Also, have a chat to your parents about what it is that's making them refuse. If you can understand why they say "No," then you can do something to help ease their concern.

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Question

Can I keep two females?

Pippa Elliott, MRCVS
Veterinarian
Dr. Elliott, BVMS, MRCVS is a veterinarian with over 30 years of experience in veterinary surgery and companion animal practice. She graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1987 with a degree in veterinary medicine and surgery. She has worked at the same animal clinic in her hometown for over 20 years.

Pippa Elliott, MRCVS

Veterinarian

Expert Answer

There's a greater risk of two female birds being confrontational and fighting. Getting a bird of the opposite gender is less likely to end in fights and be harmonious.

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Tips

Budgies tend to get lonely and they want to be a part of everything. You may need to get your bird a friend to keep it happy. However, remember that buying your new budgie a playmate will result in loss of partial affection for you. In addition, budgies can learn to talk but they are less willing if they have a playmate.

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Before you buy your budgie, make sure you have enough time for it. Lots of people buy one before they realize that they simply do not have enough time to care and nurture for their new pet. They can live up to fifteen years! What will you be doing in ten plus years, still have a few hours a day to spend with it?

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Pet your budgie in a smooth and calm way, do not hit your budgie with your hand they won't like it, it will injure and upset them and is classed as animal abuse.

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Warnings

Budgies can hide their illnesses well, so observe the bird you want to buy for some time before you purchase it.

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When your holding your budgie, don't squeeze it, it might affect your bird mentally and harm it.

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