how long do budgie birds live

Budgies Can Live a Lot Longer Than Many Realize

The belief that budgies and other small birds have a very short lifespan is widespread. This belief is supported by the persistent dearth of trustworthy care information available to owners for budgies from reputable sources as well as the persistent misinformation spread by many pet stores regarding budgie care.

The current average lifespan for a budgie is 5-8 years. But some budgies can live up to ten or fifteen years! Some experienced budgie keepers have even had budgies in their care reach the age of fifteen!

What can you do, then, to extend the potential lifespan of your budgie? We do this as owners by educating ourselves so that we can give our birds excellent care and steer clear of potential pitfalls that could rob us of years of wonderful companionship with our budgies.

how long do budgie birds live

Taxonomy edit

George Shaw originally described the budgerigar in 1805, and John Gould gave it its current binomial name in 1840. The genus name Melopsittacus, from Ancient Greek, means “melodious parrot”. [20] The Latin word for “undulated” or “wave-patterned” is undulatus. [21].

Because of its barred plumage, the budgerigar was formerly thought to be a link between the genera Neophema and Pezoporus. [22] However, newer phylogenetic analyses based on DNA sequences put the budgerigar in close proximity to the fig parrots (tribe Cyclopsittini) and lories (tribe Loriini). [9][10][11][12].

Development edit A three-week-old chick beginning to develop feathers and adult coloration.

Eggs take about 1820 days before they start hatching. [citation needed] The hatchlings are altricial, meaning they are blind, naked, unable to raise their heads, and completely defenseless. Their mother continuously provides for them by feeding and keeping them warm. The chicks’ eyes will open at 10 days of age, and they will begin to grow feathers. When the chicks are old enough to be closed-banded, down starts to show.

They develop feathers around three weeks of age. (At this point, the individual birds’ color mutations are frequently readily noticeable.) At this point in the chicks’ development, the male has typically started to come inside the nest to assist his female in tending to and feeding the young. Nonetheless, some budgerigar females completely prohibit the male from entering the nest, meaning that they are solely responsible for caring for the young until they can fly. [citation needed].

It might then be a good idea to give some of the hatchlings (or the best of the fertile eggs) to another pair, depending on the size of the clutch and especially in the case of single moms. The foster pair needs to be in the laying or incubating stages of the egg-laying process, or they need to be raising hatchlings already. [citation needed].

The chicks can be left alone for extended periods of time as they mature and grow feathers. The chicks are strong enough by the fifth week for both parents to feel at ease leaving the nest more often. Before attempting to fly, the children will spread their wings to gain strength. Additionally, they will assist in keeping enemies away from the box by yelling loudly. Around the fifth week of life, young budgerigars usually fledge (leave the nest), and between the ages of six and eight weeks, they are usually fully weaned. However, depending on the age and number of surviving chicks, the age for both weaning and fledging can change slightly. The oldest chick is typically the first to be weaned. Even though it should be the last chick to be weaned, the youngest chick frequently weans earlier than its older sibling or siblings. This might occur from imitating the behavior of older siblings. Because their parents are giving them their undivided attention and care, lone surviving chicks are frequently weaned at the earliest age possible. [citation needed].

Budgies raised by hand might require a little more time to wean than chicks raised by parents. Budgerigars are small birds that are easily tamed, so hand feeding them is not something that is done on a regular basis. [citation needed].

FAQ

How long do indoor budgies live?

They can live 10 -15 years in captivity. Budgies naturally live in large flocks so will be happiest in a spacious aviary set up. This should be an outdoor enclosure made of strong wire mesh (which should be zinc free), with an easily cleanable floor and plenty of room for the birds to fly around.

Can a budgie live alone?

Budgies can be kept in a flock, as a pair, or as an individual. Since they crave companionship, a solo bird will need to have dedicated one-on-one attention from their caregiver. Enriching their cage with toys is important to prevent boredom when left alone.

How old was the oldest budgie?

According to the Guinness Book of Records the oldest budgerigar ever lived in England. He was called Charlie, and he reached the ripe old age of 29 years and 2 months. You might remember that Don was interested to find out if there are any Australian pet budgies approaching Charlie’s age.

How long can a budgie stay in a cage?

It’s fine for them to be alone and stay in the cage for two weeks, but you need someone to come in twice a day, ideally. Twice a week isn’t going to work. If they soil their water, they can get a bacterial infection because bacterial growth can start in just a few hours if the water is very dirty.