Melopsittacus undulatus
Budgerigar
Budgies are the most widely kept parrot in the world: intelligent, social and far more demanding than their low price suggests.
PsittaculidaeLifespan 6–12 years, sometimes longerCare complexity 3/5Suitable for beginners
At a glance
- Scientific name
- Melopsittacus undulatus
- Family
- Psittaculidae
- Origin
- Inland Australia
- Lifespan
- 6–12 years, sometimes longer
- Adult size
- 18 cm including tail
- Weight
- 30–40 g
- Temperament
- Sociable, curious and chatty
- Activity level
- High — flocks fly long distances daily in the wild
- Social needs
- Very high; keep in pairs or groups unless advised otherwise by a vet
- Intelligence
- Excellent mimics and quick learners with target training
- Noise
- Constant cheerful chatter; rarely loud enough to disturb neighbours
Housing and environment
- Housing
- The largest cage you can fit, minimum 60 x 40 x 50 cm for a pair, wider than tall
- Space requirement
- A dedicated bird-safe room for daily flight
- Temperature
- 18–26°C, away from draughts and kitchen fumes
- Humidity
- 40–60%
- Exercise
- Several hours of supervised out-of-cage flight daily
- Grooming
- Self-preening plus bathing opportunities; nail and beak checks
Diet and feeding
Formulated pellets as the base, plus fresh vegetables, sprouted seed and limited seed mixes
Behaviour and compatibility
Chewing, foraging, flock chatter, bathing and social preening
- With children
- Suitable for calm older children with supervision
- With other animals
- Never leave unsupervised with cats or dogs
- Training difficulty
- Low with positive reinforcement
Health
- Fatty liver disease from all-seed diets
- Scaly face mites
- Tumours
- Chronic egg laying in hens
- Psittacosis
Needs an avian vet; birds hide illness until severely unwell
Special care requirements
Non-stick cookware fumes, aerosols and candles are rapidly fatal to birds