The Complete Guide To English Budgies

Generally, budgies make great pets, but have you ever thought of adding an English budgie to your aviary? Well, budgies are some of the most popular pets on the planet that, ranks behind cats and dogs. They’re cute and affectionate, affordable birds, and they can even mimic human speech when well-trained. So if you already own an American budgie, you should adopt an English budgie.

Their unique small body size has played a crucial role in their popularity as a pet. And even though they require the same kind of care as the large parrots, they’re still ideal for first-time bird owners. So are they hard to maintain? And do they have a special diet requirement?

Key Takeaways

English budgies are extraordinary creatures available in various color variations thanks to mutation and selective breeding. These birds were brought from Australia to England and bred for exhibition purposes, making them one of the world’s most popular pets. And unlike the other budgies, the English is very easy to maintain, but before investing in one, here are a few things you should know:

• English budgies are twice as big as American budgies.
• You can determine the gender by examining the color of their plumage.
• They are way more silent than the other budgies.
• Selective breeding may have introduced a wide range of English budgies but reduced their lifespan.
• Parrots do well at a temperature ranging between 55 and 99 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Like some parrots, these birds love grooming themselves, so that a shallow bathing bowl can come in handy.

The English budgies are amazing creatures that make great pets, but before you adopt one, you need to understand how to take care of them. And with our guide, you should be ready for an English budgie.

The English budgies are one of the smallest parrot species that make docile pet birds. Compared to the American budgies, the budgie English is calmer; plus, it can trace their origin to England, where they were bred between the 19th and 20th centuries.

The Budgie English, also called Melopsittacus undulates, is a unique budgie species created via selective breeding from the indigenous English budgerigar. So in this article, we’ll show you its physical appearance and personality. We’ll also show you how to take care of the English budgies and increase their lifespan.

History of Budgies

The Budgies, also referred to as the Budgerigar, are the only members of the genus Melopsittacus. You might know them as the common parakeets, but in a real sense, their name Budgerigar is an Aborigine name that means “good food.”

Generally, when the Aborigines called them “good food,” they didn’t mean what you were thinking. They didn’t feed on them; the Aborigines followed the parakeet’s migration patterns in search of food. After all, the budgies were perfect when migrating from barren land to a place with food, animals, and water, so the Aborigines followed their migration pattern.

The first pair of budgies was brought to England by John Gould in 1838. These birds were straightforward to breed, and within a few years, there were thousands of budgies all over Europe, thus the name budgie English.

The selective breeding process for pet shows resulted in a colorful and laid-back English budgie. The inspiration for breeding the budgies English was to include them in pet shows. Still, they’re one of the world’s most popular pets.    

Physical Appearance

Generally, the English budgies are more significant than most wild parakeets indigenous to Australia and even Florida. They are twice the size of wild budgies. Compared to the wild budgies, which weigh between 1.1 and 1.4 oz., these parrots weigh between 1.6 oz. and 2.2 oz., which is the key reason they are more swingers.

The English budgies can attain a maximum length of about 10 inches in captivity. In comparison, they are about 7.5 inches long in the wild.

Fortunately, several studies have confirmed that their popularity can be attributed to their colored plumage. The English budgies have massive heads with beard-like feathers around their necks. But one of the unique facts about these birds is that you can’t tell their gender during their immature phase.

The reliable indicator for their gender is usually the color of their cere, which you can only confirm after they reach six months. The female’s cere is brownish when breeding and brown to white when they’re not breeding. On the other hand, the males have pale blue ceres.

Vets can help determine the sex of the budgies using an invasive examination of their eggshells, feathers, and blood samples.

In the wild, they have a mixture of black tail feathers, yellow heads, and green bodies. Some have rare colors like violet, cinnamon, grey, and olive. And the color patterns on the English budgies are similar. Unfortunately, they’re less regular than the American budgies, which you can find in several pet stores.

The Personality of the English Budgie

Unlike the American budgies, the English parakeets are laid-back and calmer thanks to the training they underwent to feature in pet exhibitions and shows. After all, restless birds can never take part in these events. They’re extraordinary creatures that make great pets for first-timers. So if you need a silent budgie, you should go for the budgie’s English.

Proper Care for English Budgies

Like most pets, these birds were quite demanding, so to increase their lifespan, you must take proper care of them. After all, they have special diet requirements, and their cages and environment must be clean and well-maintained.

Budgie English Diet

Generally, the budgies‘ diet resembles that of most parrots. Ideally, a great mix of pellets, seed mix, veggies, and fresh leaves can do, but you have to ensure a well-balanced diet. They can consume a wide range of low-fat content seeds. A parakeet seed mix with 25% canary seeds can be perfect for your pet. Make sure you offer them fresh veggies, with some great options being cooked carrots and sunflower sprouts.

On top of that, you should give them cuttlebone, the best calcium supplement source. Remember, as their beaks grow, they need more calcium. But most importantly, you should change their bowl every day. Their bowls appear full, which doesn’t mean they didn’t consume their seeds.       

Temperature Exposure

Generally, parrots do well in a room with temperatures between 55 and 99 degrees Fahrenheit. Ensure the temperature never goes beyond the extremes; after all, they’re prone to overheating, frostbite and chill. You should ensure that your parrot is in a controlled environment.

Cage Cleaning

Another essential routine every parrot owner must perform is cleaning the cage twice a week. You can shorten your parrot’s lifespan without cleaning, and your English budgie is no exception. Therefore, you should get a cage with a grate that helps filter waste, but you’ll have to clean the cage every day.

You should also clean all the solid items in the cage, including the perches. Thorough cleaning will guarantee that your pet won’t contract any disease. And if they get too dirty, you can switch the perches after every few months.

Toys

Like all parrots, English budgies are social and playful creatures. Therefore, if you plan on adopting a pair, you should also invest in some toys to keep your pet happy. And being intelligent creatures, you should find a way to keep them excited and satisfied with their toys.

A swing and a workout gym can help make your life easier and more fun. Remember, they won’t disturb you too much when they’re occupied. The workout gym can help them burn calories while staying fit and playing with other birds.

One of the best ways to keep them excited is by changing the position of the toys in the cage. Moving the toys around will prevent them from growing bored with them and ignoring them.

Bathing

The hygiene of your pet matters a lot; therefore, you should be ready to bathe your pet once every 3 to 4 days. To keep your budgie clean, place a shallow water bowl in the cage and let it hop in and out while enjoying itself. Budgies love playing in shallow water; therefore, they’ll flutter and splash in the water bowl.

If your bird has never done it before, you can give it time, and it will get used to playing in the water. But if it doesn’t work, then you can use your spray bottle to wash it yourself. It would be best to use a transparent bottle and put it in a secluded place to prevent contamination.

Health Problems

Like all other pets, English budgies are prone to a wide range of illnesses, the leading cause of illnesses being yeast infections. In case of a yeast infection, your pet will exhibit the following symptoms:

• Weight loss
• Loose droppings
• Listlessness
• Vomiting

Another form of illnesses includes sour crop, gastrointestinal diseases, and parrot fever. Some budgies have also been known to contract tumors. Therefore, maintaining good hygiene is the only way to keep your pet healthy.

The price of the English Budgie

The cost of these beauties averages between $50 and $90. But you can end up paying more for some rare budgie mutations. The price of these beauties will be determined by the age, color, and mutation of the exact pet you want to adopt.

Therefore, you should expect a uniquely patterned and colored parrot to cost way more than the ones with simpler patterns.

What Is the Difference Between a Budgie and an English Budgie?

With the many things said about the budgies and the English budgies, you must learn how to differentiate between the two. Therefore, our guide would only be complete with elaborating more on the difference between the English budgie and the other budgies, which includes the American budgies. Some of the key differences between the two have the following:

Personalities

Since people bred the English budgies for pet exhibitions, they tended to be calm and easy to manage. Their personality has made them popular pets among bird lovers. On the other hand, wild budgies are super active and quite hard to tame.

The calm nature of the English parakeets makes them easy to train, even for kids. The American budgies are noisy and can find themselves screaming, clicking, and screeching when scared. But with the English budges, you’ll never have to worry about your neighbors complaining, especially if they’re well trained.

Appearance

The feathers on the English budgies are fluffier and longer than the ones of a wild budgie. And compared to the American parakeets, they have brighter feathers. The color difference becomes more pronounced with color mutations. Plus, they’re larger than the other budgie species.

The English budgies are twice as significant as most American budgies and are also a bit longer and taller.

Lifespan

Unfortunately, American parakeets tend to live longer than English budgies. The American budgies have a lifespan of between 7 and 12 years, while the English parakeets have a lifespan of between 5 and 7 years.

The selective mutation process resulted in the creation of several beautiful birds over the years. But it has also resulted in birds with shorter lifespans.

Conclusion

Budgies are the world’s third most popular pet, right behind cats and dogs. But did you know that Budgie English didn’t exist until 1840? These birds are the outcome of selective breeding, which may harm their lifespans.

Nonetheless, they are the biggest budgies available, and since breeders groomed them for pet exhibitions, there are well-behaved. These birds are straightforward to tame and can be easily taught to do a few tricks and even speak. Unlike the other budgies, you can easily differentiate between male and female thanks to the color of their plumage. They can even tell when they’re breeding by examining the color of the female plumage.

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