Him or her?

 A male and female budgie go best together. Photo (c) kellynguyen67

You're standing in front of the budgie cage in the pet store, pondering over which budgie you should buy. That lovely blue-white pied female or the pretty seafoam green male with the yellow head. Tough choice!

The best answer is: him AND her!

Budgies are the happiest when a male and female can form a pair. But take it easy, you can't have baby budgies without a good nest box!
Did you know that coconuts were used for nest boxes when budgies were first imported in the UK? Read the full story here.

Budgies can't be kept alone. Budgies in the wild live in huge flocks, and that's the way domesticated budgies want it as well. The more budgies, the merrier! If you want to buy just one budgie, you will have to give it all your attention, but it still won't do. Your bird will always miss a companion of the same kind and will never be really happy as long as there is none. Therefore, a minimum of two budgies is strongly advised.

• If you have a pair of budgies, you will find it a lot easier to study the behaviour of the little parrots. You will discover how the male and female budgie spend their days together, cuddling and flirting and playing. It's a lot more fun for your budgies, but also for you!
• Male budgies can also live together. But it's not very exciting for the birds nor for you. You won't see as much of their true personality, compared to when you have a pair of budgies of the opposite sex (or a whole aviary of them)
• It's wiser not to keep two female budgies together. There is often hostility between females, and you don't want to see them fighting.

How much does a budgie cost you?

 

Budgies are among the cheapest pets in the world. Picture (c) that cute site.

How much does it cost you to take care of your budgie? The price for a budgie depends on which part from the world you are from. Where I live in Belgium, they generally cost between 15 and 20 euros. In Norway, the standard price is twice as much (40 euros). The standard price in the U.S. is $20. English budgies and other special budgies cost more. 

What equipment do you need?

• A medium-sized cage: depending on the quality, anywhere between 5-200 euros (one-time cost)
• Bird feeders and drinking fountains (one-time cost, below 10 euros)
• Food basics: quality seed labeled for budgies, together with some fruit and vegetables. Egg food is also good for them. Price: below 10 euros a week.
• Cuttlebone: around 1 euro a week
• Mineral block: around 2-3 euros a week
• Toys: you can make them yourself or buy a few fun toys at the pet store (cheap one-time costs)
• Old newspaper: one of the best and cheapest cage liners
• Shell sand for the bottom of the cage: below 10 euros a month
• Light blanket to cover the cage at night (use one you have at home, you don't need to buy it)
• Of course, you need to include the costs of going to the vet when your bird gets sick. But that goes for all pets.

As you can see, budgies are among the cheapest and most fun pets in the world. If you are planning to buy a budgie soon, you can also take a look at this handy check list.

Curious about the most expensive pets in the world? Look here!