How do I get my budgie to take a bath?

Believe it or not, but some budgies just don't like to bathe as much as others. It's a matter of personal taste. Some budgies - especially the young ones from the pet stores - have never seen any other budgie doing it and they have never had the opportunity to try it out themselves. Sadly, this is the case with my Frodo and Isla.
I offered them a bath the other day, and even though they were both very curious about it, they thought it was only for drinking. They must've thought: "why on Earth don't we get a food tray of this size?"

After a while, I thought that Frodo was beginning to see the fun in it. He dipped his head in the water and shook his feathers. Then, he put a foot in there. Then, Isla came to chase him off because she wants everything that he wants. Isla only drank a bit from the water and then flew off again. So much for bathing that day.

Image © chorp on tumblr

I believe it's a matter of patience. It's not a big deal if they don't want to bathe, because budgies can still keep their feathers clean and neat when they preen. If you want to, you could try to use a soft plant spray, as long as it has never had any chemicals in it. If your budgie doesn't like it, he will try to get away and keep his wings tight over his feathers. The important thing is not to force them. If you make your budgies wet against their will too often, they may start to hate you for it.

But don't worry: it's part of their instinct to take baths. Domesticated budgies just need some time to see the use of it. So no rush. I'm just going to put the bath there again next time and maybe they will try again.

Food regurgitation

Image © Little Feathered Buddies

If you have a couple of budgies, you might see one approach the other and lock beaks with it. This is how budgie couples feed each other. Also, this is how the female budgie feeds her babies. If your budgie is regurgitating food for you, you can be sure it means that your budgie loves you! It's one of the best compliments you can get from your feathered friends :)

Note: don't confuse food regurgitation with vomiting! Vomiting is an uncontrollable process and your budgie will keep doing it, while leaving stains on their feathers and cage floor. If you notice this, you have to go to the vet immediately!

Budgie Body Language (6)

Are my budgies fighting?

Image ©​ budgerigars.co.uk

Budgies rarely fight. What you see here, is a clear signal from the male budgie on the right, that he is ready to mate. The female budgie on the other hand, is not ready yet. She doesn't lower her head. Instead, she objects and pulls her head away from him. The male budgie will have to be a little more patient.

Note: if you wish to have baby budgies, you have to get a good nest box. Budgies are among the few birds in Australia that lay their eggs in cavities and hollow tree trunks.

Previous posts in this series:
Body Language of a sleeping budgie
Body Language of a preening budgie (Budgie Body Language 1)
Budgie Body Language (2)
Budgie Body Language (3)
Budgie Body Language (4)  
Budgie Body Language (5)

Budgie Body Language (5)

What is that crunching noise that my budgie is making?

Image © upatsix.com

When your budgie is making a soft crunching noise with its beak, it means that he is feeling happy and relaxed. Try for yourself and pay them a visit in the evening, talk to them and give them compliments. Don't speak loudly, but lower your voice so they don't feel intimidated. The budgies will return your care by twittering back at you and close their eyes every now and again. It won't be long before the crunching noise follows ;-) Which proves once more that your budgies need you around to be happy and to feel at home!



Previous posts in this series:
Body Language of a sleeping budgie
Body Language of a preening budgie (Budgie Body Language 1)
Budgie Body Language (2)
Budgie Body Language (3)
Budgie Body Language (4)

Do budgies have a sense of humor?

                                                       It's that white budgie again! Where does it come from?

It's widely believed that certain birds have a (wicked) sense of humour. A study shows that crows for example have the habit of waiting for unsuspecting humans to walk beneath the tree where they are perched on and then accurately drop acorns on their heads. When they hit their target, they apparently caw in delight, no doubt to draw their victim's attention to the fact that they've been punked. Some birds prefer pooping over throwing things at you, though! When you see a pigeon's butthole above you, you know you can't be safe.

What about budgies, though? These hardy little birds are not only very smart, but also really playful and eccentric. They love to make you laugh by doing all sorts of crazy things, like hanging upside down on a millet string or bouncing around on their perches. Did you ever see them sing and headbang at the same time?

When I observe my mum's budgies, I can sometimes tell that they are joking among each other, probably about us and the daily events in their own budgie culture. It's hard to tell for people who don't know budgies, but if you look closely enough, you will see the shining fun-lights in their eyes when they're uttering all kinds of happy twittering noises. Don't forget that budgies also want learn from humans and that includes our sense of humour, even though they don't get the full image of it.

According to Ryan Reynolds, owner of Victor the budgie, budgies have a natural trait of putting humour into almost everything they say.  Much of his budgie's humour came from poking fun at his mate Betty or making wisecracks about people. He also thought the way people fart is hilarious and made quite a few jokes about that.

Do budgies make you laugh? Feel free to post your story here :-)

Budgies being budgies (video)

The title says it all... really sweet video, reminds you how special these little birds are :)

Budgie Body Language (4)

Image (c) youschi.se

What does it mean when my budgie shakes its feathers?

This is a very efficient way for your budgie to get rid of the dust in its feathers, little dirt particles and small pieces that come loose while grooming, or small bits of skin. Also they shake because they maybe have a feather that is set wrong and that feels uncomfortable.

It can also be a sign of mood change. When your budgie shakes its feathers quite loudly as you come close to the cage, it could indicate that he wants some privacy. Shaking their feathers is also a good way for budgies to release tension when they're stressed.

Previous posts in this series:
Body Language of a sleeping budgie
Body Language of a preening budgie (Budgie Body Language 1)
Budgie Body Language (2)
Budgie Body Language (3)

What music do budgies like?

Budgies like music. They like it loud (but not too loud), to give them the feeling it's all around them. This has to do with the "flock spirit" inside the budgies: they don't want to be alone. Sometimes they seem to be more interested in all the background noises in your house, like the noise of the vacuum cleaner (a lot of budgies start singing when they hear it) or the toilet flush (also very exciting), as they enjoy human company and all the new and funny sounds that comes with it.

Image (c) Blue Mountains Journal

Most budgies love comforting music. Don't forget that they are prisoners in a strange environment. From my experience, I would say that they are especially interested in classical music, as long as there's a nice melody in it.

They also seem to love it when you're making music for them. They all start twittering excitedly whenever my brother's playing the piano or when my dad's playing the guitar. They also used to scream at my mistakes on the piano. That could mean that they are able to distinguish the false notes like real music teachers. Isn't that amazing?

"Can you feeeeel the love tonight?"

Even better for your budgies are the CD's with nature sounds and meditation/relaxation music. They love this kind of music, because it's so beautiful and peaceful. You could put this on at any moment of the day. I would also suggest Celtic folk music, partly because it's closely linked to Nature. Some of these tunes can be really beautiful and playful at the same time and I'm sure your budgie will like that too.

If you just bought a couple of budgies, you could put on the Happy Budgies CD to make them feel at home. It appears to be really good and comforting for them. Click here for more information about this cd.

Budgies, just the way we know them!

Budgerigars like all kinds of toys and games. They are the world's best air acrobats and love to swing their way through life, driven by curiosity and courage. If you become their friend, they enjoy sitting on your head or your shoulder and love being carried around in the room. They are true explorers, and even though they haven't discovered America, they have discovered big parts of Australia where you wouldn't even survive for one day. You and your feathered friends can have a lot of fun trying out a new game every day. Budgerigars are able to solve easy mathematics exercises, play water polo with grapes, make music with marbles and are sometimes heard in harmony with the church bells on Sunday.

Here are another few descriptions that are also typical for budgerigars:

• Colourful plumage
• Curious and alert
• Sweet and intelligent
  
• Loyal to "its" human
• Enjoy company
• Love to cuddle with their partner
• Flock-oriented
• Can learn to talk
• Loving, affectionate (budgie mothers)

Feel free to add some to this list ;)

Picture (c) fountainphoto.com