A Great Pet: Budgerigars

Usually called a Budgie, this small parrot originated in the harsh inland part of Australia where it has lived for more than five million years. It became popular as a pet cage bird and is now bred domestically in most countries.

In the wild, this bird is a small long-tailed green and yellow bird with scalloped black marking on the wings and shoulders. However, aviary bred birds also come in blue and white, all white, all yellow and various combinations of these colours. Their beaks are olive grey and their legs bluish-grey. Two of their toes face forward. The male budgie has a blue cere (the area containing the nostrils) and non breeding females have a pale brown or whitish cere. A breeding female will usually have a brown cere.

Male budgies are usually cheerful, extroverted, flirtatious, peacefully social and very vocal. They can frequently be taught to talk, sing and do tricks. The amount of their vocabulary depends on the bird and the amount of time you spend teaching it. Most will learn 20 to 30 words, however, some have learned up to several hundred words. Female budgies are usually dominant and socially intolerant birds. They can also be taught to talk, sing and do tricks, but their vocabulary is usually quite limited.

All budgies like to chew, particularly females, and they will chew anything that they can get their beaks on. Therefore, it is wise to ensure that they have cuttlebone, mineral block (iodine enriched) and soft wooden pieces to both satisfy their need to chew and to keep their beaks properly trimmed.

Budgies are relatively small, but very active birds. The minimum cage size for a single bird is 18 by 18 inches (46 by 46 cm). However, to keep your bird happy and healthy, a cage 18 inches wide by 30 inches long (46 by 76 cm) is recommended. The spacing between the cage bars should be ½ inch (1.25 cm) or less.

Several male budgies can be placed in a cage, which should be appropriately larger in size, but be very careful about putting more than one female in a cage, as they frequently fight viciously doing serious and sometimes fatal injuries to each other.

Budgies should have a daily supply of seeds and fresh water, but that can be supplemented with fruit, vegetables and nuts. DO NOT FEED THEM AVOCADOS AS THEY ARE TOXIC TO Budgerigars.

Budgies typically live from 5 to 8 years, but if well cared for and provided healthy diets and exercise, some will live 15 to 20 years.

If you want an inexpensive, entertaining pet cage bird, then a Budgerigar or Budgie is a great choice.

Until next time,

Teia

Budgerigars Frequently Suffer From Scaly Face

Pictured to the left is a healthy male Budgerigar.

Scaly face is a common condition in birds caused by a mite called Knemidocoptes. This scaly face condition is seen mostly in budgerigars and by knowing what symptoms to look for you will be able to provide treatment for your bird much earlier in the onset of an infestation. If the mites are not identified early, the damage could be severe.

Knemidocoptes is a burrowing mite that can cause disfiguring changes of the beak, legs and feet of birds. The mite has a three-week life cycle and stays on the bird the whole time. The mites burrow into the skin and feather follicles around the cere, feet and face where they feed on keratin. As the mites burrow, they leave characteristic honeycomb lesions. The mites are transmitted from bird to bird by close contact.

Although this mite most commonly affects budgerigars, many different species of birds are affected. This mite can affect all chickens, turkeys, finches, canaries, parakeets and parrots. Although the clinical signs of this mite can vary between species of birds, the basic lesions are the same.

Knemidocoptes occurs mostly in birds that have a weaker immune system. Lesions to look for include scaling, crusting and grayish lesions on the skin around the beak, eyes, legs and feet. The mites burrow into the skin leaving large tunnels resulting in the characteristic honeycomb lesion.

In severe cases the beak will start to grow malformed and it might become hard for the bird to breathe. Also, the legs and feet will also become malformed and the bird will become lame. Swollen nail beds and misshaped nails can also occur.

Both male and female budgerigars may be affected, but the disease is most commonly seen in fledglings and younger adults. The lesions usually appear over the course of months and the progression of the disease is slow.

Normally the first lesions to appear are at the corners of the beak. In most cases the condition is confined to the base and top of the beak. Normally the condition does not cause itching in the birds. The fact that the condition does not cause itching is why the honeycomb lesions and the location of the lesions will help your veterinarian determine that this condition is scaly face.

Your veterinarian will usually do a skin scraping of your bird to help confirm the diagnosis. Treatment usually consists of Ivermectin or Moxidectin. Either of these drugs can be given to treat the mites. These drugs can be given in varying forms and doses, so consult your veterinarian before treatment.

By knowing what signs to look for in your budgerigars, you'll be able to catch this condition in its early stages to hopefully prevent further damage and prevent further infestations.

Until next time,

Teia