Budgerigars are a family of parrots distinguished by their small size, bright yellow-green or blue plumage, talkativeness and high flight speed. In the wild, these birds live in Australia, but they are common as pets in many countries.
The lifespan of budgerigars
Budgerigars are often found at home. It is not surprising, because looking after them is quite simple, and they are inexpensive. In addition, it is easy enough to teach them to pronounce some words and phrases, which makes them stand out from other pets.
How many years budgerigars will live in captivity largely depends on the attention and care of the owners. With proper care, these birds can live up to 15 years, while in the wild they rarely live more than 5 years. History also knows cases when budgerigars lived at home for almost 20 years.
For the first time budgerigars were described in 1805 by the English naturalist George Shaw.
Proper care of budgerigars at home
In order for your feathered friend to live as long as possible, you need to take proper care of him. First of all, budgerigars need a balanced feed in the form of a grain mixture consisting of meadow grass seeds, flax, oats, small sunflower seeds, millet and others. The optimal amount is 1, 5-2 tsp per day. In addition, from time to time it is necessary to include additional food in the diet of the budgerigar: boiled egg, low-fat cottage cheese and mineral supplements with a high calcium content.
The budgerigar's cage should be large enough to fully satisfy his movement needs. To entertain him in the cage, you can hang a mirror, a swing and put a couple of perches. The parrot also needs to pay attention every day, talk to him, since budgerigars can get sick from loneliness and boredom. There should be clean water in the cage all the time.
In the room where the budgerigar is located, do not smoke, arrange drafts, greatly lower or sharply increase the temperature. It is also very important to carefully monitor the condition of your feathered pet, as a cuddly appearance, lack of appetite, disheveledness, severe loss and dryness of feathers can be a sign of serious diseases. In this case, it is important to contact your veterinarian in a timely manner.
Budgerigars quite often undergo various diseases, among which psittacosis and knemidocoptosis are especially common. If left untreated, the birds will die.
The duration of daylight hours is also important for the normal well-being of birds. In summer, it should be 12-14 hours, and in winter - 10-12. If there is not enough light, you need to turn on additional electric lighting, otherwise the parrot will not have time to eat the daily grain requirement.
