When buying or accepting a budgerigar from his hands, his future owner must be sure that he is taking a young and healthy individual into the house. After all, budgies live a maximum of 8-10 years. But you can't ask for a bird's passport and birth certificate. And the seller of the parrot can slightly decrease its age in order to increase the possibility of sale or increase the price. By what signs can you determine how adult the bird is offered to you?
Instructions
Step 1
The most striking sign of young age in a budgerigar is the same wave-like pattern on the head, thanks to which this species of parrots got its name. In a parrot that is less than six months old, this pattern covers the front of the back and extends to the head. Moreover, it reaches the very wax - the base of the beak, on which the nostrils are located. The pattern above the waxworm disappears during the parrot's first molt, which usually occurs at six months of age.
Step 2
Another sign of youth in a parrot is black spots on the horny part of the beak, similar to brush strokes. From these spots, you can determine that the bird is not more than two months old. However, this feature is characteristic only for normally colored birds. An albino parrot will not have these spots at any age.
Step 3
Pay attention to the eyes of the parrot. The presence of an iris around the eyes indicates that the bird is more than six months old. However, there are also mutations, as a result of which the parrot's eyes remain black or dark red throughout its life.
Step 4
The young age is also evidenced by the soft pink or purple color of the wax, characteristic of males and females under two months old. By two months, the wax becomes white (sometimes with a bluish tint) or beige, or, conversely, darkens significantly.
Step 5
Look at the throat spots of the bird: in young parrots, they do not yet have a clearly oval shape. Young parrots also have a brighter plumage color than adults. However, to assess this trait, a direct comparison of the studied bird with an older individual of a similar color is required.
Step 6
The next sign that can give out the age of the budgerigar is its legs. In an elderly bird, the surface of the paws is heterogeneous; with the naked eye, individual scales are visible.
Step 7
Another guideline in determining the age can be the length of the bird's tail. If we exclude the possibility of the bird losing its tail feathers, then a short tail is a sign of a young age - no more than two and a half months.
