 |
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
What to look for when buying a budgerigar
If buying a budgerigar for a pet the main requirement is that it is healthy. It should have closely fitting feathers, a bright, clear eye and no scaly growths around the eyes, cere, or legs and feet. The area under the tail (vent) should be clean.
Sick birds will often have their feathers "fluffed up" and the breathing may be laboured or rapid.
Healthy budgerigars are alert, active and interested in their surroundings and companions. Be wary of birds which appear sleepy or lethargic when other birds around them are not.
There are a number of diseases and afflictions which can affect budgerigars and if you suspect that your bird is unwell you should seek veterinary assistance immediately as birds often do not show signs of illness until they are almost at the point of no recovery.
Many budgerigars become quite tame and also are excellent talkers. To hand tame a budgie or teach it to talk it is necessary to obtain one while it is very young - preferably straight out of the nest. It is generally believed that cock (male) birds make better pets.
How to tell the age and sex of a budgerigar
In the adult, the cock bird has a blue cere (fleshy part above the beak) and the hen has a brown cere. The colours deepen during the breeding season. The young birds all have a somewhat similar mauve shade, as do certain coloured adults outside the breeding season. Young birds which have "barring" on the head will have the barring continuing almost down to the cere and are called "unbroken caps" while the adult birds will have a white "cap" between the barring and the cere. In adult birds the eye will have a white ring and a black pupil while the baby birds have a black eye without the white ring. An experienced breeder can usually accurately assess the sex of young birds.
If a bird is bred by a breeder it will have a closed ring on its leg. These rings are provided by the Budgerigar clubs and are placed on the baby bird when it is a few days old. They cannot be removed nor can they be put on older birds.Each ring will be engraved with a number which identifies the breeder, and also the individual bird and the year it was born. The colour of the ring issued is changed every year so that the age of a bird may be identified from a reasonable distance.