From the smallest parrots with great popularity among lovers, they have budgets: their weight reaches up to 40 grams, and their body length does not exceed 20-23 cm. Budget cages are generally sold equipped with perches, made of wood or hard plastics. But after that, the owner of the feathery has to complete the interior with several real, rough and unattractive twigs, because if the parakeet never changes the position of his fingers and always clings to the flat, smooth surface of the standard patient, his fingers. It begins to swell, the rubbing hurts, and wounds and scabs begin to appear. If you don’t have fine sandpaper to cover the floor, you can spread it under the layer of very fine ballast (or very coarse sand) and a regular newspaper, which should not have color illustrations. Most printing inks are budget poisonous. Something else that can threaten your birds is the use of twigs from the coniferous tree, the yew, whose wood is also poisonous to birds. The best for this purpose is to use twigs from fruit trees.

WHAT DO YOU NEED?

My recommendation is to use transparent feeders, so it will be easier for the parakeet to find its food when it sees it. The feeders should be of two types, one for seeds and sand with stones and a larger one for vegetation and fruit. The sand can be from the sea, mixed with broken shells and mussels (but not the white that is sold to canaries), and the stones must be granite or flint. Budgies get bored with the same toys, so it is best to change them or take turns in the cage. It is considered that a mirror makes the loneliness of the bird more bearable – looking in the mirror the bird begins to imagine that it is not alone, but I consider that constantly looking in the mirror is not recommended due to the danger of inhibition.

Choose the most spacious cage that you can afford and can dispose of at home. It is considered that the ideal cage size for a couple of budgets is 91/45/45 cm, and when only one bird is going to live in the cage its size could be 2/3 of the indicated size. Do not rush with your purchase: many cages are sold in zoo stores, but you may have the opportunity to buy a suitable one already used. There are different constructions, so it is wise not to rush to buy something really good. You buy a house for your budgets, where you will spend your life, so do your best to choose it, where you will feel better.

When choosing a cage it is not bad to think about a few things. Is it spacious enough? Is it in the right shape? You may like a tall circular cage, but in “housings” birds often do not have enough room to move and spread their wings. It may seem less important, but closing the door should be safe. There should be a movable plastic bottom in the cage to facilitate cleaning. The cage sticks can be chrome or glazed and it is nice to have horizontal sticks not just vertical on the sides of the cage so budgets can easily climb. The perches should be located so that the birds can reach all the feeders and troughs and place one higher than the others. Do not install them near the sides of the cage, because by staying in them, the budgets will constantly brush the tails with the metal sticks. Prepare the cage before buying your feathery friend. And when you take it out of the store, put it in a cardboard box, handle it with care, and quickly take it home. If it’s cold outside, wrap the box, but so it doesn’t reduce airflow. In the hoe, wash the entire cage with very hot water, but do not use soap and washing detergents, use only special disinfection means, which are intended for bird cages. This is absolutely mandatory if you have obtained a used cage. Dry the bird’s new home very well. Place a sheet of very fine sandpaper on the bottom and spread fine ballast. After that, install the perches, feeders, and watering holes.

Birds don’t like the cage location to be changed often, so pick the most suitable spot for them on your floor early on. The place must be sufficiently illuminated, but it must not be directly illuminated by sunlight. If you have a glazed balcony from late spring to early fall, you can keep your birds there. You can place pots of large-leaved plants around the cage. So the birds will feel good. The balcony should not face south, because during hot summer days the bird can die from overheating. When temperatures drop, you need to bring the bird inside the flat. Be careful not to put it near central heating or other heating devices because the air is drier there. When you bring the birds, be careful because they make a lot of trouble, especially when they start to fly in the cage.

Budgets are known to like company – your feathery pet will feel best in the room where the whole family gathers. Choose a room, where you can let the bird fly freely, this is very important for its education. Budgies need fresh air too, so the room shouldn’t be suffocating. For exactly this reason, the bird cage should not be put in the kitchen as some beginners do. Steam that appears when cooking is harmful to birds. Except for that, it is very dangerous when flying the parakeet in the kitchen have a tragic end.

The cage should not be placed in front of the window, there the sensitive feathery creatures feel very sensitively the changes of atmosphere: the cold in winter and the burning rays of the sun in summer. The cage should not be exposed to drafts, very close to the central heating radiator or near the fireplace. It is not very important if the cage is placed on a special shelf for this purpose; can be placed on every solid table or shelf. But in a special grid the cage takes up less space, it can be put higher, which will please the birds and it will be easier to move it.

Parakeets suffer if they don’t get enough sleep. That is why you should cover your cage with a light material – it reduces the light, but the birds do not remain in total darkness.