🦜Budgerigar: gear and buying guides

The budgerigar is a small, lively and highly social Australian parrot that does best kept at least in pairs. It chatters almost constantly but stays fairly quiet, making it well suited to apartment life. Plan on a cage wider than it is tall for horizontal flight, perches of varied diameters and lightweight toys rotated often.

Profile : Around 18 cm and 30 to 40 g, lifespan of 5 to 10 years, low to moderate noise level.

Budgerigar gear, family by family

• 🍖 Food

  A seed-only mix is too fatty: aim for a base of pellets sized for small parakeets, topped up with seeds, greens and fresh vegetables. Millet sprays are a favourite treat but should be rationed to prevent obesity.

• 🧴 Care & grooming

  Offer a hanging bath or a saucer of lukewarm water several times a week. Keep an eye on beak and nail growth, and change the cage lining every two to three days.

• 🎾 Toys & enrichment

  Swings, bells, ladders and small destructible toys in soft wood or natural fibre keep it happy. Rotate toys weekly to keep its curiosity engaged.

• 🏠 Bedding & habitat

  For a pair, allow a cage at least 80 cm wide with narrow bar spacing, around 60 to 120 euros, placed in a living area free of draughts. Daily out-of-cage flight time in a bird-proofed room remains essential.

• 🧳 Travel & safety

  A small rigid travel cage with a low perch is enough for vet visits. At home, windows, mirrors and hot pans are the main hazards during free-flight time.

• 🧰 Accessories

  Natural wood perches of varied diameters, spill-proof feeders and a calcium block or cuttlebone round out the setup. Avoid smooth plastic perches, which are hard on the feet.

Guides to read

• Budgie starter kit: the full budget to get off to a good startAccessories

  Cage, perches, bowls, toys, food: the complete budgie starter kit broken down item by item, with a realistic budget of 180 to 400 €.

• Switching from seeds to pellets: the gentle method that worksFood

  Why and how to switch a budgie, cockatiel or parrot from seeds to pellets: a gradual 4-to-8-week transition, with brands and prices.

• Egg food for birds: when to feed it and which one to choose?Food

  Breeding, moulting, winter: when to give egg food to a canary or budgie, which recipe to choose in 2026 and at what price (4 to 12 €).

• Cuttlebone and mineral blocks: which one does your bird need?Food

  Calcium, iodine, beak wear: what cuttlebone and mineral blocks are for, how to attach them in the cage and which to favour for each species.

• Fruits and vegetables safe for birds: the complete listFood

  Which fruits and vegetables can a budgie, cockatiel or parrot eat safely? The list of safe foods, the toxic ones and the right amounts.

• Play gyms and perch stands: setting up the out-of-cage spaceToys & enrichment

  Perch stand, tabletop play gym, hanging playground: how to set up a safe, stimulating out-of-cage space for a budgie or parrot, from 25 to 250 €.

• Foraging toys for birds: shop-bought or DIY, which to choose?Toys & enrichment

  Foraging toys keep a bird busy for hours by making it work for its food: commercial models (5 to 35 €), DIY ideas and how to build up difficulty.

• Swings, ladders and rings: which gym gear for your bird?Toys & enrichment

  Swings, ladders and rings build balance and keep budgies and parrots busy: safe materials, sizes by species and prices from 4 to 25 €.