One of the most popular Australian pets is the Budgerigar or Budgie. Breeding Budgies is a great hobby, particularly for kids. As well as being very easy and great fun, it teaches them about socialising and other interesting aspects such as applied science. It’s really amazing to see your first pet baby bird coming out of its nest, being happy, and saying hello!
Identifying Male and Female Budgies
Budgerigars have a coloured spot or area just above their cheeks, also known as a “cere.” In males, the “cere” is coloured light to dark blue. A male bird within breeding conditions will have a deep blue cere. On the other hand, female birds have brown ceres. Hens that are ready to lay eggs have fairly rough ceres that are chocolate-coloured (dark brown). In fact, the darker they are, the better. A hen with whitish-brown cere means that they’re not ready to breed.
At Victorian Bird Company, we have a massive range of bird cages and breeding accessories available to accommodate beginners that want to experiment and learn in the hobby.
Keeping, raising and breeding budgies is very simple but extremely rewarding. Raising chicks doesn’t require skill, as most budgies make excellent parents and will do most of the work. Budgies are tiny when they first hatch, but they are usually ready to leave the nest after five weeks. The parents will feed the babies, so we recommend providing a high protein pellet or crumble alongside their normal diet. This will give the babies extra nutrients and will make them stronger and healthier.
Wooden nest boxes for Budgies start from $16. Cage prices depend on the size and look that you are after, but basic breeding cages start from $59.