Difficulty: Explorer (Level 1)
Budgies are social creatures, and they are happier when they have a companion. When you have two or more budgies, they can talk to each other, play together and take care of each other’s feathers. This is called preening.
Remember that new birds should always be kept away from the existing bird for at least 30 days to ensure they are healthy. You will also need to put the cages side by side to get them used to each other. If they vocalise and sit near each other, these are good signs that they may get along.
The birds need ample space. For a single budgie, the cage should be at least 45cm wide, 45cm deep and 45cm high. If you have two budgies, the cage must be larger: at least 81cm wide, 45cm deep and 50cm high. For the safety of your birds, the bars on any cage should be no more than 1.2cm apart.
It is also a good idea to keep the budgies in a quiet place at night. Budgies need about 10 to 12 hours of sleep every night. You can cover the cage with a cloth at night to help them sleep better.
The response has been vetted by Dr Angel Ngo, a veterinarian and founder of Once And For All, a social enterprise ensuring all animals receive the care they need in homes, shelters and even the wild.
