maybe getting a budgie?

Question
Hello Chrsy I am hoping you can help me with this inportant choice,

I was wondering how tame and friendly a budgie will get? I would really like a little parrot to sit on my shoulder, maybe one that would cuddle close to me while sitting there also. I work three days a week and am gone until late evening and leave around noon would a single budgie be ok without me then? My friend has two budgies they aren't very cuddly they don't like to be bothered at all really, I always thought it is because they bond with each other when you have two is this correct?


I can provide a 2 foot square cage with plenty of toys and he can come out almost everyday if not everyday as I will have time to let him out before work. I can leave a radio on for him when I'm not there if needed, I really do not want two as I have mentioned what my friends two are like.

Could you please advise me on there lifespan and how old the budgie I get should be? male better then female or anything lie that? can you reccomend a great food? please reply when you have the time, would another parrot be better? it would have to be small and inexpensive, I'd like to keep my options open. thank you for your help in advance.

Answer
Hello.  Thanks for posting your questions.

Budgies/parakeets are very nice parrots and make very nice pet birds.  The best pet bird is a single bird in the home.  You are correct...usually when there are 2 birds in a home, they bond to each other instead of with the human because birds prefer other birds to humans.

The amount of time you are gone from home doesn't really matter.  What matters is the QUALITY of the time you spend with your bird when you are at home.  Birds do very well when they are alone at home during the day as long as they have enough toys, etc., to keep them company and stimulate their minds during the day when they have to be alone.

Budgies/keets can become extremely tame.  They can also learn to talk.  I've owned several budgies/keets that went everywhere with me.  I had one that would sit on the rear view mirror in the car when we went somewhere and would sit on my shoulder in the store, friend's house, etc.  In doing this, you have to be sure to keep the bird's wings clipped so it cannot fly away.  You just have to spend a lot of time with them when you have the time to spend with them.  When you are at home, include the bird in everything that you do.  For example, when you are watching TV or playing on the Xbox or Playstation, etc., let the bird sit there with you.  They are very curious and would enjoy spending the time with you, as well as learning about these things!  When you are having dinner, etc., give the bird a little dish of his/her own and feed it whatever you are eating.

Budgies/keets are naturally seed eaters.  However, seed is high in fat and has little nutrition.  Therefore, the best diet is a pellet/seed mix (50% seed/50% pellets mixed together).  Once per day, I also feed my budgies/keets cooked brown rice with shredded/diced vegetables mixed in.  They love this and it is good for them.  They also love corn bread, spray millet, cooked pasta, etc.  A variety of food is what makes a healthy bird, but limit the amount of seed because budgies/keets can get fatty liver syndrome and can die from being overweight.  

The lifespan of a bird is directly related to how well it is cared for during it's lifetime.  If the bird eats a good diet (low in fat), gets plenty of exercise, has a lot of mental stimulation, and loves his human and home, they can live to be 8-10 years old (or older), depending on the individual bird (the healthy of it's parents also play into how long it will live).  Therefore, I can't say exactly how long they live...it all depends on many factors.  This is why it is important to take good care of a bird from the time it is a little baby.

You should buy a baby budgie/keet that was just weaned (6-8 weeks old) and was handfed.  Buy from a breeder if possible.  If not, pick the friendliest and youngest baby from the bunch at a pet shop.  If the baby has a leg band, the year of it's birth should be on the leg band (so you can be sure it is young).  A baby will have black lines across it's forehead feathers until it is about 2-3 months old.  Babies are also more playful, a little clumbsy, etc...they just act young compared to an adult bird!  Males usually become better talkers, sing, and are more outgoing.  Females don't talk much, they chirp but don't sing, and are more solitary/quiet than males.  Both make nice pets, but just depends on what you are looking for.  Females can become very tame, you can do the same with them as males, but they are just more quiet and may do better being alone than males.

Good luck with your selection!

Cockatiels also make nice pets and aren't too expensive, depending on the color mutation you want.  Budgies/keets are the least expensive of all the parrots.

Chrys