To prepare the cage for the budgie

>From the smallest parrots with great popularity among the lovers
have budgies ? their weight reaches up to 40 grams, and the
length of their body is no more than 20 ? 23 cm. Usually cages
for budgies are sold equipped with perches, made of wood or hard
plastics. But after that the owner of the feathery ones has to
complete the interior with several real, rough, unattractive
twigs, because if the budgie never changes the position of its
toes and always holds tight to the flat and smooth surface of
standard sick, its toes start swelling, rubbing sore and there
start to appear wounds and scabs. If you don’t have fine
sandpaper to cover the floor, you can spread out under the layer
of very fine ballast (or very coarse sand ) and an ordinary
newspaper, which must not have colored illustrations. Most
printing inks are poisonous for budgies. Something more that can
threaten your birds is using twigs from the coniferous tree ?
yew, whose wood is also poisonous for birds. It is best for this
purpose to use twigs from orchard trees.

WHAT DO THEY NEED?

My recommendation is to use transparent feeders ? thus it will
be easier for the budgie to find its food, when it sees the
food. Feeders must be two types ? one for seeds and sand with
stones and another bigger one for the vegetation and fruit. The
sand could be from the sea, mixed with crashed shells and
mussels ( but not from the white one that is sold for the
canaries), and the stones should be from granite or flint.
Budgies get bored with the same toys, so it is better to change
or to take turns of them into the cage. It is considered that a
mirror makes the loneliness of the bird more endurable ? looking
into the mirror the bird start imagining that it is not alone,
but I consider that constant looking in the mirror is not
recommendable because of danger of inhibition.

Choose the most spacious cage, which you can afford and which
you can dispose at home. It is considered that the ideal size of
cage for a couple of budgies is 91/45/45 cm, and when only one
bird is going to live in the cage its size could be 2/3 from the
stated one. Don’t be in a hurry with you purchase ? many cages
are sold in the zoo shops, but you can have the chance to buy a
suitable already used one. Different constructions exist, so it
is sensible not to hurry so that you can buy something really
good. You buy a home for your budgies, where their life will
pass, so do your best to choose such, where they will feel best.
Choosing a cage it is not bad to think about some things. Is it
spacious enough ? Is its shape proper ? you might like a high
circular cage, but in ? lodgings ? birds very often don’t have
enough room to move and to outspread their wings. It can seem
less important, but closing the door must be secure. There
should be a mobile plastic bottom in the cage, which to ease
cleaning it. The sticks of the cage can be chromium plated or
glazed and it is good to have horizontal not only vertical
sticks on the sides of the cage so that the budgies can climb
easily. The p erches must be located so that birds can reach all
feeders and watering troughs and place one higher than the other
ones. Don’t install them near the sides of the cage, because
staying on them, budgies will constantly rub there tails on the
metal sticks. Prepare the cage before buying your feathery
friend. And when you take it from the shop, put it in a
cardboard box, handle it with care and quickly take it home. If
it is cold outside wrap the box, but so that you don’t reduce
air flow. At hoe wash the whole cage with very hot water, but
neither use soap nor washing detergents, use only special
disinfection means, that are intended for birds’cages. This is
absolutely compulsory if you have obtained a used cage. Dry very
well the new home of the bird. Place a sheet of very fine
sandpaper on the bottom and spread fine ballast. After that,
install the perches, feeders and water troughs.

Birds don’t like the location of the cage to be often changed,
that is why choose the most proper place for them in your flat
right in the beginning. The place should be lighted up enough,
but not to be lit up directly by sunlight. If you have a glassed
balcony from late spring to early autumn you can keep your birds
there. You can put pots with big – leaved plants around the
cage. Thus birds will feel well. The balcony should not be
facing south, because during the hot summer days the bird can
die of overheating. When temperatures get lower you should bring
the bird inside the flat Watch out not to put it near the
central-heating or other heating devices because air is drier
there. When you bring the birds in be careful because the make
lots of mess around especially when they start flying in the
cage.

It is known that budgies like to have 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 free ?this is very
important for its education. Budgies also need fresh air ? that
it why the room should not be stifling. Exactly because of this
reason the cage of the birds should not be put in the kitchen as
some beginners do. The steam that appears when cooking is
harmful for birds. Except for that, it is very dangerous when
flying in the kitchen the budgie to have a tragic end. The cage
should not be put in front of the window ? there the sensitive
feathery creatures very sensibly feel the atmosphere changes ?
the cold in winter and the burning sunrays in summer. The cage
should not be exposed to draughts, very close to the radiator of
the central heating or near the fire place. Whether the cage is
placed on a special for this purpose rack is not very important
? it could be placed on every solid table or shelf. But on a
special rack the cage takes less space, it can be put higher,
which the birds will like and it will be easier to move it.

Budgies suffer if the don’t sleep enough. That is why you should
cover their cage with a light material ? it reduces light, but
birds don’t stay in full darkness.