Housing and Furnishing

Covered in this Page: Cages, Perches, Toys, and What You DO NOT Need

New! Sample Cage Setups
What You'll Need

A Roomy Cage: A cage for a single budgie should be as close to 18"x18"x18" as possible and bigger is ALWAYS better. There is no such thing as a cage that is "too big" for your budgie! Remember that these birds come from Australia where they are free to fly wherever they please. Budgies are playful, active, and love to have space to explore and forage. One thing you do want to remember though, is that the bar spacing on a budgie cage should never be more than 1/2". Any bigger and you risk your bird getting its neck trapped in the space of the bars. He should also not be able to fit his head through the bars even if you think the space is wide enough that his head won't get stuck. Even if his head doesn't get stuck, he may just panic and injure himself anyway. So, just keep the bar spacing 1/2" or less and aim for the largest cage possible. (Try finding a cage on Ebay. I've had luck finding brand new, larger, cages for much better prices than what you'll pay in the pet store.)

Another thing to keep in mind is that cages designed to be appealing to your eye are probably no good for your budgie. Yes, the cage that looks just like a house is downright adorable and you think it would be cute for your budgie to bask on the balcony as he reads the morning paper. Unfortunately, Budgie doesn't know how to read and he has no clue what those little "windows" are for. More seriously, all the little visual details (the pointed roof, for example) take away from overall useable space. The dimensions of the cage might sound ok, but does the shape really allow your bird to use this space? Remember that budgies like to be up high so if you get a cage that comes to a point, the area in which the bird is going to spend most of his time is going to be very small.

A rectangular or square cage is much better suited for your budgie. Ultimately, horizontal space is much more important than height. For example, if your cage is 15"x12"x63" (just off the top of my head) it's going to look HUGE because it's very very tall. But your bird will spend so much time at the very top that this height doesn't amount to much useable space. On the other hand, if you get a cage that is rectangular and 30 inches wide your budgie is going to spend a lot of time going back and forth because even the highest point of his cage is spacious.

Look for a cage that is powder coated or stainless steel. Rust or chipped paint are harmful to your bird.


18"x18"x18" is a good size for budgies
and rectangular or square cages are better than
ones shaped like houses or spaceships. :)

Perches: Most cages come with a couple of wooden or plastic dowel perches. Budgies need a variety of perches in order to keep their feet healthy. (After all, in the wild the tree branches aren't all the same shape and texture!) You should get perches that vary in size, shape, and texture. Most budgies love rope perches and these are soft and comfortable to the feet. If you buy a rope perch, just keep a close eye on it to make sure none of the strands are coming loose. A budgie could be injured if his foot were to get tangled in a strand so if you see the perch getting a bit unraveled, remove it and either replace it or cut off all the loose ends.

Natural wood perches are also very good for your budgie's feet. Manzanita is one of the most popular and you should be able to find these in most large chain pet stores.

Concrete perches can help keep your budgie's nails trimmed. It's best not to make this the highest perch in the cage as that is where your budgie will probably choose to sleep and a more comfortable perch is more suitable for the top. (I usually put my rope perches highest in the cage.)


Toys: Budgies love toys! Budgies NEED toys! Lattice balls with bells inside that hang from the top of the cage seem to be a favorite but mine love pretty much anything that jingles and dangles. Olympic ring toys are also a favorite. "Kabobs" and other wooden chew toys are popular, especially among female budgies. If you've ever seen a budgie destroy your favorite novel you'll appreciate the concept of shredder toys. The important thing is to keep the toys coming. :) I usually keep three or four in each cage and this is just another reason that your bird needs a roomy cage! Every week you should rotate the toys to keep things interesting.







Parakeet Kits
i.e.. "A bunch of crap you don't need." :)

What you DON'T need often comes with a "parakeet kit."

*A cute little parakeet cage!
-Every "parakeet cage" I've ever seen as part of a parakeet kit is far too tiny for a budgie to live in permanently. In fact, I'd only consider these cages suitable as travel cages and sometimes, due to the shoddy craftsmanship, I wouldn't even use it for that.


*Mite Protector!
-Mite protectors are little metal doodads that claim to prevent your bird from getting mites if you keep it clipped to the cage. Sounds great, right? Well, the truth is that not only are these useless but they can be very harmful to your bird! Budgies (and all birds) have very sensitive respiratory systems and the fumes that these mite protectors emit aren't good for little bird lungs. If you keep your budgies inside, you probably won't have a problem with mites. If you do develop a mite problem, let your avian vet give you something to treat the bird, never resort to pet store products. (As you've seen, just because a pet store sells it, doesn't mean it's safe for your pet. Sad but true.)


*Millet Spray & Seed Mix! (Food.)
-Budgies are seed eating birds, it's true. However, they are from Australia and the seeds we offer them are not. Budgies, like any parrot, must have a varied diet consisting of pellets, fresh fruits and veggies, sprouts, cooked foods, and small portions of seeds. A budgie on an all-seed diet is dying a very slow death from malnutrition. All-seed diets also lead to overweight budgies and this leads to fatty tumors and other health issues. Millet is a very good treat and can aid in training your budgie but it should never be given as a regular part of your bird's diet. Millet is budgie junk food and you don't want your budgie binging on junk all day every day, it's not healthy! (You'll learn more about a better budgie diet in the nutrtion section of the site.)


*Sandpaper Perch Covers!
-If you were a bird and you had to perch in a cage for hours each day, would you really want sandpaper under your feet? It would scrape you and create sores and you'd be incredibly uncomfortable. This goes for budgies as well. Yes, they're birds and perching is what they do but they also prefer to do it comfortably. These perch covers often claim to keep your budgie's nails trimmed but there are much better ways to do this and they don't include making your little bird's feet sore. Even if you do end up having to take your budgie to the vet for an occasional nail trim it's going to be much cheaper than having to have the vet treat sore, painful feet.


*Grit!
-Grit or Gravel is said to help your budgie digest its seeds. Most of the grit containers I've seen say it's "necessary for a healthy budgie!" and this is just plain untrue. You'll even find books and websites that say grit is needed but this is outdated information. Budgies hull their seeds meaning they remove the shell before eating the seed. Because of this, they do not need grit to help digest their food and if they eat too much grit crop impaction can occur. Many people still offer grit and swear that it has posed no problems. The way I see it, if it isn't needed and it has even the smallest potential to create a problem, why use it?


*Corncob Bedding!
-This is probably one of the most popular materials to use in lining a bird cage. The bad part is that corncob bedding is also a great place for bacteria to grow. Another downside to this type of bedding is that bird droppings are hard to see against it. Droppings are often one of the earliest indicators of illness in a budgie so you really want to use something that keeps the droppings visible. Also, not being able to see the droppings may result in an owner not realizing that the cage needs to be cleaned. The best liner you can use in a budgie cage is newspaper. It's cheaper, a lighter color, and very easy to change. Most newspaper print is made from non-toxic (soy) ink so if your bird decides to chew it, there should be no problem. However, always use the black and white sections, never the colorful ads. And if you're in doubt of what your local paper uses in the ink, call them and ask. It can't hurt and it might put your mind at ease. Paper towels and other paper products make good cage liners, just be careful not to use something that could be toxic to your bird. When in doubt, call or write to the manufacturer and/or talk to your avian veterinarian.


"Parakeet kit cages suck."