Pleasing 4 Pets

One of the most popular birds owned as a pet in the UK is the budgie or budgerigar.

The budgie is a small brightly coloured attractive bird which is a native of Australia and which is believed to have been introduced to Europe some time in the 1870s.

Over time the popularity of the budgie has vastly increased. In 1925 the Budgerigar Club was launched. It was renamed as the Budgerigar Society as called for by King George V in 1930 when he consented to become an official patron of the organisation.

The common budgie is known as a hook-bill which indicates that they use their bills to crack open seeds in order to eat them. They can live for up to 15 years, so opting to choose one as a pet should be considered a long term commitment.

Budgies can be housed alone, but it has to be said that they much prefer the companionship of their own kind. Like their owners they prefer to be active throughout daylight hours, preferring to sleep at night.

A wild budgerigar will eat a vast array of seed and vegetation. For pets a decent quality Budgerigar or Parakeet mix will suffice as a basic diet. A cuttlefish which performs as a vitamin supplement ought always to be made available to your budgie in order to maintain their calcium levels, particularly throughout periods of breeding.

Small chunks of fruit and vegetables can also be offered as treats and access to fresh drinking water is essential to your budgie’s health and well-being. Specific foods can be detrimental to your Budgies health - steer clear of feeding your pet lemons, lettuce, potatoes, avocadoes, or any sweets or drinks intended for humans.

There are many different branches of the parrot family that can be kept as pets, including macaws and parakeets. All these birds vary in size, plumage, disposition and longevity.

The majority of parrots originate from tropical forest type habitats, but your pet parrot will likely have begun its life in a cage and will have become used to human contact at an early age. However without training, some parrots can become aggressive and bite or screech continually. These types of behaviour are common in parrots and are relatively simple to rectify. Parrots are highly intelligent animals and can learn new ways very quickly.

Parrots require a sizeable living space and plenty of attention but their faithful friendship and endearing character traits are well worth the lay out of time and energy required to care for them.

When choosing a parrot for a pet, opt for an infant bird and allocate some time each day to calmly and gently tame him.

Your parrot may display hostile behaviour towards you if there is a lack of trust in your relationship, but this trust can easily be built with a small amount of time and effort.

Offering treats by hand is a good way to increase the human contact that your parrot engages in, be sure to move your hand towards him very slowly and calmly. When your parrot is at ease with you, he may voluntarily step into your hand. Talking to him gently whenever you have contact will encourage him to relax in your presence and may even encourage him to talk back to you!