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Given sufficient space in a suitable corner of your home, budgies will settle in very quickly. As with any new residence, however, there are neighbours to consider. Other pets may take an interest in the bird, and not all of them will have innocent intentions. The same applies to any small children who may be interacting with your birds.
The most important rule, no matter which animal is outside the cage, is to make sure the budgie is secure. The cage needs to be out of reach (ideally; although any self-respecting cat knows that nothing’s really out of reach!), and safe from dexterous fingers and paws. Hiding the cage from other pets isn’t a great idea, as they’ll be aware of the animal through their keen senses of smell and hearing, and will make it their mission to seek out the mystery creature at the first opportunity.
Once he trusts you, your budgie will become tame very quickly
Budgies Home Alone
If you don’t replenish your budgie’s food and water supply for a day, he won’t keel over and die. Similarly, a budgie left in an empty house for 24 hours will survive. Indeed, you would be very unlucky to meet any problems in 48 hours home alone time.
Leaving him for more than a day is still pushing it, though, and you shouldn’t take the risk. The main issues are food and water. A single budgie or a pair might get by on dried food for 48 hours, but it will depend on your cage set-up. A seed hopper replenishes as the birds feed; but it might become blocked due to a damp patch. Water might become contaminated with droppings. If you keep several birds in an aviary or large cage, do you actually know how much they eat? You will have been putting fresh food out every day, but won’t necessarily know if the bowls and feeding stations can last 48 hours if unreplenished.
There are other reasons why indoor birds should not be left alone. For example, you might cover them at night, or at the very least they might rely on the opening and drawing of curtains to define their day. And a single budgie will pine for interaction after just a few hours, as budgies crave company.
Budgie Holiday Care
If you’re away for more than a single day, you’ll need to get someone to feed the birds. This could be a family member, friend or neighbour who calls in to change the birds’ food and water, or it could be someone willing to take in the bird for the duration of your holiday.
If it’s a single budgie, you should send him on holiday to someone else’s house, otherwise he’ll get too lonely in your deserted home. The environment you intend moving him to for this period will need checking out for the usual pitfalls of location, pets, children, etc.
There are also small animal boarding houses that specialise in birds – you’ll need to check your local phone or business directory to find out where they are.
Comments
Cindi, 8 July 2021
An escaped parakeet has been around my outdoor feeder with a group of sparrows for a week. No success finding her owner. What do I do?
Michelle, 23 May 2021
My budgie has escaped Kotara Newcastle Friday 21st 9.30am we are all distraught pale blue white. No leg band. Chatters and speaks. Name chill. Says sentences including words mum and dad
Emily, 31 May 2020
I’m going to get one budgie in the summer, I will spend lots of time with her then so I’m scared that she will become depressed while I’m at school. I leave at 7:00 and stay there until 3:00. A second budgie is out of the question, is there any way to keep her happy while I’m gone that I can know before I get her?
Anonymous, 22 March 2020
My budgie has gone missing but we cant tell if hes trapped somewhere inside the house or if he flew outside. He had a buddy which we took outside in the cage. He hasn't come yet. This happened at noon and it's already night. The thing is nobody went outside after the times that he was mentioned to be seen. We didn't open any windows. Yet we found his feather outside but we aren't exactly sure if that's from his cage that we placed outside. We checked all over the house as well but couldn't find him. Is anybody sure where he is? ( don't worry we've told the neighbours about the situation )
Wes, 20 March 2020
I got two budgies Sunday. Went to work tonight Thursday. Back in 6 hours and one guy got through the bars! I found him sitting on a perch outside the cage next to the bird inside. A spray of millet outside had been devoured. He was almost comatose. Napping inside now. Doesn't seem injured. Am I too far ahead of schedule in introducing them to habitat outside the cage? I must need a new cage system.