Budgie mate

Try to make one at least 22 cm high, 20 cm wide, and 15 to 17 cm deep with a hole at the entrance 5 cm in diameter.

• Be sure to place a small dish in it so that the eggs do not roll out of the box or away from the warmth of their mother. It is important that the eggs do not get cold.

If you wish, you can make your own nest with empty coconuts. It is an ideal choice because they are comfortable and allow budgies to bite them if they feel like it.

• Three empty coconuts. All three must be the same size.
• Drill holes in one of the coconuts. Make a hole on the top of the coconut, another on one side, and a last one on the other side.
• Repeat with the other two coconuts.
• Assemble them using wire or string that is safe for birds. Run it through the holes.
• Drill a hole in the front to hang the coconut. You can also do it where it seems most convenient to you.
• Hang the empty coconut in the cage.
• Add materials for the nest in the box, for example, pine chips

The couple must be more than one year old and not more than five years old. They must be healthy and not have malformations, for example, legs too far apart.

• You should also buy a couple who grew up in the same cage so they already know each other. If you don’t buy one that comes from the same cage, you’re going to have to spend time trying to get them used to each other and you’re going to waste even more time.
• You can buy healthy budgies from a pet store or from a reputable breeder. A good pair of birds must be alert, awake, and make a lot of noise because unhealthy birds will be asleep and crowded and their eyes will be opaque.
• If you want eggs to eat (i.e. sterile eggs), do not buy males. You just need to have a female who will lay eggs that you can eat, if you really want to eat budgie eggs…

If you want to mate budgies, you want to have cubs that come from healthy animals that you take good care of. This way you make sure you get chicks!

• You need to clean everything, including the cage, litter, feeders, and water containers. Depending on the number of birds in the cage, you need to give them enough space and not cram them.
• Feeders should be filled with food, and budgies should be given a balanced diet of seeds, fresh fruits, vegetables, grains, etc. Water containers should be filled with fresh, clean water.

 Parakeets will not mate until they get used to their new environment and they also need time to bond with each other. You should wait at least four weeks before considering mating them.

 If you don’t already have one, you need to find one. Keep their contact information handy, including a phone number. You can never know if something is going to go wrong and if it is, call him.

• It is also useful to have your budgies examined by a specialized veterinarian to make sure they are not sick and can mate.

A good diet consists of fruits, vegetables, seeds, grains, etc. You can also buy a mixture or pellets for budgies or canaries that you give them in addition to fruits and vegetables.

• Be aware that they will eat much more when the chicks hatch, which is why you need to give them more food shortly before hatching.

 The water container and feeder should be near the perch, and you should also clean them at least once a week.

Rinse the cage and feeders, discard dirty litter and get rid of any remaining water and food and replace them with fresh food and water. Avoid using cleaning products that are harmful to these birds.

Do not disturb the couple. They will do what they have to do at their own pace and you will not help them by disturbing them and constantly glancing at the cage. You might not surprise them during mating, but if you do see them, leave them alone. If you disturb them, the female will tell the male to leave and mating will not work. Soon after, she should lay between four and six eggs.

When you see that the female has laid, wait five days before marking the eggs. Egg candling is a technique that tells you which eggs are fertile or sterile. You will find the necessary steps online. Take it easy and avoid touching the eggs. If you must touch them, wash your hands first to avoid transmitting bacteria.

• Be aware that this step is optional. It is recommended that you do some research before you decide to do so.

The eggs should hatch after 20 days, which is why it is very important to check the nest every day. Try to do this when the female is out to feed. Temporarily block the entry to the box (e.g. with a piece of newspaper). This prevents the female from attacking and biting you.

• Gently examine the chicks for signs of injury, seeds, or air bubbles in the crop (the pouch at the base of the birds’ necks).
• Observe if the crop is full and inflated.
• Make sure there is no food stuck in the top of the upper mandible (the top of the beak). If you see food, try removing it with a match or the tip of the penne of a feather.
• Clean droppings and food that may be around paws, beaks, eyes or other parts of the body with a soft, damp, warm cloth.
• Discard any dead chicks you find in the nest.

Be aware that budgies have a very bad sense of smell, which is why you can touch babies without fear that the mother will reject them.

If you see problems with birds, for example, if the female does not feed one of the chicks, you should consider raising one or two of them yourself.

 Nestlings will also produce droppings, which is why you need to clean the nest regularly. When the female goes out to eat, remove the chicks and eggs you lay in a small container covered with soft paper towels. Remove the litter from the nest and scrape the droppings into the bottom of the box, then replace the litter by installing clean materials. Gently return the chicks and eggs to the nest. Make sure you do this step as soon as possible.

When the chicks reach three weeks, give them a sprig of millet. Just put it in the box. The female will nibble it and will immediately regurgitate it for her babies. Nestlings may also try to nibble on it by mimicking their mother’s behavior. This will help them wean themselves later because they will recognize the seeds right away and know that it is food.

 When the chicks finally cover themselves with feathers between the 28th and 35th day, place a bowl of seeds at the bottom of the cage. Even if their father feeds them fully during this time, you should encourage them to start eating solid foods as soon as possible. You could also set up a container full of fresh fruits and vegetables because chicks at this age love to explore and try new things!

• You should also give them a bowl of fresh, clean water that you put at the bottom of the cage. Make sure the container is shallow and that babies have easy access to it. If it is too deep, you can install pebbles in it to prevent birds from drowning in it.

 Set up a small hut on the bottom so they can shelter from their capricious mother. If you let the female lay a new litter, she will often become aggressive toward the first chicks. Since you want them to stay with the male as long as possible, you can install a clean upside-down ice cream box in which you cut out a door or hamster igloo that you bought at a pet store. Nestlings will be able to shelter there.

• Make sure, however, that they don’t stay there all day. For example, you could remove it from the cage for several hours a day to make sure the chicks explore the cage, and don’t forget to eat and drink.

 You can let the female lay a new litter, but often these only causes stress to the pair. When the last chicks are covered with feathers, immediately remove the nest and close the hole where you had installed it. You can also separate the female from the male and the chicks, as she may misbehave towards the latter.

• A new mating is tolerable when the couple is in excellent health and does not immediately start again a third time. It is best that they wait at least 6 months before starting again.

You probably won’t be able to tell the sex of a baby budgie, but when it’s one month old, you can give it a name. That’s it, you’ve made a family of parakeets happy!