More Q&A about your Budgie / Parakeet

1. How long does it take for the eggs to hatch?

The eggs hatch in eighteen days from the time the hen starts setting. She may not sit until several or all the eggs are produced. Five eggs is average. The hen incubates the eggs and handles most of the feeding chores.

2. How can I tell the age of a Budgie?

A young Budgerigar has a smooth cere (fleshy growth above the beak), black stripes (except for the light colored types) on the forehead (giving the term “bar-head” for a immature birds), and a completely black eye. Within six months, the forehead is white or yellow and the eye has a white iris. The male’s cere remains smooth. The hen’s darkens in color and becomes crusty and flakey in appearance, not to be confused with a mite infestation. This is a normal sign of sexual maturity and can be used to differentiate the genders in Albinos and Lutinos, where cere color is no help.

3. How long do Budgies live?

Budgerigars have short life spans. Seven years is very old for the average bird.. Breeding hens don’t live this long.

4.. Does my bird need a toy?

Budgerigars enjoy toys. Bells, wheels, and chew toys are best.

5. My bird’s beak is starting to grow crooked. Somebody tells me that it is mites. What should I do about it?

Mites are a terrible affliction of Budgies. Infestations can be prevented and controlled by spraying the bird, the cage, and the area surrounding it with anti – mite spray. If the beak itself starts to look flakey, the cere starts to get a “spongy” look, or a male Budgie’s cere begins to turn brown, stronger measures are required. Mites can be eliminated by the application of IVERMECTIN, under the directions of a veterinarian. Left untreated, the beak will begin to grow in a horrible, twisted shape. Death from starvation is possible.

6. What is egg binding?

If you expect the hen to lay an egg and you see her on the bottom of the cage in obvious distress or exhaustion, she probably has egg binding. The bird will die within a few hours without help. The best course of action is to seek a veterinarian’s help.

Egg binding can be caused by a lack of calcium, so be sure that a mineral grit and cuttlebone is available at all times. Vitamins are needed for calcium to be utilized by the bird’s system, so be sure that all aspects of nutrition are correct.

n For further information,

contact: Dr. Collin Boyle

Unique Animal Care Co. Ltd.

Tele: 456 4981

Website:

www.uniqueanimalcare.com