Budgerigar Melopsittacus undulatus
Small, inexpensive and capable of talking. Of all the parrots, this is the one with the fewest complications — but identify the species before you buy, because almost every other parrot is CITES-listed.
⚖️ Legal status · Legal to keep
One of the three parrot species whose captive-bred individuals are explicitly permitted for keeping and trade in China (the others being the cockatiel and the peach-faced lovebird). Nearly all other parrots are CITES-listed and strictly regulated — always confirm the exact species before buying.
Check another species →Key parameters
- Lifespan
- 5-10 years, up to 12 with careful care
- Adult size
- 16-18 cm, 30-40 g
- Diet
- Pellets or a seed mix as the base, with vegetables, cuttlebone and grit provided long term
- Temperature
- 18-28 °C. Sensitive to stuffiness and draughts; avoid sudden swings
- Humidity
- 40-60%
✅ Suits you if
Anyone wanting an interactive, responsive companion who can accept some noise and feather dust
🚫 Do not get one if
Households needing absolute quiet, anyone allergic to feather dust, or homes empty all day with no company for the bird
Starter equipment list
Buy all of it before the animal arrives, not after.
- Cage: 60×40×50 cm minimum for one bird. Width matters more than height, and horizontal bars help climbing
- Several natural wood perches of differing diameters — avoid uniform smooth plastic dowels, which cause bumblefoot
- Separate food and water dishes, positioned to avoid droppings
- Cuttlebone and grit, always available
- Toys: swings, chew toys, foraging toys, rotated every couple of weeks to prevent boredom
- A cover for 10-12 hours of dark, undisturbed sleep
Most common beginner mistakes
- 1 Buying a parrot without identifying the species — outside budgies, cockatiels and peach-faced lovebirds, parrot keeping and trade is tightly restricted. This is the biggest legal risk in bird keeping
- 2 Feeding seed only — a monotonous diet causes obesity and liver disease. Vegetables and pellets are essential
- 3 Keeping the cage in the kitchen — fumes from overheated non-stick coatings are lethal to birds within minutes
- 4 A single bird left alone all day — budgies are flock animals, and prolonged isolation leads to feather plucking and depression
- 5 Avocado, chocolate, onion and alcohol — all toxic to birds, never offer them
Common illnesses
| Illness | Common cause | What you'll see |
|---|---|---|
| Psittacosis (chlamydiosis) | Contact with a carrier bird or dust from its droppings | Lethargy, green watery droppings, laboured breathing — transmissible to humans, seek veterinary care immediately |
| Trichomoniasis | Shared water dishes, transmission from parent birds when feeding | Repeated regurgitation, difficulty swallowing, yellow deposits in the mouth |
| Macrorhabdiosis (AGY) | Fungal infection, typically in immunocompromised birds | Progressive weight loss, undigested seed in droppings, eating heavily without gaining |
| Bumblefoot / pododermatitis | Standing constantly on perches of one smooth diameter, or on cage-floor wire | Red swollen footpads, scabbing, limping |
Frequently asked
Do budgies actually talk?
They can, but it varies enormously between individuals. Males are markedly better than females, and short phrases repeated daily from a young age work best. Do not make talking your main reason for buying one.
One bird or a pair?
If you can give it one to two hours daily, a single bird bonds much more closely with you. If the house is empty all day, get a pair — but expect them to bond with each other rather than you, and be prepared for breeding.
Why can't I keep other, prettier parrots?
Nearly all parrot species are CITES-listed protected species, making keeping and trading them without authorisation unlawful. In China only three species — budgerigar, cockatiel and peach-faced lovebird — are explicitly open for captive-bred individuals.