How old do budgies get? A question that you should ask yourself before you buy the beautiful birds, so as not to be surprised afterwards. Read here about the average life expectancy of budgerigars and the factors that determine age.
Budgerigars usually only reach a stately age if they can age together with conspecifics – Shutterstock / PrakapenkaAlena
There are reports of budgerigars that have lived to be 20 years old with good care. However, this age is extremely rare in captive budgerigars. The average life expectancy when kept in a cage is usually far less.
How old does a budgie get in captivity?
The average life expectancy of caged budgies is eight years. If you want to buy a budgie, you should assume that they will be together for between six and ten years.
As a rule, breeding animals do not live as long because incubation saps their strength. In addition, budgerigars are unfortunately prone to diseases, such as often developing tumors, which is probably related to overbreeding.
The years six to seven are often decisive for the age of a parakeet. In these there are hormonal changes – if a bird gets through this time well, the chances are not bad that it will reach a double-digit age.
What about budgies in the wild?
There are no exact figures on the life expectancy of budgerigars in the wild. What is certain, however, is that birds in nature have to deal with predators such as hawks or falcons and often fall victim to them.
This is how you can increase the life expectancy of a budgie
The age of a budgerigar is of course related to the animal’s disposition. On the other hand, as a responsible owner, you can increase the life expectancy of your parakeet with good care. Factors that have a positive impact on the bird’s physical and mental health include:
How do you recognize the age of the budgie?
It’s not always easy to tell a budgie’s age. However, there are signs you can look out for. In males, the blue nasal skin often turns brownish with age. In females, on the other hand, the color of the nasal skin often changes to light blue or turns gray.
Apart from that, older birds fly significantly less than juveniles. In general, shorter routes are preferred to longer ones. Movements become slower and a little “stiffer”, similar to humans.
The sounds also change – older budgerigars are quieter or chirp less than young ones. What usually changes little is the diet. Only green fodder is sometimes less accepted with age. Incidentally, the animals have the most active time in their second and third year of life.
You might also be interested in these topics on Einfachtierisch.de:
Parrots as Pets: Are the Birds Right for You?
How do birds fare in storms, thunderstorms and rain?
Bird flew into the house: what to do?
