Last Updated on by Mitch Rezman
Debra C. wants to know how to care for the special needs of an older budgie,
I love all of the wonderful info about taking better care of my birds that I am able to take away from your newsletters.
But I am especially wanting more info on how to meet all the needs of my precious 9-year-old Goofus.
She still gets around in her cage pretty well most of the time by climbing, She is a fast climber. Sometimes she flies, I have added extra perches across the length of the cage so she doesn’t have to fly far.
She seems to have her good days and her not-so-good ones. But she seems happy. She and my much younger male budgie Lavender have fallen in love and are mostly inseparable.
Are there special kinds of vitamin supplements she should be taking?
I would love to read an article from you guys dedicated to caring for our most beloved aging feathered family members.
Dear Debra
It sounds like your budgies are well cared for. At 9 years old it doesn’t seem old, but as most budgies in the USA are very inbred they just don’t live as long as they should.
It is typical for one to live only 5-12 years with an average of about 7 years. Less if their cage is small and they only get a seed and water diet. Normal green budgies will usually live longer than mutations, especially white ones.
You mention having added more perches, what kinds? If plain dowel rods, it can encourage pressure sores as their feet are rubbing the same place all the time. Natural wood branches are best as they vary in texture and thickness.
What would be helpful are rope perches as they are soft, easy to maneuver, and can be attached at angles and bent to reach food and water dishes, toys, and sleep areas. I would recommend a Small 14″ placed across a corner of the cage high up, then longer 21″ or 32″ ones below.
Diet-wise we have heard good results on the Senior Nutri-berries. One of my customers was mentioning how his older birds got a little chubby on the regular Parakeet Nutri-berries but do well on the Senior ones. It also contains supplements that help with arthritis, yes, birds get it too. If Nutri-berries are new to your birds they can be crumbled to get them used to them.
What are you feeding your budgies now? A good multi-vitamin is always a fine option for them, old or young.
Nekton S is very good as well as Hagen Prime. We make up a bottle of water with the vitamins added and doll it out daily as just putting it onto a seed mix won’t work as well.
I looked and see you have shopped with us but under a different email. I updated your account with a new password but left the email alone for now.
Don’t hesitate to reach out for more information.
Catherine
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