Find out the key to budgie longevity and determine if 10 years is considered a significant age for these charming pets!
Budgies are unarguably the most popular bird kept in homes as a pet.
Most people love them for their tiny size, comparatively less care and maintenance, and affordability.
Bugdies are also readily available (in the hobby), ideal for kids and apartment living, and have a decent talking ability without the feistiness of mid-sized parrots and aggression of large parrots, like AG’s, Macaws, and Cockatoos.
A healthy budgerigar will live about 4 years guarantee. Anything after that is a welcome bonus impacted a lot by how well you care for your budgie.
Eddie Waithaka, Birds Pundit.
Perhaps the only downside of pet budgies is their relatively short lifespan compared to other parrots and species of birds kept in captivity. Most domestic budgies live for between 4 and 8 years (on average), albeit can top 10 years with proper care, a good and varied diet, and plenty of quality exercise.
That said, you’ll note many variables come into play when considering the lifespan of a budgie or any pet for that matter.
For instance, a budgie in the wild is entirely a prey animal and rarely lives past four years.
You can also expect a bird that was only recently introduced to its environment (away from its native wild) to live fewer years than one living in a place akin to its natural setting.
Please see the rest of this post for more insight.
Is 10 Years Old For A Pet Budgie
10 years is old for a budgie, no doubt, whether kept at home as a pet or in the wild. As we’ve seen, 4 to 8 years is the average, with domesticated birdies living more than wild varieties.
Now, it’s not odd to find budgies bred solely for the hobby over time, living longer than 10 years, more when the bird parent is accustomed to raising birds.
House budgies are conditioned to the environment they are born in, are protected from predators by their owners, are mostly hand fed with the best available food, have plenty of enrichment and nourishment, and need not worry about accommodation (building nest, hole on trees).
Most also rarely venture outside into the wild, so the only risk they run is flying into doors or walls or drowning in a sink. landing on a hot pan or accidentally getting mauled by the resident dog or cat, most of which are bizarre and are less than probable occurrences.
Can A Budgie Live for More Than 20 Years
Foreseeing a budgie to live for 20 years, leave alone more than that, is everything and overzealous. Most budgerigars barely get to 10 years, and 15 is perhaps the longest I’ve heard one live.
If you want a pet bird that will live for more than 20 years, your best bet would be a large parrot, like a cockatoo, macaw, or AG, or a mid-sized bird, such as a conure, quaker, or mini macaw.
Besides, you do not want to commit 20 years to a bird if you have not had experience keeping avian pets. You are better placed to make that long-term dedication once you’ve owned a few birds and are sure it’s what you want.
What are The Signs of A Budgie Dying
Budgies (and all pet birds kept at home) could die from plenty of reasons, so knowing exactly why might be a challenge, especially for sudden deaths where you don’t get enough time to visit your vet.
However, it’s not difficult to tell when your budgie is unwell because, among other things, he (she) won’t be his typical self. He will play a lot less, struggle with everyday activities, and perhaps prefer to fly less and only sit in one spot for hours on end.
Still, that does not always mean your budgie is dying.
A dying budgie will be visibly lethargic, breath heavily, refuse to eat or drink, sit in one spot shivering and fluffed up for hours, among other things.
Certainly, you will be aware of your budgie’s imminent death if it has been diagnosed with an incurable condition, such as cancer, or was involved in an accident that compromised its health and well-being significantly.
Still, your birds will show clear signs when he is close to the edge.
See the tell-tale signs of a dying budgie and what to do.
Generel Lethargy (+Reduced Activity Level)
If you’ve ever come across a dying bird, even a chicken, you will note, without a doubt, the birdie looking awfully weak and sitting still (in one spot for hours), breathing heavily and looking disheveled.
This is pretty much what happens to a dying budgie.
Whatever is ailing the bird causes it to become weak, and with no appetite (no food), the much-needed energy depletes substantially over several days or even hours.
I’ve realized this is more evident at night because birds need and use up extra energy to keep warm.
Notably, lethargy also seems to set in faster in birds (more so budgies) than in other pets (dogs, cats, fish) because of their excessive activities (flying, foraging, and all) and small bodies that pack less vitality at any one time .
Reduced Breathing, Puffing or Panting Breath
I mentioned above that when a bird, including budgies, is dying, it will sit still in one position, breathing heavily.
Well, that is factual, but note heavy breaths are not synonymous with fast breathing.
A dying budgie will breathe in lesser intervals than usual with the chest moving outwards then inwards gradually, almost like the activity is hurting it.
Between the strained breathing, your budgie may pant and puff, especially when battling a respiratory infection such as pneumonia or extremely weak.
Budgie Vomiting A Couple of Times
Budgies rarely vomit, plus there are a few things such as regurgitation that may be confused for vomiting to an untrained eye.
However, if you are sure your budgie is vomiting and it happens more than once, that is cause for alarm, and you should consider taking him to the vet immediately.
Chances are your budgie is suffering from a fungal, bacterial, or viral crop infection, which can be fatal if proper action is not taken in good time.
Avian vets have special training to determine the cause of symptoms resulting from illness and trauma. Delaying effective from such vets may prolong suffering that may be avoidable.
Now, a vomiting budgies will lurch her (his) head back and forth a bit, then shake it to expel pieces of undigested seeds out of her crop.
Her breast feather may be covered in a slightly wet discharge soon after, often mucus, and your bird may look fatigued.
Old Age
Old age might not be a straight-up sign a budgie is dying, but if your bird is way past its prime, you should at least know he will give in sooner than later.
An old budgie will be less active, vulnerable to dangers, and less able to do everyday budgie things. Her appetite may also go down, and she may prefer soft foods to everyday seeds, fruits, veggies, and grains.
Gradually, your old budgie will become more timid, fragile, stressed, and bored, with death not too far off the horizon.
Sadly, at this point, there is nothing much you can do but comfort your dying budgie.
Disease, Infections, Trauma
Perhaps one last thing that may indicate your budgie’s imminent demise is a disease.
Akin to humans, birds battle many different infections and ailments, some readily diagnosable and treated, while others can only be managed.
Injuries and trauma are also common in pet birds around the home and often cause untimely deaths, while others limit the capacity of a bird for the rest of its life.
At times, the affected bird will be limited to the point of not being able to perform everyday activities without your intervention, snd greatly reducing their lifespan.
Some ailments, such as cancerous tumors and injuries, are soo severe that you may have to euthanize your budgie.
Well, that’s all for this post. See you in the next one.
Have fun keeping budgies🦜.