How to Breed Male and Female Budgie Parakeets

Budgerigars, also known as budgies or parakeets, are active and energetic little birds that have plumage in bright hues including blue, violet, yellow and green. Budgies often pair off and mate to produce more budgies. Once raised, the budgie chicks may be sold for profit or kept as pets. In order to encourage your budgies to breed, proper breeding conditions must be provided, including a suitable cage environment and adequate nutrition. If you are willing to invest the time and effort into your budgies' breeding efforts, the rewards are a clutch of healthy budgie chicks.

Things You'll Need

  • Proven male and female parakeets
  • Cage
  • Nest box
  • Nesting material
  • Perches
  • Food and water dishes
  • Humidifier
  • Full-spectrum light bulb
  • Blanket
  • Cuttlebone
  • Mineral block
  • Parakeet seed mix
  • Vitamin supplement
  • Organic greens
  • Water
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Instructions

    • 1

      Select your breeding budgies carefully. Ensure that you have a true pair of budgies, meaning that you have a proven male and a proven female bird. A bonded pair, a pair that has already mated for life and has possibly already reproduced together, offers the best chance of producing offspring. Caring for several pairs of budgies gives you a bigger chance of producing chicks and also helps encourage the birds to breed--just be certain you have an equal number of males and female budgies.

    • 2

      Provide a cage for each pair of budgies you intend to breed. Attach a nest box to the cage and provide nesting material such as unscented pine shavings. Place at least two differently sized perches in the cage. Place a food dish into each cage and provide either a water dish or water tube for the birds to drink from.

    • 3

      Set the room temperature between 65 F and 75 F and place a humidifier in the room to encourage breeding and help the eggs to hatch. Provide your budgies with natural light or light from a full-spectrum light bulb, but never direct sunlight. Ensure your budgies receive 12 hours of darkness for resting daily--cover the cages at sundown and uncover the cages at sunrise.

    • 4

      Place a mineral block and cuttlebone into each cage to provide your birds with a good source of calcium, which keeps them strong during breeding and produces strong eggshells. Feed the birds a high-quality parakeet seed mix and use the same mix throughout breeding season to prevent potential food-related breeding problems. Give your birds a high-quality vitamin supplement. Feed the birds fresh, organic greens each day. Change the food and provide fresh water daily.

    • 5

      Disturb the budgies as little as possible, giving them the peace and privacy they need to breed.

    • 6

      Watch your female budgie carefully for signs of illness or complications during pregnancy. If she fluffs her feathers, shakes, droops her tail or appears odd in any way, contact your veterinarian for advice on how to handle her particular problem.