How to Know If Your Budgie Wants to Mate

Much has been written about how cats and dogs go into heat when they are ready to breed, budgies, also called budgerigars, enter into 'breeding condition'. Budgies enter breeding condition two or three times a year, and it typically happens between October and March. Understanding when your budgie has entered breeding condition allows you to be on the lookout for eggs.

Things You'll Need

  • Newspaper
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Instructions

    • 1

      Leave some loose newspaper in the cage. Male and female budgies rip newspaper into strips for nesting material when they are ready to breed.

    • 2

      Watch the males and females eating. Budgies that are getting ready to mate often feed each other.

    • 3

      Look at the female's cere, which is a fleshy structure directly above the bird's beak. The cere on a female budge is typically brown, but when she is in breeding condition, it turns a dark brown.

    • 4

      Look at the male's cere. While a male budgie's cere is typically a pale blue, it turns bright blue when the bird is in breeding condition.

    • 5

      Watch the birds while they are on their perches. Both male and female budgies peck their perches when they are in breeding condition.