Budgie Body Language – Budgie behavior decoded #1

Budgies communicate through their body language. Who doesn’t want to own happy, healthy budgies? Then do your best to observe their behavior.

Budgies, also known as parakeets are originally from Australia. These birds are kept as pets and are loved. When you own a budgie, you get to learn their behavior and enjoy their company as they love interacting with people. Furthermore, like any other bird, budgies do communicate. Their communication can be felt vocally as they sing, chirp, mimic, or whistle. In some cases, however, budgies communicate through their body language.

As a pet owner, you need to understand this and discern if it’s an issue that should be of concern or not. In this article, we will talk about some of the budgie behavior, why they do them, and if there should be any cause for alarm. Moreover, who doesn’t want to own a happy and healthy pet?

Why do budgie wings slightly open?

Have you observed your budgies open their wings slightly when they see you? This can be a way of showing their happiness. They may also do this as a way of asking for food or a toy. Furthermore, if they do this as if they’re shrugging, then they are stretching. You do not need to worry. Budgies can at times open their wings slightly to cool themselves. This can be observed in the summertime so this behavior is a method for them to cool.

If you see your overheated budgie do this, you may not need to be concerned. However, if this act is done while the budgie is seated and the tail is bobbing, you need to take action. This could be a sign of a lung infection hence you should tell your anvil doctor as soon as possible.

Why do budgies twitch their wings?

If you curiously watch your pet’s interaction, you may have seen him or her twitch the wings. Is that normal or should it raise an alarm? Some budgies may twitch their wings to show excitement and as a sign of preparedness for mating. They may do this to impress their mates. Also, these birds may twitch their wings to show nervousness or that they are scared. If so, try to make them comfortable.

In some cases, budgies may twitch their wings as a sign of a seizure therefore you may need to inform your anvil doctor if it prolongs. Your budgie might recover from a seizure and regain the ability to perch. Besides, when he or she suffers from a viral infection, he or she may twitch. Therefore, ensure to call the veterinary doctor in case you suspect such a health issue.

Why does my budgie turn its back on me?

It is normal to see your pet turn its back on you when feeding. What about if he or she is not having a meal and decides to do so? This could mean he or she doesn’t want to interact with you. This may be a result of shyness or nervousness. If the budgie turns its back on you while he or she is inside the cage or leans towards it, it could be because of the attachment to the cage.

Besides, the budgie might not know how to interact with people. The budgie might hope that the action will make you go away or he or she will fly away. This behavior could be linked to the bird’s preparation to fly away if it’s not caged or turn towards the cage which seems safe enough. It could be a sign that the budgie is not comfortable around you. Therefore, you can try and make the environment a bit friendly, and if the bird cooperates, the better for you.

Budgie flapping wings but not moving – Body language

One of the popular budgie behaviors is the flapping of wings. The birds do this for various reasons. It could be a form of exercise so you don’t need to be worried if it’s about discomfort or health concerns. Most budgies do this in the morning to help in blood circulation and exercise their muscles too.

For the budgies who are mostly in the cages and rarely go out or those with clipped wings, they flap their wings to stretch. You, therefore, need to have the right cage size for your budgies, the larger the better. Furthermore, they may flap their wings to get attention or express their happiness. However, what if they flap their wings but do not move?

Does he or she flap the wings while seated on the perch? Is it because they have clipped wings hence expressing frustrations in doing so? Well, the budgie might just be doing it for fun, exercise, excitement, or as a sign of molting. If you notice such behavior after feeding the pet or talking to him or her, you need not worry.

Why do budgies bob their heads up and down?

As this may look like a strange Body Language budgies bob their heads up and down. If you have interacted with budgies for a while, then this could be an interesting activity you love watching them do. This up-and-down movement of their necks while chattering in the process of moving on their perch is such an amazing sight. But why do they do it? Is it normal or should it raise your concerns? Well, in most cases, the male budgies are the ones who do this. If the male budgie bobs its head up and down towards the female budgie, he is trying to woo her. If the female responds by liking the bouts of bobbing, it will lead to feeding and later the two will mate. So, one of the reasons for bobbing is mating.

Also, budgies bob to socialize. Your pet might bob to show happiness and that he or she feels good. This custom can be repeated and you won’t miss enjoying the experience. If your pair of budgies bob to each other when they see you, a specific part of the cage or food, that is also a sign of joy. If you prove to like this, they will do it to attract your attention.

Moreover, budgies, especially the babies, bob to show hunger. They’ll do this to beg their parents for food. This is common when the baby budgies are learning to fly and will only stop once they can fly on their own and feed themselves. Other than the above normal reasons for bobbing, you may need to be keen on your pet’s behavior because bobbing can also be a sign of a health condition. Seizures and parasitic infections could result in this; hence you should be on the lookout. You may need to inform your avian doctor about this.

Why do budgies stand on one leg? – Body language

When you observe that your budgie perches on one leg and is relaxed, you need not worry. This behavior is normal and they usually do this to show that they are relaxed and comfortable. The budgie might stay in that position for several hours exchanging the feet to get rest on both. This bird’s relaxing behavior is common mostly before the bird gets asleep, mostly during rest time or noontime. However, if the room has a lot going on and is not quiet, the budgie won’t be relaxed and won’t stand on one leg either. Therefore, if you want to get your birds comfortable and relaxed, provide a calm environment.

Moreover, budgies stand in this position to keep warm. If your budgie is cold, he or she will tend to stand on one leg. Tucking a leg underneath their body ensures they preserve some heat and stay comfortable. You should, however, ensure your pet isn’t too cold by placing the nest away from the window, door, or anything that may bring in cold. Decoding Body Language of Budgies.

Why do budgies bite each other?

You may have thought of getting your pet some company so that they can enjoy doing things together and not be bored. The relationship may be good but, in some cases, they may end up biting each other. If you notice this happening once in a while, there is no need to worry. This is because they might be creating dominance or territories. Always ensure you feed the less dominant one and that he or she gets access to other resources like toys.

However, if the habit continues for a prolonged period, you need to be concerned, especially if they do so while squawking angrily at each other. You can choose to separate them. If they’re left together in the same cage with continued biting, they might cause harm to each other in the end. Who wants to have injured budgies? Body Language

Why do budgies pluck their feathers?

Unlike the normal occurrence of loss of feathers or molting in budgies to give room for new feathers, they may pluck them out on their own at times. If this happens, you need to be alarmed. There may be patches on the bird’s body. This can be a sign of a skin condition or an allergy. The effects could be adverse on the bird’s health hence you need to contact your vet as early as possible. In other cases, the budgie might chew on its feathers.

This could communicate the bird is bored. You can give them toys or engage them in an interesting activity. Ensure you are keen to observe any slight change in the behavior of your pet.

Signs of a happy budgie

Most pet owners, if not all, love to see their pets happy. The problem at times could be knowing when they are in this state. The following behavior of budgies could be signs of their happiness and can help you know whenever they are excited; Body Language of a happy budgie

Moving all the time

• Have you observed your budgie always moving around the cage or on the perch, climbing, flying, or playing? This could signify that he or she is happy. Who doesn’t love being around a happy budgie?

Always nibbling

• If you observe your budgie nibble throughout, then this could indicate that he or she is healthy and happy. He or she could be playing but often going back to the food or water point.

Producing happy sounds

• When your budgie produces happy sounds such as chirps, whistles, or is simply singing or mimicking you, that can be a good sign. Your pet could be very happy.

Playing with each other

• If you have a pair of budgies and notice they are playing with each other, they may be very happy. If you have a single budgie and he or she keeps playing with the toys, then there must be happiness around.

Flapping the wings

• Other than flapping wings for exercise or to seek attention, the budgie can do this to express happiness.

Shaking the tongue

• If you ever want to know extreme happiness in budgies, watch them shake their tongue. They do this when they are very enthusiastic. They may open their mouth and waggle their tongue. If they shake their tails at the same time, that’s the real joy they have.

Signs of an aggressive budgie

In as much as we would like to have happy budgies, at times they tend to be aggressive. If you observe the following in your budgie, then he or she might be aggressive;

• Constantly raising the wings.
• Hissing furiously.
• The budgie biting another budgies’ feet
• Picking feathers of another bird
• Chasing others around the cage for a prolonged period
• Keeping others away from feeding points
• If the budgie attacks a new bird,
• If you’re the owner and the budgie bite your finger, he or she may be frightened or just angry.
• Watch out for such behavior as they can harm other pets too. In case you notice any, take action.

Conclusion – Body language

Budgies are interesting pets and owning them requires you to understand or learn their behavior and mannerism. In so doing, you will improve your relationship since you’ll know the various body languages and what they signify. Furthermore, it will help you know when necessary to call the anvil doctor. Who doesn’t want to own happy, healthy budgies? Then do your best to observe their behavior.