All living beings are different and so are their preferences. Humans love socializing. Animals may or may not. Look at lions; he lives and rules alone but animals like sheep love their flock. And then there are the birds. Some like hummingbirds love solitary and then there are others like budgies who completely flock birds. They aren’t good at doing both of these together: be happy and be alone.
How do Budgies react to being alone?
Budgies do not react most pleasantly by seeing them alone inside confinement having nothing to do. And this seems very logical too. How would you react if left alone in an empty room? Let’s imagine this together as a flock. An empty room with just four walls and a ceiling, no Netflix or mobiles, no get-togethers et al.
Now, how would we react? We humans can’t survive without our phones and start getting restless if we can’t find them for a few minutes. We long for the company of someone to feel a sense of belongingness. Solitary for way too long makes us succumb to loneliness and depression.
And just like us, budgies’ reaction is no different. The stress and depression engulf them mentally and physically. But that doesn’t mean that they do not like being by themselves.
When Do Budgies like being on their own?
To stay sane, every being on earth needs a break. And budgies also love to relax and unwind, provided everything is done their way. If all goes how these little birds like, they don’t mind being on their own.
Have ample toys
Anyone judging little budgie’s personality based on his small size can get overwhelmed after adopting this extremely playful and social bird. And due to an inherent lively nature, budgies need something or the other for continuous stimulation, mental and physical. If you lack time to devote to your little birdie and want to leave him to self, you must give him his favorite stuff, i.e., toys to play with. Just like a baby has all his toys handy for an engaging day, the budgie is ready to conquer a long day happily with toys of all shapes, colors, and sizes.
Swings, toys that are all shiny and glittery and bells and mirrors are some of their favorite kinds of things to do when alone.
Have cagemates
A budgie won’t even realize the absence of his parent if he has found his flock inside his cage. He would be more than happy to be on his own all the time so that he can enjoy his time with his cage mates the way he would have done in the wild. Chirping all day long, preening each other, or playing and feeding his mate makes this little bird extremely happy. There might be some fights if that cage mate is of the opposite gender, hence, a larger cage is advisable.
Have an engaging source of entertainment
Many budgie parents do not hesitate to leave their budgies on their own given there is ample source of entertainment for the little bird. And this time, we aren’t talking about toys or other budgies. Music and television are budgie’s favorite things to do when they are alone. Parents staying out of home for long work commitments usually switch on a playlist for their little bird at a comfortable volume so that he can enjoy music in solace all the while by learning to mimic it sometimes. Many parents keep their bird’s cage in front of the television by switching on an entertaining channel and keeping all the bird’s essentials for the rest of the day inside the cage.
Is it okay to leave a Budgie on his own daily?
If you are a budgie parent and is not available for your little bird most of the time due to a busy schedule, your budgie is already living on his own for most of the day. Undoubtedly, you would have made all the possible arrangements to keep your bird engaged and happy, but making him rely on other things than you might not be great news for your budgie and your bond with him.
While you’re away, keep your Budgerigar entertained by leaving a TV or radio on.
Over obsession with toys
Just like us, birds can also get obsessed over certain things they get habitual of. Understand it this way: mobile phones have made us dependent on them and as soon as we lose hold of them, we panic. All we want is the phone as soon as possible and no family member or friend can fill that void. Similarly, if you are leaving your budgie with his toys for most of the day and make him depend on it for his happiness, the moment you’ll try to switch it with your bonding or training sessions, he might panic and start showing withdrawal symptoms. This over-obsession is as big a medical condition as any human’s addiction to smartphones.
Alienating human parent
Leaving your bird to survive on his own with all the happiness around simply means that he can keep doing good without you in the future too. Hence, this ultimately makes budgie alienate the person who brought him home in the first place. And in the future, if you decide to bond with your bird or tame him, it becomes more difficult than it ever was. Also, budgie will keep growing more and more uncomfortable with your presence around as he will start drifting apart from you emotionally.
Get obsessed with a cage mate
If you are leaving your budgie in the company of another bird for longer periods, he will form an unbreakable bond with him just the way he wanted it with you probably. And we all know how sensitive budgies are when it comes to bonds. If anyone tries to take away their favorite flock person, they start feeling depressed to the point of becoming physically ill. Continuous contact calls and feather-plucking starts sooner than later.
Wise Words
Giving our little feathery family members a break from us sometimes is a good idea. All the above ways are a perfect recipe to make our little bird a couch potato just like us all. But there is a need to draw a line when it might get too much. Be careful that you don’t end up losing your bird in the process.
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