Expert: Christopher Emory - 2/2/2011

Question
QUESTION: hi,
i was wondering what fruits budgies enjoy eating the most, and another thing i was wondering was how old does a budgie have to be in order to breed

ANSWER:  Abida,

Different budgies enjoy different fruits/vegetables, much like humans. You will have to try a variety of foods and see which ones your birds enjoy! As for breeding age, budgies become sexually mature at around 3-4 months of age, but it is highly recommended to allow the hen (female) get 12 months of age before breeding.


Best of luck!

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: i have 2 budgies, and they has like a bluish/purplish cere and another one which has a pinkish/purplish one. I'm kind of confused about their gender. But hoping one is female and one is male!and they're also over 4 months old, i think.12 months! i cant wait that long ;P lol i dont even know their gender properly. and about the fruits/vegetables, i was wondering if there is a specific type of fruit/vegetable that they love to eat because i don't want to give them anything that they will not please.and plus i havent really given them anything but seeds and spray millets ever since i got them, which was like at nov,6,2010

Answer
Hello again, Sexing a budgie by looking at his/her cere color is just a general guideline. It is not always 100% positive, especially in young birds. Usually blueish or purpleish color cere's belong to the male, and the tan/brown cere's belong to the females. Of course there have been LOTS and LOTS of "hims" that ended up being "hers" and vice-versa. As for the diet, again, it depends on the bird. I have over 100+ budgies and found that they really all enjoy something different. You will have to play around with putting different foods/fruits in the food bowls to see what they take too. Don't worry if they do not take to new food right away, you will have to start out slow, maybe add a small piece of fruit or vegetable in their food bowls (with their seed) and see if they take to it. If not, try something else the next day. It's all about being patient and being consistent. If you rush it, you will end up fustrated and the birds will have nothing to do with what you are pushing on them.

Best of luck!