English or American budgie

[Tish]

Been thinking a lot lately about budgies and just wondering what type of budgie is people's favorite English or American budgies? Please let me know which one you prefer and why. Thanks. Also does a budgie need gravel as a part of its diet?

[Icearstorm]

Tish

Budgies don't need gravel since they hull their seeds. However, "bird gravel" sold in pet stores is often ground shells, which are fine to provide as a calcium supplement.

I don't know much about budgies specifically, though I have heard that English budgies usually don't live as long as the smaller American budgies.

[paul-inAZ]

Prefer English hands down.
Differences are size, markings, much calmer temperament, quieter much of the time, not nippers and on and on.
Rather than me writing a lot, go here for a summary:
https://www.cutelittlebirdiesaviary.com ... udgie.html

Longevity is frequently mentioned but is more a reflection of diet and housing conditions than something inherent in the breed. Properly kept there isn't much difference.

[Flight Feathers]

What is an American budgie? I have Australian and English budgies and I love both the same but English are probably calmer yet I do find English to be a lot louder. My budgies don't eat gravel and they are fine. When they eat the seed they Dehusk it first so unlike doves they don't need gravel to help them digest it.

[Sheather]

English budgies are easier to train and socialize, they have much less fear of people. For a single pet, they are the easier choice (not to say the smaller budgies can't be tame.) However, the smaller wild-size budgies (called Aussie or American) are more interesting to watch, usually more active and may have more personality - while being wilder, more nervous, and resistant to taming unless gotten very young.

English can be tamed as adults. American/Australian really must be worked with before 6 months of age. One of my tamest birds was an English who was entirely unhandled until the age of 6. He tamed in a few weeks, even living with other parakeets. Whereas even some young American parakeets are reluctant to be handled.

[Flight Feathers]

English budgies are easier to train and socialize, they have much less fear of people. For a single pet, they are the easier choice (not to say the smaller budgies can't be tame.) However, the smaller wild-size budgies (called Aussie or American) are more interesting to watch, usually more active and may have more personality - while being wilder, more nervous, and resistant to taming unless gotten very young.

English can be tamed as adults. American/Australian really must be worked with before 6 months of age. One of my tamest birds was an English who was entirely unhandled until the age of 6. He tamed in a few weeks, even living with other parakeets. Whereas even some young American parakeets are reluctant to be handled.

I find the Australian can be very curious, so I didn't have too much trouble taming one of my Australians.

[paul-inAZ]

What is an American budgie?

One of a confused mess of terminology. Over here the wild Australian budgie is occasionally called American but most often is misnamed 'parakeet' [they aren't parakeets] in pet stores. Distinct from the English.

[Sheather]

They are parakeets, the term is non-taxonomic and means any
little parrot with a long tail.

[Sojourner]

I prefer the "American" budgies. They're closer to the original stock. I find the "English" budgies to be ugly and strange looking. They also tend to have more health problems. I think they've been overbred.

Unfortunately "American" budgies - a more apt name would be Standard budgies - are also susceptible to overbreeding and health problems more now than in the past due to bird mills breeding for pet stores. My pair are actually rescues from a bird mill, and one of them appears to be an English/Standard hybrid. Their health and general demeanor seems vastly improved since I finally got them to start eating their veggies and weaned them off a mostly-millet diet.

I still think Standard budgies have an advantage over the English budgies in the health department simply because there are way more of them available than the "English" style.

[Flight Feathers]

I prefer the "American" budgies. They're closer to the original stock. I find the "English" budgies to be ugly and strange looking. They also tend to have more health problems. I think they've been overbred.

Unfortunately "American" budgies - a more apt name would be Standard budgies - are also susceptible to overbreeding and health problems more now than in the past due to bird mills breeding for pet stores. My pair are actually rescues from a bird mill, and one of them appears to be an English/Standard hybrid. Their health and general demeanor seems vastly improved since I finally got them to start eating their veggies and weaned them off a mostly-millet diet.

I still think Standard budgies have an advantage over the English budgies in the health department simply because there are way more of them available than the "English" style.

On no all those poor birdies in bird mills. I don’t think we have them where I live tho as our pet shop breeds their own birds or buys from breeders so that’s probably a good thing.

[canary3000]

I've never had an English budgie. I find them incredibly difficult to source. All I find are parakeets. I gave up on raising English and am raising fifes. My heart still yearns for English budgies. I used to have a parakeet.mEasy to train. He was barely ever in his cage. He ate with us, sat on our shoulder during tv time, reading the paper, shaving.....what a naught character he was too. Sadly he got out of his cage, right as we got home from shopping-(We kept his cage outside during the day). Saw a small blue thing in the air. Sure enough Max escaped. That was tough for all of us. Even my dad, who doesn't show emotions. That's 35 years ago. You can't go wrong with either bird. They make great memories!!!! Thinking about him now and all our memories as a family. Can't help but cry a little.

[Flight Feathers]

I've never had an English budgie. I find them incredibly difficult to source. All I find are parakeets. I gave up on raising English and am raising fifes. My heart still yearns for English budgies. I used to have a parakeet.mEasy to train. He was barely ever in his cage. He ate with us, sat on our shoulder during tv time, reading the paper, shaving.....what a naught character he was too. Sadly he got out of his cage, right as we got home from shopping-(We kept his cage outside during the day). Saw a small blue thing in the air. Sure enough Max escaped. That was tough for all of us. Even my dad, who doesn't show emotions. That's 35 years ago. You can't go wrong with either bird. They make great memories!!!! Thinking about him now and all our memories as a family. Can't help but cry a little.

That’s so so sad... I had one of my Zebs escape yesterday and I just came to the aviary and he was gone... but a tame, friendly budgie escaping is much much worse than a little finch escaping.

[FinchLady]

Sheather: Interested in your comment' wild-size Budgies (American/Standard) although less tame than English Budgies, more interesting to watch; display more personality'. After trying to find a reputable breeder of English Budgies in my area for over a year, I'm reconsidering the common standard Budgie. Rather than a hand tamed bird, I would enjoy simply watching the antics of a cheerful Budgie. Would two males still interact with me while keeping each other company?

[Sojourner]

FinchLady

Mine only "interact" with me in that they watch me like tiny, colorful little hawks to make sure I stay on my side of the bars, LOL!

But they play with each other just fine. One of these days I intend to get a few more. Now that I've got them eating right, they no longer scream at me all day long. They actually have quite a pleasant little warble. I have high hopes that my guys will "teach" any new guys to eat properly, by example, so that I won't have to go through a year of weaning them off the dry-parakeet-seed-only birdy junk food diets they're all on in the stores.

I intend to reward them soon (I've been saying this for over a year but in my defense, I've had a one-finch egg factory who turned out to have a brain tumor and died, and then I lost my recently adopted beagle to yet more cancer so - SOON, I swear) by giving them a nice big double-wide to live in so they have 5' of flying space and lots of upanddown climbing space. They deserve it for eating their veggies!

Soon. I swear.

[Sojourner]

Flight Feathers

Well in NZ, aren't they actually native there? Or do you import them from Australia? In either case they would be a more or less "native" bird for you there, wouldn't they? Lots more to choose from.

Here they are totally imports (originally, my mother got wild-caught birds when I was a kid but that's been illegal for decades now) and most people get them from the chain pet stores, who get their birds almost entirely from bird mills since the importation of wild-caught birds is pretty much a thing of the past.