# A few questions before getting budgies



## deserere (May 1, 2018)

Hello! I've been doing a lot of research on budgies' needs, because I really don't want to be that one irresponsible owner... I really love birds and my family is enthusiastic as well, so there's no disagreement about getting them etc etc. But I'm concerned about the needs of my possible pets - even before planning to get them I kind of wanted to gradually change my lifestyle to a healthier one. Unfortunately I'm really bad at caring for myself, so caring about budgies might actually lead me to healthier decisions that I should be doing for myself. 
But! I'm getting talkative, so I'll just better skip to the questions I have!


I have a really unhealthy habit of staying up late. I'm trying to fight it, but it's Very probable that at first I'll end up still working at 2 am, sometimes even 3. I'm aware that budgies need 10 to 12 hours of sleep. I usually wake up at 9 am, so the birds should be tucked in at 9 pm. Unfortunately I don't have any spare rooms that could serve as a sleeping room for them (if you don't count rooms in the basement, which can be a bit cold and dark and unpleasant - except maybe one or two of these rooms, so it would really be a last resort to put them to sleep there). But I'm concerned that if the cage is in my room, won't I wake the budgies while I'm still awake past 9 pm? I'm a really quiet person, so the most noise that I usually make is tapping of a (relatively quiet) laptop keyboard + I'm planning to buy a silent mouse. Oh, and perhaps I'll open the door a few times, but it makes almost no noise. Overall - I'm planning to gradually fix my habits and start going to sleep at about midnight, but I'm still concerned that I might disrupt my budgies' sleep after 9 pm. Would it be ok if I just make those small noises, or should I sit in another room after they go to sleep? I'll probably test that anyways, but it would be nice to know about your experiences and thoughts!
I also don't want to be that person who abandons their pet when they go to university. Right now I'm probably going to get homeschooled, so I'll be home a lot, but I'm planning to go to university in the future. It's not that close to home and my parents say that I should just live in the dorms, but they don't allow pets... or at least pets like budgies that you can't smuggle inside. I'm not sure if I'll be living in the dorms all of the time, though. Even though my parents are a bit skeptical about this idea (because of money), I sincerely hope that I'll be able to rent an animal-friendly flat and keep the budgies with me. But before it happens, they will probably stay home with my parents at first. So this won't be a complete change of owner, but I'm still a bit worried if it's a good idea or not.
Naturally I'll take the budgies out of the cage when they trust me enough. I'll probably put them on my desk (probably one bird at a time, or at least at first), and my friend told me that I'll have to hide some of my smaller things... But I guess it would be ok to have things that the budgie won't be able to swallow and won't destroy while supervised? Also, I have a very shallow shelf-thing on my desk, with 4 "levels". I'll have to take all things out of one of them, for safety reasons... and I've been thinking about making a desk perch, but since I don't have anything to put on that shelf, would it be wise to let the budgie sit there if it would want to? And also, I know they're messy and I'm prepared for it, but just for science reasons - how often do they poop? Would it be wise to wait a bit after they ate? I just want to minimize the risk of getting too many things dirty : P

Other than those questions, I've been able to find answers to any other of my concerns. And thanks in advance! This forum is really helpful!


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## RavensGryf (May 8, 2015)

Hi Juliusz, :welcome: to Talk Budgies!

It’s great to hear that you’ve looked over our website some, and have noticed what a good resource it is for budgies! 

To further familiarize yourself with the forum, and to find answers to many common questions, we (staff) ask that you read the Stickies posts at the top section of the sub-forums; paying special attention to the areas of healthcare, diet, behavior. Our Articles section also has some useful information. 

1) A cover on 3 sides of your bird’s cage to block out most of the light and activity in the room will help him sleep when you’re still up in the room. 

2) That’s great that you’ve put thought into this beforehand, and good to hear that the rest of your family is on board with the decision and excited as well. If you familiarize your bird to the rest of the family members, as well as eventually getting him (or her) used to having the cage in other areas of your home, they should have no trouble adjusting in your absence, should it happen that you’ll be away when you go to college. 

3) As far as keeping things clean when budgies are out, it’s hard to do lol! Budgies are so small with fast metabolisms. Even if a budgie just pooped, they can poop again very soon after at times. Eating or not eating right before doesn’t always have a bearing on how soon a budgie will poop again. 

If after you’ve read through the site, and you still have questions, feel free to ask. We’re here to help and guide you in the decision .


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*Hi! :welcome: to Talk Budgies

RavensGryf has offered you excellent advice. :thumbsup:

Please take the time to read through the Site Guidelines, all of the How To Guides, the FAQs, the Budgie Articles and the stickies located at the top of each section of the forum.

Truly, the very BEST advice anyone can offer you is to take the time to read ALL of the stickies throughout the various Talk Budgie forums as well as the Budgie Articles we have posted.

These are great resources for Talk Budgie members and have a wealth of reliable information which will assist you to learn the best practices in caring for your budgies for their optimal health and well-being.

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If you have any questions after reading through everything, please be sure to ask!

Glad you decided to join us and looking forward to seeing you around the forums.

:wave:*


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## StarlingWings (Mar 15, 2013)

Hi there and :welcome: to the forums!

RavensGryf has given you great advice, and FaeryBee has provided some great resources. 

It's wonderful to hear that you've researched so extensively before deciding to bring a budgie home!  It sounds like you're going to take great care of them when he or she comes home  

The links provided above will help you to stay updated on the very best of budgie care practices! If you have any questions after reading through everything, please be sure to ask as we'd love to help!

We hope to see you around and to meet your new little budgie when you get him or her :jumping: 

Cheers! :wave:


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