# English budgie lifespan?



## Skyfeather

I was just wondering if some of you folks with experience with budgies can help me, especially owning multiple budgies, especially also English budgies... 

My English boy passed away the other night and according to the breeder, he was less than a year old when we got him. We had him for just under 2 years. I know sometimes pets just die young like some people do. But it seems like he was so young to die like that and we have no explanation. My old budgie I had as a kid lived over 10 years and he was the regular Australian type budgie. I was planning on adding more to the flock and I'm a big fan of the English budgies, he was the coolest bird I ever had and so cute and mellow. But now I'm scared to ever get one like him again...

I know if you Google budgie life span it says 5-10 and I have read that English budgies tend not to live as long. But I am scared to even think of getting another one in the future if we have such a short time together and have to witness another death like that. It just seemed too soon and I'm scared of feeling like this again. 

I know that my new Australian type budgie is still very young and as long as we feed him right and continue to care for him as we are he will hopefully have many years to come. But I'm scared of him dying too and I'm scared of getting any more budgies now.


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## RavensGryf

I’m very sorry for the loss of your boy.  Many times budgies do seem to pass without warning. It’s said that English have a shorter lifespan generally speaking, but 3 years is still premature. Since budgies are so prolific, many have acquired genetic weaknesses over the generations. Unfortunately it’s more uncommon than it used to be, to see budgies living into their teens. 

I’ve only had my English for a few years, so I can’t personally give you an average lifespan. You may have increased odds of getting a longer lived budgie when you buy from an ethical breeder with established stock, rather than birds from a “big box” type of pet store where they come from mills where the chance of genetic defect is great. But many people do get lucky with pet store budgies. 

Please try your best not to worry. Enjoy your budgies


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## Skyfeather

Thank you. I was worried that maybe if we get another someday it will die this soon too. He was the only English one I've ever had and he died significantly younger than other budgies I've had. I did get him from a breeder, but he breeds show budgies and he's out of state so all I had to go off of was emailing back and forth and seeing his website. So it's possible they've just got worse inbreeding or something and I didn't know. I'm not sure what to think.

Thank you for your answer. It makes me feel a little better. Life is so unpredictable!!



RavensGryf said:


> I'm very sorry for the loss of your boy.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Many times budgies do seem to pass without warning. It's said that English have a shorter lifespan generally speaking, but 3 years is still premature. Since budgies are so prolific, many have acquired genetic weaknesses over the generations. Unfortunately it's more uncommon than it used to be, to see budgies living into their teens.
> 
> I've only had my English for a few years, so I can't personally give you an average lifespan. You may have increased odds of getting a longer lived budgie when you buy from an ethical breeder with established stock, rather than birds from a "big box" type of pet store where they come from mills where the chance of genetic defect is great. But many people do get lucky with pet store budgies.
> 
> Please try your best not to worry. Enjoy your budgies


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## FaeryBee

*The average lifespan of an English Budgie is around 5 to 7 years. 
Obviously, some live longer past 7 while others don't make it to 5.

English budgies were bred as "show birds" which means that their head and body size is larger than normal which puts more strain on both their skeletal system as well as their organs. 
Selective breeding for "type" of any animal species generally results in a genetic makeup that is less robust.
This is why it is important for ethical and responsible breeders to ensure they are breeding only the healthiest budgies and follow best practices when doing so.*


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## philw

All domestic budgies are the same species as the wild budgies found native in Australia.
The great variations that we see today in domestic budgies is because of the selection for specific characteristics that people find unusual, odd colored, larger, etc. This selection has been going on for well over 100 years but requires breeding only individuals with the same or similar characteristics, creating more offspring that may show these desired characteristics. This means that the gene pool of specific varieties of budgies have more genes in common, than budgies in the wild. Individuals with the most gene diversity are usually healthier than those with less diversity. Genes may also contribute to characteristics that may affect longevity. 
Responsible breeders would select the healthiest, least related individuals of a given lineage, to produce offspring with the desired characteristics without undesirable traits.
That said, it's certainly possible that some breeders (in some cases, show breeders) may be more interested in producing one outstanding individual and others that are not up to par. In many domestic animals, longevity is not taken into account, and some breeders either don't care or are unaware of any connection with genes. Look at many purebred dogs, that show "defects" due to breeding individuals that don't show, but may carry those hidden defects. That's why in budgies, like any domestic animal, responsible breeding means keeping careful records of individual backgrounds and not breeding individuals that are closely related. I've never kept English budgies, but I'm sure there are people who have kept individuals for 10 years, but like any budgie, regardless of where they come from, they may not live as long as expected. Don't give up on keeping a budgie because it may die from any number of causes. Give them the best care you can, and enjoy them for their individual personalities, color, and just being birds. As you said, life is unpredictable.


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## Spangled Lady

I have had mostly EB for several years. There are many factors that make up what we call their expected lifespan. One is heredity then nutrition, exercise and exposure to diseases and viruses. I have lost two EB before the age of 2 years from AGY. This effects many budgies and I have come to my own conclusion as to the cause of the deaths of my two. The avian vet I take my two to for check ups and or treatment if needed answered this expected lifespan question with " one would be lucky to get 8 years out of an EB" and a few more from American budgies. 


As stated prior to my post enjoy each day, each moment, each encounter with your birds and do the best you can to keep them healthy through proper nutrition, exercise and cleanliness.


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