Best 10 Budgie Cages: Knowing The Needs Of A Popular Bird

The third most popular pet in the world, it’s easy to come to a conclusion that we know everything there is to know about budgies.

As with any bird species, this is usually not the case especially when it comes to their homes. To choose the safest possible budgie cage that’s highly functional, you’ll need to learn even more about these birds, their character, and their needs.

The Summary

What Cage Is Best For Budgies?

If birds could talk, they’d tell you right away that they would appreciate a larger cage that you most likely got them. Even though they can’t, they’ll express their dissatisfaction through different unpleasant behavior. However, since budgies are small, the cages that can house them are also going to be small and it’s hard to go wrong with the size.

Is It Okay To Keep A Budgie In A Cage?

They’ll do just fine in a cage provided you spend some time with them out of their cage every day. Since they are smaller birds, they’re likely to need at least 2 hours of out-of-cage time every day. You can go higher if you have the time to monitor them outside it.

Types Of Budgies

The two most popular budgie breeds are the English and traditional Budgie. The first one originates, as the name suggests from England while the traditional parakeet originates from Australia. The English, however, was created through selective breeding. Other types of budgies differ only in wing color and there are around 32 color variations and mutations. Here are the most popular ones:

Types Of Budgie Cages

The two most common types of cages for housing them are regular indoor cages and flight cages. There are other variants like hanging cages, but these are all varieties of indoor cages(flight cages are too but differ in function.

Indoor Cages – They are a bird’s home. They’ll be spending most of their time inside and they are also likely to sleep there too. Sizes can vary from small to large but since we’re talking about budgies, they are likely to be smaller.

Flight Cages – They are wider than they are deep. Meant to offer birds the chance to meet some of their daily exercise needs inside. They can also be small or large and can usually house more than one bird as well.

The Good And The Bad Of Cages For Budgies

The Good

• They are fairly cheap
• Can look amazing in homes due to the freedom of design they offer
• They save space

The Bad

• Often have limited access to the inside
• The decorative cage varieties can easily be confused for a regular cage
• There are a lot of unsafe made cages on the market

Before Buying, Consider The Following

What Size Of Cage Should A Budgie Have?

The minimum cage size requirements are 18.5” x 18.5” x 18.5” and it doesn’t change with budgie breeds since they are very similar in terms of length and wingspan. These are merely guidelines and you can go smaller by a few inches but don’t overdo it. For 2 budgies, we do recommend a cage twice as big as the cage for one parakeet. The reason why is because they’ll bond closely and are likely to spend most of their time in the cage

Will They Appreciate A Taller Cage?

Budgies love climbing cage bars whether it is for excitement or boredom so yes, they will enjoy a taller cage but the focus should still be the length and especially width because it’s a need, not a wish.

How Many Budgies Can I House In One Cage?

This depends solely on cage size. It also depends on how many cubic inches the cages offers but a simmple online calculator will go a long way. Just know that with them, you can have that freedom of housing plenty of birds together.

What Kind Of Material Should It Be Made Of?

Since parakeets have small beaks, there are very few limits on what material the cage should be made out of. It can be a wooden cage, an acrylic cage, and the classic metal cage. Available metals include stainless steel and aluminum (more expensive but safer) and wrought iron, iron, alloy steel, and steel. (cheaper but less safe).

Rust And Other Toxic Materials

There are three problems that might occur in cage materials. The difficulty of cleaning, easy rusting, and toxicity as it is.

Cleaning – Budgies, like all birds, are clean animals. Wood for example can easily get infected with bacteria which will make your bird sick. Stainless steel and aluminum are easiest to clean and acrylic too.

Easy Rusting – No matter the metal (aluminum is the exception), rust is bird toxic if ingested so you want to do everything in your power to prevent it and get rid of it. Some metals don’t rust or rust harder while some rust easier. With the easy rusting ones, focus on a proper finish coating.

Material Toxicity – Many metals are toxic for birds. Copper, brass, lead, and zinc are the first that come to mind. Wood can also be toxic and some plastics as well if ingested.

Preferred Budgie Wire Spacing

Although many people will argue on this one, a Parakeet shouldn’t be housed in a cage that has a wire spacing bigger than 0.5”. Even a wire spacing only 0.15” bigger can cause the bird to hurt its wings, legs, and head.

Sleeping Habits: Cage Covers And More

Birds need sleep just like any other human. Unless their cage is covered at night they’re likely to awaken when the sun comes up. They’ll need a dark room for it so in case you can’t provide them with that, opt for a cage cover. A cover can also prevent early in the morning noises.

Do You Need Toys For Budgies?

Every bird needs toys and so is the case with parakeets. Without them, they’ll get bored easily. Perches of different diameteres and hanging suspended toys are a must. Anything that makes noise is great as well (bells for example). Rotate the toys frequently and they shouldn’t get bored.

Best 10 Parakeet Cages

We made the list considering what makes a cage highly functional and of course, safe for housing budgies. We also ensured to show you a large variety of cages like flight cages, hanging cages, indoor, and even travel cages. Whatever you need and might want, it’s here at your disposal.

Caitec Stainless Steel Bird Cage

The cage features a dome top which adds some extra height to the cage interior. There, you’ll also find hooks that allow you to easily hang toys inside. Apart from that, it features 4 bowls and 3 perches.

It sits on a stand featuring wheels and a storage shelf. At the top of the stand and on the bottom of the cage, you’ll find located seed guards that will keep your floors as clean as possible. You can fold it down fully to either store or transport it.

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Pawhut Double Bird Cage

The cage features a house rooftop that, even though it’s not intended to be used like that, can provide shade for your birds if you use it outdoors. We suggest only using it outdoors when it’s sunny though.

It features a double cleaning tray and wire grid that you can place in the middle to split it into two. That way, it can house multiple birds. You can choose to keep the cage areas connected too. Each cage comes with 2 perches and 4 food cups.

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Vision Plastic Bird Cage

With the use of plastic clips, it’ll be easy to assemble this cage. It features a deep, wider than the cage base that is supposed to keep the seeds and other debris inside it. Even though it features a base, it still has a wire grid bottom to keep birds from stepping into their own litter.

The perches it comes with are ergonomic, feature different widths on different areas, and can be placed on one side of the cage to save you space. It features a single access door that’s relatively small. It can house at least 2 budgies inside.

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Mcage Corner Bird Cage

The cage is shaped like an irregular pentagon. Since that means it has 5 sides, it allows you to place more perches inside without having them centered which will keep them cleaner and save space inside.

Its front features 3 panels. The center panel has a huge door and an arched rest area door while the side panels feature 2 feeding doors each. Since it’s so big, you can even use it as a flight cage. It sits on plastic wheels and features seed guards.

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Kintness Ladder Bird Cage

Seeing as budgies love ladders, this cage comes with 2. They pair nicely with the 3 shelves that lead to additional levels. The only problem might be that they take up too much space inside it. IF that’s the case, you can easily remove them.

It has 2 large entrances that lock with bird-resistant locks. It makes sense that there are two since the interior is 51-in tall. It comes with 6 feeding doors as well as 6 feeding stations made out of plastic. The perches are wooden and it sits on a stand with wheels and a storage grid.

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Prevue Playtop Bird Cage

Even though it’s of the perfect size for a budgie, it does still mean that you’ll have to let it out of the cage more frequently which might be a problem for busier people. It can blend well into homes because it’s white and can be hung.

Due to its size, it can even be used as a travel cage. It has a plastic base that features extended plastic areas that act as seed guards which are especially important for hanging cages. It even features a play-top area. The extras are all plastic though.

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Aivituvin Wooden Bird Cage

The cage is made with fir wood and finished with a grey weather-resistant finish. At the top, it has a house shaped roof covered with asphalt roof so that there’s no water buildup or damage to the wood because of it.

It has 3 entrances with one being built-in to the larger one. This makes access to it a lot easier and if you’re using it outside, the smaller door can help prevent birds from escaping. It can be used indoors due to the focus dimension being its height and because of the fact that it stands on wheels.

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Specialty Cages

These cages aren’t made for permanent bird housing but still, many people might want to get them in the end. These include breeding cages, travel cages, and an outdoor aviary.

Vivohome Breeding Bird Cage

The reason why this is primarily a breeding cage is because of the nesting box doors it features and a divider that can easily separate the birds if they’re ever fighting. You certainly can use it as an indoor cage but the interior will be too short.

It sits on a stand that takes out 50% of its actual height. Each cage has its own entrance and comes with its own feeding entrances and perches. the stand features wheels and a storage wire grid for storing supplies and extras.

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Gatycallaty Backpack Bird Cage

This cage for budgie can’t be used for nothing but traveling. It’s actually a backpack carrier that can double as a regular carrier. The front and sides feature fabric mesh that allows for air to come through, making it well ventilated.

The front mesh area can be covered to make the interior block light so that the bird can sleep and be unbothered by outside stimulation. It features one perch and two clip-on bowls. It does come with a toy additionally

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Pawhut Aviary Bird Cage

This is actually an aviary which is a bigger version of a flight cage that allows your birds to meet their daily exercise needs fully. It has a hexagon shape so you can place more perches more efficiently inside due to the 6 corners.

It does not come with any accessories though but you can fully customize it and with much ease since it has a huge double door that allows you to access it fully. It’s only meant for outdoor use since it doesn’t feature a bottom and because of its size.

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Budgies In Homes And As Pets

Are Budgies Easy To Look After?

If acquired at a young age, a budgie will be easy to tame. They’re very lovable and affectionate and do well with other birds so they are considered an excellent starter birds. Generally speaking, smaller birds are better for beginners than large birds are.

How Can I Tell If My Parakeet Is Happy?

The signs of happiness are chirping, clicking, whistling, and chattering. They’ll eat frequently, play, groom, and be very social. If you’re noticing that all of this behavior is missing, it’s a sign of an unhappy bird.

Is It Better To Have 2 Budgies Or 1?

Budgies will get along very well with other members of their species (and with other small birds) but if you get a second one, they might not bond with you as well as you’d like. A second budgie is a great option if you are very busy or at work all day.

Do Budgies Need To Fly Around?

Even if you’re purchasing a flight cage, your parakeet needs to spend some time out of its cage every day. You don’t have to play with them constantly but they should be monitored in a bird-proof household to avoid potential injuries.

Do Budgies Like Being Sprayed With Water?

Budgies like to clean themselves and they’ll certainly consider it fun to be sprayed with a water bottle once in a while. It can also help refresh them if it’s just too hot which is important since they are highly sensitive to extreme temperature changes.

Do Budgies Like Music?

Instead of music, budgies like a steady and predictable repeating beat. That’s why they enjoy classical, r&b, and pop music most. They also respond better to gentle vocals.

Do Budgies Like Ladders?

As budgies love to climb, ladders and shelves are great alternative toys to get inside the cage. Many manufacturers offer their cages with ladders and shelves already built into the cage.

Do Budgies Talk?

It is surprising to many that budiges can actually talk. In fact, they can talk better than some larger parrots that are known for their ability to talk. It can take several weeks up to 2 months to get your budgie to talk but when they do, they’re known to have a large vocabulary of up to 100 words or more.

Do Budgies Fly Away?

A tames parakeet won’t usually fly away and in the case it happens, they won’t get too far since they’re likely to stop from being too tired. If it happens, a way to handle it is to say a few of their facourite words and see if they respond. If that’s the case, carefully put your hand out for them to perch on it.

How Much Does A Budgie Cost?

Budgies are probably the cheapest type of bird you can buy. This and the fact that they’re relatively easy to take care of makes them very appealing and a popular pet. You’ll be looking at a price of $10 to $35 depending on the breeder or pet shop.

Can I House Budgies With Birds Of Different Species?

You certainly can but it will be limited to housing them with other small bird species like cockatiels, lovebirds, parrotlets, and finches. The reason why is that bigger birds are very teritorial and are likely to bully the small parakeet.

DIY Parakeet Cage

Larger bird cages will be harder to make and since this is a small bird,  if you want to take on a fun project, you can easily make your budgie a cage from simple and cheap materials.

The things you’ll need: Flatwood bars 1” x 0.5”, 2 x plywood underlayment 4′ x 4′, steel hardware cloth, plexiglass, screws, and tools.

1. The top is the first thing to be made. It’ll be 4ft long and 2ft deep. Take your flat wood bars and cut them down to size. connect two pieces, make a pilot hole and then screw them in.
2. Repeat the process for the sides, front and back, On the back, you’ll want to glue or screw in the plywood underlayment. You’ll do the same for the top of the cage
3. The bottom back and side walls are going to feature double wood bars so that the front gets elevated and can fit a cleaning tray below.
4. You can place two wooden panels on the bottom of the sides. Then, cover the sides with a hardware cloth and staple them.
5. You can make a small frame that will fit inside to use as a tray if you’d like. Do it the same as you did making the frame of the cage.
6. Screw-in another wooden bar in the front that will split the cage into two equal parts.
7. Make the door frame using wooden bars that’ll fit one split side of the front.
8. Install your plexiglass sheet on one side and install door hinges on the door frame, connect them to the frame and you’re done.
9. If you want to, you can paint the cage pieces (except for the plexiglass) with bird-safe paint first.