Know anybody who keeps these in cages in their homes? I don't know anybody who does have one although I'm sure they used to be quite common years ago.

Hit me when I was in Oz to see them flying around naturally in total freedom rather than cooped up in a cage.

Madlh100 has got two.

can't understand how anybody would derive pleasure from a caged bird tbh....and,as an aside,that incessant chirping would seriously get on my tits

birds in cages is mad cruel.

Saw this and felt obliged to post the lyrics to a delightful song originally penned by the late, great Ian Dury:

Poor Joey

I'm Joey the Budgie, I'm a boy or a girl
I'm probably the most typical caged bird in the world
In Cranham or Hounslow I sit on my perch
Old Mother Nature's left me right in the lurch

This is my routine: first I ponder and peck
I look in the mirror and I shit on the deck
I try to fly, I bang my head
I think of something creative instead

I ruffle my feathers and have a good scratch
Spend at least half an hour trying to undo my catch
It's not as though I want to be filleted by an owl
But I've got to fight this awful situation somehow

Poor Joey *who's a pretty boy then?*
Poor Joey
Poor Joe
Poor Joey
A bundle of joy then
Poor Joey *hello!*

How the ruddy hell does she expect me to speak
With half a ton of cuttlefish stuck in my beak?
I go into a moody, disdainfully preen
And just to upset her mutter something obscene

I appreciate the difficulties of owning a pet
Speaking as a budgie, it's like Russian Roulette
I was bred for the purpose and I shouldn't complain
I know you'll forgive me when I sing this refrain

Poor Joey *she's a right bastard!*
Poor Joey
Poor Joe
Poor Joey
Every Christmas they try to get me plastered
Poor Joey *hello!*

Don't think they're as common pets as they used to be a few decades ago.

Maybe you should take it up with Geoff Capes?

My Grandparent's budgie died a few weeks ago at the old age of 15. He was kept in a cage most of his life. I know he used to come out but as he got older I think he stopped (considering the average age for a budgie is about 8 years he really was old by the end).

I've got a Lovebird that is in a cage. Whenever I'm home I open the cage doors so he can come out and fly around to his heart’s content. But he's only young (about 5 months) and I've only had him for a few weeks so he doesn’t like coming out yet (or more to the point I don't think he likes being chased around and (delicately) man handled back into his cage when I want to go to bed)

Budgie smugglers are worse - no need for these in the modern world - not now primark sell cheap long shorts

I've got one but I don't keep him in his cage. His door is left open all day and he's only locked in overnight for his own safety. He voluntarily goes back to his cage at night when the TV is turned off. I've had him for nearly seven years now.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rP1q5ierKVQ

There's a couple more on there somewhere.

I agree that people that only let them out for an hour or so each day are being cruel. On the other hand those that at least have the freedom of a house or large room are happy enough that the benefit to the species as a whole (by making them popular) offsets the fact. The truth is probably that if it weren't for the desire by some of us to keep them as pets the species would still be restricted to Australia and might even be under threat.

As it is you can find budgies in pretty much any country in the world - quite a few have even escaped and established their own colonies. Their status as one of the most popular avian pets has probably helped assure the future of their species.

Edit:And yes - they might only have fairly quiet voices but they are loud enough to interfere with TV and be very irritating. It's made worse by the fact that they love to be shouted at - it's their idea of a great game

I love the little bugger but sometimes he really winds me up - especially if he thinks he's being ignored.

I have a budgie, he's not caged up all day though. His door is open all day and shut at night so he's free to go in and out as he likes and fly around

my mother used to have two when we were teenagers, called rosie and sam, they then had sex before they were both matured, causing rosie to fit and both budgies to fall to the bottom of the cage and break their necks...it was a total budgie disaster...feathers everywhere. weirdest pet story ever.

It's interesting how mine has changed over the years.

At first he didn't want anything to do with my hands.
Then he would use my hands as a convenient perch if it suited him.
Then he realised they could save him the bother of flying.

Up to this point if I picked anything up he'd fly off squawking but generally if I offered him my finger he'd more often than not fly over or hop on. Not always but mostly.

Then about 18 months ago (around 5 years old) something in his brain clicked. If I picked anything up he wanted in on it. It took another six months before I finally trained him not to run around on my laptop keyboard when I was trying to use it.

At the same he started flying to me without being asked. For the past six months he basically stays by my side. He'll sometimes fly off to a favourite toy for half an hour but he'll soon be back. Worst of all he sometimes does unspeakable things to my hand. Quite funny really. Trying to throw him off is pretty futile. You've never seen how fast a budgie can turn and fly back to his perch until you've tried to interrupt his amorous advances

As for the hands - it's actually an indication of some intelligence. He has always preferred to be behind my hands. He very obviously knows which way they curl and has worked out it's best to stay on the other side

doesn't he leave little deposits everywhere ?

that must have been some mofo orgasm

Yeah but they are fairly small, soon dry and generally are around their favourite perching spots. Stick a few tissues or cloths underneath and it's sorted.

It's only a problem for hands and shoulders for me. I've tried to train the little sod not to do it by throwing him off when he does it. Unfortunately all I've achieved is a budgie that craps on me and flies off. But generally budgie crap is easily dealt with once it dries. It rarely stains.

is that down to a budgie's diet then,as if a seagull takes a dump on your car bonnet,and you don't spot it,it can taint quite badly ?

This is the story of a young bird who lived in the great Australian Outback. His name was Jonathan Livingston Budgerigar. One day, when Jonathan Livingston Budgerigar was musing in his philosophical peregrinations (because his underpants were in the wash), he chanced, philosophically and in theory, at least, on an entirely new way of cracking open millet seed without removing the husk. This, thought young Jonathan Livingston Budgerigar, was an entirely wonderful and new flap-forward for budgerigardom! So, he went to the leader of the flock, who was an old Galah, and begged to be given the opportunity to try out this wondrous new method. The old Galah looked fair in Jonathan Livingston Budgerigar's eyes, and he said:

(Sung)
Jonathan Livingston Budgerigar,
Who the bloody hell do you think you are?
You're just a stupid-looking budgerigar,
And all this philosophy won't get you far!

(Spoken)
Jonathan was somewhat miffed at this, and he begged and pleaded to be given the opportunity to try out this wondrous new method of cracking open millet seed without removing the husk, and since this is an Australian story after all, the old Galah said: "We'll give him A FAIR GO!" So, they left young Jonathan Livingston Budgerigar on top of a tall gum tree in the great Australian outback, with a 4-lb. bag of Golden Cob Millet Seed. If, when the old Galah and the other birds returned in a week's time, the 4-lb bag of Golden Cob Millet Seed was untouched, the young Jonathan Livingston Budgerigar would have proved his point in being able to exist on a more spiritual plane!

So the flock flew away! They flew even further! (Musical flying noises)
One week later, the flock returned. (Musical flying noises reverso)

AND THERE WAS NO SIGN OF JONATHAN LIVINGSTON BUDGERIGAR!
Not only that, but untouched by the foot of the tall gum tree was the 4-lb. bag of Golden Cob Millet Seed, still sealed with the personal imprint of the old Galah, a secret little white mark that only he knew! "Stone the crows!" said the old Galah, in a spirit of friendly rivalry, "What if young Jonathan has actually zapped off into an entirely new time-and-space continuum?"

But no. This was not so, for suddenly, almost hidden by that bag of Golden Cob Millet Seed, they found the rotting, mouldering, corpse of Jonathan Livingston Budgerigar.

The silly little bugger had starved to death! The old Galah looked down at the remains of this... amateur Aristotle, and he said:

(Sung)
Jonathan Livingston Budgerigar,
Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha, Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha,
Told you your philosophy wouldn't get you far.
To get on in this world, you have to be... a Galah!

But had it occured to you that some budgies might not want to leave their cages and some budgies can be downright psychopaths.

Know how you feel. But at least you have a better chance of winning an arguement with a budgie than you have against a cat.
Had a budgie myself once and itwas a vicious little **** who used to set traps by messing about with her ladder and sit by the cage door and wait for somebody to put the ladder back then bite their finger (Somehow, it decided that fingers're for biting instead of sitting on) or sit by the cage door and wait for somebody to change it's water bottle or get it's food tray and BITE!!!!

I've got two budgies. They are out til about 9pm these days. 6pm in winter.

we have one, his cage is open from 6pm every night, but it's not until about 9pm he decides to come out for a flutter, unless you bring him out on your finger

he's a lover of "thumb fights"
sitting in your dinner to taste whatever sauce/gravy you have on there
crisps (and if you don't give him a bit, he'll sit on your head, slide down your face & peck your eyebrow)

sometimes he decides to have a fight with the dog too...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2d5rONCQrSc

Don't know. I'm glad though

Ah well that's the female of the species for you. Behaviour is a good way to be sure about their sex along with the colour of the skin above their beak.
[LIST][*]Females are bossy and can be bad tempered. They think that biting is a useful way to communicate and best done properly.[*]Males are good natured and gormless. Almost never bite and usually change it into a lick to show there's no hard feelings.[/LIST]
Nothing at all like humans

Actually in one respect they aren't - the males are much better and more willing talkers. Beekle can 'say' over a dozen words now. My favourites are 'Pillock' and 'Ploppy bottom'

As for thumb fights - yeah. That's how mine started. If you're easily embarrassed you shouldn't encourage them

Our first budgie was a girl, a right moody little madam she was too. Liked to bite as you say and never talked. Originally she'd fly around the room to various places then fly back, but over the years she got lazier and would only climb on top of the cage to see the mirror.
Eventually she just sat in her cage and did nothing until she grew some sort of tumour and had to be put down.

We've got a boy now who chats away like nothing else. Isn't too good at flying yet though.