7 Ways You Can Encourage Budgies to Breed Explained!

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Do you know what’s better than having one budgie? A colony of budgies. There’s something fascinating about watching them grow from chicks to colorful budgerigars. But it is not easy. You have to encourage the pairs to mate and eventually lay eggs. 

Unlike dogs or cats, budgies are selective and picky when it comes to breed. And, if you are new to this hobby, I know how confused and concerned you are.

This article is my attempt to help fellow budgie keepers who are trying to get the budgies to mate and lay healthy eggs. So, keep reading.

Here Are 7 Ways To Encourage Budgies To Breed

1. Spray Water Into The Cage Frequently

October to March is the perfect mating time for budgies. But if you live in Australia, the season is more suitable during July and August. The consistency of rain in the forests during this time is one of the major causes.

The quality of grass (a major food source) improves significantly during monsoon. So, naturally, budgies feel the most compelled to participate in breeding.

Since your pet budgies have little idea what the weather is like in the forests, you have to help them. Spraying some water every day for a few times will do the trick. It gives the illusion of a monsoon/rainy season.

I recommend using lukewarm water. It will create a misty environment inside the cage. Also, take notes of their responses. Only continue if the budgies enjoy the mist. 

2. Create A Calm & Relaxing Environment

Does noise always surround your pet budgies? It is unavoidable if your kids play or watch TV in the same room.

In fact, I have seen budgie keepers talk to their pets constantly. It’s a good thing that you are trying to interact with them. However, when they are trying to mate, the noise and human interruption are big problems.

It will distract them, slowing down your chance of having a bigger budgie family.

So, the most logical thing would be to transfer the cage to a quieter room or area inside the house. Leave them be for a while. Just make sure the cage has constant food and water supply.

3. Leave The Pair Alone

Budgie pairs show a great deal of love before entering the “nest.” You will catch them preening, kissing, and feeding each other. It’s an important bonding experience encouraging the female to enter the nest box.

But it’s often hard for a pair to bond if 2 or 3 pairs live inside a colony cage. The male might be jumping from one female budgie to another without building a strong bond with anyone. That creates chaos inside the cage and needless to say, a lot of competition and jealousy.

So, if you see a pair liking each other, separate them from the colony for a few days.

Suppose you have 3 pairs. Separate the pairs that you think have potential. Now, place each pair into smaller cages. Being separated from the colony, the pair will have enough time to bond with each other. After a few days, transfer them inside the cage again. This time, you will see, there’s no confusion regarding who will mate with whom. The pairs are sorted. It will encourage the new pairs to start “mating.”

4. Create Visual Barriers Between Each Cage

When you are trying to encourage mating, it’s good to transfer potential pairs in cages outside the colony.

However, if the new cages have no visual barrier, the quarantined birds might still interact with the colony as before. It will ruin the purpose.

So, to make the pair focus on each other, I suggest adding some visual barriers around the cage. Use cardboard pieces or plain paper. 

5. Provide Nutritious Meals (Protein & Calcium)

Are you only giving store-bought seed mix to your budgies? Then, the lack of nutrition in millets might be discouraging your budgies to breed. Even in nature, budgies don’t mate until nutritious food is abundant.

Unfortunately, seed mix should only occupy 20% of your budgie’s diet. Even though seeds are a good source of protein and fiber, they also need minerals, enzymes, and probiotics.

Here I have listed an ideal food and nutrition chart below.

Type of Food: Seed-mix Major Nutrients: Plant-based protein, fiber & fat Share In Diet (%): 20% Examples: Sesame seeds, oat goat, sunflower seeds, flax seeds, canary seeds, red & white millets, and niger seeds

Type of Food: Egg-mix Major Nutrients: Protein Share In Diet (%): 40% Examples: Shredded boiled egg and boiled rice

Type of Food: Leafy-Greens Major Nutrients: Vitamins, fiber, probiotics Share In Diet (%): 40% Examples: Zucchini, parsley, kale, carrot, green bell paper, apple slices, iceberg lettuce, etc

Type of Food: Mineral blocks Major Nutrients: Calcium & Iodine Share In Diet (%): – Examples: Iodine block, Cattle fish bone

6. Create A Breeding Nest Next To The Cage

Having a nest is crucial. Otherwise, no matter how lovey-dovey the birds get, the female budgie will refuse to mate. It’s simply because the female bird wants to make sure there’s safe space to lay eggs.

In the wild, male budgies have to create a strong and comfy nest to attract females. The latter will use its beaks to check the sturdiness of the nest and then decide whether to mate or not. Now, it’s your duty.

You can use cardboard to build a small box that would fit a pair. Make sure to add holes on the front or top of the box. While attaching the nest to your budgie cage, the entrance should align with the nest hole. Or, if you find it too complicated, just place the nest inside the cage altogether. If the cage is spacious, you can easily do that.

7. Make Sure The Cage Has Sufficient Sunlight

Do your budgies have access to daylight? You see, natural sunlight is the best source of vitamin D. This particular vitamin ensures hormonal balance and healthy feathers.

But most importantly, vitamin D helps in the absorption of calcium. That means your calcium dose should be complemented by regular sunlight or vitamin D. Otherwise, the calcium won’t do what you want it to (strengthen their bodies to produce eggs).

What worked for me was placing the cage on the balcony. That way, the budgies easily got 10-12 hours of daily sunlight. But if it’s usually too hot in your area, place the budgies in a room with a window. That way, you can control the entry of sunrays in the room.

Finally, you’ve reached the end of the article. I hope these 7 effective strategies mentioned above will help you to encourage your budgies to breed.