“‘And finally, Bungy the budgie has found a novel way of keeping cool this summer. Bungy, who lives at the Five Feathers in Barnsley, has learned to water-ski!’… Harry opened his eyes again. If they had reached water-skiing budgerigars, there was nothing else worth hearing.”

These lines might sound familiar from J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.” What do you think budgerigars mean? Since this is coming from a Harry Potter book, perhaps an exotic wizarding-spell or some sort of weird half-breed from the wizarding world?

Well, the answer is none of the above!

The budgerigar, more commonly known as the budgie, is actually a somewhat common household pet. For those who love science, the scientific name is Melopsitticus Undulatus. The budgie is a small parakeet, whose origins trace back to Australia. I happen to own 3 of these cute little pet birds myself, and I absolutely adore them.

I adopted my budgies on January 7, 2017, at my local PetSmart. Budgies are the most common pet bird in the entire world due to their many great features. You can find a budgie at almost any pet store, and they cost between $25 to $30, making them quite affordable.

If you are allergic to fur and hair and you, unfortunately, can’t get that hairless Siamese Cat, then you are in luck! Budgies are hypoallergenic and usually don’t cause allergies to ramp up. However, they do need a nice and comfortable cage with an abundance of perches and toys that will keep them busy.

Once you train your budgies, they are quite friendly! I have an open-play top cage, with food bowls and ladders. Every morning, before 8:30, I open up my birds and they climb to the top of their cage and enjoy! Although many bird owners clip their bird’s wings, I have never done so and never will. Wings are what makes a bird, and clipping them deprives your bird of its freedom.

When my birds fly around my house and room (which they do many, many, times in a day), they often return right back to their cage location! If they don’t, I have them hop onto my finger, and I bring them back to their enclosure. It is important for your bird to exercise and get flight so that they can stay fit and healthy.

All budgies are beautifully blissful, and if you are looking for your next pet, maybe you have found the right one! Leave a comment to this article if you own a budgie or another type of pet bird!