I'm back. He he! I am adding more info because it didn't fit into the other post. I think I just like to talk too much.

Anyhow. Do not purchase a bird form a pet store that has filthy cages and dirty water. These birds most likely are sick and may have mites. You should not rescue a sick bird from a store because you could end up bringing something home you don't want to as well as having to see your new birdie die, which is even worse.

Birds are prone to lice and feather mites as well as scaly face mites. You can buy cage protectors from your local pet store. These are round disks that you hang on the outside of the cage to protect the birds from lice and feather mites.

If you notice a bird with crust on it's beak do not purchase it because it most likely has scaly face mites. This can be tragic to the bird if not treated. It causes the beak to be deformed and if not treated the bird will die of starvation. This is also easily treated with Ivermectin. Ivermectin is an anti mite solution that is applied to the jugular vein located on the neck of the bird. With about three doses and a beak trim it should clear up.

I won't spend anymore time about diseases as this covers the more likely ones. However if you would like to know more let me know.

Now I will talk a little more about the food a budgie needs. Along with the pelleted feed and the occasional seed treat you must also provide fresh fruits and veggies at least 3 times a week. I give my birds green leaf lettuce, collard greens, sunflower seeds, scrambled eggs (sounds grose that they are eating another bird but this is very good for them), millet sprays, honey sticks, blueberries, apple, mango, and grapes. Be careful not to feed too many grapes as this can cause diarrhea.

Budgies do not need gravel if they are fed a pelleted diet. You can give them some oyster shells as a source of calcium also. This is critical for hens if they are breeding.

During the time they molt they can get ill easily. I give mine a formula for birds that are in molt called VitaFlight. YOu should be able to find this at your local pet store also.

You will most likely not have any of these health problems if your budgie is well cared for. If you keep his cage clean (change food and water daily, paper daily and completely scrub out once a week) feed the right foods, have yearly exams at your vet etc. then you should have a healthy and happy new friend that will live fairly long. I hope this info helps and if you have any more ?s then just ask. If you want to know how to switch a birds diet from seeds to pellets let me know. Cya!