Budgie / Parakeet Care Sheet
Incubation figures, feeding by life stage, and the things that actually go wrong with this species — on one page.
Read the full budgie / parakeet breeding guide →- Incubation
- 18 days
- Incubator
- 99.3–99.5°F
- Humidity
- 50–55%
- Lockdown
- 65–75%
Budgie / Parakeet Incubation
Forced-air figures. A still-air incubator runs about 101–102°F measured at the top of the egg — setting 99.5°F at the wrong height is one of the most common causes of a full-term chick that never pips.
| Where | Temperature | Humidity |
|---|---|---|
| Incubator | 99.3–99.5°F · 37.4–37.5°C | 50–55% |
| Last 3 days | unchanged — stop turning | 65–75% |
| Breeding room | 65–80°F · 18–27°C | 40–60% |
Arid-zone Australian birds — the adults handle dry air well, but the eggs do not. Below about 35% humidity you see more dead-in-shell and chicks that cannot pip because the membrane has dried and toughened.
The honest check on humidity is not the hygrometer — it is the scale. An egg should lose roughly 13–15% of its lay weight by the time it pips. Too little loss means the air is too wet; too much means too dry.
Feeding Budgie / Parakeets
What the diet should be day to day, and what changes when a pair goes down to breed.
Every day
Pellets for roughly 60–70% of intake, with a quality small-parrot seed mix alongside. Millet spray is a treat, not a food group.
Fresh food
Dark leafy greens, grated carrot, broccoli, capsicum, and sprouted seed a few times a week.
While breeding
Cuttlebone and a mineral block available at all times — a laying hen strips calcium fast. Add soft egg food two or three times a week and increase sprouted seed.
Feeding chicks
Egg food daily while there are chicks in the box, plus constant calcium. Parents will take far more soft food than usual.
What goes wrong with budgie / parakeets
- An all-seed diet is the single most common cause of obesity and fatty tumours (lipomas) in budgies.
- Calcium shortage in a laying hen leads to egg binding, which is an emergency.
- Avocado, chocolate, caffeine, alcohol and onion are toxic.
Budgie / Parakeet Colour Mutations
The 8 mutations you are most likely to meet, and how each one is passed on. Every bird below is an illustration of that mutation, not a photograph of a specific bird.
Blue
Recessive
Removes yellow pigment (psittacin), turning green to blue
Violet
Dominant
Deepens blue to violet. Best visual on single dark factor cobalt
Ino
Sex-linked
Removes all melanin. Lutino (green series) or Albino (blue series)
Dark Factor
Incomplete dominant
One copy = Dark Green/Cobalt, two copies = Olive/Mauve
Recessive Pied
Recessive
Large clear patches, typically no iris ring
Yellowface
Recessive
Adds yellow to blue series birds. Type I stays on face, Type II spreads to body
Greywing
Recessive
Gray wing markings with diluted body color
Dilute
Recessive
Dilutes body color to a paler shade
Want to see what a pairing of two of these would throw? Try the free genetics calculator — it draws every predicted chick.
General guidance used by breeders, not veterinary advice. Conditions vary by climate, setup and individual bird — watch your birds first and consult an avian vet for anything health-related.
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