Many bird owners find it hard to tell if their budgies are lonely. Budgies can certainly get lonely because they are social animals. But it takes time to know if a budgie is lonely. Can budgies die of loneliness? I wrote this article to answer this question.
Do Budgies Feel Lonely?
Yes, a budgie can feel lonely, especially if the budgie lives alone. Budgies are much better off in pairs. Budgies love interacting and playing with other budgies, and they also love the attention they get from their owners. That is why it takes time and effort to keep a solo budgie happy.
Can Budgies Die of Loneliness?
Budgies may or may not die from loneliness. A budgie can die from loneliness if the budgie stops eating and self-mutilates itself. If your budgie stops eating, it loses weight and suffers nutritional deficiencies, which increases the risk of death. Also, a budgie can die from self-inflicted injuries.
Do not let your budgies go without food for several days. Budgies can only go without food for 48-72 hours before they become sick.
Loneliness can also affect your budgie’s mental and physical health. It is difficult for budgies to deal with loneliness. They require attention. That is why budgies are happy and strive better in pairs. A lonely budgie is an unhealthy budgie!
Why Do Budgies Feel Lonely?
In the wild, budgies thrive well in flocks because they are social animals. So, budgies build strong bonds with other birds of the same species and their owners. Once you get a budgie, the budgie becomes deeply attached to your family and home and bonds to you. That is why your budgie gets lonely when no one is at home.
The following are some of the reasons your budgie feels lonely.
1. Lack of Attention
Budgies need the attention of their human friends. It is just difficult for a budgie to live happily without proper attention. As a pet bird owner, show love and care to your budgie. Spend quality time with your budgie, especially during the day.
Do not ignore your budgie if you want your bird to be happy.
2. Changing the Position of the Cage
Budgies need a lot of entertainment, and they can get used to certain places in your home. Moving the cage to a quiet and darker room can make the budgie lonely. Put the cage near your windows, where your budgie can see outside. Place the cage in the right place in your home can make your budgie feel happy.
3. One Budgie Dies
Many bird owners usually adopt two budgies. The two budgies will build a strong bond over the years. Unfortunately, one of these budgies might die suddenly. It is difficult for the remaining budgie to cope with the death of their close friend and companion. The remaining budgie will feel lonely.
4. Losing their Favorite Toy
It is easy to assume only humans can have favorite toys. You might have seen children crying because they couldn’t find their favorite toy. The same thing can happen to your budgie. Budgies love playing with their toys, and they can get attached to some of these toys. If a budgie loses one of its favorite toys, it becomes sad and lonely.
Is My Budgie Lonely?
It is really hard to know if a budgie is lonely, especially during the first few days. It can take time to see the physical signs of loneliness in your budgie. Lonely budgies usually have a poor quality of life, which you do not want for your feathery friend. If you have two budgies, they can still get lonely.
Here is how to know if your budgie is lonely:
Loss of Appetite
One big sign of loneliness in budgies is the loss of appetite. It is easy to spot this one. You will notice that your budgie eats less food or does not eat its food. If your budgie stops eating, do not force it to eat the food. Take it your avian vet for a checkup.
Stops Singing
Budgies are very active. They can spend several hours talking, dancing, and singing with their owners and other budgies. Once a budgie becomes lonely, it stops singing. It does not show any signs of happiness. You will see your bird just sitting there. This is when your feathery friend needs you the most. Spend time and encourage your budgie to sing.
Plucks Its Feathers
Budgies can pluck their feathers for several reasons. If you see your budgie plucking its feathers, take it to your local avian vet. If it is not a medical condition, your budgie might be lonely. Some budgies pluck their feathers out of loneliness, especially if they are not getting enough attention from their owners. Give your budgie more attention.
Your Budgie Hides
Lonely budgies usually hide from their owners. These budgies are usually sad, especially after one of their friend dies. It is hard for a budgie to deal with the loss of a companion. If you see your budgie trying to hide in its cage, just know your bird is sad and lonely. The bird usually tries to hide when you approach the cage.
However, new budgies hide because of fear. Do not conclude your budgie is lonely, especially if you recently adopted the bird. Your budgie needs time to feel comfortable around you. So, do not rush your budgie. It can even bite as you try to touch it. Give the bird enough time to get used to you and your home.
Self-Mutilation
Some sad and lonely budgies not only pluck their feathers but they can also chew on their skin. These budgies can cause serious injuries to themselves. Can budgies die of loneliness? This is usually the main reason budgies die from loneliness. Budgies can die from self-inflicted injuries. Because they can dig deep into their muscles and bones.
If this happens, rush your budgie to a local avian veterinarian. The avian vet can fit your budgie with the recovery cones, which prevent the budgie from causing more harm to itself. This gives you and the avian pet enough to know what is wrong with your bird.
Biting
Some budgies usually bite due to stress and fear. If you just adopt your first budgie, your bird might bite you to protect itself. Lonely budgies usually have a lot of stress and they want to be left alone. If you try to touch your lonely budgie, it might bite you.
However, some budgies can bite because they are hurting. They may have an injury. If you try to touch the bird, it might bite you because it feels pain. Do not assume your bird is lonely. Have a complete veterinary examination to ensure your budgie is healthy and that no underlying medical conditions are causing the new behavior.
How Can I Make My Lonely Budgie Happy?
A single budgie usually becomes lonely, especially if you are not giving your bird enough attention and playing time. If you cannot afford to keep two budgies or if you just prefer having one budgie in your home, you must make your budgie happy. It is your duty to keep your budgie happy. I highly encourage you to spend more time with your budgie.
Here is how you can make your lonely budgie happy:
Buy a Bigger Cage
Budgies love flying, so they need enough space in their cages to fly around. It is difficult to keep a budgie safe inside your home, especially if you have several family pets. That is why you need to get a big cage for your budgie. Your budgie will have enough space to fly around inside the cage.
Get More Toys
Once you get a bigger cage, you can now fill your cage with several toys. Just know that your budgie might stop playing with some of these toys, so get different types of toys.
When a budgie stops playing with some toys, replace these toys with new ones. In the future, your budgie will still play with the same toys. But you need to thoroughly clean and disinfect the toys before returning them into the cage.
Daily Exercises
If you cannot afford several toys, take your budgie outside and teach your budgie new tricks. You do not want your budgie sitting in the cage all day. The budgie will become lonelier. However, your budgie will be happy to play and fly outside. You MUST supervise your pet bird while outside because other animals might attack it.
Tame Your Budgie
Taming your budgie can help you bond with your budgie. Once your budgie becomes close to you and bonds to you, it becomes happy as long as you are giving it a good amount of time and love. Your budgie will tolerate you, and it might start eating from your hands. Your budgie will stop being lonely.
If you are serious about taming a budgie and want your budgie to bond to you, you should only have one budgie. It is hard to bond with several budgies at the same time. Your budgies will bond with each other, so they might ignore you.
If you can spend QUALITY TIME with your budgie, you will tame it and it will bond to you.
Final Thoughts
I wrote this article to answer this question; Can budgies die of loneliness? Budgies can die of loneliness if you neglect them. To prevent your budgies from dying of loneliness, monitor your budgie, and make sure your budgie eats enough food and does not hurt itself.
However, it is not easy to make a single budgie happy. If you cannot spend quality time with your budgie, it can become lonely. If you do not have enough time to spend with your budgie, I highly encourage you to get more than one budgie.
