Budgies are one of the least expensive domesticated bird species in the world. However, no matter what, there is a certain amount of money that you must spend while buying a budgie. In addition, there will be food, equipment, and veterinary costs that you have to pay monthly and annually.
Normal (small-sized) budgies cost between $15 and $40 per budgie in 2022. Besides, there are some necessities that you need to buy with the budgie such as food, cage, perches, toys, cuttlefish bone, and mineral block. The total upfront cost you have to pay when purchasing a budgie is between $200 and $500.
| Item | Cost for Normal Budgies | Cost for English Budgies |
|---|---|---|
| Budgie itself | $15-$40 | $55-$100 |
| Cage | $75-$100 | $85-$100 |
| Cage stand | $50-$100 | $50-$100 |
| Perches | $15-$100 | $15-$100 |
| Food & treats | $20-$30 | $20-$30 |
| Dishes, Feeders | $10-$15 | $10-$15 |
| Toys | $10-$150 | $10-$150 |
| Cuttlefish bone | $5-$10 | $5-$10 |
| Mineral block | $7-$17 | $7-$17 |
| Total cost | $207-$562 | $257-$622 |
* The table above has been prepared and updated based on current prices. You can also reduce the cost of owning a budgie by buying only one-time essentials such as the budgie itself, a cage, a perch, food and water feeders, and food.
Keep in mind that normal and American budgies are smaller than English and show budgies. Small size and large size budgies have price differences. English budgies and show budgies (exhibition budgies) need larger cages and higher purchase costs.
When buying a budgie for the first time, there are one-time essentials such as a cage, perch, and food and water feeders that you must purchase with it. Besides, it is very difficult to manage with the materials at home without purchasing the one-time essentials.
Owning Cost—What is the Average Price to Buy a Budgie?
Budgies are a type of budgerigar that is fed in almost every country in the world. The price varies according to the type and rarity of the budgie. A normal budgie costs between $15 and $40, while an English budgie is priced between $55 and $100.
Show and Rare Budgies Cost
Show budgies are often priced high as they often have rare mutations and special varieties. They can have prices ranging from $100 to $5,000.
Rare budgies, on the other hand, can still find buyers from $100 to $10,000. This price is usually directly proportional to the rarity of the mutation the budgie has. Extremely rare budgies, such as anthracite budgies, are sometimes not even for sale.
A rare budgie can be both a small-sized budgie and a large-sized budgie. The rarity is related to the rarity of the mutation or the coexistence of mutations in the same budgie.
Cage, Cage Stand, and Cage Upkeeping Cost
Budgie cages are one of the items that should be purchased with the budgie for captive budgies. They typically have price tags between $75 and $100.
A budgie cage usually has hardly any maintenance and hygiene costs, but you still may have to pay a few dollars for cleaning equipment to clean it.
Some budgie owners also prefer to buy specially designed cage stands for budgie cages. Budgies cage stands, which are usually bought for decoration purposes, are usually not necessary. If you still want to purchase a budgie cage stand, this will be added to your initial purchase cost.
Food Cost
A budgie-friendly diet contains 10% protein, 25% greens, fruits, vegetables, and 65% seeds. That’s why when it comes to feeding budgies, there are budgie foods that you need to buy both when you first buy your budgie and continuously thereafter.
The price you pay for the budgie food you buy with your budgie is between $20 and $30, and also you may constantly pay between $5 and $10 each month for budgie food.
Even if you give the vegetables, fruits, and greens that you already have in your home to your budgie, you need to buy budgie foods such as seeds and pellets in addition to these.
In addition, there is a wide variety of treats specially prepared for budgies. But keep in mind that a budgie fed a healthy seed and pellet diet typically does not biologically need special treats. Even if you want to pamper your budgie with special treats, this will be an unnecessary cost.
Essentials Accessories Cost
When buying your budgie for the first time, there are essential accessories such as a cage, a perch, and food and water feeders that you must purchase with it. The essential accessories usually cost between $100 and $200.
Essential accessories are often purchased once for a long time.
Toys Cost
Budgie toys for your budgie usually cost between $10 and $150. Besides, special toys in different markets can have much higher price tags. So, you have to see for yourself how much it costs for toys that you like.
In addition, toys are not required, you can get them at the time of purchase or after the purchase of your budgie.
Remember that budgies and people’s understanding of toys are different from each other. Many items in a house are considered toys by budgies.
Veterinary Care Cost
Even if you think your budgie does not have any health problems, you should take her to the vet from time to time. A budgie should go to the vet every 6 months or at least annually for a full checkup. If you take your budgie to the vet once a year, the fee will be between $25 and $100. Similarly, if you take it to the vet every 6 months, you’ll have to pay vet fees between $50 and $200.
If your budgie needs anesthesia or an x-ray, your vet cost will naturally be much higher. You may have to pay between $50 and $100 for anesthesia and between $150 and $300 for the x-ray.
Monthly Cost
A budgie constantly consumes seeds, pellets, mineral blocks, and cuttlefish bones. Assuming your budgie consumes the mineral blocks and cuttlefish bones every month, it turns out that you need to pay between $30 and $60 for the food, cuttlefish bones, and mineral blocks monthly.
| Item | Cost for Normal Budgies | Cost for English Budgies |
|---|---|---|
| Food & treats | $20-$30 | $20-$30 |
| Cuttlefish bone | $5-$10 | $5-$10 |
| Mineral block | $7-$17 | $7-$17 |
| Total cost | $32-$57 | $32-$57 |
Annual Cost
When calculating the annual expenses you spend on your budgie, we need to add veterinary costs. Budgies should be taken to the vet every 6 months. Each vet visit costs between $25 and $100, and your vet visit costs $50 to $200 per year.
As a result, the annual cost of owning a budgie ranges from $400 to $800, including usual vet visit costs.
| Item | Cost for Normal Budgies | Cost for English Budgies |
|---|---|---|
| Food & treats | $20-$30 * 12 | $20-$30 * 12 |
| Cuttlefish bone | $5-$10 * 12 | $5-$10 * 12 |
| Mineral block | $7-$17 * 12 | $7-$17 * 12 |
| Vet Cost (Every 6 months) | $25-$100 * 2 | $25-$100 * 2 |
| Total cost | $434-$884 | $434-$884 |
What Does the Price of a Budgie Depend on?
Budgie prices vary according to the mutations they have, the mutations they have at the same time, and the rarity of the mutations they have.
Some budgies such as albino budgies, although not rare, are highly sought after by people, so their prices can be high.
In addition, budgerigars that have multiple mutations at the same time, such as rainbow budgies, have become popular in recent years. These budgies have price tags that vary depending on whether they are rare or not in each country.
As for show budgies in particular, these budgies are priced in a very large price range. Show budgies often have rare mutations. In addition, they are desired to be used in breeding budgies. This is why show budgies typically have high price tags.
Budgie Buying and Caring Price Compared to Other Pet Birds
The overall costs of domestic birds vary according to their size. While budgies fall under the category of small-sized birds, there are also medium and large bird categories.
Small-sized birds may need monthly care costs of $20 to $75, medium-sized birds $40 to $100, and large-sized birds between $75 and $150.
| Bird species | Bird Itself Cost | Caring Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Budgies | $15-$40 | $20-$75 |
| Cockatiels | $50-$250 | $40-$100 |
| Canaries | $25-$140 | $20-$75 |
| Finches | $10-$150 | $20-$75 |
| Parrotlets | $80-$350 | $20-$75 |
| Conures | $100-$400 | $40-$100 |
| Doves | $15-$100 | $40-$100 |
| Lories | $300-$1000 | $40-$100 |
| Macaws | $1000-$5000 | $75-$150 |
| Cockatoos | $500-$10000 | $75-$150 |
| African Greys | $500-$2500 | $75-$150 |
What is the Best Age to Buy a Budgie?
If you want to buy a budgie and want to establish a good bond with it, you should definitely buy a baby budgie. Besides, baby budgies will grow up with you and will see you as their best friend.
Why Are Budgies Cheaper Than Other Birds?
Since budgies are quite small in size and have a very high breeding rate, their prices are quite cheap compared to other medium and large domesticated birds.
If you have a healthy male and a female budgie, even you can have budgie chicks in a short time.
How Much Does a Budgie Cost in Different Countries?
Prices of budgies all over the world vary according to the purchasing power of that country. Budgies are sold for $15 to $40 in the US and $5 to $30 in India.
| Country | Average Price |
|---|---|
| US | $15-$40 |
| UK | $15-$40 |
| India | $5-$30 |
| France | $20-$50 |
| China | $10-$50 |
| Brazil | $15-$40 |
| Canada | $15-$40 |
