Budgies Aren't Loud But THIS Might Drive You Insane

A quiet bird is definitely an oxymoron. While all birds make noise, some birds are definitely more bothersome than others. So just how noisy is a budgie?

While budgies are not known for being exceedingly loud birds in comparison to other species, they do tend to make noises incessantly. Budgies love to sing, chatter, and chirp happily, and their constant sounds may be a lot for a peace-seeking budgie owner to handle.

If your budgie’s buzz is bothering you and your brood, you may be in need of a few tips and tricks to help decode his noises and decrease his volume, making life with your boisterous bird more bearable.

First, let’s look at what kinds of sounds you may be hearing from your feathered friend:

Singing – These high-pitched melodic sounds mean your budgie is in a good mood.
Beak Grinding -This sound usually happens when your bird is falling asleep; it’s a sign that he is safe and content.
Clicks and Chirps – These are single sounds that budgies emit when they are happy.
Chattering – This is the most common budgie sound. It is constant and is a mix of multiple kinds of sounds. It goes on and on and is another good indicator of happiness.
Hiss – Budgies sometimes make a noise that sounds like tssssssk. When it is accompanied by an open beak, raised wings, or pecking at another bird’s feet, it’s a sign of anger.
Flock Call – If your budgie misses you, he might give a loud flock call. It presents as a long, urgent kind of call. It sounds similar to a person whistling.

If any or all of those noises sound painfully familiar, here are some tips that may just help you keep your sanity:

1. Get Your Budgie a Feathered Friend

While adding a second bird to reduce the amount of noise in your house may seem counter-intuitive, it can actually be quite helpful.

Often, budgies make noise because they are lonely and craving attention.

Budgies are flock birds, and they prefer to have near-constant company. Budgie owners often find that they cannot provide the amount of attentiveness a budgie requires and so adding another budgie makes perfect sense.

Most budgie owners find that when their beloved bird is no longer feeling friendless, he will take some breaks from his nonstop noise.

If another feathery friend is not in the cards, make sure that you are routinely answering your budgie’s flock calls with a call of your own. This is a good way to reassure your budgie that he is not alone and should at least help to diminish his louder noises.

Still, we always recommend to get at least a second budgie. In most cases, a healthy budgie is a budgie that has company. Read here why!

2. Reward His Silence

It is common for a budgie owner to unknowingly reward their bird’s continual chirping by getting angry and screaming at him to quit his racket. This kind of enraged encounter can scare a budgie and cause him to react even more loudly around his owner due to stress.

A budgie may also think that any loud reprimand is simply a fun, new way of accompanying his chirping, just like any bird in a flock would do. This will only encourage him to keep going with his noise.

Instead of inadvertently encouraging your budgie to make more noise by yelling at him, reward him when you catch him in his quiet moments.

You may notice him sitting quietly on a favorite perch or keeping himself occupied with a favorite toy. Whenever you observe your bird acting in a way that you want him to continue, reinforce him in a positive way.

Consider what reward your bird will respond best to. You may want to give him some time away from his cage, a favorite treat, or a play session with you.

Remember, when your bird makes unwanted noise, you should not show any reaction, but ignore him instead.

3. Change His Environment

If your budgie’s cage is kept in a room of the house that is host to a lot of commotion, he will think that it is his job, as a special part of the flock, to make his voice heard amidst all the noise.

Even a loud television can trigger this instinct. His cage may need to be moved to a calmer part of the house to help him keep quiet.

Make sure that anyone who speaks to your budgie does so in a calm, soothing voice. As long as everyone abides by this rule, the laid – back environment will eventually rub off on him, and he will lower his own voice as well.

If your budgie is already housed in a more isolated part of the house, check out his environment. Have you moved any pictures around? Are there blinds or dark curtains on the windows to keep shadows and headlights from frightening him?

Do you have a vent pointed at him blowing uncomfortable air currents his way?

Pay attention to his environment and try to see things through his eyes, and you may just be surprised at how a small change can make a big difference in the amount of budgie chatter you hear.

4. Give Mental Stimulation with Toys

Budgies are incredibly smart birds who need an enriched environment to be completely content. If your budgie is making endless noises, he may be tired of the daily monotony. Try a few of these toys to occupy his intelligent budgie brain:

Swings – A budgie can make anything hanging from the top of his cage into a swing. A rope, a suspended toy, or a swing made to go over the top bars will provide your bird with hours of entertainment. (We have recently created an article about swings for parrots. In that article we tell you why parrots and parakeets love swings so much and what to look out for when buying a swing for your bird. So if you want some recommendations for a good swing for your budgie, read this article here.)
Climbing Toys – Budgies can be happy climbing special sticks, twisty ladders, ropes made for birds, or more complex budgie gyms.
Bells – Figuring out how to ring a bell is fun for a budgie, and often bells become one of your budgie’s most cherished playthings.
Balls – Budgies love to toss balls around the cage, and a simple ping-pong ball can keep a budgie occupied for hours. If you find a ball with a bell inside, it may just become his new favorite toy.
Multi-sensory Toys – These types of toys will provide stimulation through noise, color, movement and texture all at once. They usually have surfaces to rub or scratch a feathered head against and opportunities to hit or open things with beaks.

Any toys you give your budgie should be kept on a constant rotation so he doesn’t get too bored with one toy. It is recommended that his toys are switched out once a week. Remember, a busy bird is a quiet bird.

If you want to know what kind of toys we exactly recommend, read our budgie toy guide here. We show you 15 toys that are awesome for budgies with the right size, made from non-toxic materials.

5. Beat Boredom Through Tricks

Bored birds tend to make a lot of noise, if only to keep themselves occupied. If you spend a little time each day training your budgie and talking to him, you may be shocked by what he can learn — and how quiet he can be when his mind is focused on other things.

Budgies are known for their amazing ability to learn and repeat words.

In fact, the bird with the biggest vocabulary was a budgie; he could say over 1700 words! If you help your bird with his ability to learn and say words, you may find that you are much happier hearing his quiet talking all day as opposed to his louder chirping and singing.

Besides the ability to talk, budgies also possess a talent for tricks. Budgies can be taught to do somersaults, play budgie basketball, go up ladders and down slides, and even complete miniature agility courses.

Your budgie will enjoy showing off, and you will enjoy the relative silence when he’s otherwise engaged.

6. Ensure Healthy Habits

A budgie requires ten to twelve hours of sleep a night, and if he doesn’t get this, he may chatter more often and at a higher volume than normal throughout the day. Just like with humans, a lack of sleep makes a budgie cranky!

Be sure his cage is covered and his room is quiet when it is your budgie’s bedtime.

Check your budgie’s diet. Make sure he is getting a good-quality pellet food and plenty of leafy greens. If his diet relies too heavily on seeds, it can make him overweight and unhealthy.

It is important that he always have access to fresh water as well. A lack of good food and clean water will lead to a grumpy, complaining budgie.

7. Cover His Cage

As a last resort, some bird experts recommend covering your budgie’s cage when he is noisiest. If he becomes silent right away, remove the cover and reward him at once.

Do not leave his cage covered for any significant length of time, however tempting it may be; remember, prolonged darkness can encourage sleeping during the day which will mean noises all night.

It is extremely important that in the beginning steps of the training that you cover his cage whenever he makes too much noise, without exception.

If you only do it occasionally or when it is convenient, it will bewilder your budgie, making it that much more difficult to obtain the quiet home you are striving for.

Here are thre articles we recommend reading in this regard:

Conclusion

Remember, your budgie will never be a completely silent companion. It is important that budgies be allowed to make noise early in the morning, at noontime, and before bedtime.

In a natural environment, these contact times are essential to a bird’s world and is the main way that they socialize and keep tabs on things around them. This behavior helps keep your pet budgie healthy and happy.

By the way, a lot of people ask us if the budgie is louder than the cockatiel. Here is your answer!

Budgies Aren’t Loud But THIS Might Drive You Insane