Senior Living – Is a Budgie a Good Pet for A Senior?
Is a budgie a good pet for a senior?
This is a question that applies to animal-loving seniors and perhaps, also to those who are not.
A lot of research has been done to understand the benefits of pets for senior adults.
There are studies and sites that discuss which are the best pet animals for seniors.
Often, dogs are put up on the pedestal as best pets for seniors. There are many reasons for this, including that dogs help their owners to get exercise.
For some seniors though, a caged animal is a much better option.
A budgie, or parakeet, is a very popular option. The budgie is a small friendly bird and tamable. Once the wings are painlessly clipped (which is optional), the budgie can easily be taught to sit on a person’s finger, or eat from a person’s hand.
Adults and children alike, are fascinated by the quick, graceful movements of a budgie.
Training for Speech
Budgies can learn to mimic speech to some extent. So, if a senior stoke survivor is told to practice their speech sounds, as part of speech therapy, they can find a willing partner in a budgie!
Emotions and Affection
Birds from the parrot and cockatoo family thrive on a lot of affection. They enjoy being spoken to and sung to and interacted with. Do they respond? They do, in their own birdie-sort of way.
Birds who are tamed, enjoy being handled every day.
Interacting with a pet is a great way for seniors to open up to their own emotions. It can be used to get over traumatic events if a senior is guided professionally.
Caring for a Budgie
Bird seed is what budgies eat, it is a mixture of millet and other small seeds. They drink only water. It is easy to clean their cage, especially if the cage comes with a pull out tray.
The birds sometimes make a bit of a mess as they peck at their seed container and can scatter seeds around the cage.
Noise and Chirping
Budgies and parakeet type birds tend to enjoy chirping. Somethimes, it can get noisy. Seniors should have a room to place the cage in where they can close the door, to block out the noise if it becomes too much. An alternative that usually calms the cheeping and chirping, is to cover the cage with an old blanket.
More information
You can read up more on budgies here:
- Corydon Animal Hospital
- Most popular and easy-care birds for pets: Choosing a pet bird
A good pet for a senior, is a pet that will engage the senior adult and provide some company and entertainment. Budgies seem to fit into this category. They have been cultivated as pet animals since the 19th century.
Budgies are also a good pet for a senior since the bright colors and chirping stimulate the thinking of the senior and bring happiness.
Photo by Bianca Ackermann on Unsplash