Is it okay to leave a budgie alone for a day, maybe 2?

[nikku]

So I have this family event coming up this weekend and it’s not within our city so I imagine we’ll be out of the house the entire day. The entire family will be going. My budgie, Beau, is not very close to me yet and still wary of my hands and stuff, but should I take him with me? I’m unsure about leaving him alone.

And the reason why I speculate being gone for 2 days is because the very next day, my mom is forcing me to go with her to sleep over at my sister’s place. She wants to do errands in the early morning and doesn’t know the way around, so she’s forcing me to be her driver. I’m unsure if my family will be returning home to take care of Beau.

Throughout these 2 days, he would only be in a carrier if I take him(because his cage is not transport-friendly). Obviously, food and water will be provided, and I’ll bring one of his toys too, but I’m still so unsure about everything. Should I bring Beau with me for 2 days, or should I just leave him in his cage at home for 2 days?

[tweetiepiesmom]

Can you check with your family to make sure someone will be coming back home to check on Beau? The big problem is that he may eat his seeds leaving the hulls in the dish and not dig down to get more under the hulls. Budgies have fast metabolisms and need a constant source of food. It would be best if someone can replenish his food and give him fresh water. Do you have a neighbor or friend that you trust to do that?

Poor little guy may be lonely and scared by himself. What is his carrier like? I think even a small cage that you can carry would be better than leaving him alone for two days. You would also need to make sure that no one uses room fresheners, scented candles, etc while you have him there.

Others will be along to give you advice.

[ladybird]

Could you leave a radio on for him and then ask a neighbour to come at his bedtime and turn it off and cover him up at his bedtime? Then next morning uncover and feed him and pop radio on again? Much better that stressing him out by taking him in a small cage..

[nikku]

So I got something corrected for me: So the family event is on Saturday and my mom thought she was supposed to sleep over at my sister's on Saturday night, so she was making me sleep over with her to drive her around early Sunday morning. Apparently, however, my sister corrected that my mom is supposed to sleep over Sunday night, so now I don't have to sleep over anymore (yay!). This means the only day Beau would be all alone would be on Saturday, the day of the family event. However, we are coming back home the same day and will probably be back around nighttime.

I can replenish his food and water before I leave for the event so that it's fresh, and he never finishes all his food in one day anyways, so would it be fine to leave him at home? I find that Beau chirp-calls less when I play music for him in my room when I have to leave, so I can also play that for him before I go.

About the carrier type question: I don't have a carrier yet. I haven't bought one because I felt like I wouldn't need it for a long time, if ever at all. (I'd totally blanked on this family thing.) I haven't gotten to shopping at other pet stores and have only shopped at PetsMart and PetCo before. I've seen bird carriers there and there was one I liked where it had a clear roof and wall (except for the doors) and had big holes in the side for air flow. There was also a huge perch in the center. It looks like this:

[tweetiepiesmom]

Great that you will be able to come home and check on Beau the same day. Yes, leave the music playing for him so he won't be alone and afraid.

That carrier is made for larger birds than budgies and he could he his head caught trying to get out (yes I've read postings elsewhere that budgies did that and were harmed trying to wiggle out). I suggest you put aside a bit of money and get a small cage at PetCo, Pet Smart or Amazon. You will need it if Beau ever gets sick and you need to take him to the vet. The one I have is 10"x8"x15"tall. It was advertised for parakeets so the bar spacing is correct. I find it perfect for taking my budgies to the vet. You should just get one now. If Beau ever gets sick, the last thing you want to do is to go looking for a travel cage while you are stressed. People on this forum, am I right - everyone is stressed when their budgie is sick! You should already be searching for an avian vet and not wait for an emergency.

Enjoy your family day!