From the counter at Paradise Pets Neil has kept, bred, and sold budgies at Paradise Pets Swindon since 1988 — over 35 years of first-hand experience with these birds. In that time, he has watched countless UK owners walk into the shop convinced their budgie had injured itself or developed a strange illness because it … Read more
From the counter at Paradise Pets Neil has kept, bred, and sold budgies at Paradise Pets Swindon since 1988 — over 35 years of first-hand experience with these birds. In that time, he has watched countless UK owners walk in worried about their budgie’s obsessive relationship with its own reflection. This is his honest, practical … Read more
From the counter at Paradise Pets Neil has kept, bred, and sold budgies at Paradise Pets Swindon since 1988 — over 35 years of first-hand experience with these birds. In that time, he has answered the “can my budgie eat…” question more times than he can count, with strawberries being one of the most common … Read more
From the counter at Paradise Pets Neil has kept, bred, and sold budgies at Paradise Pets Swindon since 1988 — over 35 years of first-hand experience with these birds. In that time, he has helped hundreds of UK owners through one of the most worrying things to witness — one budgie suddenly attacking another in … Read more
From the counter at Paradise Pets Neil has kept, bred, and sold budgies at Paradise Pets Swindon since 1988 — over 35 years of first-hand experience with these birds. One budgie picking on another is one of the most common multi-bird problems he sees — and one of the most consistently misread. Most owners either … Read more
Updated 24 September 2026: Clarified budgie head-bobbing behaviour and the limits of judging health from one behaviour. A budgie’s head movements need to be understood in context. Movement during an interaction, around food or while climbing does not have one fixed meaning. A head bob alone cannot tell you that your bird is happy, frightened, … Read more
Updated 24 September 2026: Replaced an unreliable appearance-based test and delayed-vet advice with veterinary signposting. If your budgie appears to be vomiting, call an avian vet promptly. You do not need to prove the cause before seeking help. Tell the practice what you have seen and follow its advice about how urgently the bird needs … Read more
From the counter at Paradise Pets Neil has kept, bred, and sold budgies at Paradise Pets Swindon since 1988 — over 35 years of first-hand experience with these birds. In that time, he has had hundreds of worried owners walk in clutching a budgie whose cere had changed colour overnight, convinced something was terribly wrong. … Read more
From the counter at Paradise Pets Neil has kept, sold, and advised on cage and aviary birds at Paradise Pets Swindon since 1988 — over 35 years of first-hand experience with budgerigars. Questions about fresh food come up at the counter almost every week. Carrots are one of the most commonly asked about, and they … Read more
From the counter at Paradise Pets Neil has kept, bred, and sold budgies at Paradise Pets Swindon since 1988 — over 35 years of watching these birds every single day. Colour change in budgies is one of the more nuanced concerns he is asked about. It can mean several completely different things, and knowing which … Read more