Is It Cruel to Play Budgie Sounds to a Budgie?

Two budgies inside a cage

When it comes to playing budgie sounds to your pet budgie, the jury is split.

Some owners report that their birds enjoy chirping along with the recorded flock, while others say that it makes their budgies frustrated and stressed. 

In most cases, recorded budgie sounds seem to do more harm than good. Even if your intentions are good, your budgies are likely to get anxious when the birds they hear don’t respond to their calls. They will also feel confused as they desperately search for the source of the sound. 

Of course, every budgie is an individual!

This article will tell you everything you need to know about playing recordings to your budgie, so you can make an informed and kind decision for your bird. 

Five Things to Consider Before Playing Budgie Sounds to Your Budgie

1. A recording is not a replacement for a friend.

Budgies are highly social birds that thrive in company. Although it is technically possible to have a happy budgie that lives alone, it is a lot more work.

You would have to ensure that your bird has plenty of toys, puzzles, and other enrichment. 

You would also have to keep your bird in a room where you spend a lot of time and not leave the house for longer than a few hours at a time.

As much as you might hope that playing budgie noises will comfort your budgie, it will never make up for the rich social life they require to thrive. 

2. It can lead to stress and frustration. 

One of my friends tried playing a YouTube video of budgies to her bird after his partner bird died of old age. It backfired!

The poor little guy was jumping up and down in the cage and frantically flying in circles.

He was desperate to get to the flock that he could hear, which was obviously impossible. After we stopped the recording, he was more frustrated and depressed than ever. 

3. Calming instrumental music can be soothing for budgies.

Just because budgies can get stressed when they hear other birds doesn’t mean you can’t play them sounds altogether.

Calming instrumental music can be soothing for budgies, or you could try playing the sound of running water to make them feel like they are in the jungle.

Many budgies seem to hate total silence, so this can be a nice compromise that doesn’t stress them out. (After all, silence falls in the wild when a predator is in the area and all the other birds have flown to safety!)

4. They can chat with the native birds.

If you think your budgie would like to chat with other birds, you can open a screened window or place the cage in your garden on a warm, sunny day.

This way, they will hear the local wildlife, and they are less likely to be stressed because the native birds will often reply to their calls.

With a recording, the birds will never respond, and budgies can soon get confused and stressed. 

5. Your budgie can chat with you!

Don’t forget, you can chat with your budgie yourself!

They will love to listen to your whistles and gurgles. (Your human family might be less impressed.)

You can also play games with your budgie by hiding and then asking someone else to open the cage while you whistle and call from another room.

You’ll have to be bonded to your budgie first, though, or they may not be that interested in finding you!

Final thoughts 

At the end of the day, every budgie is an individual. 

While you should keep the vast majority of them in the company of other birds, it is sometimes appropriate to keep them alone if you have adopted them from traumatic circumstances.

Whether your budgies are kept alone or in a flock, they need plenty of stimulation.

This can include playing recorded sounds like running water or classical music, but I would advise that you not play other budgie sounds to them.

They won’t understand why the recorded bird is refusing to answer them, which will likely cause them a great deal of stress. 

I hope you found this article helpful, and I wish you many happy years with your pet budgie!

Lasso Brag