How much time does a pet parakeet require?

Question

My son wants a pet parakeet. I want to be sure we know what we are getting into...how much time does it need to be socialized daily to be healthy and happy? How messy are they? How often does the cage need to be cleaned? THANKS!

Answer 1

parakeets are not best birds to keep them at home.

be aware that it will mess all over with their feathears.if your son wants a bird get him a parrot.

Answer 2

Well, like any pet, they need to be well loved and cared for. A parakeet is a diverse bird, it needs alot of social interaction. For a healthy bird advice, talk to the vetrinarian about what foods could be his or her favorite (the bird, not the vets ;D) what toys to buy, and how often a birds cage is to be cleaned, to keep the bird from getting ill. well good luck, and i hope you get your answers!

Ashleigh

Answer 3

any bird needs a minimum of 1 hour per day.. Does not have to be all at the same time. Break it up during the day 10-15 mins at a time.. Lots of toys and just interact when you pass the cage

Answer 4

i give my parakeets 2 hours attention everyday, feed them daily clean their cage every saturday, more than 1 perch, water changed everyday, and if you get 1 boy and 1 girl, a nesting box let them out for at least an hour in a room with the windows CLOSED

Answer 5

Get the wings clipped by your vet first off.  Helps to keep them calm and easier to train.  About an hour a day of play time outside of the cage.  Plenty of good food. Kaytee is a very good brand used by breeders. They can be messy, seed on the floor and such, and can be noisy if not trained and played with.  Clean the cage once a week, fresh food and water every day, you will have a happy bird.  Talk to the bird a lot, even when it is in the cage. They learn to talk by repetition. so You say the same thing, "hello", "pretty bird" whatever and in a few weeks it will too

Answer 6

I had a parakeet as a kid and I'm embarrassed to say that I probably didn't spend nearly enough time with it.  However, it never really seemed to mind.  It chirped in it's cage and learned to make clicking noises.  Like any pet bird, they should be kept in the room where you and your family spend most of your time.  Put them up against a wall so that they'll feel safe.  And you don't want to set the cage directly on the floor.  This can cause health problems.  Any stand or end table will work just fine.

The cage is the biggest deal for me.  I skimped at first and after a month, I went back and bought the more expensive cage!  The right kind of cage will help with clean up.  The cage I have for my bird was more expensive, but it's been worth every penny!  The bottom keeps the bird from throwing food out of the cage or pooing out of the cage.  Also it has these great shields for the water and food so that I'm not constantly changing water and food.  Here's a link for what I'm talking about it's by a company named Vision.  The way it comes apart makes clean-up easier too.  I usually wipe the cage down once a week.  Sadly, when I'm busy it can be longer.  The other VERY important thing about this cage is that it has perches that aren’t perfectly cylindrical.  The dowel rod perches cause birds to have arthritis in their feet.  The perches in this cage prevent that.  I also bought another perch that is wavy and much thicker so that my bird can have some variety; my vet said the wavy part is important, but so is the diameter of the perch.  

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.js...

As for vet visits…the parakeet I had never saw a vet.  The Quaker Parakeet that I have now goes once a year.

Also, what most pet stores don't tell you is that you need to give it a pellet diet.  The seed diet that most people give their birds can lead to fatty liver disease and premature death.  The other handy thing with the pellet diet is it creates less mess!  A bag of the pellet food lasts me several months, so it seems like more, but it lasts forever b/c it’s all edible.  With the seed, half of it’s wasted.  Birds do however like to crack open seeds, so I give mine millet as a treat.

Don't waste your money on all the fancy litter for the bottom of the cage.  Plain old newspaper does great!  The litter can actually cause you a trip to the vet b/c they will try and eat it, and then they get problems with their digestion.

As for wing clipping on the bird, that's really at your discretion.  I have to have my bird's wings clipped because she's not the brightest with windows!  Also, with three kids, I'm always afraid they will let her outside.  

Even though I’ve given you a lot of information, they really are an easy pet to have…but like I said earlier, the cage is a big deal for me b/c it’s a lot less clean up time.  I got sick of constantly changing water and food.