Parakeet...?

Question

Im getting a parakeet and i need to know what to do. How much time to spend with it. How to make it my "buddy".

Answer 1

Caring for your New Parakeet

A parakeet is just about the PERFECT pet for a first-time owner. They're very easy to take care of. They're very intelligent and can even learn how to talk. And they're inexpensive, going from between $20 to $50 depending on the type you wish to purchase.

Make sure you read about Buying a Parakeet first for suggestions on how to choose this little bird, and what sort of cage to bring home with it. So now you have a nice, big cage, with fresh food and fresh water in it, some newspapers lining the bottom of it, and a nervous but alert little feathered creature within. What do you do now?

Well first, think of your first day of school. Wasn't it scary? You didn't know anybody and didn't know what you should do. It's just like that for this little bird. It's afraid, everything is new, and it doesn't have anywhere "safe" to run. So let it learn that its cage is safe. Put the cage in the room you're in most of the time - not off in a corner somewhere that people only go when they sleep. So if you're always in the kitchen, put the cage in the kitchen. If you're always in the computer room, put it in the computer room. But put it in a corner of the room where it can both see and hear everything, and also have a 'nook' that feels safe. Drape a cloth over the wall-side of the cage to give it even more safety. Birds like to be 'up high' to be safe from cats and predators, so now your bird can sit high in the cage and have the cloth around it on a few sides. That is very safe feeling. It also keeps out drafts for when the bird sleeps.

Keep loud noises down. Talk normally, so the bird isn't afraid of the silence. Birds get VERY paranoid when it's completely silent, because this normally means (in the wild) that some sort of predator is around. So play soft music, talk quietly amongst yourselves and keep an eye on the bird. Eventually he'll realize that he's not going to be eaten. He'll start examining his cage, maybe taking a bite of food or a sip of water. He'll explore his new little world and see that really, it's not that bad. It's actually kind of nice.

Once your parakeet has gotten over the initial fright, keep him reminded that you are a part of his new world. Don't run to the cage, don't make loud noises. But wander over and talk sweetly to him. Tell him he's a good bird, a pretty bird. Parakeets love words with 'hard' sounds in them like K and B and T. They learn those words very quickly. If your parakeet was hand raised, he may already be ready for finger-sitting, but if you got a bin-o-budgies bird, it may take a while. So spend the next two weeks focussing on this, because this is key. See Training your Bird to Sit on your Finger for help with that.  

Once your bird is finger-trained, you can let him out to explore his new world! Make sure ALL doors are closed and it's even good to make a special sign to hang on each door saying DO NOT OPEN. You want to make sure it's extremely clear that a bird is loose so that the door stays shut. Birds love to fly! And now that your bird knows his home is the "safe place to return to" and also that your finger is the place to fly to, you can know that his explorations of the room will end with him returning home again.

Although wild Budgerigars eat grass seeds almost exclusively, avian veterinarians recommend captive birds' diets be supplemented with foods such as organic fresh fruits and vegetables, sprouted seeds, pasta, whole grain bread and other healthy human foods, as well as pellets formulated for small parrots. Adding these foods provides additional nutrients and can prevent obesity and lipomas, as can substituting millet, which is relatively low in fat, for seeds mixes. Budgerigars do not always adapt readily to dietary additions, however. The key is patience and persistence. At first, they may be wary of new foods, but after a few weeks they may come around. Try giving an organic carrot with sopping wet carrot top greens or wet kale in a shallow bowl, and as they bathe they will nibble on the greens. Also try weaving greens through the bars of the cage for shredding. Chocolate and avocado are recognized as potential toxins. - Wikipedia

      Do not give to parakeets

    * canned veggies

    * non-organic fruits & veggies

    * avocados

    * eggplant

    * rhubarb

    * potato leaves

    * tomato leaves

    * bean plant leaves

    * apple seeds

    * alcohol

    * coffee

    * tea

    * chocolate

    * tobacco

    * apricot seeds

    * cherrie seeds

    * peach seeds

    * pear seeds

    * plum seeds

    * avocado pits

    * peanuts

    * grit/gravel

    * Parakeet cage Requirements: The cage should not be made of toxic metals such as zinc, lead, or brass (wet brass tarnishes - this tarnish is toxic). Stainless steel is best or powder-coated.

    * Do not put your parakeet in a cage that is rusted or has chipping paint.

    * If you find an old cage in the attic, basement, trash-picking, or at a yard sale that only has a few rusty patches or a little chipping paint and you want to re-paint it for your parakeet - DON'T. Throw it out and get a new cage on eBay. The cost of getting a cage sanded down and then powder-coated is more than you would pay for a new cage on eBay.

    * Big enough for the parakeet to not only fully turn around and spread out their wings, but to fly from one side to another - a absolute minimum of 18x18x24.. Buy the biggest cage you can afford. Parrot cages are MUCH cheaper online than they are in the petstore. Please check ebay for new parrot cages at great prices!

    * Horizontal bars because parakeets love to climb!

    * Width is more important than height as parakeets fly horizontally.

    * Bar spacing should be no wider than 1/2 inch so that the parakeet doesn't get their head stuck between the bars. Their heads are smaller than they look!

    * No round cages - a parakeet doesn't feel safe in a round cage - there is no back wall to retreat to. Along the same lines, be sure there is a wall behind at least one side of the cage.

    * A good size rectangular cage is best - the palace shape or house shapes actually restrict the room the parakeet has to fly and play and create a mess of p**p and food the others do not.

    * Do not place the cage next to a window. Drafts can cause the parakeet to become sick. Keep the cage out of direct sunlight.

    * Place the cage in a room you spend alot of time in (though not the kitchen - because of fumes and hot unsafe surfaces) but that will be quiet at night.

    * Parakeets require alot of mental stimulation. Be sure they have lots of fun toys and that you rotate the toys frequently so that they do not become bored and so they get used to change.

    * Parakeet-proof the room the parakeet will be flying in by making sure no open water surfaces, open windows/doors, uncurtained windows, other pets, etc will harm them.

    * Be sure to cover the cage at night to provide darkness and a secure cover to prevent night-frights.

    * Several perches of varying widths are necessary to promote healthy feet and legs and to prevent foot sores caused by plain wooden dowels. We recommend the wood branch perches and rope perches.

    * Avoid: sand perch covers (cause foot sores), mite protectors (cause respiratory illness), bedding (breeds fungus and can cause crop impaction when injested) - paper towels or plain newsprint are best so you can watch poops for health.

    * Covered food and water dishes so parakeets don't p**p in them and get sick.

    * Cuttle bone to chew on. It's good for their beaks and provides needed calcium.

    * Use pipe cleaners or twist ties to secure all cage doors and windows. Parakeets are smart little buggers and can quickly and easily figure out how to give themselves some unsupervised out time!

    * Place the best wood perches up high - and the stone ones that are good for toe nail health down low. Parakeets like to be up high and will spend most of their time on the nicer perches that are good for their feet. We don't recommend using the wooden dowels that come with cages for anything other than step-ups and collecting parakeets from around the room to return to their cages.

    * Make sure there is a food bowl for each parakeet in the cage so that they don't have to fight over it or the dominant parakeet doesn't let the other parakeets near the food.

    * If you are going to have several parakeets in the same cage - it's better to move them at the same time rather than moving a new bird into another's birds cage to avoid territorial issues.

Teach Your Parakeet to Talk

Parakeets can be taught to speak, whistle tunes, and play with humans. Both male and female parakeets sing and can learn to mimic sounds & words. Both singing and mimicry are more pronounced and much more perfected in male parakeets. As a whole, female parakeets rarely if ever learn to mimic more than a dozen words or so. Male parakeets can very easily acquire vocabularies ranging between a few dozen to a hundred words. Generally speaking, it is the pet parakeets and even more so the ones kept as single pets which talk the best and the most. - modified from the Budgerigar article on Wikipedia

As with foods, the key with parakeets is persistance. Repeat the words you want your parakeets to learn over and over every day. Soon they may pick up the words and incorporate them into their everyday speech. This works best with male parakeets and when you have just one or two parakeets. You are their flock so they will learn your words and will make up new sentences and word combinations with the words. If there are many more parakeets in the flock, they tend to revert to parakeet speech and forgo the language you have taught them

Answer 2

Prepare yourself::I will put what things they need in source.

Parakeet Information

Parakeets are the most popular pet birds. They come in a wide range of beautiful colors and are affectionate and playful. There are many types of parakeets the most common pet parakeet is the budgerigar or budgie. With a life span of about 10-15 years in captivity, they offer the companionship of a parrot without the burden of a 50 year plus commitment. They make the ideal first bird for children and new bird owners.

Things to Consider Before Purchasing

Parakeets are widely available from pet stores, but the better option is to find a reputable parakeet breeder. In the wild parakeets live in large flocks because of this in captivity they prefer to be with another parakeet so be prepared to own two.

Parakeets are highly affectionate and intelligent. They will require at least thirty minutes a day of interaction with you. They like to be stroked and held and talked to. Because of their intelligence they also need a lot of bird toys and distractions in their cage.

Parakeets, like parrots, can be taught to talk but only to a limited extent. Since their voices are quite soft many people believe that they are unable to talk but that is not true. They also love to learn new tricks so a parakeet will keep its owner busy entertaining him. A bored parakeet is a destructive parakeet so before deciding on a parakeet as your pet make sure you have enough time for it or you may be setting yourself up for some pet headaches.

Parakeet Cages

In the wild, parakeets love to fly so for your parakeet to be happy it needs to have enough room in its bird cage to fly freely. The bigger its cage the better. A minimum size bird cage for a pair of small parakeets is 39 in. x 20 in. x 32 in. Parakeets like to climb as well as fly, so they need both vertical and horizontal space.

Parakeets don't like cold drafts so keeping the cage away from windows and doors is important. They also don't like strong smells so keep them away from kitchens and bathrooms. They require a 60-70% humidity level, so in dry areas or during winter when the humidity in the air in many places becomes very low a humidifier may be needed.

In the cage there should be numerous bird perches. Some should be set higher up and others should be in position for the waterer and bird food dishes. Parakeets enjoy a cuttle bone in their cage to keep their beak in shape and provide extra calcium. You can also put lava stones or concrete perches. They like to chew branches so various branches can be included in their cage too. Beware of poisonous plants such as oleander, acacia, boxwood, horse chestnut, privet and laburnum. Good branches to use as perches would be willow, poplar and fruit trees.

Parakeets love bird toys. Lengths of thick hemp rope act as great gnawing toys for parakeets. They also like bird swings and bird cage ladders. Anything that is bird safe is ideal to keep these intelligent birds busy. Take care not to include toys with thin strings or breakable parts that could harm your parakeet.

Parakeet Food

Your parakeet needs fresh food and water everyday. The bird cage water bottles should be washed in warm water with dishwashing soap daily to avoid build up of algae.

There are many brands of nutritionally complete bird pellets for parakeets. For parakeets, just like for us, eating the same thing everyday is boring. In the wild parakeets eat a wide variety of foods from nuts and seeds to flowers and insects. Budgies need 1-2 teaspoons of bird pellets per day.  On top of this they should be given about a half-cup of fruits and vegetables and other fresh food such as mealy worms and bean sprouts. Focus on the brightly colored fruits and vegetables like broccoli, mangoes, carrots, dandelions, green peppers, zucchini, and papaya for example. They also like additional protein foods like peanuts, monkey and dog chow, and cottage cheese. Do not feed your parakeet the following: avocados, grapefruit, lemons, cabbage, rhubarb or any processed dried fruit these are either difficult for your parakeet to digest or poisonous.

Parakeets can be given bird vitamin supplements in their water 2-3 times per week if needed. They also should have a separate dish in their cage for bird sand and oyster shell.

Parakeet Care

Parakeets should be let out of their bird cage to fly around at least a couple of hours each day. When out, be sure that all windows are closed and all fans, especially ceiling fans are off. Some people like to keep the wings of parakeets clipped to keep them from flying off too far. This is best left to the avian veterinarians to do because if it is done wrongly bleeding can become serious. Experienced bird handlers and owners can use wing clipping scissors which are designed specifically for this application.

Parakeets need a bird bath about 2-3 times per week. How the bath is given will be decided by your bird's preference. Some like the mist from a spray bottle. Some prefer a flat dish of water at the bottom of their cage where they can get inside and bathe themselves. Others like to get in the bathtub and be sprayed with a hand held shower. It will just depend what your pet prefers. It is better to give the bath in the morning so that the feathers are dried by bedtime.

Bird cages should be cleaned weekly making sure that all surfaces are washed thoroughly with bird cage cleaners. Parakeets like to have their cage covered with a cloth at night.

Usually if there are cuttle bones and perches of a variety of textures your parakeet will keep its own toenails and beak in good shape. Occasionally, if the nails get too long you can trim them with a bird nail clipper that has been disinfected. Make sure you have styptic powder on hand in case you mistakenly trim to close to the vein and it starts bleeding. Holding the foot up to the light before trimming can help you identify where the vein is.

Parakeet Training

There are many informative bird books and bird CDs about parakeets. The first thing to teach your parakeet is to take a treat from your hand. Then the bird can learn to let you scratch its head and to jump onto your finger when you put it out. Hand reared birds, since normally very used to people, are often easier to train. The best time to teach your bird new tricks is in the evening.

Parakeets, though not exceptional talkers, can learn a few words and whistles. Only happy, healthy, well-loved birds are able to talk. So the first thing is to make sure your bird is comfortable with you and you with him before you start any training. Birds learn just like children. When you repeat a word while doing an action they will associate those two things. For example, when you give your parakeet a treat and you say the word "Treat" he will soon associate the treat with the word until he is able to say treat when he wants one. Repetition and patience are the key to training any pet and parakeets are no different.

Parakeet Illnesses

A healthy parakeets has:

smooth feathers

clear bright eyes

normal stools

a healthy appetite

normal level of activity

Like most birds, once a parakeet shows signs of sickness such as loss of weight, sitting at the bottom of the cage for a long time, sneezing and dripping from nose and mouth, the bird should be taken to an avian veterinarian.

Conclusion

As a starter pet, parakeets are ideal. They are affectionate, hardy and not too demanding on their owner's time. Still, they are intelligent birds that crave interaction with humans so some important decisions should be made before people decide to buy one as a pet.