Parakeet owners?

Question

I am looking to get 2 parakeets.

What are advantages and disadvantages of owning a parakeet?
I've always been fascinated with them and find them to be very cool and unique pets. I know they poop, but I don't mind that. I'll always clean it up. I guess that's a price I'm willing to pay to own such a graceful pet.

I heard they can talk, is this true? What may I do to strengthen their usage of words and vocabulary?

Any cleaning, caring, keeping, tips are greatly appreciated.

Thank you for taking your time to read my question.

Answer 1

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,happy little birds,who will delight you with their antics!!!.
Make sure you read a book on Parakeets first for suggestions on how to choose this little bird, and what sort of cage to bring home with it. So now,with birds, and 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 realise 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 is hand raised, he may already be ready for finger-sitting. So spend the next two weeks focussing on this, because this is key. 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. Be sure,also, to close all curtains/blinds first. It is IMPORTANT NOT to handle your bird for the first SEVEN days.
Parakeets are lactose-intolerant and cannot eat a lot of dairy product. Also, parakeets are HIGHLY allergic to chocolate and avocados and should never be given either. Junk food such as pretzles, potato chips, etc. aren't good for a parakeet either! You can feed a parakeet fresh fruit such as apples and cherries, but be careful about the seeds as those have toxins in them. Lettuce is fine, but it really has no nutrients in it. It's better to give them other, healthier greens. (Wash lettuce/greens/fruit thoroughly before feeding)
Change soiled paper regularly.Clean inside of cage,perches,toys,feeding utensils etc, regularly.Give cage a THOROUGH clean,inside and out once a month.
Keep your bird warm,regular/even temperatures,out of any draughts.
Cover bird at night.
Keep a check on birds nails/beak for trimming.
IMPORTANT!!!!!
****Signs of Illness*****
Diarrhea or wet droppings:
Caused by change in food or water supply, stress or change of environment, too much fresh food or a bacterial infection. Treatments include the addition of millet, ornalyte, ornabac or hulled oats to the diet. Your vet may prescribe an antibiotic for bacterial problems.
Sneezing or wheezing:
Caused by an upper respiratory infection, a cold, dust, pollen or mold. Treatments include providing a clean and draft free environment, and a call to your veterinarian.
Puffy appearance with feathers “puffed out” in the bird’s attempt to keep warm:
Usually caused by a draft for a prolonged period of time (like 4 hours). Treatment: warm your bird by covering the cage and placing a heating pad beneath the cage. Call your vet.
Sunken eyes, which indicate dehydration:
Call your vet.
Growth on feet, cere (nostrils) or beak; or spongy appearance to the beak:
Cause is probably “Scaly face mites” which can easily be treated. Call your pet store or vet.
Rhythmic clicking sound as the bird breaths:
Probably due to goiter from lack of iodine. Call your veterinarian.
(Put Iodine block in cage.)
Keep cuttlebone (great source of iodine) available, and /or add a mineral supplement to prevent this.
Get to know your bird, and his habits. That way you will pick up signs of illness straight away! If you suspect your bird is sick,KEEP HIM/HER VERY WARM! See a vet immediately,birds can die very quickly.
Good luck,hope it all goes well!!

Answer 2

If by parakeet do you mean budgie? They are fairly easy to keep compared to other parrots. Advantages are friendly little acrobats and bird noise in your home. Disadvantage is loud noise although budgies voices do not go long distance like other parrots. Lots of bird mess, feathers, separating other pets for the birds protection. Think of tweetie and sylvester cartoon. A budgie can shoot food quite far from the cage. Feathers don't fall all the time only when moulting but when you find feathers spread around the house you wonder how such a little bird lost so many, yet he does not look naked. Daily cage cleaning. Preparing good food everyday for the birds. There is more to keeping a bird than cleaning a little poop.
Budgies do learn to talk but not as well as other parrots. They seem to talk so fast we can't hear them. Birds can learn to mimic by repetition. It is not difficult to tame a budgie or teach it simple tricks, they are quite fond of entertaining people. I don't want to sound negative with so many disadvantages but it is an awesome responsibility to properly care for a pet. It is good that you are doing research into the subject. To make a budgie a special companion takes care, love, good food (not seed only) toys and he/she/them will reward you with many hours of happiness. My birds are most of the time out of the cage so the mess is a little more spread out but I would have it no other way.

Answer 3

I own 5 parakeets. Okay advantages- They are very sweet and smart, the poop is very small and not a big deal AT ALL, they have a pretty song, and are great companions.

Disadvantages- They are very noisy in the morning but puting a blanket on them will usualy fix that, they get seed everywhere but its not that big of a problem, and they can get lost easily.

As for advice. An all seed diet is bad for them, start mixing in fruits and vegies in with the seed, get them millet and treats like that.
You should probably buy a pair because they are very social animals UNLESS YOU WANT IT TO BOND TO YOU. if you get two then they will bond to eachother.

Yes they can talk and you can purchase a cd at the petstore.

Uhmm try to get a large cage with many perches, that's really about it.
Avoid puting the cage on the refrigerator, anywhere cold or anywhere too noisy.
They like being in bedrooms, just make sure you don't leave the window open because they will DIE from a draft. Try to take the cage outside in the warm weather because they like it.

I hope I was able to help lol if you have any more questions email me at [e-mail]

Answer 4

Hello there,
I would love to tell you as much as I can about parakeets. Parakeets are great or pets, and great choice you want to buy and care for one. Firstly, what kind of parakeets are you getting? On the sixth of April 7 months ago, I bought a blue parakeet and a budgie. They seem to, in my view, bond together very nicely. Of course, you have o buy thm from a pet store. I would reccommend PETsMART, or you can just go to your nearest local pet store. There's many things you need. Other than the birds, you need a nice, spacey metal cage, with prches and a swing. Parakeets love o sleep in the swing at night. An assitant in the store can help you if you are experiencing any trouble. You also need a diet-seed food for them. Get moulting food too. Moulting is a stage parakeets may go through, which is just a loss of feathers. Directions are printed on the container, just and ONLY feed them the moulting food if you see feathers on their cage lately.Also get a few oys, and ask for assistance to see if anything else is needed. The total might be somewhere around $70,$75 at least. Congratulations, you have recieved to new friends! On the car-ride home, you can choose any name you want for them, it won' matter too much. Want to tell your birds apart by knowing if they're male or female? Above their beaks is a part called the cere. If the cere is brownish looking, female. If it's purplish-blue, male. As soon you get home, find a nice cozy place in your house with a lot of light. At first, your new birds look terrified. Hand-tame them by sticking your hand in their cage and calming them down. Oh, yes, almost forgot, do you have a vet's/avian docter's number, if not, look it up in the phone book. Wash their cage and give them a warm water bath at least 2 times every week. Enjoy your new birds!
Hope I helped!

Answer 5

They can talk. My budgie is about two years old, and can say three or four things. It doesn't sound human like bigger birds do, though. If you think they're saying "Hello," say it back to them a few times, and if they keep making the same sound, they're probably learning to talk.

Anyway, budgies are amazing pets. Advantages are that they're pretty, don't take up a lot of space, aren't too expensive, can get attached (you're their flock), and are pretty funny little birds. They jump and play and sing constantly.

Disadvantages include needing attention (if you're a very busy person, it's best to get two so they won't get lonely), needing cleaning (they're pretty messy with their food, feathers and they poop once every 20 minutes-ish), They're quieter, but only in volume... they talk a LOT, especially if they think they have something to talk to (the TV will really get them going, in my experience).

As for caring for them, the biggest thing is building a bond with your bird, since most budgies from pet stores are wild. If you've got two this'll be harder to do, and if you give them toys with mirrors, it'll be harder. they'll be friends with the bird in the mirror instead of you sometimes.

They like to sing to the sunrise, but putting them by a window (or anywhere with a draft) is bad. In my experience, they like to be in the room with the most activity, so they can feel like part of a flock. Birds follow routines in the wild, so if you read the paper next to them every morning or something, they're likely to enjoy that and bond with you quicker.

Good luck with your budgie, though. And if you've got any questions, feel free to email me at [e-mail]

Answer 6

the biggest advantage is u'll have lots of company , the biggest disadvantage that i remember is the seed and feathers all over the place. not just in the cage but all over everywhere. i've never heard of parakeets talking but if it can b done it is done just by saying the word over and over and over and if they can they will eventually say it. make sure they always have lots of water and give them a swing and a mirror for sure they like to talk to there own image. u need to keep either a gravel paper,newspaper or pet mulch in the bottom of the cage and change it at least once a week. good luck to u.

Answer 7

I havn't had them in a long time, but one thing I do know if you get 2 and keep them in the same cage they will not learn to talk. They must identify with people to talk, and if they have another bird to id with they don't learn. They can talk, you must get them young, and keep repeating the same thing to them, like pretty bird, pretty bird until they get it, then you can try adding a new phrase. They make a mess, but there is no smell from their droppings, I find them to be great fun.

Answer 8

Hiya

I have over 80 Budgies they are all different in their own little way.
Spending time talking to it and putting a recording on some of the words you want learnt and keep playing that they will pick up.
Here are some sites I use to help me.

Answer 9

awww. thats good. get two male or a male and female. they get along better. buy mirrors or bells. bells are fun for them, they even wear them as hats :P if you cover them at night (which you should to protect them from drafts) then in the morning, go in, while tis still dark, leave the cloth on, and repeat one word over and over about 100 times, then take it off and put the light on. repeat the word randomly a couple times through out the day. If you want a faithful budgie then get one, if you wnat the whole "tight realtionship thing" if not, then get two, they will interact, although most females are agressive, and you can sex them by the collor of their beaks, blue/purple is male and pink/brown is female. keep out of reach of cats and give them watter daily, make sure itts bottled water, cuz if nolt, it could kill them. they like music, clasical is good :P mine also likes thoes nature songs, u noe with birds. he can imitate a few lol. Also teach them to bob their heads its so cute!
they are good with sharp words like with Rs and Ys. PABLO is a good name, try short snapy ones to get them to say it. Beans is ok, but it will tlake longer for them to pick upp on. hope this helps!