I recently got a budgie bird from my my friends sister-in-law, when I picked up the bird she gave me some rules or guidelines wahtever.....she says that budgie birds need 12 hours of sleep a night, so I have to put a cover over the cage from 7 p.m. until 7 a.m., then she told me to watch them when he eats so he dosen't choke,.....and the gravel stuff he needs everyday because they eat it, to help them digest their food........now is any of this true???? She's even called my friend to see if I put the cover on the bird on time and off in time....
2007-02-09 07:42:43 · 9 answers · asked by nlmomma23 1 in Pets ➔ Birds
Well the gravel thing is (as mentioned above). It does help them digest their food. As far as watching him so he doesn't choke...you don't have to do that....you just don't it's silly. My birds pretty much sleep whenever they feel like it, even during the day. Putting a cover on them is a good idea so they feel secure, but it's a bird not a baby, you don't have to hover over it every second to make sure it's ok. Just make sure to give him clean food and water everyday, Keep his cage clean, put in a cuttlebone to help trim his beak and give him fresh breath :) hehe
Spend time playing with him and give him plenty of attention.
2007-02-09 08:21:52 · answer #1 · answered by ? 5 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Hi there. Sounds like the sister in law has control issues. Since parakeets are parrots, grit or gravel is unnecessary because they hull the seeds they are given.Birds such as pigeons do not hull seeds and need grit or gravel to help digest their food. Most birds do need 10-12 hours of darkness a day. http://www.letstalkbirds.com/ This website may help you. Diet is very important and even though there is so set standard, improvements have resulted in healthier and happier birds. All seed diets have been shown to cause malnutrition. A good pellet food, 10% seeds, 10-20% fruits and veggies excluding avocado and chocolate which are toxic to birds and many other animals.If you have to convert your bird to this diet, decrease their seed by 1/4 a week. You are now the flock leader, so acting like the new food is delicious and eating or pretending to eat the food will perk your bird's interest to eat. These birds are more intelligent than once thought. I even had to flick my fingers in a sink of 2 inch of warm water and act enthusiastic before my bird started to enjoy the bath. If I didn't He would just sit there and stare up at me. Just placate your friend's sister in law by agreeing and then do the right thing. Some people are not worth teaching or disagreeing with. Let her feel like she is in control. She'll eventually back off. Good luck and may you and your bird have a mutually beneficial relationship.
2007-02-09 10:21:01 · answer #2 · answered by firestarter 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋
it's completely silly. birds do need about 12 hours of sleep but if you have a house that gets quiet around that time of day you shouldn't need to cover them. you should only need to cover them if they're in a main house area that stays loud and fully lit between those times. the 'gravel stuff' is called grit and parakeets don't need it, in fact it can be harmful to them. the theory behind it is that they need it to help grind up their foods in the their stomachs, but if you're feeding them a high quality seed mix there shouldn't be anything large enough in there to warrent it being ground up. same thing with the bird choking. if a bird is ever choking on anything there is something seriously wrong. if you have a proper keet mix they will not choke.
tell your friend to calm down and do some research.
2007-02-10 08:44:20 · answer #3 · answered by Becca 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Keets do need 10-12 hours of sleep, so put a blanket or sheet over its cage so it can sleep in the dark. Also, turn the radio on low....it will block some of the noises that will give him night scares. She wont choke on her food..Ok, gravel...its sharp, its hard, and even though they claim that keets need it...They naturally know when to stop eating. It tears up their stomach from the sharp corners. I have not given my bird gravel, and he is Just fine.
2007-02-11 09:53:26 · answer #4 · answered by jennypenny_929 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
do not give them gravel they do not need it. budgies do need the twelve hours of darkness though. you don't have to watch them eat it won't choke if you are giving it the proper food. i'd advise picking up a budgie book or doing a search on the net for other foods that you can feed them as treats.
2007-02-09 10:30:03 · answer #5 · answered by MommyCaleb 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I think you should tell her to put the cover on every night. Utter nonsense do you think budgies in the wild tell the predators not to come and get them until they have had 12 hours kip. I think the previous owner is neurotic not the bird. The bird has probably never needed therapy unlike its previous owner.
2007-02-09 08:47:28 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
the gravel thing is not true. budgies are hook bills, they crack the seed open and throw away the hull, therefore no gravel is needed. the gravel actually can actually hurt their crop, look it up. i have 4 budgies with no gravel and they are fine. as for the sleep, its good for them to have plenty of rest but is not mandatory, plus they wont choke, not on seed anyway. birds are not stupid, they know what they are doing.
2007-02-09 08:58:32 · answer #7 · answered by lola7737 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
to be certain in the event that they're male or lady, seem at their beaks. as long via fact the birds are over 8-10 weeks previous, then if there's a blue tinge on the beak then they're male. to handle you could via millett from maximum puppy shops. maximum tend to love those.
2016-12-17 06:11:59 · answer #8 · answered by erke 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the gravel thing is
my mom i remember covering the bird early
as far as choking what if you were away a few days it wont choke
2007-02-09 08:02:49 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋