Can someone answer my parakeet question?

Question

This is the second time I've posted this question, but i did not get much of a response the first time so here I go again. My parakeets feathers that are right around the top of its cere is turning brownish. When I first got him/her they were bright yellow. I have given my little bird a bath so I know its not dirty, but what could it be?
Also, if any of you have some advice for a new parakeet owner it would be much appreciated. I really want to establish a relationship with my bird and I want to do it the right way.
Oh one more thing how do you tell the age of a parakeet when they are almost solid in color.

Answer 1

omg, right now, i am working on a project for school on budgies!
budgietalk.com is a good site for new parakeet owners.
it's hard to guess the age, but depending on ur budgies color mutation (breed) u may be able to tell by looking at the rings on it's head. have an expert tell you.

ur bird might be sick. i would take it to the vet immediately. budgies don't often show many symptoms 4 disease, because in the wild if they LOOK sick, they will be considered weak, and would be eaten faster.

here is my essay (if ur interested in reading it)



Intro
Budgerigars are small parrots, found in flocks in arid areas of central Australia. They are the most popular domestic pets kept in the United States, Great Britain, Australia, and South Africa. Budgies were first recorded in the wild in the late 1700s by a colonist near Parramatta. They are now bred in captivity for their bright plumage.
The name 'budgerigar' comes from the Australian Aboriginal word ‘betcherrygah‘, which means 'good food'. Budgies use to be eaten by the Aboriginals. Budgies are capable of imitating human speech. A budgie named Puck held the record for the most words ever learned by a budgie. You can tell a male budgie from a female because the male has a blue cere, and the female has brown one.
Scientific Classification
Kingdom: Animalia (means that budgies are animals)
Phylum: Chordata (means that budgies have vertebrates)
Class: Aves(means that budgies are birds)
Order: Psittaciformes(means that budgies are parrots)
Family: Psittacidae(means that budgies are true parrots)
Subfamily: Psittacinae(a subfamily in the parrot family Psittacidae. It contains the "true" parrots, parakeets, and macaws, but not the lories and cockatoos.

Tribe: Platycercini
Genus: Melopsittacus
Gould, 1840 Species: M. undulatus

So You Want a Budgerigar?
Because they are such social creatures, budgies are best kept in pairs. It is best to get one budgie and tame it, then introduce another in a separate cage. Budgies that are kept singly are usually unhappy birds, because they are not given enough attention. Budgies are constantly active, and being left alone is very stressing to them. Some budgies may eat more than usual due to boredom and will gain weight. Budgies are social because they travel in flocks of thousands. In the wild, if one budgie starts preening itself, others will copy. Budgies do everything together.
Before you buy, it is important to know how to spot a healthy budgie. A healthy budgerigar should be lively. It should have bright plumage, straight feet, and bright eyes. The bird should look clean.
You can tell an adult male budgie from a female because the male has a blue cere (the area directly above the beak) and the female has a brown one. Young budgies have not yet developed a colored cere, but an expert can give a good estimate as to which gender the bird is. A young female will have very light white rings around the nostrils.
Pet stores are not good places to buy pets, because they are often mistreated and kept in boring environments. Buying from a breeder will definitely be more pricey, but these birds are usually in better condition, hand tamed, and live in a stimulating environment. Buying from a breeder is a good choice for a newbie with birds, because the birds are often tame. These birds are much more healthy overall, which means less vet bills later. Before you even buy your budgie, you should have a cage with food, water, etc. set up at home, and have scheduled an appointment with an avian vet. Avian vets, are very pricey, and can be the difference between life and death with your bird. NEVER buy a bird unless you are willing to pay the vet bills.
As soon as you get your budgie home, coax it into the cage with a fresh spray of millet. Do not poke at the bird. Give it a few days to adjust to it’s new home. If it your bird refuses to eat, this is normal behavior. This is probably the first time the bird has been separated by it’s siblings and the budgie is probably very frightened. Once the bird begins to peck at some food, the worst of it is over.
For the first few days, resist the urge to poke at your bird. Put your hand in the cage only to give the bird fresh food and water. After the bird has lost most of the fear from you, you can offer the bird a tasty treat by hand. Eventually, the bird should hop on your hand, because it should have been tamed by a breeder. Keep saying it’s name in a calm tone. If you would like the bird to learn to imitate speech, you will have to find someone whom speaks in a high pitched tone. Budgies learn faster from these people because budgies have a high voice. Not all birds learn to imitate speech. Some sing songs, or whistle.
Be especially gentle with your bird while it is adjusting, and keep noise, flashing lights, and any other distractions to a minimum. Birds are very skittish animals, and flinch at the slightest sound or vibration.
Diet
Due to their fast metabolism, budgies eat frequently in small amounts, so should have a constant supply of food and water. Tap water that is not too hot or cold is a good idea, but commercial bird drinks can be bought at pet stores. Even better than that is uncarbonated bottled mineral water with a list of the mineral contents. This way, you can know exactly which extra nutrients your bird is getting.
Contrary to popular belief, the birdseed mix composed of canary grass seeds, several varieties of millet, oats, niger seeds, and linseeds found at pet stores is not a complete and balanced diet for budgies. Budgerigars need a large variety of fruits and vegetables. Any birdseed given to the birds should not have been stored to long and should be hung in a dark, cool place in an airy cloth container.
Chickweed, Dandelion greens, and spinach are good vegetables to offer budgies. Cabbage, and iceberg lettuce are not. The majority of them consist of water and very little nutrients. They will most likely give the budgie diarrhea. You can buy small ‘bird meadows’ at some pet stores. They are pots with budgie safe seeds planted in them already. All you have to do is add water. This is a particularly good choice because you do not have to worry about chemicals in the seeds.
Good fruit choices for budgerigars include pears, cherries, strawberries, grapes, kiwi, and apple, but NEVER give a budgie the apple seeds. This can cause health problems. All fruits and vegetables should be organically grown away from any kind of exhaust fumes, and washed thoroughly. They should always be at room temperature when served, and removed after a few hours so that bacteria doesn’t begin to grow on them. During the molting and breeding season, budgies need more nutritious foods. A good choice is sprouted seeds. Take some of the budgies usually bird feed mix, and soak it in water overnight. The next day, drain the water, and let the seeds sit for a day or two. These will help with the budgie’s plumage because they are more nutritious, as well as breeding.
Breeding birds should also be fed one whole millet spray a day to give them the extra energy they need. This is not a good thing to do to birds who aren’t breeding, because millet sprays are high in fat. A budgie at a healthy weight under regular circumstances can be fed an inch or two of spray per day.
If a bird does gain too much weight, NEVER stop feeding it. Just cut down on some of it’s daily portions. Some birds might eat because they are bored. A happy, healthy bird will never overeat, so if your bird if beginning to get plump, maybe you need to give it more time out of the cage. It should have plenty of toys, especially if it doesn’t have a budgie friend to keep it entertained.
Mineral stones and cuttlefish bones can be bought at pet stores and are high in minerals and calcium. They are good for birds to gnaw at to exercise their beaks and prevent them from growing too long, which could cause a serious problem.
Some budgies develop different eating habits. For example, some bird may deliberately toss their seeds to the ground so they can peck at them. This is normal behavior. Birds are foragers and do this because they often find their food on the ground.
Body Language and Behavior
Birds can communicate remarkable well to humans because they are very vocal. Some vocal calls ask where another bird of the flock is, warn of danger, and soft murmuring is what the birds do before they go to sleep. Male birds have courtship song. Budgies will screech when they are anger or if they feel threatened.
Budgies groom themselves and others very often. This is because birds with the best plumage are able to fly faster if they are in danger. There is an oil gland at the base of the budgies tail that it uses to grease it’s plumage to keep it dry when it rains. Budgies can reach all parts of their bodies except for the head and neck with their bill. They clean these parts with their feet by scratching. Budgerigars groom each other with great care. Budgies might scratch their heads against branches or the cage bars. Birds also rub their beaks on objects and chew away on countless things to prevent overgrowth of the bill. Females tend to gnaw even more than males because of their natural instinct to create a nest. Their need to chew can be satisfied with a bird safe tree.
When budgies feel to hot, they may stretch and lift their wings and pant. This would be an excellent time to offer the bird a bath. Budgies enjoy to take water baths or even dew baths in vegetation. A bird may play around in his water dish, signaling to you that he would like a bath. The water should be lukewarm, never hot or cold. If the bird gets a bath that is cooler than usual, or if there is a draft after their bath, the bird may get sick or get diarrhea. Diarrhea subsides within a few days, but another sickness may not. Take the bird to the vet if you suspect anything. Cold birds will puff up their feathers and move closer together. After being startled or agitated, a budgerigar may shake it’s feathers. This is a sign that the bird is trying to relax and put his or her feathers back in place.
Budgies yawn by slowly opening their bills slowly, then suddenly shutting it. Budgies yawn when they are tired or when there is a lack of oxygen in the room. If this is the case, the room should be aired out. Most budgerigars sleep with their heads turned back and on one foot. If your bird suddenly changes his sleeping posture, he could be sick, and should get a check-up by the vet.
Senses
Budgies have well developed eyes and see in color, however, they do not see in the same way that humans do. Their eyes are located on the sides of their heads and see independently of each other, so they can see from the front, sides, and some from the back. They see in more color than humans do.
Budgerigars have an acute sense of hearing. They have strong memory to go along with this because they have to remember songs and calls and how to reply. They are also very sensitive to vibrations.
Not much is known about the rest of budgies senses, but many people think that they have a sense of taste as well as smell.
Breeding
Breeding budgies is pretty easy, but you have to know what you are doing. Some supplies needed for breeding are:
Mature male and female birds ready to breed
A nesting box (can be bought at pet stores)
Fresh food (millet spray as well), fruits, and veggies, and water
Vet
Once you have a pair of birds that have begun courtship, put a nesting box inside their cage. Immediately after mating, the female will get in the nesting box and inspect it. During this time, it is very important for it to be quiet, because the slightest sound might make the bird think there is something wrong with the nest and will refuse to return to it. Once the female has settled, she will lay eggs one at a time every day or two and will not leave the box unless she has to relieve herself. It is important for the female to be able to hear her mate, or she may stop laying eggs. The male feeds the female the whole time. Do not touch the females eggs. She may become very protective and violent.
In some instances, the female might experience egg binding. This is when the egg is stuck in the female, and is fatal. If the female acts apathetic and produces droppings that are different than usual and runny, sometimes mixed with blood, then she could be having trouble passing the egg. You should drip a little warmed castor or salad oil on the vent with an eye dropper every ten minutes. If the egg does not show within two hours, take the female to the vet IMMEDIATELY. The vet may perform surgery or give the bird a special massage. This could save the bird’s life.
If all goes well, in about 3 weeks, the baby birds will begin to hatch. The budgie chick pecks at the eggshell with it’s egg tooth. Budgerigar females do something that no other bird does when the birds are going to hatch. If she realizes that one of her birds is having trouble hatching, she will peck at the shell herself. This is probably because in the wild, the baby bird has even less time to get out of the shell before it dies due to the excessive heat in Australia. Therefore, the mother budgie must help out the chick to make sure it doesn’t die from heat.
The eyes of the baby budgies open on the sixth or seventh day. Then the primary feathers begin to grow, and on the ninth day, the tail feathers. The soft white down feathers have finished growing by day ten or eleven. At four or five weeks old, the birds are ready to leave the nesting box and are becoming pretty good fliers. At five to six weeks of age, the birds can be sold.
Color Mutations
The original budgerigar is a light green color, with a yellow head and black bands down the back of the head and wings. It is from these wild birds that the first domestic budgerigars were bred, and the species has evolved into the many varieties present today. The first captive breeding took place in Europe in the mid 1850s, leading to various color and feather structure mutations. Yellow was the first recorded variation on the wild green budgerigar, occurring in around 1870 in Germany or Belgium.
Blue budgies usually have white faces and green, yellow. Sometimes a blue or grey budgie has a yellow face. These are called yellow faced budgies. There are two types of yellow faced budgies.
Recessive Pied budgies have two colors. They have a shade of blue with white, or a green with yellow. They have a spotted appearance that are very random. They wing markings do not follow a set pattern. All adult budgies develop an iris ring, but Recessive Pied budgies do not. And the males do not get blue cere’s when mature. There ceres turn pink instead.
Dominant pied budgies tend to have a colored spot on the back of their head which interrupts their head markings. They too have two body colors. Some have a band across their stomach separating the two colors. Dominant pieds develop iris rings and the males get blue ceres as well.
A pied budgie with a white or yellow spot on the back of it‘s head, flight feathers, or tails is called a clear flight.
A double factor Dominant Pied budgie will be marked a lot like a recessive pied. Sometimes their bodies are almost completely one color, which is the same color that is on their heads. These birds have iris rings. Sometimes the males develop blue ceres, but sometimes they develop pink ones A bird that looks like a Recessive Pied but develops iris rings are probably a Doublefactor Dominant Pied.
Albino budgies are completely white birds with red eyes. Males get pink ceres instead of blue. Under bright light, Albinos sometimes show a bluish or greenish tint on their feathers.
Yellowface Albino A.K.A. Creamino budgies are all white will a bit of yellow on their faces. They can also be white, but under bright light, have a yellow tint.
Lutino budgies are yellow often with white cheek patches as well as white primary feathers. The males develop pink ceres instead of blues.
Dark-Eyed Clear budgies are one color just like Albinos and Lutinos but instead of having red eyes, their eyes are dark like those of other budgies.
Opaline budgies have markings on their wings but none on their head or back. They might seem to have faint markings on the back of their heads, but they are not as dark and distinct as the markings on their wings. Most Opalines are females. Most budgies’ wing markings are dark edged in light. Spangle budgies have ‘backward’ wing markings. They are light edged with dark.
Greywing budgies have grey wing markings instead of black. They are about 50% lighter in color than the average budgie.
Clearwing budgies are often confused with Greywings because their wings are lightly colored as well. The difference between the two is that a clearwings body color is still bold.
Dilute budgies have very light wing markings and light body colors. Cinnamon budgies have brown colored markings instead of black. Most cinnamon budgies are females.
Lacewing budgies look like Albinos or Lutinos, but they have brown markings and a brown tail.
Health
What a budgerigar needs to stay healthy:
A varied diet
Fresh, organic fruits and veggies
Fresh birdseed
Fresh drinking water
Natural branches(preferably) of different thicknesses that are budgie safe
Exercise
Clean cages
Sunlight and fresh air
A companion
What can hurt a budgerigar:
Drafts or temperatures that are too hot or cold
Spoiled food
Alcohol, sugar, foods high in fat or intended for human consumption
Poisonous plants, substances, and fumes
Smoke
When budgerigars molt, they replace their old feathers with new ones. This never happens in the wild all at once, because the budgerigar would have trouble escaping danger by flight if it lost most of it’s plumage. This kind of molting is natural. However, if a bird is traumatically scared, it may lose a bunch of feathers suddenly. This could confuse a predator if it happened in the wild. The French Molt is caused by a virus. Birds that have it are called hoppers or runners because their flight feathers fall out and never grow back. This prevents them from being able to fly properly.
Sometimes, a budgie’s claws may grow too long. If this happens, it’s claws should be cut with nail clippers. Because it is possible to cut too much and cause bleeding, some bird owners go to a breeder, dealer, or vet to help trim the nails of the budgie. The same can happen with a bird’s beak.
If you notice any changes in your bird’s behavior, take it to the vet. Budgies are ritual creatures, and this is probably a sign that something is wrong.

Answer 2

I'm not sure what the browinish color could be but I have a few idears. if the bird is undernourished the feathers gradually start to change to a brown or black colour. although usually with that it's not just around the cere it's all over the body.

Also do you notice any sort of discharge besdies the brown coloring? can you wipe off the brown or is it truly the feather itself? '

this could also indicate a liver or another infection. I would take him to an avian vet specalist. to find one in your area you can call any local vet and they can help find one close to you.

For the age thing, there is no true way to find out the exact age of a bird. parakeets have the black stripes on the head and if there is alot the younger it would be. most avian vets can give a good judgement of the age.

There is a species specific book out there on parakeets. you can find it at most pet stores. or you can find it online, the website in the source center is full of different parakeet specific book. I always read as much as I can about my parrots. you can learn alot from books and online.

Answer 3

I don't know why the feathers are turning brownish, I've never seen that in a parakeet. Could there be discharge from the nose or eyes? Probably not; you said you bathed.
As for forming a bond here are some tips:
Have his wings clipped if they are not already, at least until he is thoroughly tame.
Keep his cage in the kitchen or wherever you eat. Parakeets like to see you eat because it makes them feel part of the flock. But don't use the self-cleaning option on your oven when he's in the room.
Once he will sit on your finger, play the ladder game with him; have him step up from the finger of one hand to the finger of the other hand. This reinforces the idea of stepping up onto a finger, and it's fun too.
If he wants to bite you when he's nervous, hold something in front of him, like keys or jewelry, to bite instead. Unless he's really angry, he would rather bite a toy than you.
If you pin a piece of spray millet on your shoulder, he will be happier to stay there, until he gets more fond of you. Birds also associate food with love, so the millet spray makes him think you love him.
Never punish a bird in any way; they don't understand this at all. You can put him back in the cage if he bites you, and ignore him for a while.
Talk to him a lot, or whistle, or make kissing sounds; parakeets like conversation.

Answer 4

Parakeets have small bones, the largest-the breastbone covers the internal organs. It sounds like the bird had significant internal injuries. It is extremely difficult to do treatment on a large parrot and impossible to do anything for a parakeet in this situation. I do have a customer whose sister stepped on his Amazon Parrot. It was at the vet for 3 weeks and made it through the injury, but still had to have some special care after he took the bird home. Just a large dog barking near the cage, can kill a parakeet by giving it a heart attack.

Answer 5

Firstly, are you sure that it's definitely feathers that are turning color, or is it her cere? This time of year, females tend to get brown, flaky ceres indicating that they are entering their breeding time. If it is definitely feathers, I would say make a trip to an avian vet. It could be too many different things to try to diagnose, and the vet would be the best source of information.

Answer 6

They do tend to get dirty with dander. Birds are notorious for cleaning and preening themselves. They are also known for upper respitory illnesses as well. Keep them away from drafts of doors and windows.

Age is a difficult thing to do in birds as they age. If they are banded and breeders care about their babies, normally they put a year of hatch on the bands, but this is not something all breeders do. So it is very difficult to tell an age in any bird.

Good Luck!

Answer 7

Fruits have seeds; "vegetable" is a non-scientific word for expanded edibles

Answer 8

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If you use a dog training device it would be common sense to first look up how to use it before using it. Such devices get a bad reputation by people using it, without knowing how to use it.

If you give a dog a shock, the dog doesn't know what to do. If I go up to you and slap you, you wouldn't know why either and except for the likely impulse to slap me back you would have no idea why I slap you and what I expected you to do so I won't slap you again.

Your dog doesn't even know where the slap came from and what he is supposed to do. Before you use an electric collar on a dog you need to figure out the lowest setting the dog can notice. You start at zero and slowly set it higher until you see a reaction from your dog. What you are looking for is a twitch of an ear, or a startled look. Really, you don't want to hurt your dog, you want to get your dog's attention.

Once you established what level works for your dog, you need to condition your dog. If you want to use a collar for improving your dog's recall, your dog needs to already know what it is supposed to do when you call "come" (or whatever command you use). Now with a collar on, you call your dog, you can give your dog a short shock, but if your dog comes you stop immediately. You want that your dog learn he is in control. If he comes, he won't get a shock. Read up on "how to condition a dog to a electric collar" and don't use the collar again until you understood it.

I have an electric collar for my dog, but I paid a little more than $200 for it, it is rechargeable and I am happy with it. I've read through a whole bunch of reviews for the cheaper collars and they seem to not last very long, though you can get lucky. But I figured I rather spend more one time than a little often.

My dog is also very happy with the electric collar, because if I pull the collar out, he knows he is doing something more fun than a walk on a leash and he loves running off leash.

Answer 9

hey, talk to your bird...try to hold it in ur hands so that its not scared and it has a ring round its neck than its a male bird........try feeding the bird with ur hand.........but dont feed the food that has salt / sugar as it effects the bird......try it out....... this is how i build the bond with my bird :)

Answer 10

its important to take your bird to a vet once a year.....they can answer ur questions that you have.

Answer 11

call a pet store im not sure what it is but i wouldnt wory to much about it