Parakeets are one of the world’s most beloved – and common – birds. There are plenty of reasons to adopt one: they are lovely to look at, brightly coloured and sociable, and caring for them is easy and inexpensive. So what does caring for one involve?
Parakeets are also known as Australian budgerigars and are great company, both for anyone who really loves birds, but also for those who want a friendly, cheerful pet in the house but perhaps needs something less difficult to care for than a dog or a cat. You need time and space for the parakeet, but much less than you need to dedicate to other types of pets. Not only that, you will discover just how friendly and fun these little feathered creatures are.
PARAKEETS: LET’S FIND OUT MORE
Parakeets originated in Australia and as they have been raised in captivity since the 1800s they have adapted themselves perfectly to life in cages. They were all originally light green, but the range of colours they now boast is wide: from blue to lilac, purple and yellow, and so forth. The female has a red beak, while the male sports a light blue one.
They are small birds but can reach 15 to 18 cm in length and, if well cared for, they can live for ten or fifteen years. So before you go ahead and adopt one, remember they’ll be needing you for a long time to come! Buying parakeets is not hard, they are common and should not cost more than about 10 to 15 euro.
They are social creatures and live in large groups in the wild, so we don’t suggest you buy just one. Loneliness can actually be very harmful to parakeets and make them unwell. So get at least two. If you get a male and a female they will mate and lay eggs. If you get two of the same sex, then it’s best to get two males, as the females tend to fight and not get along.
WHAT DO YOU NEED TO KEEP A PARAKEET
The ideal cage for parakeets has to take the needs of these lovely birds into consideration. They love to fly around and climb, so the cage needs to be spacious to let them fly from one end to the other, and they need horizontal bars on them so they can climb. They need perches and places on which to rest of various diameters so that they can exercise their claws, and it’s a good idea to have them distant so they can fly from one to the other.
They will have to have food dishes and water dispensers, each one its own so that they don’t fight over food or water. All Ferplast bird cages come with these accessories. And not only, some, like Piano 6 and Piano 7, have swings for them to have fun with and a toy with a mirror, as well as, of course, perches and modular resting places that you can put together as you wish.
The best place for the cage is in a well-lit part of the room (not in the direct sunlight) where it is not too humid, so not in the kitchen or bathroom. At night they like to sleep peacefully, so the room needs to be dark and quiet, but during the day, as they are very social creatures, they love company, so don’t put them in a room by themselves but try to find a place that meets their needs.
Parakeets can be trained to perch on your finger and to leave the cage so that they can fly free for a while. Never force them in or out, coax them with bits of food to gradually come out and be free while you are there. Otherwise, it will be very hard to get them back in their cage. While they are out, cover the windows so they don’t mistake the view for an escape route and slam into the glass, and get rid of anything that might harm them.