Any parakeet owners?

  1. Clementine_3

    Clementine_3 Well-Known Member

    So, I've always wanted parakeets but didn't really ever want parakeets. Love birds, not sure about the mess and upkeep part. I do keep a bunch of reptiles, they are super easy (or I just have it down to a science now).

    My sister apparently decided it was time for me to finally get some, she gave me a cage for Christmas with the promise of two birds when I get all set up for them. I guess the best place for them would be my bedroom, it has the most room/space for a cage and isn't too cool or drafty. I would like them in my office/den area but there are a lot of windows, hence drafts, and it is cooler than the rest of the house (like 66-68). The geckos and tortoise are OK as they have heaters and 'draft free houses'. It's not like they would be isolated or anything, I go in there a lot during the day (two snakes in there already).

    Anyway, if I do this crazy thing, I'm looking for general care/training/making them happy suggestions!

  2. ocnbrze


    if you are going to have them in your prepared for it to be noisy. i know they are not as loud as other birds....but they will make a lot of noise moving around and playing with their toys so keep that in mind.

    also how tame do you want them to be? if you want them really tame then i would suggest that you get only one. if you get two then they will prefer each other and it will be much harder to handle.

    and one last thing they are very messy so be prepared to have empty seeds shells all over the place.

    birds are very cool but they do take a lot of maintenance.

    i used to have:



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  3. Clementine_3

    Clementine_3 Well-Known Member

    Thanks! Your guys look great.
    I don't mind some noise, as long as they settle down and aren't yapping all night I can deal with it (I hope). Spring/summer/fall they can be in my office area, it's just too cold in there for winter I think.
    I'm trying to figure out a way to make a 'catch all' tray that will fit under the cage, hopefully that will catch some of the mess. For now I will use a box or something, then build a some sort of something.
    I have a dog so am used to busting the broom/vacuum out a lot.
  4. ocnbrze


    you can get something like this: Hagen Living World Large Seed Guard, Sky Blue: Pet Supplies

    if you cover the cage at night, it will help a little and allow them to go to sleep. however, do not plan on sleeping in when you have a bird in the room. they wake up early and have tons of energy so.......
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  5. zuben el genub

    zuben el genub Well-Known Member

    Cockatiels don't really talk, and they are not as companionable as a parakeet or possibly one of the small parrots.

    A parakeet can learn to talk, and once they start talking, everything is fair game. We had one that talked.

    We had a pair of cockatiels, pretty birds but dumb. They freaked out at feeding times on occasion, had night frights - couldn't even get them to whistle Beethoven's 9th, and learning to whistle they can do.

    Even the tropical fish I had did better than that. The fish recognized the human that fed them and would follow the human from one end of the tank to another at feeding time.
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  6. olbriar

    olbriar Moderator Moderator

    A parakeet/budgie makes for a great pet. I only had a pair once and agree with what was said earlier... they tend to hang with each other and not interact with people. I've never been one to have them caged. They have a cage they call home but it's never locked. I think they are happier roaming about. They will find a favorite place to hang out... top of a set of curtains for instance. They love to play games and always seem full of cheerfulness. They do make some noise but usually only when they want some attention. If you've never shared your digs with a bird, I strongly recommend a budgie. Low maintenance with high reward.

    My buddy Basil
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  7. ocnbrze


    the term parakeet describes a rather confusing group of parrots. here in the states budgerigars (budgies) are the most popular parakeets.

    i have seen the indian ringed parakeets here in LA, but i have not seen any other types of parakeets.
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  8. Clementine_3

    Clementine_3 Well-Known Member

    Now that ring neck looks nice, may have to investigate!
    I went and got a bunch of stuff for them today, no birds yet. Just staring at the empty cage.
    Haven't decided about free flight yet, that would come after a bit of them trusting me anyway I suppose. There is always a break-in period with new pets.
  9. ocnbrze


    also keep in mind that the budgies do not take up a lot of room so the cage can be smaller. but a indian ring neck is bigger and so they need more room. also the cage bars need to be thicker as they can cut thru the cage bars designed for budgies. so what type of cage is important as to what kind of bird you want to keep.
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  10. pool_shark

    pool_shark Well-Known Member

    My parakeets fought all the time, the female wouldn't stop nagging the male. I eventually gave them to my nephew after I bought the cockatiels.
    Every day was like being at the zoo. I do not recommend keeping the parakeets in your bedroom.

    Cockatiels can learn to talk. It is said the males are more likely to do so than the females.

    I now have one cockatiel and one Congo African Grey. I keep them in the family room where I spend most of my time. My cockatiel is very affectionate. She likes to ride around on my shoulder and just hangout.

    Unfortunately for her, she goes thru phases of egg laying and during those times she has to stay in her cage.
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  11. Omar Days

    Omar Days Well-Known Member

    definitely want a bird as a pet after i nursed back this ring neck dove back to full health in the summer. I live next to a busy main road and found him just sitting in the gutter of the pavement. Couldn't fly or anything. Had him for a week and a half, he was so tame. During that time I'd leave him outside for half hour or so each day in the garden in a cage and him and his mum would be calling out to eachother. His mum, dad, and sibling were all reunited with him when i released him.


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