Chapter 2

Is a Parakeet Your Perfect Companion?

IN THIS CHAPTER

Understanding what a parakeet will bring to your life

Knowing what parakeets need from you

Figuring out whether you and a parakeet will be a good match

Becoming a two-parakeet household

Understanding what is involved in breeding

If you're trying to decide whether to bring a parakeet into your home, you've come to the right chapter. Even if you already have a parakeet, this chapter has something for you too. Here you'll figure out what to expect from a parakeet (from its bubbly personality to the dreaded messes it makes) and what your parakeet expects from you. I walk you through the challenges posed by children and companion animals (whether birds or cats or dogs). I also give you information on keeping more than one parakeet.

Knowing What to Expect from a Parakeet

As wonderful as they are, parakeets are still considered wild animals, just as are all companion parrots. Though parakeets are about as close as a bird comes to being domesticated (other than the canary), they still have their quirks. Knowing what to expect from your parakeet - from personality to lifespan - will make your relationship with your bird better and stronger.

A great personality

As with humans, each parakeet is an individual with its own individual personality. Some are sweet and affectionate, while others may always remain fearful or aggressive. What you receive from your parakeet depends a lot on what you put into it. In general, a kind, careful guardian can tame a parakeet into a loving companion.

If you buy two parakeets that look similar, you may worry that you'll never be able to tell them apart. After you get to know them, you'll see that they have personalities of their own, likes and dislikes, different mannerisms, and different aptitudes for talking and training.

Noise and talking ability

If you require an absolutely quiet home, then parakeets are not the bird for you. You're never going to prevent noise. They chatter, sing, and even talk for a good part of the day, though they do have their quiet moments. Fortunately, parakeets aren't loud, but they are persistently noisy. Just as beauty is in the eye of the beholder, loudness is in the ear of the hearer. Some people aren't bothered at all by parakeet noise, while others may be annoyed by the constant chirruping.

A healthy and happy parakeet is quite noisy. Beware the silent bird - it may not be feeling well. Birds tend to hide signs of illness very well, so being quieter than usual is definitely cause for concern.

Parakeets are excellent talkers. They can even out-talk some of the larger bird species. Parakeets can learn hundreds of words and phrases and say them clearly and interchangeably. Cocks (male birds) are more apt to talk earlier and more frequently, but hens (female birds) have been known to do their share of chatting as well.

Companionship

One of the best reasons to get a parakeet is for companionship. Parakeets are affectionate companions and bond readily to any human who is patient and kind. Your parakeet may love to stand on your shoulder while you do your chores or watch television. He'll preen your eyebrows and sing into your ear.

If you want your parakeet to be an affectionate companion, devoted to you, keep just one, as long as you're able to pay a lot of attention to it. If you have less time to spend with a single bird, consider a pair. A pair of parakeets will keep themselves entertained and occupied, and you won't have to worry about your bird being home alone and pining for you.

Mess and more mess

Birds are messy. You'll definitely be walking on a crunchy floor, and perhaps even a bit of water to go with it after the parakeet has taken its bath. You may even find seeds growing out of your carpet (yes, it has happened to me)!

Acrylic cages do the best job of keeping mess at bay (more about this in Chapter 4). However, even if you buy all the seed-catching devices and all the hooded cups on the market, you're not going to prevent mess. Get used to it and love your bird all the more for being the imperfect creature that it is.

A decade or more of life - if you take care of the bird

Unfortunately, most parakeets only live a few years in the average home due to improper care and feeding, neglect, and accidents. But with the proper care, a parakeet can live 12 to 15 years.

The larger English budgie, because of its specific breeding, tends to live to be only about 7 or 8 - and that's an old English budgie. They may be able to live longer with exceptional care.

Knowing What Your Parakeet Expects from You

Your parakeet relies on you for all of its needs: proper housing, nutrition, playtime out of the cage, and safety. You're responsible for every aspect of its life. In the following sections, I let you know what your parakeet needs from you, but here's a short list of the basic things your parakeet needs:

• A clean cage: You'll need to clean the bottom of your parakeet's cage nearly every day, or your bird's waste will become crusty and turn into a fine dust, which your parakeet (and you) can inhale. This is not healthy. Once a week, clean the cage and the surrounding area more thoroughly. (More on how to clean the cage in Chapter 9.)
• Water: Offer your parakeet fresh water twice a day if you can; at least once a day for sure. If the water dish isn't empty (it shouldn't be anyway), throw out the remainder of the dirty water and replace it so that your parakeet always has a fresh water supply.
• Food: Provide and change fresh and cooked foods once a day. Just as with water, if your parakeet hasn't eaten all the fresh or cooked foods you gave your bird the day before, throw out the old food and replace it with new. Uncooked foods like seeds or pellets can remain in the dish and you can just top them off. (Note: You should change the water twice a day if possible, but you need to change the food only once a day.)
• Playtime: Your parakeet needs safe playtime out of the cage every day unless the bird is in a large flight cage at least three to four feet in length, or a larger aviary. Be sure to keep a close eye on your bird - and on your other pets - whenever your parakeet is out of its cage. Also, check your bird's cage and toys daily for wear and tear.
• Attention to his health: Your parakeet can't just fly out to the vet's office when it feels a little under the weather. You need to watch your bird closely for signs of illness and take it to the veterinarian if you suspect something is wrong or if your bird has an accident.
• Empathy: Your parakeet is relying on you for a hundred percent of its care and its recreational activities. Keep in mind that your parakeet is a bird of boundless space that must live in cage in a human home. Be sensitive to this and give your parakeet enough outside time on your shoulder, in a closed room or a safe area of the house, or offer a large flight cage or aviary.
• A safe home: When you bring a parakeet into your home, you need to make sure it's a safe place for your bird to live. (See Chapter 4 for more information on parakeet-proofing your home.) Also make sure that your parakeet's housing is away from drafts and that the room where it lives doesn't get too cold or too warm.

In addition to these basics of bird care, your parakeet needs other things from you, covered in the following sections.

A good home

Parakeets need as large of a cage as your space and budget can afford. If you can't buy a large cage, then save up until you can. A cramped parakeet will be quite unhappy.

A parakeet's environment needs good lighting. It can be indirect natural lighting with some direct sunlight during the day (though the bird should always have half the cage in a shady spot where it can retreat in order to avoid sunstroke). Or, you can use special bird lamps, which you can get at the pet shop or online. A clip-on lamp and a full-spectrum bulb meant for birds should keep your parakeet healthy.

Ideally, the temperature in your parakeet's environment should be between 68° F and 72° F (20° C and 22.22° C). Make sure that your bird doesn't get too cold or too warm, and that it has clean, fresh water at all times in hot weather. You can tell if your bird is too cold if it sits with its feathers fluffed up; if it is too hot, it will open its wings at the shoulder joint and pant with an open beak. If your home is below 68° F (20° C) at night, make sure to cover the cage to keep in the heat and keep out drafts. (Chapter 4 offers some advice on how to keep your bird warm in the cooler months.)

Before bringing your parakeet home, make a space for his cage in an area where he's bound to get the most attention. I like to place my companion birds' cages in an area where they can see me most of the time, like in a family room or living room. They get the added bonus of being able to watch television (and...