Parakeets
Parakeets are an extremely popular pet bird, and for good reason. These small parrots make delightful pets, and are usually friendly and easy to tame. While they can sometimes be difficult to understand, they are quite capable of mimicking speech.
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Life span: 10-15 years (up to 20).
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Origin: Australia.
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Gentle and docile bird, very easy to tame if acquired at a young age.
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Pairs of birds make good company for each other, but usually will not bond as well with their owners or mimic speech as well. A single bird is fine, as long as you spend a significant amount of time interacting with the budgie on a daily basis.
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Very playful and active, and quieter than some other parrots (although they can still be noisy).
ABOUT
Basic Care Plan for Parakeets
Line the cage with paper towels or copy paper (better choices than newspaper) and change them regularly. Set up the cage with perches, water/food dishes and toys. Bring the bird home to quiet place and play soft music for a few days.
Change the food and water daily. Let the bird get used to you and the surroundings, doing nothing but maintaining his food/water and cage, before trying to train the bird to perch on your finger.
Feed fresh vegetables such as kale, beets, peas, carrots, parsley, cooked yams, sliced apple, mandarin oranges, citrus, and the like. Food can be clipped to the bars of the cage or chopped small in a food processor and put in a bowl.
Millet sprigs or "sprays" are a favorite treat, but don't feed too much of it (about 1/2" per day), as it is fattening like junk food. Avoid sweets or excess oats, both of which are fattening.
Try to interact with your birds daily for at least 30-90 minutes. Without regular and sufficient attention, they will lose interest in human interaction. A pair will tend to bond with one another (regardless of sex) and ignore humans, but through interaction, you can be considered part of the flock.
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A way to interact with your bird is to sing together, give it baths and if it seems to be rapidly dropping a mobile toy, pick it up. There is a chance it is trying to play a game with you.
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Talk to it. Sometimes parakeets get lonely. A good way to get them happy again is to talk to them.
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To get them to climb up on your finger, push a little bit on their stomach, and say "Step Up." By continuously saying that, they will start to say it by themselves, and will "Step Up" whenever they say it (which will usually be when they come to a stair/ledge).
Parakeets are a lot of work but you will find them an affectionate and funny companion. Most will talk and how much they learn is really up to you. Be prepared to do some daily care, maintenance and offering of attention and time to talk and play with your birds, or consider getting another hobby.
