Parakeet

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hereforgood

New Member
So my little one has a birthday next month as she needs a parakeet. Well maybe not needs, but wants. Are they easy birds to take care of(I will take care of it, not her). I hear boys can talk and girls do not- is that true? Where is the best place to keep them in the house? Thanks for the input in advance.
 
donbarzini

donbarzini

Well-Known Member
hereforgood said:
So my little one has a birthday next month as she needs a parakeet. Well maybe not needs, but wants. Are they easy birds to take care of(I will take care of it, not her). I hear boys can talk and girls do not- is that true? Where is the best place to keep them in the house? Thanks for the input in advance.
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Best place to keep them? How about the cat's litter box?
 
mAlice

mAlice

professional daydreamer
Birds are great pets. Parakeets are very easy to take care of. However, I wouldn't recommend one for a small child.
 
M

marianne

New Member
hereforgood said:
So my little one has a birthday next month as she needs a parakeet. Well maybe not needs, but wants. Are they easy birds to take care of(I will take care of it, not her). I hear boys can talk and girls do not- is that true? Where is the best place to keep them in the house? Thanks for the input in advance.
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I've never heard that boys can talk and girls do not. I've heard that budgies are capable of talking but have never actually heard one talk (I used to work in a bird store and have a few birds). Birds are social, especially hookbills like budgies. You probably want to either plan on spending time daily with the bird (you/your littel one) or get two birds. Keep birds in the warmest room in the house, away from drafts (be careful of drafts around windows). I would not keep them in the kitchen as they don't do well with burning teflon and they can be a little messy to boot.
 
A

AMP

Jersey attitude.
Birds are dirty. I currently have my parrotlet/pocket parrot's (about the size of a small parakeet) cage in a white hefty bag because I cannot stand the feathers and seeds flying everywhere. I draw the bag up over the cage each night. And the cage needs cleaning every 4-5 days. Plus the poop is sticky, so hope you have a laundry room sink to scrub in. And they can be noisy. They need company too, or they get bored and start plucking.

Only reason I have it is because a friend offered it to my son (who is 4 going on 5 and loves birds) and he accepted before consulting me. He would be heartbroken if I gave it away, but he is too young to help with it, so of course Mom get to clean and feed it.

I much prefer fish. Bettas are best.
 
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seasquirt

Vermicious Knid
Yes, parakeets are filthy. They will fling seeds, feathers, and poop everywhere. They scream all the time - if there are more than one together, they scream at each other. If they are alone, they will scream at you. You will have to scrub the cage and everything in the cage every weekend. You will have to clean out their water dish several times a day, because they will keep pooping in it.

Fish are way better.
 
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hereforgood

New Member
Thanks everyone! I don't want to break her heart, maybe I can talk her into a puppy. We already have 1 dog- maybe that will make her happy.
 
A

AMP

Jersey attitude.
hereforgood said:
Thanks everyone! I don't want to break her heart, maybe I can talk her into a puppy. We already have 1 dog- maybe that will make her happy.
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Sorry to sound so down on birds, but for the amount of fun she would get out of a pet, perhaps a puppy would be better. Although, a puppy IS more work than a bird, birds are not as cuddly or responsive to a child as a puppy would be.

Hope you will find something everyone can love!
 
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marianne

New Member
You definitely have to be a certain type of person to enjoy birds as pets. If you're looking to keep the bird in a cage all day you're probably not going to enjoy having a bird - you're going to just find them to be messy. My birds would sit on my shoulder whenever I was home - they were only in their cage if I wasn't home (parrokeet or parrot - didn't matter). They'll be very cuddly and attached to if you get a social bird, especially a baby. There's a joke that you can always tell a bird lover from the back of their shirt but my L'uccello is potty trained (yes, you can potty train a hookbill). You get out of it what you put into it. In the same manner though, it's the same way with a dog. If you leave a dog outside in a kennel all day, you're going to find it a nuisance to feed and clean up after it.

One other thing to consider is how well your new pet would get along with your existing dog, whether it's a bird or a dog. Some birds get along great with dogs but mine does not.
 
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