Parakeet

Parakeets are talkative and playful birds that are considered one of the best for those of us who are new to the hobby.

Basics: There is actually some confusion as to the name "Parakeet" out there in the world. You can freely use the name Parakeet when you're referring to one of any of the small to medium sized parrots. When someone says, "Budgie" or "Budgerigar," they can just as easily say Parakeet. That said, we now know that Parakeet is a generic name for smaller parrots. These birds are highly popular around the world as pets and are known as beginner birds, meaning that those who purchase them generally don't have much experience owning this type of animal. Parakeets are small, fun to be around, sing, and are fairly easy to own. This is probably the reason for them being the most popular of all birds when it comes to keeping them as pets.

Original and Native Habitat: Simply put, the Parakeet comes from Australia. These birds keep to large flocks and they reside in the dryer grasslands. Even today, the Budgie flies around Australia with that distinctive green color. Down under, these birds are actually considered pests to some farmers as they eat the farmer's grains.

How to Feed and Care For: Because Parakeets are so cheap to purchase, most enthusiasts don't give them the care they need or deserve. They figure that they can simply buy another one. If cared for properly, a Parakeet can live for 15 years. Realistically through, they make it to only five years. These birds can easily become overweight, develop fatty liver, disordered of the feet, parasites and a few other smaller conditions. Budgies primarily eat from the ground. What they eat is the remnants of plants as well as a variety of seeds. When it comes to feeding your Parakeet, bird pellets, berries, fruits, vegetables, and cakes are always a good idea.

Personality, Behavior and Temperament: Parakeets are friendly birds that are able to be handled quite easily. If you aren't into handling the bird, it'll be just as happy staying in its cage. A word of warning though; these birds don't like to be alone for long. They're very social and appreciate having a friend in the cage as well as frequent human companionship. At the very least, you should own to of these birds in a cage. More than two would be even better. They call this a colony. Just be sure to handle these birds enough so they remain socialized. No one wants a nip on the finger. Even though these birds are small, they can still pinch when they bite. Overall though, these are fun and friendly birds that are great with children who treat them respectfully and who are supervised by an adult.

Do They Talk? What Kids of Sounds Do They Make? When it comes to learning words and phrases, the Parakeet is the bird you want - hands down. They can chirp, whistle, sing, and speak. As a matter of fact, some Parakeets know more words than some humans do. Also, it's the males that generally do all the talking, females do as well. Just at a lesser rate.

Health and Disease Awareness: Budgies primarily suffer from conditions related to all seed diets. These conditions are tumors and goiters. Be careful and mix up their diets so they don't have to suffer from things like this. These birds are also susceptible to mites and scabs.

Life Expectancy: 7-15 years.

A few terms and phrases to describe the typical Parakeet bird: small, friendly, fun, social, sensitive, can sing, and vocal.