Some people call them Parakeets, some people call the Budgies, Budgerigars, and others refer to them as Love Birds. Whatever you call them, these enchanting little colourful, feathered people are highly entertaining and a wonderful addition to your family, or extended menagerie, as in our case. The word Parakeet means a small slender bird of the parrot family. They fly wild in Australia in the outback, when I was visiting Australia with my family some years ago it was absolutely wonderful to see the colourful flocks of them flying around free. Sometimes with as many as twenty thousand in one flock! FLYING WILD! The word Budgerigar means “good to eat” in Aboriginie…..don’t tell that to your bird!

There are two slightly different birds, the English Budgie, a slightly larger bird (around 9 inches in length) and the American Parakeet who is smaller (around seven inches in length). The English Budgie lives to be 7 – 8 years old whereas the American Parakeet can live up to 14 years. It is, of course, difficult to know just how old your bird is when you buy it, so you can never really tell how long you can expect it to last in your family.

Sometimes it makes me sad to see these lovely little birds in cages so small that they can barely flap their wings. In actual fact, if we were to analyze their captivity, we should be opposed to them being held captive at all, as undoubtedly, the good Lord meant them to fly free, unhindered, through the bright blue skies. Keeping this in mind, however, they are in our pet shops, and if we don’t give them a good home, who might end up buying them? Some people will disagree with me about this, I know.

So, you have decided that you would like to own one of these pretty little birds. Decision number one is how many birds do you plan to buy? You need to do some organizing before you trot out the door, pet store bound, to make your purchase. It is a good idea to find a nice space to rest or hang the cage. It is important that they are not positioned under an air conditioning vent or in a direct cross breeze. The cage should be in a quiet place where there is not constant traffic.  Parakeets are very susceptible to respiratory difficulties and can “catch a chill” very easily. I try to keep them at moderate temperatures, though my home is air conditioned, I keep the back and sides and top of the cage covered with a thick cover so that they don’t have a draught. They have lots of light from the front as they are in a large decorative cage.

I don’t like these tiny cages, it is important that the bird or birds have lots of room to more around in. If you have been able to tame your birds sufficiently you can allow them to fly around the room to get exercise. Be sure to make sure that the ceiling fan is off before you let your bird out, and turn off any lights that have might become hot. It makes life a lot easier if you restrict their movements to one room so that if the bird does not want to return to the cage you are not rushing around the entire house and worrying that somebody will come through the front door and let you bird out. Make sure any other pets (cats, dog and the like) are out of the room when you free your birds.

As with just about all pets, good clean water, changed frequently is essential for your bird’s health. There is a vast choice of bird feed, seeds and other nutritional foods for your bird in the pet stores and on line. I buy a variety of different seeds and supplements and change it around every few days. I also include cuttle bone for them to keep their beaks to size, seed trees of different flavours and a variety of toys. It is important to keep your bird happy and well occupied.

I have always owned several birds at a time so they have always had company and are never lonely, If you have a single bird it is easier to tame and can be taught to “speak”... Remember, however, if you have a single bird, you will have to spend more time keeping it company so that it is not a lonely bird. A depressed Parakeet is a very unhappy little thing. A bird can learn to speak as early as three months old and they are capable to learn a vast vocabulary of 600 – 800 words.

Keeping an eye on your bird’s health is important. Check the cage daily, if you see any change in their droppings, be sure to observe them more carefully.  Sometimes your bird will look puffed up and ruffled, that can be a signal that he is not feeling well. Sleeping more than usual, laboured breathing, messy grooming, listlessness, and any unusual behavior can all be warning signs. Make sure that your birds are eating and drinking regularly. If you have a minor health problem a medication called Ornacycline put into their drinking water can be extremely helpful, be sure to follow the directions carefully. If the problem persists contact you vet, for additional advice. I personally try not to move my birds too much because they “freak out” and I worry that they are being unnecessarily stressed. These little birds are very delicate indeed and stress can even lead to death, in some cases. If your bird looks very sick though, you should move him into a single cage away from the others. Keep your sick bird warm, I find a heating pad hung on the outside of the cage with a beach towel around the cage to hold the pad in place works very well indeed. A sick bird should be left in peace and quiet as much as possible.

I have not tried to breed my Parakeets. When I was young my father successfully bread ours but I was to young to remember what he did to ensure the successful hatching of the babies, but I do remember babies being born and living a healthy life. Sometimes I get the feeling my four Parakeets would like to start families, but I am not ready yet for the stress and worry of bringing up baby birds…..maybe next year!

Bottom line, is that, Parakeets, like all other animals, require attention, vigilance, care and love. In return they will give you many hours of joy; endless singing (usually when you are on the phone) and they are wonderful little companions.