Parakeets are also known as Budgerigars (Budgies) in their native Australia.
Parakeets are lively, friendly birds that can live about 13 years with proper care. Choosing a parakeet requires some observation.
Watch the birds in the cage. You can tell which ones are more active, less timid and even try to perform for you.
If you are interested in teaching your parakeet to talk, you should choose a male as they are more likely to talk than a female. With parakeets, it’s fairly easy to tell males and females apart. Males have blue nostril shields or ceres, the area above the beak. Females have brown ceres. It may be difficult to tell the sex of a very young bird, but usually the males have ceres that are a bluish/purplish tint while the females are an opaque white covering.
Look for a baby or young bird, especially if you want your bird to learn to talk. Baby birds have black stripes from their foreheads down to their beaks. Young birds eyes are black while older birds have white rings around their irises.
Birds that have been hand-raised are tamer and will bond with you more easily as they’ve already experienced human contact.
Another tip to consider if you want your parakeet to talk – choose only one bird. If you have 2 or more parakeets together, they will talk to each other and might ignore your attempts to teach them to talk. Once your bird is talking, you can introduce another bird to the cage.
Supplies for your parakeet include a good-sized cage, toys, parakeet food and a cuttle bone. Always have fresh water available.
These fun-loving little birds will give you many hours of pleasure enjoying their antics.
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