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Novedeep
So I just bought my Parakeet from Petco, and I bought some necessities, for example the cage, toys and other items. However I do not know how to actually tame and entertain it. I believe he is too young to actually determine his gender. At the moment he seems very nervous. He's not at the bottom of the cage, but is perched on a rod. Are there any ways I can keep him calm and relaxed? If possible can someone provide me with some information I should know about parakeets?
Answer
I think Wolf means kids aren't very good with parakeets? Parakeets need people to be kind and patient with them and learn how to interact with them over time... and kids just want to try and MAKE them do stuff by grabbing or poking etc., which is very frightening to a little parakeet.
Yes, it is difficult to know gender until a parakeet has reached sexual maturity (anywhere from 6-9 months). When the cere (thing that looks like nostrils) is pink or brown, it is a female. When they are blue, it is a male. My keet's nares were bright blue until she reached sexual maturity at about 9 months of age, so it can be deceiving when they are young!
*i'm going to refer to your parakeet as a "she" to make it simple
As for how to care for a parakeet… a keet from Petco will be difficult to tame, especially without prior experience. It is possible, but difficult. Hand-raised birds are very easy to tame, since they are weaned away from their parents and fed by the human hand a week or two after hatching. I would still encourage you to try to bond with your parakeet. Once you have bonded (or if you ever "give up"), please do get her a companion so she isn't so lonely. If you bond with her and can spend a considerable amount of time with her, you may not need to get her a companion.
Cage should be as large as you can afford/place in your home. Birds are winged animals. They are born to fly, or at the very least "flutter" if you choose to clip her wings (a practice I don't like but that can be helpful during taming period). If she can't fly out of her cage throughout the day, do make sure she has plenty of room to fly/climb/hop around in her cage, along with plenty of toys! I leave my keet's cage open all day and she still has a big cage with lots of toys!
Wean your keet off of a seed-based diet as soon as you can. You want her to eat a good quality pellet diet (such as Zupreem) and ideally fruits/vegetables as well. You need to look this up online. There are many things that are toxic/poisonous to birds that you wouldn't think of. Also, proportion of pellets to vegetables (and other foods) is something you need to research online if that is the route you go.
There is so much to tell you about how to care for a parakeet. Before getting my parakeet, I read several books on how to care for her in addition to blogs and websites. The books aren't usually very long. Do buy yourself a few… you can look for recommended books on websites and there is a wealth of information online as well. If you have any specific questions, I would love to help you answer them.
Good luck!
P.S. I forgot to answer your question about how to calm/comfort her...
You can put a little chamomile in her water to calm her if she seems agitated. Don't put the flakes in there- she'll avoid her water… you can brew she tea and put a little of it in her water. Make sure it is organic (has no other chemicals or herbs that could be toxic to her).
Make sure her cage is against a wall, preferably in a corner. You don't want it to be covered with direct sunlight either. You also want it to be in a place where there is the most traffic (where she will be around people the most during the day) and where she can see what's going on in the room & other rooms if possible. Don't put her cage where someone might pop out from behind her and startle her or something.
At night, make sure you cover her cage with a special cage cover, sheet or blanket. This keeps drafts out of the cage and makes her feel more secure when it's dark.
While she gets used to being in your home during the day, you can fold the blanket and place it on top of her cage to provide her with more security (some places in the cage will be darker and might help her relax to go there).
Talk sweetly to her and sing to her. You can read from a book or put some calming music on. You can put the radio on a low volume too if you like when you're away. Don't take her out of her cage right away… allow 2-3 days for her to adjust to the new environment first.
Again, read read read! There is a wealth of information out there!
I think Wolf means kids aren't very good with parakeets? Parakeets need people to be kind and patient with them and learn how to interact with them over time... and kids just want to try and MAKE them do stuff by grabbing or poking etc., which is very frightening to a little parakeet.
Yes, it is difficult to know gender until a parakeet has reached sexual maturity (anywhere from 6-9 months). When the cere (thing that looks like nostrils) is pink or brown, it is a female. When they are blue, it is a male. My keet's nares were bright blue until she reached sexual maturity at about 9 months of age, so it can be deceiving when they are young!
*i'm going to refer to your parakeet as a "she" to make it simple
As for how to care for a parakeet… a keet from Petco will be difficult to tame, especially without prior experience. It is possible, but difficult. Hand-raised birds are very easy to tame, since they are weaned away from their parents and fed by the human hand a week or two after hatching. I would still encourage you to try to bond with your parakeet. Once you have bonded (or if you ever "give up"), please do get her a companion so she isn't so lonely. If you bond with her and can spend a considerable amount of time with her, you may not need to get her a companion.
Cage should be as large as you can afford/place in your home. Birds are winged animals. They are born to fly, or at the very least "flutter" if you choose to clip her wings (a practice I don't like but that can be helpful during taming period). If she can't fly out of her cage throughout the day, do make sure she has plenty of room to fly/climb/hop around in her cage, along with plenty of toys! I leave my keet's cage open all day and she still has a big cage with lots of toys!
Wean your keet off of a seed-based diet as soon as you can. You want her to eat a good quality pellet diet (such as Zupreem) and ideally fruits/vegetables as well. You need to look this up online. There are many things that are toxic/poisonous to birds that you wouldn't think of. Also, proportion of pellets to vegetables (and other foods) is something you need to research online if that is the route you go.
There is so much to tell you about how to care for a parakeet. Before getting my parakeet, I read several books on how to care for her in addition to blogs and websites. The books aren't usually very long. Do buy yourself a few… you can look for recommended books on websites and there is a wealth of information online as well. If you have any specific questions, I would love to help you answer them.
Good luck!
P.S. I forgot to answer your question about how to calm/comfort her...
You can put a little chamomile in her water to calm her if she seems agitated. Don't put the flakes in there- she'll avoid her water… you can brew she tea and put a little of it in her water. Make sure it is organic (has no other chemicals or herbs that could be toxic to her).
Make sure her cage is against a wall, preferably in a corner. You don't want it to be covered with direct sunlight either. You also want it to be in a place where there is the most traffic (where she will be around people the most during the day) and where she can see what's going on in the room & other rooms if possible. Don't put her cage where someone might pop out from behind her and startle her or something.
At night, make sure you cover her cage with a special cage cover, sheet or blanket. This keeps drafts out of the cage and makes her feel more secure when it's dark.
While she gets used to being in your home during the day, you can fold the blanket and place it on top of her cage to provide her with more security (some places in the cage will be darker and might help her relax to go there).
Talk sweetly to her and sing to her. You can read from a book or put some calming music on. You can put the radio on a low volume too if you like when you're away. Don't take her out of her cage right away… allow 2-3 days for her to adjust to the new environment first.
Again, read read read! There is a wealth of information out there!
How do you stop the housework getting overwhelming?
Q. The chores seem to be piling up non-stop!! i have 4 kids and a busy lifestyle, which I love and wouldn't trade for anything - but just cannot seem to get on top of all my housework! The washing is all clean - but the pile is HUGE to fold and put away (6 people, 6 pairs of socks per day x 7 = 42 pairs of socks a week!!! - not to mention all the underwear and other clothes).
Besides that - the general cooking, cleaning, tidying up, and I want to help the kids with homework, do some baking and have some fun and spend time with others...
What ideas for organising the cleaning better? Any tips of perfect chores for kids? (ages 12, 9, 4 and baby). They only make their beds, lay the table, clear the table and pick up their toys is really all they do at the moment... they are good kids and will gladly help out - but how to structure it?
Any ideas of storage or tips on how to keep the toys tidy in the family room? Help, I'm really getting overwhelmed
Besides that - the general cooking, cleaning, tidying up, and I want to help the kids with homework, do some baking and have some fun and spend time with others...
What ideas for organising the cleaning better? Any tips of perfect chores for kids? (ages 12, 9, 4 and baby). They only make their beds, lay the table, clear the table and pick up their toys is really all they do at the moment... they are good kids and will gladly help out - but how to structure it?
Any ideas of storage or tips on how to keep the toys tidy in the family room? Help, I'm really getting overwhelmed
Answer
I know how you feel. This past summer I had 7 kids plus myself and my husband in our home. One of them was terminally ill on a vent that required alot of care (my daughter may she rest in peace 9-3-07) The ages of the kids were at the time 17-15-14-13-12-7-1(the 14yr old and 1 yr old are here full time, 17-15-13yr old my sisters kids, 12yr old my husbands ex gf's son, 7yr old is my sd)
Anyhow the older ones basically cleaned up after themselves. Rule in my house you arent playing with it or using it and its on the floor it goes in the trash. Took my SD 2 times of having her things thrown away before she knew I ment business. I did NOT ask any of them to help me with my son (1) They all put away their own clothing and my SD has been doing this since she turned 5. They all had to maintain their rooms and that includes DUSTING and Vacuuming. As for the main living area as with most moms before I went to bed it was picked up, twice a week doesnt take me no time to go through and dust. The bathrooms maintained daily after my own shower and they ALL knew to clean up after themselves.
As for laundry..Holy buckets! At first I was going to stick with the "one day a week" which I did when all the other kids were not here and it was just myself, my husband, daughter and son. Well that didnt work I was doing laundry all day. And I folded as they came out of the dryer. So instead I did a load a day and it wasnt so bad on me. We also had baskets in each room and in some rooms we had 2 baskets one for socks/underware the other clothing. Even now my husband and I have 2 baskets in our room and one in the laundry room and my sons room.I'll be honest though I was so glad when everyone left I could finally relax!
The meal prep was also something else as i was use to cooking for 3 I was now cooking for 10! Dinner was at a set time they were to be here for it (17yr old and husband worked so came in later) if they were not here they were to fend for themselves when they came in. Dinner dishes was the LAST dishes I did for the day, again anything used after dinner they had to wash and put up themselves. When it came to grocery shopping and putting stuff away my husband said "if you plan on eating any of this help put it away" even at age 5 my SD could put up the fruits, carry cans to the pantry, knew where everything went so she could help sort. And she'd always say "I did such a good job didnt I" and I'd respond "Yes you did ty for your help" and she was proud of herself
My SD's mom thought it was a bit "concentration camp" but then again her house is a mess. But it worked for us and next summer when everyone is here again and a yr older they will help again. I started doing my own laundry at age 9 I remember it fondly made me feel "grown up" your oldest is 12 and I think with a little time devoted by you he/she can do their own laundry as well as help with the meals. Dust the living room and vacuum.
Also where is your husband in all this? Mine works 60 hrs a week but is more then willing to help out when we have the "herd" here and now that its just down to the 3 of us he still helps me out. As for storage my sons toys and he has a TON of them are in baskets large wicker baskets or a Toybox with sliding doors. They are thrown all over within 20 minutes of him being awake at naptime I pick them up, when he wakes they are again all over, at bedtime he helps me pick them up and he's only 16 months old! My SD who is now 7 does the same thing so I started to "rotate" her toys she doesnt miss them she hardly played with any of them just the same ones over and over and thats helped with the mess up in her room. With my son if he doesnt play with something "out of sight is out of mind" get the idea?
All I can say is do not try to do it all in one or two days. Do a little every day and it wont be so overwhelming
I know how you feel. This past summer I had 7 kids plus myself and my husband in our home. One of them was terminally ill on a vent that required alot of care (my daughter may she rest in peace 9-3-07) The ages of the kids were at the time 17-15-14-13-12-7-1(the 14yr old and 1 yr old are here full time, 17-15-13yr old my sisters kids, 12yr old my husbands ex gf's son, 7yr old is my sd)
Anyhow the older ones basically cleaned up after themselves. Rule in my house you arent playing with it or using it and its on the floor it goes in the trash. Took my SD 2 times of having her things thrown away before she knew I ment business. I did NOT ask any of them to help me with my son (1) They all put away their own clothing and my SD has been doing this since she turned 5. They all had to maintain their rooms and that includes DUSTING and Vacuuming. As for the main living area as with most moms before I went to bed it was picked up, twice a week doesnt take me no time to go through and dust. The bathrooms maintained daily after my own shower and they ALL knew to clean up after themselves.
As for laundry..Holy buckets! At first I was going to stick with the "one day a week" which I did when all the other kids were not here and it was just myself, my husband, daughter and son. Well that didnt work I was doing laundry all day. And I folded as they came out of the dryer. So instead I did a load a day and it wasnt so bad on me. We also had baskets in each room and in some rooms we had 2 baskets one for socks/underware the other clothing. Even now my husband and I have 2 baskets in our room and one in the laundry room and my sons room.I'll be honest though I was so glad when everyone left I could finally relax!
The meal prep was also something else as i was use to cooking for 3 I was now cooking for 10! Dinner was at a set time they were to be here for it (17yr old and husband worked so came in later) if they were not here they were to fend for themselves when they came in. Dinner dishes was the LAST dishes I did for the day, again anything used after dinner they had to wash and put up themselves. When it came to grocery shopping and putting stuff away my husband said "if you plan on eating any of this help put it away" even at age 5 my SD could put up the fruits, carry cans to the pantry, knew where everything went so she could help sort. And she'd always say "I did such a good job didnt I" and I'd respond "Yes you did ty for your help" and she was proud of herself
My SD's mom thought it was a bit "concentration camp" but then again her house is a mess. But it worked for us and next summer when everyone is here again and a yr older they will help again. I started doing my own laundry at age 9 I remember it fondly made me feel "grown up" your oldest is 12 and I think with a little time devoted by you he/she can do their own laundry as well as help with the meals. Dust the living room and vacuum.
Also where is your husband in all this? Mine works 60 hrs a week but is more then willing to help out when we have the "herd" here and now that its just down to the 3 of us he still helps me out. As for storage my sons toys and he has a TON of them are in baskets large wicker baskets or a Toybox with sliding doors. They are thrown all over within 20 minutes of him being awake at naptime I pick them up, when he wakes they are again all over, at bedtime he helps me pick them up and he's only 16 months old! My SD who is now 7 does the same thing so I started to "rotate" her toys she doesnt miss them she hardly played with any of them just the same ones over and over and thats helped with the mess up in her room. With my son if he doesnt play with something "out of sight is out of mind" get the idea?
All I can say is do not try to do it all in one or two days. Do a little every day and it wont be so overwhelming
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