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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!
What are you buying your kids for christmas?
Hanna and
Going out shopping today with the MIL today and just looking for some ideas... What are you getting your 1 year old? or what are you getting your children and what are their ages?
Answer
Some ideas for a 1 year old:
Some large size crayons and coloring books to let them scribble with
some big size trucks/cars. Little tikes makes some for 9.99 and they double as sand toys
some blocks
a ball pit
a ride on toy
something they can hold and practice walking behind.
Leap Frog has a little touch leap pad that is fun for them. My son got one last year at Christmas. He was 9 months old and he loved it. He is going to be 2 this March and he still loves to play with it.
Some things we're doing for my son who will be 21 months on Christmas:
Sit and spin, art easle with supplies, books, a stuffed curious george, a little tikes lap top, leap frog fridge phonics, some black and decker tool box toys, some tub toys, some clothes and little tikes slide.
I'm sure he get a ton more than that from extended family members and grandparents for sure, but those are some of the things we're going to do.
Some ideas for a 1 year old:
Some large size crayons and coloring books to let them scribble with
some big size trucks/cars. Little tikes makes some for 9.99 and they double as sand toys
some blocks
a ball pit
a ride on toy
something they can hold and practice walking behind.
Leap Frog has a little touch leap pad that is fun for them. My son got one last year at Christmas. He was 9 months old and he loved it. He is going to be 2 this March and he still loves to play with it.
Some things we're doing for my son who will be 21 months on Christmas:
Sit and spin, art easle with supplies, books, a stuffed curious george, a little tikes lap top, leap frog fridge phonics, some black and decker tool box toys, some tub toys, some clothes and little tikes slide.
I'm sure he get a ton more than that from extended family members and grandparents for sure, but those are some of the things we're going to do.
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