My daughters first pet...all her own...yeah right LOL

[pepe mint]

Ok, so my daughter is 7 1/2 and she has been begging me to get her a kitten. that's a big NO. with 3 dogs in our townhome, we are maxed out right now...until Tessa has a litter anyway.

well...I started doing some research and tried to find a "pet" that I think she would really be able to take care of, and one that I wouldn't mind having in the house. I also wanted to make sure that it was something that I would be willing to spend time with and care for when she got bored LOL

so...we got a parakeet. he is very very pretty. He has the most beautiful shades of blue...we call him blue sky...sky for short

anyway....does anyone have any real life, first hand advice, warnings, tips, or stories they would want to share?? I have never owned a bird, but I am really liking him so far. He is so funny!!!!!!!! I'll try to get some pics soon. i want to let him get adjusted a bit before i attack him with a camera he is supposedly around 3 months old

[ace611]

remember to feed it! haha my 8 year old brother had a parakeet and he forgot to feed it and the poor thing died....so no more birds for hiim.....

[Julie1760]

Since it is still young....make sure you put your hands in the cage alot!!! It will help with keeping them tame. If you want to let him out, make sure to keep his wings clipped, there are video's you can watch on how to do it. It is very easy and done with a regular scissors. I've had birds all my life and have taught many to talk.

If you do a search for parakeet training...you find all sorts of help. If you have certain questions, feel free to PM me and I'll see how to help.

[autumn star]

Tell Trinity that we said Congratulations on her very own pet! That is very exciting for her!

[J_is_my_initial]

Make sure to keep fresh water at all times. Also as Julie1760 said, keep handling the bird. If they start getting snippy, they can really pinch your fingers. Get a cuttle bone to keep the beak worn down also.

[Missiemiss]

A cuttle bone is essential.

As someone else said - socialization is so important. Keep introducing the parakeet to your hand and finger. Talk softly....

Normally (I had parakeets and parrots) birds are "one owner" pets so they get attached to one person. IF you socialize them early they won't get too ornery with other animals and people. Start soon!!!!

If you let it out of its cage - use caution - remember - a Yorkie is a TERRIER. (and they are darn fast too!)

[BubblPopElectrc]

A diet supplemented with fruits and veggies is best. No grit as parakeets hull their food.

[Grayson's mom]

oh I had a yellow one i called tweety back in my 20's, he used to cuddle up in my hair and rub his little head on my face. He was so cute.
mine was a seed slinger so I had a wrap that went around the bottom of the cage to keep the seeds from flying

[paulapoo]

I had a blue one named Pedro. He sang so pretty, especially in the morning! I never got him to talk, and i couldn't get him on my finger either. I loved hearing him sing and whistle. I could whistle at him and get him to whistle back. I gave him to a friend, I didn't like cleaning the cage and he was pretty messy! Congrats to Trinity on her new pet.

[pea496]

I had a parakeet named Larry Bird. I taught him to talk. Instead of "I'm a dirty bird", he would say, "I'm a dirty dird!!" He really cracked us up. He lived to a ripe old age. He loved to take baths. They have the ones that hook to the door of the cage. You just put plain warm water in it. He also liked to eat those long things with seeds that you would hang on the cage with a clothespin. We had toys on wheels that he would push along the kitchen floor. We would cover him at night for sleeping so he would not get any drafts.

Good luck with the bird.

[wvmomof3]

Congratulations to your daughter on her new pet! My dh had a parakeet that was blue also when he was in pharmacy school. He called him Thor, and gosh was he smart. I believe he thought he was a dog! My dh would let him out of the cage and he would follow DH around his apartment. Thor used to sit on his perch and say...."Thor's a pretty boy", and he would do the cat call whistle. He was too smart. Right after we married, Thor let himself out of the cage, (even though we had a clothespin on the door), and my siamese cat killed him. My cat went back home to my parents, and poor Thor.......was buried. Every now and then dh hubby mentions Thor, and my siamese cat Sheeba. Of course it isn't too nice what he says about Sheeba!

[SamiNFurbabies]

birds are allergic to teflon. So if you are going to do any cooking, I would put the bird somewhere else. They can die from this.
They are also very sensative to chemicals---that can kill them too.
I would give them more than just seed---pellets, vegetables, and a bit of fruit... some birds also can eat other sources of protein.
keep the bird in a warm place, away from drafts. If your bird shows any signs of sickness, take him to an avian vet (locate one immediately). They can die quickly.
if you ever add another parakeet, make sure that you quarantine it for at least 30 days.
I would also get your bird checked out for different diseases.
I have had about 8 parakeets. I liked them---but I wouldn't get them again. They are a bit too dirty for my liking---and I didn't find them all that fun (although 2 of them were great) .
I prefer lovebirds, cockatoos... which i'll never get because my mom (i'm in college) HATES birds.

[coroth]

I had a white and blue parakeet I called snowball...Make sure you have clean water at least once a day!! Birds can get very sick if they have dirty water and many birds like to "dip" their food in their water. It really helps if you get textured perches so their nails aren't too sharp. Like everyone else said, hold them a LOT and have different people hold it so it doesn't get used to one person. Put LOTS of toys in the cage because if they get bored they get destructive and can pull out their own feathers if they feel neglected.

REALLY watch out for your yorkies!! Mine "hunt" my bird all the time and we have to put up the baby gates if I take her out. (I have a cockatiel now)

HAVE FUN!!!!

[mizzwanned]

Everyone gave good advice, all i can say is if his cage is open, watch out for open windows. They are fast flyers, so clip his wings maybe, idk but i had a bad experience when i was little. I had 2 parakeets and my cousin came over one day and opened their cage and the window was open and my little Judith flew out So just be aware, oh and also some of them learn to open their cage doors. I had a couple that did that, they just push it up with their beaks if it is the kind that just slides up. I used to put something on it to keep it closed.