Getting a Parakeet

Aww I want a parakeet, but there are a mess! I couldnt think of a place in my house I would keep it. We have carpet everywhere but the kitchen and who wants to look at bird poo in the kitchen? And I know that poo can fly! Anyways I think if you have a good spot for one, they are very fun. I had one when I was little and you really can teach them how to talk! Good Luck!

I hope you don't buy a bird. A large number of birds die in transport. I think it is cruel to keep a bird in a cage. Plus, some birds are very social by nature and keeping a single bird can make them crazy. They need their social group.

Cats are pretty clean, and easy to care for, and there are lots of them in need of homes! Soon it will be the time of year when the shelters will have kittens.

If you want the bird to talk I would not buy from pet store as the birds from there are a bit too old to train to talk. And I think they do make good pets We had them as a child an taught it how to talk. Alot of talking done to the bird, ours was very young when we got him.

S.,
I have parakeets and I love them. Yes they can be messy but they do make feeders that go onto the cage that are alot less messy than a container feeder. You can also get a cage gaurd that goes around the cage to minimize seed spill.

My strongest suggestion is to get a bird that is hand raised. The birds in the pet store will not be hand raised and it is really difficult to train them to be tame and sit on your finger. You can look in the classified ads and might be able to find hand raised birds. Be prepared to be social with the bird and be sure its in a place where it will get alot of human interaction. Birds can be alot of fun but do take some care. You need to be sure they have fresh food and water. They can be a bit noisy but I like their chirping. Also, if you want the bird to bond with you or your son, do not get another bird with it. If you have two together, they will pair bond to each other and will be jittery of you. Good luck and enjoy!

The parakeet we had growing up bonded with my mom and would answer to her. He pretty much had the run of the house...she would let him out to fly around and when she told him to go back to his cage he would...he did however, consider me a "sibbling" and enjoyed tormenting me (picking at my ears, my hair, etc.) to no end. He was, however, fun to play with in that he would play cards with you (tossing them around), pull string toys, etc. I will warn you that leaving the bird to fly around the house on it's own can be a messy endeavour as they like to perch on the tops of curtains and lamps that are on and will invariably poop down them at some point.

We had several parakeets after that that didn't talk or do anything much. But when I returned home after college, we bought another and he bonded with BOTH my mom and I and had quite a range of vocabulary, whistles, and stunts (much more than even most parrots).

Overall, I think they are a great pet. You can do as little or as much as you want with them. As for messiness...well every pet comes with some but at leas this one doesn't require a license or a vet bill. I would recommend cleaning the bottom of the cage at least once a week and changing food out daily or every other day. If you can find the expandable skirt to go around the base of the birdcage (they are usually nylon) this will help keep further birdseed from escaping the cage.

As with any pet, you need to educate the children in how to deal with them and certainly not to torment them (poking things through the cage, scaring the bird, etc.)...if they do that kind of behavior then you will have an aggessive and mean bird who will bite whomever comes close to him/her...however, if you get a baby parakeet (preferrably from a breeder instead of a pet store) and train it from early on and build up it's trust you will have a nice friend for the next 7-14 years.

Oh and one more important thing about parakeets, they need to be in a warm place in the house and a place that has NO DRAFTS...they are highly suseptable to catching a chill which quickly progresses to pnemonia if you aren't careful. I would certainly recommend getting a book on parakeets...there isn't a whole lot to learn about them but some of the useful tidbits you will learn in the book will make for a much more enjoyable time spent with them.

If you constantly want to be telling the bird to shut up, then go for it!! :)

If you are just wanting a pet for your son, birds can be great. Parakeets can be messy and loud though. If you want a bird but aren't sure about the parakeet, have you thought about different kinds of birds? My mother raised Zebra Finches and Canaries my whole life and they aren't nearly as messy or loud. They do not talk but they do sing and you can finger tame them if you want. Zebra Finches aren't as expensive as Canaries but they do better if you get a pair. You can find them at most pet stores or you can get them from individual breeders.