Health
Birds have a tendency to mask illnesses. To insure your bird’s good health provide plenty of good nutrition. Keep his cage and accessories clean and sanitized. Keep the budgie bird out of drafts and sudden temperature changes.

Clean the cages daily sanitize the cage weekly. Food and water dishes should be sanitized daily. Most harsh disinfectants are dangerous to birds. Never use piney oily smelling stuff like Pinsol. The safest disinfectant is Chlorhexidine.

If you observe your bird displaying symptoms such as hunched over, droopy, wet droppings, or uninterested in his environment he is sick. Take your bird to an avian veterinarian.

Your house has many dangers to the bird. He may get hurt on a ceiling fan. He may drop into a pot of boiling water or an open toilet. He could ingest poisonous plants. The fumes from overheated non-stick cookware are poisonous to your birds. Aerosol can be harmful; an example air freshener. Use extreme caution when letting your bird fly in your home.

With proper care and safety measures the parakeet lifespan - life span (people spell it both ways) should be up to fifteen years.

Parakeets need 10-12 hours of sleep a day. He should have darkness and quiet. Cover his cage.

Birds can suffer from Coccidiosis. The symptoms of Coccidiosis are blood in the droppings, a soiled vent and the bird will look huddled up. This must be diagnosed with the use of a microscope. Take the bird to a veterinarian for diagnoses and treatment.

Parakeets should be kept in temperatures of no lower than 68-70F to no higher than 90F. During the day if they can’t get some direct sunlight (make sure part of the cage is shaded and watch that the bird doesn’t overheat) it wouldn’t hurt to expose the bird to a full spectrum light for a part of the day. Any animal with a skeleton structure needs vitamin D3.

Ornithosis: Psittacosis is a disease in birds that can be passed on to humans. The symptoms are runny eyes and blinking. Take the bird to a veterinarian for diagnoses and treatment.

Birds can suffer with mites and lice. Birds will act lethargic and become anemic.

Play and Training
The first thing you should train your parakeet is how to perch on a finger. Remain calm and speak in a calming voice. Gently press your finger into his chest until he learns to step up on your finger. Offer him praise and a treat. Parakeets can learn to mimic words. Repeat the word or phrase repeatedly. Male birds are much easier to train than female birds.

Birds enjoy sounds and music in the background. Keep the volume low. Birds suffer from boredom too! They love for you to talk to them. Even while doing your daily chores the budgies will enjoy the interaction. Parakeet or budgerigars can learn to talk.

Provide your pet with toys and treats. Pet stores have a great variety of toys available for parakeets. Put some of the toys away for a couple weeks and bring out new ones. Rotating his toys will provide him with new mental stimulation.

There are many healthy fun treats available for the parakeet. They will enjoy millet sprays, egg biscuits, seed sticks, fruit sticks and seed bells.

You might consider purchasing a bird playpen. The playpen has perches, swings, and ladders. Your parakeet will have a great deal of fun with a bird playpen.

Parakeet actions can be a bit strange to a first time parakeet owners. The ultimate of a show of affection toward you would be for the parakeet to regurgitate, and if you’re not quick you will end up with a mouth full of goo. Don’t pull back in revulsion while your bird is showing love you would be turning down that love. Just do your best to keep your mouth closed, and then shower your baby with affection. This goo is what the mother parakeet feeds their young. It is only partially digested food.

Parakeets make a noise when content much like a cat purrs. It is a cute noise like a warble. Parakeets are not loud like many parrots and you can easily keep them in an apartment or mobile home park.


Summary
The parakeet is a brilliantly colored small parrot that makes a delightful companion pet. Their antics are fun to watch. They can be trained to talk and mimic your words. Keep his cage and accessories clean and disinfected. Spend time playing and talking with your bird. Provide him with plenty of mental stimulation with toys. You will have a good friend for many years to come. Above all else enjoy your pet budgie.

The budgie article began with (the fundamentals of care of the budgie:

Budgerigar - Parakeet - Budgie Care

Diana Geiger Birds Editoron

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