Parakeet

American Parakeets, or Budgerigar (Aboriginal name "good eating"), are small parrots that have long, flat tails. They are found throughout Australia in the drier regions of the Australian interior. They can be a variety of colors ranging from yellow to blue, violet to green, and even albino. They are beautiful and friendly little parrots that have been kept as pets since the late 1700s.

There are two main species of Budgerigar: the American Parakeet and the English Budgie. They are really the same bird, but the English Budgie has been bred to be larger in size with more pronounced forehead. The American Parakeet reaches 7 inches from head to tail tip; the English Bundgie is 10 inches from the top of the head to the tip of the tail. Almost all parakeets that can be purchased are bred in captivity. They live to be 10-15 years in captivity.

Unlike most parrots, it is possible to sex the parakeet without DNA testing. In fact, all you have to do is look into their sweet faces to tell the difference: males have a deep blue cere (area around the nostrils) and females will have a brownish cere. This method of determining a parakeet's sex cannot be made until the bird is at least 6 months old.

Some parakeets can be taught to talk, but that doesn't mean that they all can or will. A bird that has been hand-raised is often more likely to speak than one that wasn't hand-raised. These small parrots can become excellent pets if they are treated with love and attention.

Parakeets are some of the least expensive of all parrots. American Parakeets will generally range in price from $10-$20; the larger English Budgie may cost from $20-$100. Hand-fed birds will usually cost a little more than the older birds.

Parrot owners often complain about how loud their birds can be. The Parakeet is much quieter than other parrots, but they can make themselves heard if they need to. Another problem Parrot owners have is biting. While it is possible for a Parakeet to bite, it doesn't happen that often unless they have a very good reason to do so.

If your Parakeet is too loud, or it does start biting (for whatever reason), don't let these behaviors continue. Budgies do not bite in the wild, so their reason for biting a human probably is a result of fear, being territorial, due to jealousy, or out of shear irritation. They probably feel they don't have any other way to get your attention. No matter the reason that they bite, this activity is not acceptable.

Never hit a bird, they won't understand this form of discipline. Hitting or yelling will only serve to encourage them to bite again. Instead of reacting, try hard not to react at all. Ignore the bite and continue what you were doing. This way, you won't reinforce the biting. Be patient with your Parakeet, this may take more than one attempt to get the action to stop.

Parakeets have long been welcome additions to families for hundreds of years. These beautiful little parrots make wonderful pets. They can be entertaining but aren't quite as affectionate as a Lovebird or Conure. They still make a great choice for your first avian friend.