• After 15+ years, we've made a big change: Android Forums is now Early Bird Club. Learn more here.

Any parakeet owners?

So, I've always wanted parakeets but didn't really ever want parakeets. Love birds, not sure about the mess and upkeep part. I do keep a bunch of reptiles, they are super easy (or I just have it down to a science now).

My sister apparently decided it was time for me to finally get some, she gave me a cage for Christmas with the promise of two birds when I get all set up for them. I guess the best place for them would be my bedroom, it has the most room/space for a cage and isn't too cool or drafty. I would like them in my office/den area but there are a lot of windows, hence drafts, and it is cooler than the rest of the house (like 66-68). The geckos and tortoise are OK as they have heaters and 'draft free houses'. It's not like they would be isolated or anything, I go in there a lot during the day (two snakes in there already).

Anyway, if I do this crazy thing, I'm looking for general care/training/making them happy suggestions!
 
So, I've always wanted parakeets but didn't really ever want parakeets. Love birds, not sure about the mess and upkeep part. I do keep a bunch of reptiles, they are super easy (or I just have it down to a science now).

My sister apparently decided it was time for me to finally get some, she gave me a cage for Christmas with the promise of two birds when I get all set up for them. I guess the best place for them would be my bedroom, it has the most room/space for a cage and isn't too cool or drafty. I would like them in my office/den area but there are a lot of windows, hence drafts, and it is cooler than the rest of the house (like 66-68). The geckos and tortoise are OK as they have heaters and 'draft free houses'. It's not like they would be isolated or anything, I go in there a lot during the day (two snakes in there already).

Anyway, if I do this crazy thing, I'm looking for general care/training/making them happy suggestions!

if you are going to have them in your room.....be prepared for it to be noisy. i know they are not as loud as other birds....but they will make a lot of noise moving around and playing with their toys so keep that in mind.

also how tame do you want them to be? if you want them really tame then i would suggest that you get only one. if you get two then they will prefer each other and it will be much harder to handle.

and one last thing they are very messy so be prepared to have empty seeds shells all over the place.

birds are very cool but they do take a lot of maintenance.

i used to have:

cockatielphoto.jpg

cockatiels

and

99513738.jpg

conures
 
  • Like
Reactions: Clementine_3
Upvote 0
Thanks! Your guys look great.
I don't mind some noise, as long as they settle down and aren't yapping all night I can deal with it (I hope). Spring/summer/fall they can be in my office area, it's just too cold in there for winter I think.
I'm trying to figure out a way to make a 'catch all' tray that will fit under the cage, hopefully that will catch some of the mess. For now I will use a box or something, then build a some sort of something.
I have a dog so am used to busting the broom/vacuum out a lot.
 
Upvote 0
Thanks! Your guys look great.
I don't mind some noise, as long as they settle down and aren't yapping all night I can deal with it (I hope). Spring/summer/fall they can be in my office area, it's just too cold in there for winter I think.
I'm trying to figure out a way to make a 'catch all' tray that will fit under the cage, hopefully that will catch some of the mess. For now I will use a box or something, then build a some sort of something.
I have a dog so am used to busting the broom/vacuum out a lot.

you can get something like this:
Amazon.com: Hagen Living World Large Seed Guard, Sky Blue: Pet Supplies

if you cover the cage at night, it will help a little and allow them to go to sleep. however, do not plan on sleeping in when you have a bird in the room. they wake up early and have tons of energy so.......
 
  • Like
Reactions: Clementine_3
Upvote 0
Cockatiels don't really talk, and they are not as companionable as a parakeet or possibly one of the small parrots.

A parakeet can learn to talk, and once they start talking, everything is fair game. We had one that talked.

We had a pair of cockatiels, pretty birds but dumb. They freaked out at feeding times on occasion, had night frights - couldn't even get them to whistle Beethoven's 9th, and learning to whistle they can do.

Even the tropical fish I had did better than that. The fish recognized the human that fed them and would follow the human from one end of the tank to another at feeding time.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Clementine_3
Upvote 0
A parakeet/budgie makes for a great pet. I only had a pair once and agree with what was said earlier... they tend to hang with each other and not interact with people. I've never been one to have them caged. They have a cage they call home but it's never locked. I think they are happier roaming about. They will find a favorite place to hang out... top of a set of curtains for instance. They love to play games and always seem full of cheerfulness. They do make some noise but usually only when they want some attention. If you've never shared your digs with a bird, I strongly recommend a budgie. Low maintenance with high reward.

My buddy Basil
Basil.jpg
 
Upvote 0
Now that ring neck looks nice, may have to investigate!
I went and got a bunch of stuff for them today, no birds yet. Just staring at the empty cage.
Haven't decided about free flight yet, that would come after a bit of them trusting me anyway I suppose. There is always a break-in period with new pets.
 
Upvote 0
Now that ring neck looks nice, may have to investigate!
I went and got a bunch of stuff for them today, no birds yet. Just staring at the empty cage.
Haven't decided about free flight yet, that would come after a bit of them trusting me anyway I suppose. There is always a break-in period with new pets.

also keep in mind that the budgies do not take up a lot of room so the cage can be smaller. but a indian ring neck is bigger and so they need more room. also the cage bars need to be thicker as they can cut thru the cage bars designed for budgies. so what type of cage is important as to what kind of bird you want to keep.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Clementine_3
Upvote 0
My parakeets fought all the time, the female wouldn't stop nagging the male. I eventually gave them to my nephew after I bought the cockatiels.
Every day was like being at the zoo. I do not recommend keeping the parakeets in your bedroom.

Cockatiels can learn to talk. It is said the males are more likely to do so than the females.

I now have one cockatiel and one Congo African Grey. I keep them in the family room where I spend most of my time. My cockatiel is very affectionate. She likes to ride around on my shoulder and just hangout.

Unfortunately for her, she goes thru phases of egg laying and during those times she has to stay in her cage.
 
Upvote 0
definitely want a bird as a pet after i nursed back this ring neck dove back to full health in the summer. I live next to a busy main road and found him just sitting in the gutter of the pavement. Couldn't fly or anything. Had him for a week and a half, he was so tame. During that time I'd leave him outside for half hour or so each day in the garden in a cage and him and his mum would be calling out to eachother. His mum, dad, and sibling were all reunited with him when i released him.

tumblr_m64mq0HkX31r3plc3o1_1280.png

tumblr_m61gzo8JU21r3plc3o3_500.jpg

tumblr_m62vuosQky1r3plc3o2_500.jpg
 
Upvote 0

BEST TECH IN 2023

We've been tracking upcoming products and ranking the best tech since 2007. Thanks for trusting our opinion: we get rewarded through affiliate links that earn us a commission and we invite you to learn more about us.

Smartphones