I Would Love To Own A Budgerigar/Parakeet Part 2

Where You Can Buy Parakeets

Pet stores sell parakeets in many colours. You can also buy everything you need to outfit the cage there.

Breeders also have parakeets for sale. Get addresses from bird breeders' clubs perhaps from an animal shelter or from your local veterinarian.

Tip: Take plenty of time to observe the parakeets offered for sale. Perhaps one of them will appeal to you more than the others because it is so active and playful, or because it looks at you with curious eyes. or because you like its colours. or for some other reason.

If you spontaneously find the parakeet that is right for you, the bird's gender is immaterial, for your feelings have spoken and that is a good way to choose.

Age of the bird at purchase: The parakeet you buy should be young. about five weeks old, for at this age it will get used to people and a new environment quickly. It should also be healthy so that you can enjoy it for a long time and it will be a good learner.

How to recognize a young parakeet:

It has big, black button eyes. in which the white iris is not yet visible.

The wavy barring still extends over the entire head. all the way down to the cere, which doesn't turn blue in males until after the prenuptial moult.

What a healthy parakeet looks like:

All the feathers are fully formed: they are lustrous and lie smooth against the body.

The feathers around the vent—that is what the anal opening of a bird is

called—are not sticky or dirty with faecal matter.

There is no discharge from the eyes and nostrils, nor are they encrusted with old, dried-up secretions.

The horny scales on the feet and toes form a smooth surface.

On each foot there are two toes pointing forward and two pointing backward. There should be no toe missing.

The bird moves quickly, grooms itself frequently, and has active contact with its fellows.

A sick parakeet sits apathetically in a corner, its plumage ruffled and its eyes half shut, the bill tucked into the back feathers. If you see a bird like this, take a second look a little while later; perhaps it was just napping.

Keep in mind when you buy the cage that the future home of your parakeet should not be a prison but a safe refuge and a place for eating and sleeping. The cage should be large enough so that the bird can spread out its wings and at least go through the motions of using them. For even if you are determined to keep your parakeet with the cage door open most of the time. the bird will still, for its own good, have to spend many hours in the closed cage (as when you air the room, clean. have family gatherings).

Tip: Buy your parakeet's cage early enough so that it will be completely set up and ready for occupation on the bird's arrival.

Stands for hanging bird cages are sold by pet supply stores in various designs. They are usually made of metal, are heavy at the bottom, and have a hook at the top from which the cage is hung. This kind of stand makes it is easier to move the cage when that seems desirable.

Warning: Because the heavy foot is usually attached to the top part with a screw, the screw can work itself loose, thus endangering the stands stability. Check the connection periodically and tighten the screw if necessary. It also happens occasionally that the cage bottom suddenly drops away from the wire part of the cage because the clamps connecting top and bottom were not gripping solidly enough and let go. To forestall such an accident, use a wide rubber band to hold the cage together.

Ideal dimensions: 40 inches long. 20 inches wide. 32 inches high (100 x 50 x 80 cm).

Minimum dimensions: 20 x 12 x 18 inches (50 x 30 x 45 cm).

Bars Horizontal on the long sides so that the bird can climb up on them.

Perches: Made of wood and of different thickness’s (1/2 and 3/4 inches. or 12 and 20 mm). The toes should not reach all the way around the perches.

Bottom pan: Made of plastic.

Sand drawer: Should slide in and out. Food dishes: Two—one for grain, the other for water.

Swing: Usually included in the cage.

Tip: Replace the perches that come with the cage with natural branches of various thickness’s (diameters as given above).

These branches are not only wonderful to climb around on but also provide work for the bird's bill.

A cage with the minimum dimensions can be used only as a place for the bird to eat and sleep in. For living a parakeet with such a small cage needs a play area, namely a bird tree.

The so-called indoor aviaries sold by pet supply firms are useful for a pair of birds that you hope to breed, but they are not large enough to serve as flight areas. For that, parakeets need much more space.

Tip: No matter how large its cage. a parakeet still needs a daily session of flying free.

The Band

When you buy a parakeet it often wears a band on its leg that guarantees that it comes from a breeder belonging to a recognized bird society. You should check the banded leg frequently because the bands give rise to many problems. If the band gets caught on something, for instance, the bird will try to yank its leg free and may injure itself. If the leg then swells up the band hinders the blood flow. In such a case the band should be removed by an experienced parakeet breeder or your avian veterinarian. Keep it in a safe place because it represents an important document with which you can prove at any point where your bird came from.

Before you set out to get your parakeet at the pet store or at the breeder's, make a list of all the things you still would like to get for your bird.

Shopping list:

• Mixed birdseed: Preferably the kind the parakeet is used to.

• A spray of millet: Millet sprays are a favourite treat and are also highly nutritious.

• A stone for sharpening the bill: When you buy one, look for a note on the package saying something like "Mineral stone containing all elements necessary for healthy bones and for the formation of feathers

• A bath house: This is hung in the opened cage door and should have a textured floor so that the bird won't slip when taking a bath.

• Charcoal: If being transported and having to adjust to a new environment has caused diarrhoea in the bird. you should sprinkle a little charcoal over the birdseed.

• 1 or 2 extra food dishes: To be hung on the cage bars for fruit, vegetables. and sprouted seeds.

• Some kind of automatic water dispenser: Water supplied in a water bottle hung upside down in the cage will not get dirty the way it does in a dish.

• Toys: Such as a small mirror or a little bell that is hung in the cage. These toys provide some distraction and consolation after the parakeet's separation from its fellows.

• Bird sand for the floor of the cage: The sand not only serves a sanitary function but also contributes to the bird's health