Showing posts with label Parakeets. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Parakeets. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 12, 2017

Should I Get a BUDGIE?

Taking a budgie home is a big responsibility. You're wholly responsible for the well being of your new pet day in, day out. And that will still be true once the novelty wears off. At the risk of sounding like a spoil sport, there are a few things you need to consider before you bring a budgie home.

Male Budgerigar of natural coloration (Wikipedia)
Time and Effort

Taking care of a budgie's basic need doesn't take up a massive amount of time. But it does take a little of your time every day. A budgie needs fresh food and water, a clean cage and regular companionship.

In the wild budgies live in huge flocks. And within the flock, they have an immediate family that they are very close to. It's a common myth that a budgie alone in its cage will be happy. The truth is that they are very social animals that have a deeply ingrained need for company. As your budgies adopted the family you will have to spend a decent amount of time with it if it's housed alone. Otherwise, it's likely to get depressed.

Cost

Now, budgies aren't expensive pets to keep. Far from it. But there are costs that come with owning any pet. The obvious initial expense is a decent sized cage, but you've probably already realized that. A regular supply of food, sandpaper, grit and mineral blocks does add up. As well as the need to buy new toys every now and again, so your budgie doesn't get bored with them.

Also, it's a good idea to put a little money aside each month to pay for vets bills when you need to. Alternativ, ly you can get pet insurance. Nothing is more heartbreaking than not be able to pay the vets bill that could save your pet's life. Or having your budgie suffer because you don't have any money for treatment. A saying that I heard recently really sums up this point, 'If you can't afford the vet, you can't afford the pet.'

It only costs a couple of bucks to buy a budgie, but then it's your duty to make sure you can look after it.

Is A Budgie The Right Pet For You?

While budgies are great companions that can bring a lot of joy into your life, they're not right for everyone.

A relationship with a budgie is much more hands off than a relationship with other pets. Budgies will sit on your finger and let you stroke them for some of the time, but they're certainly not pets that you can have a very physical relationship with. So, if you're looking for a pet that you can cuddle and stroke often, then you are probably better suited to owning something furry.

Noise is also something that you need to think about. Are you going to get irritated if your budgie squawks all the way through your favorite TV or radio show? If there's a steady stream of sound, like a conversation going on in the room, you budgie will often join in. Also, a budgie tends to create a fair amount of mess. Feathers and seed husks will usually litter the floor under and around your budgies cage. And when your budgie's flying around the room it'll leave stray feathers all over the place. This means that you'll likely find yourself needing to vacuum slightly more often than you do at the moment.


Budgies and Other Pets

You'll often hear tales of a small bird being introduced to a cat, and of the cat getting on well with the bird. Of the cat taking a curious interest and then leaving the bird in peace. It sounds cute and it probably does happen. But it's the exception rather than the rule. Generally, if you have larger animals like cats or dogs they'll need to be kept apart from your budgie. Since your budgie needs time every day outside his cage, you'll need to house him in a room that you're happy to lock the cats and dogs out of while your budgie flies around and explores.

Budgies can be housed with quite a few different species of bird. They're not suitable to be kept with all types of pet bird though.

Budgies and Children

You might be thinking about getting a budgie primarily for your child. If you're child wants a budgie, that's great. They're good pets. And your child can learn about responsibility as well as gaining a loving companion. However, children generally like to be hands on with their pets. The younger they are, the more hands on they tend to be. So your child will need to be taught how delicate a budgie is and supervised when handling it.

Lastly you should remember that as the adult you have the primary responsibility for the budgie's welfare. Your child might want a budgie more than anything in the world right now, but what about in six months time? Are you prepared to look after the budgie in the years ahead, if your child gets bored of it?



Wednesday, September 6, 2017

BUDGIES - 3 Mistakes That Can Kill Your Pet

It's easy to get into bad budgie care habits. But these bad habits that are easy for us to live with are hard for your budgie to live with. Your bad habits can hurt - or even kill - your budgie.

Let's take a look at some these common mistakes:

1. A huge mistake is feeding your budgie an all seed diet.
Budgies need more than just seed mix to stay healthy. Giving your budgie just seed is like you only eating turkey. Turkey might be good food, but you wouldn't stay healthy if that's all you ate, right?

Now, when you bring a budgie home it's probably only been fed seeds so far. So when you give your budgie other food it rejects it. That's a natural reaction. If you'd never seen a potato before, you would be a little suspicious of it when one turned up on your plate.

English: Budgerigars, Melopsittacus undulatus....
Budgerigars, Melopsittacus undulatus. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It's this natural reaction from your budgie that leaves may budgie owners saying things like 'my budgie only likes seed,' or 'I just feed my budgie seed and it looks fine.'

The truth is no animal that has a poor diet will be very healthy or live as long as it could do.

2. Exposing You Budgie Extreme Temperatures
A mistake that's not so obvious - but just as deadly to your budgie - is exposing your budgie to sharp temperature changes and drafts.

Sitting your budgie's cage next to the window, so it can have a pretty view and watch the birds fly by is actually dangerous. You see, constant droughts will likely make your budgie ill. And a budgie that picks up a chest infection can go downhill very fast.

Also, the heat can kill your budgie. If your budgie's cage is getting the full heat of the midday sun it's easy for your budgie to get dehydrated. If there is no shade in the cage then your budgie has no choice but to sit there while the heat makes it uncomfortable.

Budgies might be hardy animals, but there are some conditions they just aren't suited to living in.

3. Unscreened Windows
You might not have even considered this one. Your windows are dangerous to your budgie, and so are any glass doors. When you let your budgie out of its cage and it flies around, the budgie often doesn't realize that the glass is there and tries to fly through it.

This isn't just dangerous - it can be deadly. Sorry if that sounded kind of melodramatic, but I'm being serious here. Loads of budgies break their neck flying into windows. Not to mention shattered beaks and other injuries.

Sadly more budgies die this way every year. Hopefully, your budgie won't be one of them.



Friday, August 25, 2017

Caring For PARAKEETS

Caring for parakeets is the most important step in keeping parakeets as pets. Remember their immune systems can be touchy. This means that at the first sign of illness, you should contact your veterinarian immediately. Even a simple virus can turn deadly overnight. A regular care and check up of your parakeet can keep you away from visiting the vet too frequently. Caring for parakeets means

Three Nanday Parakeets (also known as the Blac...
Three Nanday Parakeets (also known as the Black-hooded Parakeet and Nanday Conure) captive in Madeira. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
A regular checkup of their plumage - birds keep their plumage in peak condition by preening. You can encourage this by occasionally misting it with warm water.

Selecting the right cage for your parakeet - choose a cage that is large enough to allow it plenty of exercises. Most cages come with 2 perches. For more specialized caring for parakeets, you can attach a cuttlebone to the side of the cage. It will help keep the bird's beak in good condition and will serve as a source of calcium and other minerals.

A proper and adequate diet – this is the single most notable aspect in shaping the health, vitality, and permanence of your parakeet. Give them leafy green vegetables, rice, tofu, some seeds and fruits like orange and papaya. These would give them all the required nutrients to keep them healthy.

Regular bathing of your parakeet – give your parakeet a regular shower of 5-7 times a week in the summer and 3-5 times a week during the winter. This routine will help you keep your parakeet clean and avoid skin related diseases.

Proper grooming of your parakeet – proper and regular trimming of the toenails is very essential. Consult a veterinarian if you wish to clip its wings.

Lack of parakeet care can result in feather plucking, moody and ill-trained parakeets at home. It is always a good idea to know what injuries and what diseases can affect your parakeet, what is the ideal diet for a parakeet, how many times a week should you give it a bath. These would help you undertake foolproof caring for your pet parakeets.

A healthy parakeet is more likely to be immune to diseases and can stay around for a long time to make you laugh, make you entertained and give you a moment to smile…




Sunday, August 6, 2017

PARAKEET Breeding

It may seem like a very strange and odd hobby but breeding parakeets is actually a very easy, very fun and can be very rewarding as well! It may not be the first thing that comes to your mind if you have just got your first budgie but after a while, you may enjoy the idea of the little "pita patter" (or should that be "flipper flapper"?) of a little budgies feet/wings. Whether you are doing it for fun, breeding show budgies or simply helping stock your local pet store, parakeet breeding is a fun hobby that anyone can do at home and hopefully this guide will get you started!

Panama Parakeets 14
Photo  by Young in Panama 

Parakeet breeding in nature: In the wild parakeets will actually breed at various times during the year. Depending if the budgies are in the north or south of Australia they will breed during June to September in the North and from August to January if they are in the south. It is speculated that this difference in breeding patterns is attributed to the different climates but the real reason remains unknown.

Since Parakeets are "colony nesters" they live quite closely with other parakeets in the wild yet they have their own separate nests. In the wild, a budgie will usually make its nest in a nice isolated area where they can lay their eggs in a sheltered location such as inside a tree or even inside fences if there is room. It is worth noting how parakeets breed in the wild as if you are hoping to do this at home you will need to recreate the romance!
If you want to breed parakeets at home you will need a few supplies:

  • Bedding (untreated cedar or wood makes for excellent bedding)
  • Breeding Cage
  • Nesting Box

The breeding cage: This cage needs to have a lot of exciting things for your parakeet to play with so they don't get bored! Ensure there is a cuttlebone or a mineral block added to the cage to ensure the bird receives enough vitamins and is in peak health condition to enhance the chances of breeding.


The nesting box: This box must be placed near the breeding cage. This is what recreates the nice secluded tree branch in nature and will allow your bird to feel safe enough to lay some eggs.

I strongly encourage you to give parakeet breeding a try at home if you are interested in birds! It is an excellent hobby and it is also very inexpensive! If you are the entrepreneurial type then you can even make a few dollars off your hobby if you sell some parakeet babies to your friends, at local markets or even pet stores!

    Timothy Augst has been a budgie (AKA parakeet) enthusiast for some years.
    If you are looking for some more information about the parakeet The Parakeet Cage offers further insights on their Parakeet Breeding page.
    Article Source: EzineArticles