Parakeet care

When opening your home to a new pet Parakeet, you will need some supplies. They included a cage, a cage cover such as a light piece of cloth (optional), food and water dishes, a cuttle bone, formulated parakeet food and a bird toy or two.

Setting up . . .

• Set up the cage by installing the perches and lining the bottom of the cage with cage liners or regular newspaper.
  
• Position the cage away from drafts. Parakeets need to stay warm so you should cover their cage with a light cloth at night, leaving room at the bottom for air to flow.
  
• Be sure to change the bottom liner on the cage every day and clean the entire cage at least once a week.

Things to know ...

Parakeets are very social birds:   They need attention every day. But at first they will be nervous in their new home, so take things slowly. Soon your parakeet will be an active, perhaps even talkative, member of the family.

Parakeets like exercise: You can let her fly around the house. Before doing so, however, parakeet-proof your home.

• Close your curtains. Like other birds, parakeets will naturally fly for the outdoors and won't see the glass in their way.
• Turn off all ceiling fans.
• Ensure there are no hot items on the stove.
• Close the lid on toilets. Birds can fall in and drown.

Parakeet Toys

Avoid mirrors and toys that look like other birds. If given these toys, the bird will bond with them instead of you.

Parakeet Diet

Parakeets need fresh food and water daily. The best foods are those especially formulated for a parakeet's nutritional needs. Make sure the seed is high quality and appropriate for parakeets. Many foods on the market aren't nutritious enough and, as a result, some parakeets die from malnutrition at a young age.

Cage cleaning for a healthy bird

Fact: Birds are not tidy. You'll find them scattering their seeds in all directions and leaving their droppings all over their cage homes. Here are a few helpful hints for keeping messy birds in check - an effort which will keep them much healthier.

If possible, invest in a cage with a slide-out bottom tray. This makes it far easier to remove dirty paper or tray litter than a cage with only a door to work through.

• Cut a stack of paper sheets to fit the bottom of the cage. Place several layers of the cut sheets in the cage. When it's time to clean up, it's a simple matter to remove just the soiled top sheet and discard it. A clean layer of paper is already in place. You've just saved yourself a few minutes of cleaning time.
  
• Clean the cage in the shower. Let the bird out to play (with supervision, of course) and give the cage a good scrubbing. Remove the perches to be scraped clean and replace them after the cage is finished. Never use any harsh chemicals to clean your bird's cage.
  
• To make clean up easier, give the bars of the cage nearest the food cup a light coating of a non-stick cooking spray. The cooking spray will make the messes slide right off with minimal scrubbing and won't harm the bird. (Note: Never spray the cage with the bird inside!)
  
• Keep a spray bottle filled with clean water near the cage. As soon as Polly makes a mess, lightly spritz the area with water and wipe up. The bird might enjoy a little spritzing too--parakeets like water.
  
• Position the seed and the water cups apart from each other. This will cut down on the amount of seed hulls and food scraps that find their way into the water.
  
• Make sure perch positions are staggered. If you place one perch directly below the other, it will be covered with droppings in a short time. To clean a wooden perch, scrape off the heaviest droppings then use sandpaper to carefully smooth away the rest.

Summer Time Care For Birds

Summer is the natural time that all birds molt. Molting is the refreshing or re-growing of feathers and usually takes about 12 weeks to complete. Birds slowly begin to lose feathers starting with the small body feathers and progressing to the larger wing and tail flights. A normal molt will not cause bare spots on the bird.

You can ensure the new feathers come in healthy and that your bird stays comfortable all summer.

1. Offer your bird a bath at least 3 times a week during the summer months. Bathing helps feather re-growth and keep your bird free of parasites. You can do this in different ways such as, spraying your bird gently with a spray bottle, offering a shallow saucer of water, or shower. Bathe your bird in the early part of the day so the bird will be completely dry before bedtime. Keep your bird away from any drafts while he is wet.

2. Drafts should be avoided all year long. Even when it's hot out, avoid placing the bird cage immediately next to fans and air conditioners. A good temperature range for birds is 68 to 85 degrees F. Birds can acclimate to lower and higher temperatures, but are slow to do so. Any changes should be gradual.

3. Diet during the molt/summer season changes slightly. Offer your bird a fortified seed or pellet diet of fresh dark greens, starches, such as breads, pastas, legumes and corn. The extra nutrition will support new feather growth. Please do not offer iceberg lettuce, avocado, celery or parsley to your bird, as they have very little nutritional value.   Avocado has also been reported as being potentially toxic, and should never be offered.