A parakeet is a pet bird that is friendly and easy to tame. Parakeets are raised in pairs because they are social birds and thus need companionship. Taking care of a parakeet is less demanding than larger birds, but how do you take care of a parakeet? This article illustrates ways to care for a parakeet, so it feels happy and comfortable.
The following are six ways how to take care of a parakeet;
1. Provide Staple Diet
Parakeets must have a staple diet of fresh seeds or pellets daily. Moreover, they should be given chopped dark green and yellow veggies, various fruits, and clean, fresh water.
2. Maintain Cleanliness
When you maintain hygiene on your pet, it remains healthy and happy. Therefore, the parakeet cage must always be kept clean at all times. You should clean the cage daily, remove the poop and spilled food and water, and wash food and water dishes daily.
Additionally, clean the entire cage once a week with disinfectant and soapy water.
3. Provide Habitat
Providing a home for a parakeet is essential, as it makes it safe and healthy. A parakeet needs a spacious cage placed in a draft-free area out of direct sunlight. One parakeet cage should measure 18 by 14 by 22 inches and, in the case of paired parakeets, double the size of the cage.
Moreover, the cage should be made of safe materials because parakeets use their beaks to climb on bars. The cage should also have a great floor to prevent parakeets from walking over their droppings.
4. Offer Cage Accessories
Besides water and food dishes, a parakeet requires accessories that improve. Therefore, please provide them with accessories like perches, which allow the pet to sit and observe its surroundings, and toys to keep them happy.
5. Handle with Care
Parakeets are social and friendly birds who like to be handled and pleased. When the parakeets are taken care of by just trying to observe and talk to them in their cage first, slowly start to touch them with your hand or finger.
6. Give Parakeet Medical Needs
Parakeets need to be taken care of by ensuring you offer them medical care. Their nails and wings should be trimmed to make taming easier. Trimming is done after one to two months and performed by a vet. This is because they are small and therefore have a small amount of blood in their bodies, which can easily bleed to death if trimmed close to the vein.
Is It Hard to Take Care of a Parakeet?
No, taking care of a parakeet is not hard because it requires low maintenance and is friendly and pleasant. Therefore, it is excellent for beginners as it is less demanding but requires regular care and exercise.
6 Items Parakeet Needs in Cage
The following are six items that are necessary for a parakeet in the cage to make it happy;
1. Perches
Perches are essential in the cage since it ensures the parakeet remains healthy and happy. This is where parakeets spend most of their time. Perches are where they sleep, eat, drink from a dish or water container, and hang out.
Also, perches help them keep their nails trimmed.
2. Toys
They are practical items in the cage since they keep a parakeet happy, so you need to provide a variety of toys at different stages of the parakeet’s life.
3. Feeding Dishes and Water Dispenser
This will help hold food and water for the parakeet in the cage.
So, do parakeets need water in their cage? The answer is yes. Parakeets need enough clean and fresh water in their cage because they drink two to three times daily.
4. Swings
Swings are another necessary item in the cage since they entertain parakeets. They aid in the balance of parakeets, especially when female and male parakeets are mating.
5. Mirror
Placing a mirror in the cage will make a parakeet feel happy. A parakeet will make sounds and fly around, interacting with reflections. A mirror helps a parakeet not feel lonely since it will see another in the mirror’s reflection, thereby making it happy.
6. A Bird Bath
Parakeets like and enjoy bathing; therefore, it is good to provide them with bathing dishes that are shallow and wide so they can comfortably fit in them and move around.
Can You Leave a Parakeet Alone?
Yes, you can leave a parakeet alone, but not for more than eight hours. This is because a parakeet is social and requires company frequently.
However, if you leave parakeet alone, ensure you provide enough water and food, toys, and background music to keep it entertained in your absence.
How Often Should You Spray Your Parakeet?
A parakeet should be sprayed once a week, but if you want to heal the skin, ensure you spray the affected area two to four times a day.
Parakeet Care Temperature
The ideal temperature for a parakeet is between 65 and 75 degrees Celsius. If the temperature is higher or lower than that, the parakeet will be distressed, leading to health problems and worse of all, sudden death in parakeet.
When the temperature in the cage is below 65, ensure you place a heat bulb or lamp in the cage to keep the parakeet warm. Also, cover the cage with a light blanket and avoid putting it in cold drafts.
Similarly, if the temperature is high, use a fan to regulate the temperature and make sure the parakeet is protected from drafts or direct sunlight.
What Do Parakeet Eat
A parakeet is a pet that needs a balanced diet to ensure it is healthy.
For parakeet to be healthy, the following are seven types of food it eats;
1. Pellets: This is one of the main types of food that parakeets eat.
2. Seeds: Parakeets love eating seeds, for instance, millet seeds, sunflower seeds, canary seeds, and safflower seeds.
3. Vegetables: They include broccoli, cabbage, carrots, green lettuce, spinach, and squash, which contain several necessary vitamins and nutrients for a parakeet.
4. Fruits: Another type of food parakeets eat is apples, bananas, coconut, melon, and pineapple, which contain vitamins and minerals.
5. Nuts: These include peanuts, almonds, walnuts, and pecans, which are healthy as they contain omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants.
6. Flowers: Parakeets also eat flowers like marigolds, petunias, roses, sunflowers, and daisies.
7. Legumes: Parakeets also eat legumes like cooked peas and beans to get protein.
Parakeet Cage
A cage is where parakeets spend most of their time. The parakeet cage should be designed to allow the parakeet to fly around it without any harm.
The minimum size of the cage should be 18 widths by 14 depths and two heights. If the parakeets are two, the size two cage should be double.
You should ensure the cage bars are closely spaced by half an inch for the safety of the parakeet. It should be made with good quality, durable, and non-toxic materials.
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