Well,me and my family recently bought 2 parakeets(in my sig.) from petland.It's to early to tell their sex,but I think the white one(Sky) is male and the colorful one(Emerald) is female.In the pic. it looks like Sky's ceir(sorry,I may have spelled it wrong)is white,but it's actually purple-ish.And I heard female budgies are more aggressive and Emerald is much more aggressive than Sky,but also much more timid.I have some questions about my beloved parakeets.

1.) I read Lisa Shea's guide to get your parakeets trust,and have a question about that. Sky and Emerald are afraid of me of course, and in step 1 they have to get used to my hand. Well when I change the food and water, they don't go bananas,they watch,but if my hand get's to close,they stand back.Does this mean I'm still on step 1?

2.) I let my parakeets out everyday for 30 min. - 1 hr. but when they come out,it's not to exercise,they seem to want to run away.I know they must be terrified of me,but when do you think they'll settle down?

3.) Last question.Remember how I said "Me and my family"?Well my brother is pretty loud when he gets mad,my sister cries(Loud!) and my mom yells when something goes wrong.I know this will get the keets even more afraid of us,but will they get used to it?

Thank you!I'm going to buy my keets a water bottle and some toys tomorrow.I do have a water bowl for them but I read that water that sits out for awhile gets bacteria and when the keets drink they could become ill,but that won't happen with a water bottle.

Hello I had just bought parakeets about two weeks ago and found out that I had got two females instead of two males. I later went back to the store and got a male. you can tell by the nose. If the nose is blue then it is a male.

You should keep your birds in the cage till they can get on your finger and have trust in you. how else will you get the birds after they have left the cage, with a net??? It will cause distrust that way.

Sometimes it is hard to tell the sex when they are babies. Be patient with the training. And get a treat called millet the birds love them. let me know how they are doing.

Hi and welcome!

Generally it's best to train them to step up on your hand before letting them out. How do they come out? Do they come out of the cage themselves?

If they back up when your hand is too close, you should back off a little. I agree with labusdriver about millet spray (cut into 2 or 3 inch pieces) -- it's a great reward for them when they step up or go back into the cage or whatever.

About the noise: you want the keets in a room where activity happens, but not excessive amounts of noise, so you have to decide where is the best place for them... They probably will adapt to the noise levels in their environment, but people yelling and all stressed out will have a negative effect on birds.

Thank you both for answering!

Labusdriver: Well actually, to get them back in the cage, I just give them their food dish,they step up to it and start eating,and I pick up the dish, and put it in the cage with the food.

P&R Mom: Ok,then I think I know where they should be!And I'm the one who lets them out.At first they were afraid to come out of the cage but now they love it!I started letting them out because they looked depressed and sad.All they did was sit there.I have a mirror and some toys,but they don't use them.Today I'm going to buy them more toys,and a swing perch.

So I shouldn't let them out of the cage again,until they trust me?What if they just sit there and do nothing?Wouldn't that be bad?

lol sky my bird does the same he sits their looks at the mirror most of the day or just paces back and fourth on the perch. i dont know how i would get him back in if he comes out. i want to get a bigger cage for him and i plan on buying another bird somethign that looks as cute as sky =)

Thanks Mitchell!I think Sky and Emerald are both really cute,but I'm starting to think Sky's Female.In my sig, Sky's cere(Sorry for spelling) looks white,but up close it's blue-ish/purple-ish color,but it's still to young to tell.I think you should get Sky(your Sky) a companion.And probably a bigger cage would do better for two birds.

I went to pet smart today and I bought a bell,a swing, a water bottle, and a bird bath.I hope they learn how to use the water bottle soon,because until they learn how I'm giving them water through their old bowl.They're scared of the swing for now.Emerald got on,but tried to get off right away because the swing started moving.They don't know that the bell makes a noise,and they're scared of the water bottle(it's pretty big).

are the wings on your keeters clipped? You might want to consider it until you get them trained. I never had a huge problem getting my keeters back to their cage. They're so timid, when they were new they couldn't wait to get back to their safe spot.

Just the other day I was doing exercises and the keets were upstairs with me. Heneri didn't like the look of that and hopped all the way downstairs to the cage!

Kathy

I'm not sure if they're clipped.When I bought them,the worker at petland said we can take them back to get their wing clipped and nails trimmed for free for a year.She said to bring them every 2 months.When they are on the ground outside the cage they try to fly up but only reach about 3-5 inches off the ground.

I covered their cage just now.They're both on the top perch,but before I covered the cage,they were climbing on the side's of it.They love doing that.Hopefully by tomorrow they can use the water bottle.

hehe same my ziggy juss got on the swing today and hes got off for a little sat by the mirror and then got back on itz cool =].
i dont think ziggy got his wings clipped when i get the other bird (female) should i clip her wings? i rather have them fly i was thinking..
cann someone please gimmie some suggestions on some parakeet food please.. =)
i asked my mom to get him some new toys tomorrow

Well, I've heard it's better to get their wings clipped to train them easier.So if you want to you can,but I'm taking Emerald and Sky to pet land in December to get their wings clipped and nails trimmed.I'm just stuck on how I should take them there.In a box,or in their cage?

Well,I just use the food that came with my cage.They like millet too!My keets love millet!They eat it right from my palm,and it tickles!Also,I heard that veggie's are good for them.Like broccoli,and peas.They can have corn,but not too much!No avacado's or chocolate.I tried pieces of broccoli and peas,but I don't think they trust me yet,to take unknown food.

I give my keeters 2 tsps of Vita seed, all the pellets they want and a variety of veggies. I use Harrison's pellets and buy their birdie bread mix to make as muffins. Those are favorites.

I also give them Beak Appetit, available at pet stores. Harrison's you have to buy at a vet or purchase online.

The important thing is to not have seed be the major part of their diet.

Wing clipping is a personal decision. Usually my keeters are full flighted. Due to a change in household circumstances this summer I thought it best to clip them. I will let the grow out now.

Hope this helps.

Kathy

Congrats on your new keets and welcome! I went to the water bottle for a while but how do you really make sure it doesn't get all slimy inside where your finger or brush can't reach!The opening is always so small. Bacteria grows in the neck/mouth piece also. I went back to a dish and clean it morning and night with soapy water and a baby bottle brush with the sponge on the end. Good luck getting them settled. My granddaughter cries pretty loud and they got used to her!

sky i think you should take your keets in the cage carefull thats how i got mine the lady came to me and he was already in the cage thank god other wise i wouldnt be able to get him in =p

Kathy i went online and searched it i found the site and im curious if this would be ok
http://www.harrisonsbirdfoods.com/products.asp?dept=17

Yea just take the whole cage. Be sure and take out the food and water (only for the trip, so it won't make a mess.

The pet food store where I shop started carrying Harrisons, so maybe they became available in the stores. I feed mine the Kaytee egg-cite seed mix.

Try the carrots, grated, and mashed up. Two of my birds love it the other two don't eat much else but seed. I keep offering it though. Maybe someday.

If I were you, I wouldn't try clipping their wings yourself. Have it done at first, till you get an idea of how it's done right. It seems pretty complicated to me.

Good luck and welcome to the forum. I have learned a lot here!

I've thought about using Harrison's mash, but haven't yet. For now just the pellets and bird bread baked into mini-muffins.

You can be inexpensive transport cages for trips to the vet and such. Usually they go for $10-15.

As tweetymom suggested definitely have someone show you how to clip wings before you tackle it.

Kathy

Kathy i can buy the high potency super fine for my keet?
it also says for birds with special needs etc... what if my bird is fine can i still feed it to him?

That's what I give my keets. You can call Harrison's customer service. They will probably send you a sample of their pellets. I would do that before buying a 5# bag of mash.

I just feed the High Potency Super Fine and the bird bread mix

Kathy

oo thanks for all the tips Kathy really appreciate it =)

no problem.....actually a lot of the manufacturers of bird food will send samples if you call them or email customer service. It never hurts to ask!

Kathy

definitely but i just finished reading "Using Our Foods" on harrisons page got some good information and im going to do what you suggested with some samples. just wanna make sure he would eat the other food as he might be used to the stuff i have now.

im sooo happy my mom is bringing him some new toys home =) hopefully he'll like them. Also she got some millets and some kind of block or something to itch his beak or something the lady at petco told her about it. Is it needed?

A cuttle bone is a definite must have...it provides calcium. You won't always see your keet using it but when their bodies tell them they need calcium they will. Sort of like when I need chocolate.

There are lots of toys you can make from stuff around the house. Do a google searh on this...lots of good ideas out there.

Your fids may not take to the toys right away. They have to stare at them for 2-3 weeks and make sure the toys won't eat them!

Kathy

haha funny with the chocolate joke . and yeah thats what itz called cuttle bone. hes really chatty today and keeps chirping. i want him to get used to me when i change his water (every few hrs) and food bowl hes just watches me carefully. when i try to put my hand in the cage he watches and as i get a little closer hes moves away on the perch but if im really close to him he starts flying around and panicing =/. i still need to give him time, i just really want him to come and hang out in my room and not in the cage. he keeps singing as im typing lol

ok so i put in the new toys out of the 4 my mom bought i only put 2 for him to maybe adjust to them a little first. also he still hasnt touched the cuttlebone, i hung the millet on the outside of the cage should i move it inside?

one problem is that while i was putting the new things in his little "home" he was buggggggggin out flying around and really fidgety. =(

That's what happened with my keets when /i put my toys in. They love the swing perch.and I got them some millet, which they love! I have a nice pic of my keets on the swing. I'll post it tomorrow.And they learned how to use their water bottle.

My keets don't touch the cuttle bone unless I hold it up to them. Then they bite on it.

Today, I was training them to get on a perch when I'm holding it.Sky freaked out, so I stopped trying for him. Emerald actually did well and got on! I started moving the perch she was on slowly, and she didn't fly off! But when I went to put her on the ground she panicked and flew off!I think it was because the cage door was open, and she never comes out the cage when a human is in front of the door.Sky on the other hand doesn't care.I'm not going to let them out until they're tame, so I told my brother not to let them out while I'm at school.

lol yeah its terrible because im the only one whos home during the day and then my brother and mom come by at like 6ish and itz whack because im leavin to boarding school in a week or 2 =(.
and yeah im goin to stop trying to get him to come on my hand or anything im going to continue talkin with him like i do now. i think hes scared of the dark also cause as soon i turn the light of he hops on the top of the cage on leg on the mirror other holding to the cage.
how will i know if he wants to go to sleep or something?

he still hasnt tried any of his new toys.
also i got my mom to buy some broccoli for him and i cut a small piece of the top and grated some bits into his food he ate some of it but not all.

Mitchell,

1. It is not unusual for keeters to ignore toys for a few weeks. Sometimes after awhile I will move the toys and then they become the favorites.

2. Remember your keet only weighs about 1 ounce. If you're giving him 6 ounces of broccoli chances are good he doesn't have room for all of it! I always count just taking a taste of a new food as a victory!

3. sound like he's still getting used to you. Talk, read, sing as much as you can. If you're studying do it by the cage. Eat by the cage, leave the door open curious budgies can't help finding out what the rest of the flock is eating!

4. Sounds like your fid has just selected the top of the mirror to sleep on. They usually go for the highest spot to sleep, not because they're frightened, its just instinct. Others have posted about fids that hold on to a perch with one leg and the cage with the other.

5. Since you are going to boarding school soon is someone else in your family working with your keet too? Your fid will miss his flock (you) terribly.

Kathy

#1 i think he will deff get used to the toys hopefully sooner then later.
#2 lmaoo i dont even think i gave him anything close to even 1 ounce my mom bought 1 stem and i cut a small piece from the top which maybe weighed a gram or so and i somewhat shredded into a bowl for him. about hrish ago i emptied his bowl and refilled it with fresh food and threw out the broccoli i put in their earlier.
#3 yeah im alrdy doing that as for the cage itz about 2-3 feet away from my comp table and bed so im pretty close with him most of the day. as for talking i talk about 10-20 minz every hr literally, read i read a little to him of ripleys believe it or not lol and for singing i play some music for him same as eating .
#4 i hope so, is it possible for me to know when he wants to go to sleep???
#5 im deff going to miss him terribly aswell trust me and my mom talks with him for like 20 mins a day she doesnt really have time tho...

#1: He will
#2: You never know, sometimes I give my keeters a cat sized bowl of food each and then am surprised when they don't eat it all! DH pointed out the obvious........
#3: Good Job!
#4: They are pretty much sun up to sun down. 10-12 hours of dark is best. Generally when they're tired they will just stick their head under their wings (or not) and go to sleep.
#5: Play music or TV while you are gone. Quiet makes them anxious. You can even get cd's of flocks of wild parakeets. Google Listening Earth. Cool stuff. I have downloaded two CD's from them. After you leave make sure his cage is "where the action is" in your house so he can be a part of it all, as long as it is bird safe.

Kathy

okkk so i live in NY and it gets dark at around 7ish i think should i put the blanket over his cage at like around 9ish? he constantly wakes me up at 11 and then he really chatty me and him have great convos =) (not that either of us understand what we say) lol

:-) Sounds like you've made great progress.

Kathy

Well I'm really mad at my brother. He likes the birds too, and he think he can help train them,but he hasn't read ANYTHING about training parakeets.So today he tried to get Sky to get up on his finger.Sky kept backing away so I told him to stop because the bird obviously didn't want to come on, but he kept trying.He didn't hurt Sky but did this make Sky distrust us even more?

Ok, here's a pic.


I think I'm gonna buy them a bigger cage,but I don't have enough money and my parents definitely won't pay for it.Maybe I'll save up for one.

how big is it mine is about 17.5 W 19 H and like 14 L

I don't think it'll make her not trust you unless he freaked her out really badly. My boyfriend accidentally pulled the tail feathers off one of my birds, and she regressed on her training a lil. But she will still go on my hand to eat. I guess she knows I didn't do it

haha thats mean of ur bf but at least she knos you didnt do it =P

Well he didn't freak them out,but they didn't like him trying to get them on his finger.

I have no clue how big my cage is,but I could measure it if you really wanted to know.

Oh yeah,and Emerald's cere/beak are worrying me.Are they supposed to be like that?The beak isn't bright orange,it's more of a darker colored yellow.And her cere...I can't explain it.I'll get an upclose pic of her tomorrow.

no i dont mind do you think mine would be anything close to yours?

im glad i juss came home and looked into the cage hes coverd from all but 1 spots he on a swing near one of his toys i guess he was sleeping. i covered him fully and turned down the tv.

Mitchell,

JMHO but your cage is small for considering to have two keets with minimum out of cage time when you go back to school. (Sorry if my assumption is incorrect...)

There is a thread on hear about good cage size...try the search function.

Kathy

yeah im not going to get another keet till this one is more loyal and used to me.
i went to petco today i bought some pellets for him call Lafebers premium daily diet.
any1 can tell me if this is a good buy??

lol ziggy goes absolutely crazy when i turn on other keets singing or chirping. i found this one but this looks pretty crazy to have for one person... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52S001z0hlY&NR=1

I have a question about cuttle bones.My keets don't ever use their cuttle bone when it's in the cage.Maybe they use it when I'm not around,or not looking,but the only time I see them use it is when I hold it up to them,then they bite on it.But emerald,my female(This is a guess since it's still to young,but it's cere is redish-pink.) doesn't bite on it as much as Sky(When I hold it up to her)Is this because she's afraid?

Also,Emeralds cere and beak are worrying me.Her beak is not bright orange,it's more of a darkish yellow color.And her cere is unexplainable.I'll get a pic of her tomorrow.

lol yeah ziggy still hasnt used his cuttlebone nor the mineral block i got him =(. hes still getting used to the new toys i seen him biting on the rope i got him =)

I don't see mine use their cuttlebone all that much either. I have a plain cuttlebone and a mineral block cuttlebone combined and mostly I see them eating the mineral block part.
Sometimes it helps to put it in a different spot..near a perch they like, and also if you scratch at it and say what's this? to het them interested in it.
Same with toys. If they aren't afraid of your hand being in the cage, play with their toys and act like they're sooo cool. Sometimes you have to teach them what things are for.

That's what I tried with the bell.I shook the bell a little,and it made the noise.Once I saw Sky try to shake it.It didn't make a noise though.

Ok,well I'm a bit worried about Emeralds cere/beak.Here's some pics:



Could please someone tell me if anything is wrong with he cere/beak?Why is a part of it like white,and the rest redish?Is this normal?Also,why does she stand on one leg?Could it possibly be hurt?She climbs on the foot perfectly,so I'm not sure if it got hurt.

I can't really see her cere/beak well enough in the pics.Can you get more of a close up of just her face? II can't see what you mean by part whitish and part reddish?
Standing/sleeping on one leg is normal. They just like to rest one leg/foot sometimes. Afterall they are pretty much on their feet 24/7 so they must get tired right?

Ok,I can get more pics tomorrow.Thanks.