Hi Everyone,
I need help! Risking life and bumper damage, I found a sweet bird by the side of the highway last evening. After a couple attempts to catch the slightly flighty bird, I finally snatched him up. I know nothing about birds, we feed wild ones and have cats and a fish pond. I immediately took him the the pet store around the corner and they (by that I mean the two teenagers working there) told me that he is a boy and clipped his wings. they could not tell me how old he is other than older than 9 months. I have been looking online to try to determine his age. I cannot understand about the stripes on his forhead or the ring around his eyes. So, if I am able to post a photo, could someone try to help me with the age. Like i said, he is a sweet bird, likes to sit on the hand and doesn't bite at all. Right now I have him in a empty fish tank with some paper and food and water. he doesn't like it too much though. I will buy him a cage this weekend. How big should it be? And should we get him a friend? Will I need a bigger cage for two? He is really quiet, I have only heard I small chirp from him this last 24 hours since finding him. Will he be more chatty once he feels okay with his new home. I hope I am not sounding really dumb with so many questions; I just feel like you guys will know more that the mega pet store.
Thanks for the help!
Lynn

wow...ok first thing id recommend is to find a local AVIAN vet in your area NOT a reg DVM they do not know nearly enough about birds so a AVIAN vet is strongly recommended...bring in for a general wellness check...

now on to the age...once the stripes have disappeard its impossible to determine the age of the bird...however thats when you can determine the SEX of the bird...

when flights are cut / rrimmed they know they cant fly which is a MAIN defense and all birds should be left fully flighted to escape danger and build good muscle tone thru flight...sooooooo when flights are clipped they really dont have much of a choice but to sit on your hand...because they are too afraid to fly and fall and injure themselves which is now another consideration for you....the bird should never be held too high in case something scares it and it tries to fly and falls and causes internal injury ....please let the flights grow out and in the meantime...place LONG ladders from the cage to the floor so it can climb and get about....

NO in a word he doesnt need a friend and will be very content and happy with toys NO MIRROR TOYS or shreddie toys...and music on low when your not around...he will need to be shown how to play with foot toys like cat balls with the lil bells in them or anything you can attach to the cage where it spins or makes noise they love noise like the toys with the liberty bells not the round type as feet and claws can and often get stuck in the round ones...

try to just let him acclimate to his new home and you just changing his seed and water and cleaning the cage for a good week before trying to do any hand or perch training....which both are a must...

the larger the cage the better being sure the bar spacing is 3/8th inch as some so called 1/2 inch spacing on bars is too wide and birds can slip at least part of themselves thru the bars and get badly hurt doing that...

start to also offer these fresh veggie often and dont expect after a few tries the bird will know what to do with them....in a small bowl put some small fresh cooked carrot and corn and baby spinach...brocolli florettes...sweet potatoe brown rice ...bean sprouts any of those things in a colorful offering...on the bottom of the cage with a lil sprinkle of seed on top...beet leaves are excellent lettuce has no nutritional value and will make their poops very loose so not good ...kale is also good...

this is a good cage to get where you wont be buying two or three till you have found a good one...its the MO2 MODEL OF HAGEN VISION

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Hagen-Vision-Bir...=item3cbfe425a8

i believe petco sells them but much more expensive...but this is a perfect size cage it also is the only type out there with all horizontal bars which makes it more fun to climb for a bird...and easier for you to attach things like toys when the bars are horizontal...

be sure to buy a UNFLAVORED MINERAL BLOCK which im a big ebay fan and find most of these things on ebay as most pet stores only sell the flavored ones which are not really good for the birds...they dont use the CUTTLEBONES that much but the UNFLAVORED mineral blocks are really good for them and have calcium in it anyway...

and yessssss by all means we would loveeee loveee loveee to see pictures...but buy the right cage first time and you wont find yourself doing what so many have and end up buying others because what they first bought doesnt fit the bill...and a good cage is one of the most important investments you will make with your bird...

also i can stress enough to start to save for a vet fund...its amazing the cost of vet bills when something goes wrong and a good beginning base line to save to is ...hold your breath...$500 - $600 dollars...

welcome to the forum...hope to see you often posting...

Hi LynnMarie, welcome to the forum.
GOOD FOR YOU saving that little bird.So many would have just driven right by. Poor thing.

There is a way to sort of determine age by the irises.
Here is a link to a site with pretty good explanation and photos that might help you out.
http://www.budgieplace.com/age.html

I wish the boys at the pet store you went to didn't clip his wings, but what's done is done. They will grow back with his next molt but until then, like illusive said..be very careful holding him at too great a height and if you let him come out of his cage be sure there is a way for him to get back in. The cage itself should not be set too high if he is allowed out by himself just in case he tries to fly and can't.
In fact you shouldn't even let him out until he is used to you and hand/finger tame.Give it time
Hopefully they didn't trim his wings in such a way that he's not even able to glide to land if he needs to.

Get as big of a cage as you can afford. At least 30x18x18high...better yet 30x18x36high. Bar spacing needs to be 3/8-1/2"
It might sound big to you, but really by the time you get a variety of perches, different diameters..which they need to keep their feet healthy. For instance comfy rope perch, natural branch perches are awesome(you can make your own from bird safe/NON TOXIC branches- http://www.parrot-and-conure-world.com/non-toxic-for-birds.html and conditioning perches for nails n beaks are a must-like the cement/shell perches here- http://www.birdguys.com/bird-conditioning-perch.html. The ones that go all the way across the cage.
*the ones that only stick out part way can be dangerous if bird should happen to have a night fright or freak out and fly around in cage they can easily bump in to it and injure themselves.
Toys, swing, food and water cups....it doesn't leave much room for your bird to fly, play, and stretch his wings.
So if possible, don't make the same mistake I did and get a smaller cage only to realize you need a bigger one. My bird's first cage was something like 18x20x24H. Looked plenty big enough until I started adding things to it. They need toys to play with, things to stimulate their minds and keep them from being bored.
No need to get him a buddy. He'll be perfectly happy with you and your family as his flock. In fact if you get another it will be sooo much harder to bond with and train this one. Not to mention you can never be sure of the gender of the new one and can end up with breeding issues.

It's perfectly normal for him to be quiet at first. It's all new to him, he's scared. Even those coming from the pet store or even a breeder are quiet for a few days...and this little one has been thru sooo much more. Poor kid
Even tho he might be perching on your finger now, it doesn't mean he's used to you or trusts you yet. He is probably just too scared to put up a fuss about it. So don't be surprised if that changes and he shies away, that's okay.
Let him get used to his new home and family before you even attempt to get him to step up.

Congrats on your new found friend. If you take the time, take things very very slowly, never force him to do things, earn his trust...I think you will find these little ones to be sooo much smarter and more fun than you ever realized.

We'd love to see pics

Oh and one more thing? Leave a night light on for him

Thanks Illusion and Kksuns for all the great advise!!

Our found bird, Sprite,( he's looks like a lemon-lime lol) is doing great. We, my son(15) and I took him to the a small private pet store, (Mark's Ark,they only sell small pets, no dogs and cats, but they do have baby skunks!) to have him looked at. Well, Mark was there and said he was anywhere between 2 and 10 years old, that his plumage is good but due to the roughness of his beak, he may have been in the wild for some time.

Sprite is seeming to feel at home, even though he is still living in a fish tank at night. We have a screened patio with lots of hanging orchids and we feed wild birds just outside the screen. Well, Sprite just loves to sit on the orchids all day preening himself and looking at the wild birds and chirping at them. I can't understand if he is so friendly because he was an only bird or a part of a larger group. I think e is already trained. He is very tolerant to being handled, sits on our finger, climbs up the arm and sits on the shoulder. In the evening we bring him in and he sits on a makeshift pearch in the kitchen and nibbles on millet. The girl at the mega pet store did not clip his wings very well, because he can still glide quite far if he wants to, from counter to counter, a good ten feet. We are not going to clip them again and think of letting him live in the screen room since he likes it so much and not get a cage at all, or maybe a small one for the days when the weather is bad. what is your oppinion on this, is it a good idea, just to let him be as natural as possible. We are planning to get him a friend, another keet.

I will post pics tomorrow, my camera is not charged and my phone is not clear enough. Thanks again!!

http://www.parrot-and-conure-world.com/non-toxic-for-birds.html

keep this handy for non toxic an toxic plants ....

i still would not get another keet for a friend its really NOT necessary as you dont want to get into breeding issues which in those surrounding which you have explained will definetly similate wild conditions that are condusive to breeding and before you know it you will have maybe a pair wanting to breed and with all the more than likely complications which can occur with that ...along with no experience...this would end up as a nitemare for you...

also remember ...i dont know the type of screening you have but large PREDATORY birds could go right thru it to get to your bird...even with you sitting there...and where you feed wild birds just outside the screen your luring in possible problems as well with predator birds as well as disease...and mites...

also best instead of millet to feed which is not something id recommend and many many wont feed it knowing that most often the hulls can get caught into the birds nares ..it can cause impacted crops and its a seed generally used to begin teaching fledglings how to crack seed ...there is millet in the reg. bird food you feed and too much of this is like a diet of candy and junk food where they will not eat most other seeds more nutritional for them...also most often the millet is dusty and not fresh

instead offer large green leafy veggies that are on a safe list ...some good ones...carrot tops...beet leaf...kale...SOME spinach...NOT lettuce or chard...brocolli floretts...corn cob husks now that its the season in some places...corn on the cob...some...as its sugary...things like that instead OF MILLET.

as mentioned once the baby bar stripes are gone on the head and the cere has changed there is no ageing a bird unless you had it from a baby...

that screen porch...you dont want it overheating or the bird to be in drafts warm or cold...either is very bad...so i wouldnt have him/her out there all day every day or on very hot days or days with a breeze...and if the screen is of the metal type now there is heavy metal poisoning to consider ...only really acceptable metal is powder coated or stainless steel in reality some brass if also treated and coated and then there is also you dont want the bird to chew PAINTED or weather treated wood.

all that being said IMO this screen porch i would not consider a safe environment.

sigh... cages are the safest containment unless a outdoor aviary is built to specific modifications for BIRDS...

will be anxious to see the pictures...

Welcome LynnMarie and wow what a great find! I am glad you rescued him or he would have in terrible danger.

He does sound like he was someones pet and is nicely trained. I would not clip his wings again. If he steps up on you and crawls on you he is easier enough to catch when needed. I would get him a cage though. He needs a place to call his own and have toys,(keets love toys especially with bells) a cuttle bone, a mineral block, his food and water and a place to call his own to rest and feel secure.

I see you are from FL. It can get very hot in FL so watch the temps on that screened porch so he doesn't get over heated. I think if Sprite loves the screen porch he should surely be able to enjoy it when the temps are right for him to be out there. Considering the place you found him his chances are much better now of surviving and having a good home.

I wouldn't worry too much about a bird tearing through the screen to get him. He has already been in the wild and made it this far. That is such a remote thing to happen and we cannot worry about everything in life and we need to enjoy things when we have them. Just watch the heat and humidity and use common sense.

So glad he found you!!

Hi all!!

Thanks so much for the advise and concern for Sprite! He is doing great! I was unsure if to get him a friend or not, but my husband really felt bad for him, a guy needs a gal, lol. So, he brought home another bird to us, now with a big cage for the two of them. They are both in the screened patio chirping and happy. Not to worry, the patio has a real roof, not metal, and the screen is very strong, we have had squirrels climbing it before without any breakage. It is on the north side of the house, so there is always shade. I am going to provide they with a bath of water incase they feel hot, but i eally think it is okay. I am posting the pic of Sprite from the day after we found him, this last tuesday, and a pic of the new keet, Sparkle with Sprite in the cage. He likes the cage alot and wants to stay inside even with the door opened. Sparkle (maybe a name change soon) is not tamed, and flutters all over the cage when we try to touch her, she is 6 months old. Now i need advice on the best way to make her like us. thanks !!


Oops, I'm not that computer literate, can you help me as to how do I post a picture? Lynn

well first of all the two should not be together...first step is a 90day quarantine...

I am so glad you got a cage and I hope you put some toys in it. I thought Sprite would like to have his own digs.

I wish you would have asked about getting another bird before you did it. Not a good idea at all. Sprite barely got to his new home and now he has to adjust to a new parakeet, new cage, new people and it is very stressful to do that. Believe it or not, single parakeets make the best pets and really do not need another bird to be very happy all by themselves.

If you got two boys, you most likely will run into bullying, if you got 2 females, you may have chick fights and dominance issues, and if you got a male and female, the breeding and all the problems that go with it.

If I could turn the clock back one day, I would tell you to return the new bird and buy a lot of cool toys and make Sprite your new buddy. I promise you he would be happier in the long run and he is not lonely.

FYI the task of training the new bird is nearly impossible with 2 birds. Sparkle has no reason to hand tame or pay any attention to you at all, he has Sprite. And Sprite may very well quit letting you handle him at all. Also, do not put any mirrors in the cage or they never bond with humans. Please consider taking Sparkle back before you get attached and give Sprite all your time and love, you will be sooo rewarded.

To post a picture follow these instructions.
Open an account with photobucket.com, its free
upload pics to photobucket, look at the codes next to the pics and click IMG and it will copy it, then go to this site and copy it.

To add a avatar to your posts, resize photo in photbucket to 300x300 go to my stuff on this site and click edit profile, copy and paste Direct link code for avatar and paste it in the URL

I can't wait for the pics!!!

lynnmarie...did mention in a couple post back about getting another bird and i responded saying how that was not a good idea or necessary...seems advice being given maybe is being overlooked.

LynnMarie quarantine is also necessary...