Although "parakeet" refers to several species of birds, most people use it to refer to the most common parakeet species, budgerigars or budgies. Budgerigar parakeets have been domesticated as pets for over 200 years and are very intelligent, active and playful--which makes them excellent pets. Caring for a parakeet involves making sure it is happy, healthy and protected from potential dangers. How to Care for a Parakeet covers information on housing, feeding, caring and training your parakeet.

Is the Budgerigar Right for You?

Before purchasing, there are some basic facts you will want to consider about parakeets:

1. Budgerigars can live ten to fifteen years.Sun Seed: Parakeet Care Guide
2. Parakeets are social birds and cannot handle being alone all day.Yellow Yorkie.com: Buying a Parakeet
3. Pairs of birds will provide company for each other, but do not bond as well with their owners or learn to talk as well.About.com: Introduction to Budgerigars and Their Care
4. Although not as loud, budgies will be vocal in the morning and afternoon.Beginning with Birds: Selection

• When you go into buy your budgie, you may be focused on things such as color, however you need to ensure that your bird is healthy and will make a good pet. Therefore, you should select a parakeet that:

1. Was hand-raised (if possible).Beginning with Birds: Selection However, budgies are easily tamed so they are not often hand-raised.The Aviary: New Bird Information
2. Is between six to eight weeks old.Beginning with Birds: Selection
   • -With the exception of a few color variations, younger parakeets will have more lines above its cere, or nose.The Budgie Place: Your Budgie / Parakeet's Age
   • -If the area above the nose is pure white or yellow without lines, then the parakeet is most likely older than three months.Yellow Yorkie.com: Buying a Parakeet
3. Is bright, active and alert.About.com: Introduction to Budgerigars and Their Care
4. Looks healthy:
   1. Clean feathers that lay flat and are smooth and shiny.Southeast Texas Avian Rescue: Basic Bird Care
   2. Smooth scales on its feet.About.com: Introduction to Budgerigars and Their Care
   3. Nails in good condition.The Budgie Place: What Do I Need to Know Before Buying a New Budgie?
   4. Smooth, well-shaped beak.About.com: Introduction to Budgerigars and Their Care
   5. Nostrils clean and clear.Southeast Texas Avian Rescue: Basic Bird Care
5. Does not bite or freak out when approached. While the bird may be timid, it should not be petrified of human contact.The Budgie Place: What Do I Need to Know Before Buying a New Budgie?

• YouTube: How to Choose a Pet Bird: Pick a Pet Bird with Healthy Feathers & a Clean Appearance (Time: 1:48)

• Determining the sex of a budgie parakeet is difficult, if not impossible, to do when they are young.Birds Online: How to Find Out About a Budgie's Sex? Sex is generally determined by looking at the color of the cere. The cere is the fleshy ridge located directly above the beak that surrounds the nostrils. For young parakeets, this cere will be a bright pink or violet color.The Budgie and Parakeet Place: Your Budgie / Parakeet's Sex However, when your parakeet is about eight months old, the color of the cere will usually change.Pet Budgie.com: Sexing Your Budgies
  • Females: white, light-blue, tan or brown.The Budgie and Parakeet Place: Your Budgie / Parakeet's Sex
  • Males: blue or purplish blue for most color variations. For recessive pied, lutino/albino, dark-eyed clear, lacewing, and fallow the color will remain bright violet or pink.The Budgie and Parakeet Place: Your Budgie / Parakeet's Sex
• Some bird experts will be able to judge a bird's sex earlier than eight months by looking at slight color variations in the cere as well as noting the bird's behavior.Birds Online: How to Find Out About a Budgie's Sex? The Budgie and Parakeet Place: Your Budgie / Parakeet's Sex However, the only absolute method of determining the sex of a young bird is to do a DNA test.Pet Budgie.com: Sexing Your Budgies
• YouTube: Caring for Parakeets: Male vs. Female Parakeets (Time: 1:58)

• Budgie Parakeets are fairly common, therefore it is important that you pick a bird from a reputable store or breeder.Southeast Texas Avian Rescue: Birds Need People Food Before making your selection, take a moment to evaluate the conditions. If any of the following are present, do not purchase your bird at that location:
  1. Overcrowded cages.Parrot Parrot: Checklist When Buying a Bird at a Pet Store
  2. Overly dirty cages.The Budgie Place: What Do I Need to Know Before Buying a New Budgie?
  3. No health guarantee.Parrot Parrot: Checklist When Buying a Bird at a Pet Store
  4. Empty or dirty food and water cups.The Budgie Place: What Do I Need to Know Before Buying a New Budgie?
  5. Signs of illness in other birds.The Budgie Place: What Do I Need to Know Before Buying a New Budgie?
  6. Large birds in small cages.Parrot Parrot: Checklist When Buying a Bird at a Pet Store

• Generally speaking, you want to buy the largest cage you can afford for your bird. If you plan on taming your bird and allowing him out of his cage for several hours a day, you can go with a smaller cage.Beginning with Birds: Housing You will need to have your cage set up and ready before you bring the bird home.Beginning with Birds: Housing, page 2

1. The cage should be at least 18 inches wide and 18 inches long and allow your bird to fully extend both wings.About.com: Introduction to Budgerigars and Their Care Southeast Texas Avian Rescue: Cages for Your Bird
2. Bar spacing should be between than 3/8 to 1/2 inch wide. Your bird should not be able to stick its head through the bars of the cage.Southeast Texas Avian Rescue: Cages for Your Bird
3. Horizontal bars are better because they allow your bird to climb.Southeast Texas Avian Rescue: Cages for Your Bird
4. Select a cage with a bottom grate and a removable tray to make cleaning easier.Beginning with Birds: Housing
5. Buy a cage skirt to keep seeds from scattering the floor around the cage.
6. Wider is better than taller. Parakeets fly sideways, not up and downLisa Shea.com: Photos of Cage Types.
7. You will need to be able to cover the cage up at night to help your bird stay warm and make them feel secure.Lisa Shea.com:

Proper Cage Location for a Budgie or Parakeet

1. The cage should not have any angles or curly metal pieces that might catch the parakeet's toes and other body parts.Lisa Shea.com: Choosing a Great Budgie Cage for your Parakeet
2. The door should be easy to open and shut and large enough to allow you to reach in and remove your parakeet easily.Pet Budgie.org: Selecting a Budgie (Parakeet) Cage Sun Seed: Parakeet Care Guide

• YouTube: Budgie/Parakeet Cage Set-up (Time: 4:14)

1. Place the cage in a location with a lot of activity.The Aviary: New Bird Information

2. Keep the cage in a well-ventilated location away from drafts and prolonged sunlight.Beginning with Birds: Housing, page 2

3. Do not keep the cage in the kitchen, because smoke and cooking fumes can harm it.The Aviary: New Bird Information

4. The room should not have large temperature fluctuations and should be kept between 65 to 85 degrees F.Lisa Shea.com:

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6. If your bird's cage is on a shelf or table, make sure that other pets cannot disturb the cage.Lisa Shea.com:

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1. Your bird's cage should have at least two perches at different heights.Beginning with Birds: Selection
2. Don't use perches covered with sandpaper.The Aviary: New Bird Information
3. Perches should have different textures and widths to ensure your bird's feet get exercise.Lisa Shea.com: Choosing a Great Budgie Cage for your Parakeet
4. You can make your own perches. Woods safe to use in your parakeet's cage include apple, arbutus, ash, aspen, beech birch, cottonwood, crabapple, dogwood, elm fir, hawthorn, larch, magnolia, manzanita, mulberry, pear, pine, poplar, sequoia (redwood), willow.Southeast Texas Avian Rescue: Safe Wood for Perches

• YouTube: Caring for Parakeets: Cage Accessories for Parakeets (Time: 4:28)

• An important addition to any cage are toys. The toys will entertain your bird when you're not around.

1. Make sure there is enough space around the toy for your bird to play with it.Pet Budgie.org: Selecting a Budgie (Parakeet) Cage
2. Rotate toys to keep him interested in it and prevent your bird from getting bored.Pet Budgie.org: Selecting a Budgie (Parakeet) Cage Lisa Shea.com: Choosing a Great Budgie Cage for your Parakeet
3. Include a cuttle bone in your bird's cage to help it trim its beak.Lisa Shea.com: Parakeets and Cuttlebones - The Gnawing Instinct
4. Supervise your bird anytime you introduce a new toy, to ensure it is appropriate and safe.The Aviary: New Bird Information
5. For information on how to make our own toys, check out the following links:
   • Me & My Budgie: Homemade Budgie Toys
   • Lisa Shea.com: Making Your Own Toys for your Parakeet

• YouTube: Caring for Parakeets: Parakeet Cage Tips (Time: 2:16)

• Keeping your budgie's cage clean is essential in keeping it healthy. For best results, keep the bottom of its cage lined with newspaper that you can change weekly.Budgie Place: The Basics: Intro to Budgies / Parakeets Once a month, give the cage a more thorough cleaning by cleaning the toys, perches and bottom grates with baking soda and a mild detergent.Lisa Shea.com: Cleaning a Parakeet Cage Use rubbing alcohol to disinfect it. Every six months, you should take the cage outside and give it a thorough cleaning from top to bottom.The Aviary: New Bird Information

• Feeding your parakeet properly is essential to ensuring that it stays healthy. A proper diet should consist partially of parakeet seed and partially of other "human food." According to the Association of Avian Veterinarians, a parakeet's diet should consist of approximately:
  • 50% seeds and grains such as whole wheat bread, cooked rice and pasta.
  • 45% fresh vegetables and fruits.
  • 5% protein such as eggs, tuna packed in water and cooked meat.Lisa Shea.com: Healthy Food for Your Parakeet

• Here are some tips on how to ensure your budgie gets the best diet:

1. If you try to feed your bird only parakeet seed, it will end up with some type of malnutrition.Lisa Shea.com: Healthy Food for Your Parakeet
2. Keep dry food in front of your parakeet at all times. Parakeets do not overeat. Parakeets become overweight due to malnutrition rather than overeating.Lisa Shea.com: Overfeeding a Parakeet / Portion Control
3. If your bird is reluctant to try new foods, cut it into small sizes about the size of his seed.Southeast Texas Avian Rescue: Basic Bird Care
4. Parakeets have unique tastes. Not all parakeets like the same foods, so be willing to experiment.Lisa Shea.com: Training your Parakeet to Eat Vegetables
5. Parakeets must have fresh water at all times. For best results, use a water bottle instead of a bowl.Good Bird: Budgie Nutrition
6. Place fresh foods in a separate dish than dry foods.The Aviary: New Bird Information Since cages usually come with two installed dishes, use one for dry foods, one for fresh foods and place a water bottle in the cage.
7. Remove fresh foods within two hours before it spoils.The Aviary: New Bird Information
8. For best results, fresh foods can be clipped or hung in the cage using special devices.The Aviary: New Bird Information One great item is called a Kabob, that allows you to skewer fruits and vegetables onto it and hang it in the cage. They can be found at most pet stores as well as:
   • Google Shopping Search Garden Kabobs
   • Doctors Foster & Smith: Kabobs
9. A cuttlebone is necessary to provide your bird with calcium along with a mineral block that contains iodine.About.com: Introduction to Budgerigars and Their Care

• YouTube: Keep Your Parakeet Happy: Feed Your Parakeet a Balanced Diet (Time: 0:55)

• As you go to select food for your parakeet, you may be faced with the challenge of choosing between seeds or pellets. While both have their merits, you should never switch a new bird's diet from one to the other.Good Bird: Budgie Nutrition Once your bird has settled in, you can decide which type of food is best for your bird, or rotate between the two types of food.About.com: Introduction to Budgerigars and Their Care For more information on the benefits and drawbacks of seed or pellet foods, check out the following links:
  1. Lisa Shea.com: Lisa's Reasons for Avoiding Parakeet Pellet Diets
  2. Good Bird: Budgie Nutrition
  3. Pet Budgie.com: Feeding Your Budgie (Parakeet)

• For special treats, or to help integrate healthy foods into your parakeet's diet, you might try one of the many recipes available on the Internet. Some of the better ones are located at the following sites:
  • Me & My Budgie: Budgie Recipes
  • Parrot Parrot: Recipes for Pet Birds
  • Parrot Talk: Bird Bread
  • Blue Quaker.com: Breeders Best Bird Bread
  • Good Bird: Snack Attack! Fun Snacks for You and Your Bird

• Beyond feeding and cage cleaning, caring for your parakeet includes trimming its nails, offering it a bath as well as insuring it is healthy.

• Trimming your bird's nails is necessary, especially if you plan on allowing it to perch on your hand or shoulder. While you might be tempted to try and do it yourself, you are better off finding a veterinarian or pet shop that will do this for you at first.The True Parrot: How to Clip Your Bird's Nails This will allow you to observe their methods before attempting to duplicate it at home. Have your bird's nails trimmed if the toe is raised off the ground when the feet are on a flat surface.Doctors Foster and Smith: How to Trim Your Bird's Nails

• For instructions on how to trim your bird's nails, check out any of the following links:
  • About.com: How to Trim a Bird's Nails
  • The True Parrot: How to Clip Your Bird's Nails
  • Pionus Parrot: Wing and Nail Clipping
• YouTube: Caring for Parakeets: Clipping Parakeet Nails (Time: 2:27)

• In the wild, you can often find birds utilizing puddles and other areas of shallow water to clean themselves. You should provide the same opportunity for your bird (although not under the same conditions) at least once a week.Lisa Shea.com: Lisa Shea.com: Giving a Bird a Bath - Parakeets and Bathtime

1. Start by placing a shallow bowl of water into your bird's cage filled with plain warm water.Yellow Yorkie.com: Parakeets Information
2. Although you can purchase special baths that will clip inside the cage, this is not necessary.Good Bird: Primping and Preening The How-To of Grooming and Bathing Your Bird
3. Allow your bird to bathe in the morning or afternoon during warm weather.Birds Online: General Facts About Budgies - Bathing Budgies
4. Don't get discouraged if your bird does not seem eager to bathe. Eventually, the bird's natural instincts will take over and it will bathe.Birds Online: General Facts About Budgies - Bathing Budgies

• YouTube: Getting A Budgie Used To Water (Time: 2:44)

• Most people who get parakeets have some desire to tame them as well as attempt to train them to talk. If you're among these people, then you will need to learn how.

• Clipping or trimming the wings is done to limit your bird's flying ability and should be done before you attempt to bring it out of its cage the first time. While this might sound cruel, it is done more for the bird's safety and to help owner's tame their birds.Winged Wisdom: Wing Clipping: Why, When & How for Pet Parrots and Exotic Birds However, some people will argue that clipping the wings endangers the bird because it limits their flying ability.Good Bird: Primping and Preening The How-To of Grooming and Bathing Your Bird

• If your bird is old enough, you should have its wings trimmed before you bring it home. This will allow you to see how it is done. Although there are some good illustrations on the Internet, you should not attempt to trim your parakeet's wings without first seeing how it is done properly in-person.Parrot Parrot: Guide to Trimming Wings on Lovebirds Done improperly, your bird will either not be able to fly enough (resulting in a lack of exercise) or be able to fly too much.ExoticPetVet.net: Proper Wing Clipping Even worse, you could accidentally cut part of a blood feather and cause your bird to bleed.Me & My Budgie: How to Trim Budgie Wings

• For best results, have your bird's wings trimmed at the same time as you have its nails trimmed. Then, you can see exactly how it should be done. If you want to get an idea of the procedures, the following sites have instructions on the basics of wing clipping:
  • Me & My Budgie: How to Trim Budgie Wings
  • ExoticPetVet.net: Proper Wing Clipping
  • Winged Wisdom: Wing Clipping: Why, When & How for Pet Parrots and Exotic Birds
  • Parrot Parrot: Guide to Trimming Wings on Lovebirds
  • Pionus Parrot: Wing and Nail Clipping
  • YouTube: How to Care for a Pet Parrot : How to Trim Parrot Feathers (Time: 2:16)
  • YouTube: Toweling For Wing Trim (Time: 3:41)
• YouTube: Caring for Parakeets: Wing Clipping in Parakeets (Time: 3:42)

• Taming a budgie who is unfamiliar with being handled takes a lot of patience. It requires you to spend time building a bond of trust between you and your bird.The Budgie Place: Taming Your Parakeet / Budgie You can begin this process about a week after you bring your bird home.Me & My Budgie: Budgie Taming Methods This will give your bird time to settle in and become used to his new home.

1. Keep training sessions short, about 10 to 20 minutes at a time.Me & My Budgie: Budgie Taming Methods
2. Start by getting your bird used to your hand, first right outside the cage and then inside the cage. Don't move your hand closer until your bird shows signs of relaxing.The Budgie Place: Taming Your Parakeet / Budgie This step could take up to two weeks.
3. Eventually, move your hand closer to your bird and press a finger towards its belly.Me & My Budgie: Budgie Taming Methods Say "Step up," "Up" or "Step" as you do this.
4. If your bird nips or bites you, repeat the command. Do not hit your bird or use other physical methods to discipline it.The Aviary: New Bird Information
5. Once you get your bird to sit on your finger, try to move your hand. At first, your bird will jump off. However, you should eventually be able to remove the bird from its cage while it sits on your finger.The Budgie Place: Taming Your Parakeet / Budgie

• YouTube: Caring for Parakeets: Taming a Parakeet (Time: 3:28)

• Whenever your bird is out of its cage, it is essential that it is supervised and protected from household hazards. In many ways, your new bird is like a toddler and will need to be protected from similar dangers. The one major difference, however, is your "feathered toddler" is capable of reaching great heights--so you must keep an eye out for dangers that lurk both high and low. Some of the major dangers in a house include (but are not limited to):
  1. Poisonous plants.Me & My Budgie: Dangerous Plants & Branches
  2. Chemicals and toxins, especially in aerosol form.Me & My Budgie: Other Budgie Toxins The Aviary: New Bird Information
  3. Teflon fumes.Me & My Budgie: The Danger of Teflon (PTFE)
  4. Ceiling fans.Lisa Shea.com: Household Safety Checklist for your Parakeet / Budgie
  5. Mirrors and windows (both open and closed).About.com: Dangers to Pet Birds and Parrots
  6. Halogen lamps.Parrot Parrot: Alerts Dangers and Toxins for Pet Birds
  7. Electrical cords and outlets.Me & My Budgie: Other Budgie Harms
  8. Candles.Lisa Shea.com: Candles to Avoid for your Parakeet / Budgie
  9. Toilet bowls and other open water.The Aviary: New Bird Information
• YouTube: Caring for Parakeets: Safety Hazards for Parakeets (Time: 3:07)

• New budgie owners should be warned that after purchasing one parakeet, they may discover the desire to buy a second parakeet. This often expands into purchasing other birds such as the African Grey Parrot and Cockatiels. Before long, you may find you have turned your home into a mini aviary. Luckily, this addiction comes with no negative side effects. In fact, you may find the energy and love you expend towards your birds is returned to you tenfold.