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| Question about Pets:What are pros and cons of owning parakeets? |
pros- theyre pretty inexpensive to own, theyre sweet if raised correctly (you need to spend a lot of time with them, getting them used to you, your hands, your voice, etc..Like any animal, they need to be tamed and trained before they'll trust you). Theyre fun, they live longer than most small pets. (10-15 years is average) Their cages dont get smelly like a lot of animals.
cons- a cage can be expensive but its a one time buy. "parakeet" cages are mean and they should have something meant for a cockatiel atleast. They need enough room to fully stretch their wings out. They can get pretty loud, so if you dont cover their cage at night, expect to be woken up with the sun. They tend to flick seeds and feathers outside of their cages a lot, but they sell things to cover the bottom of the cage, to keep most of that inside. They poop, a lot. So when you have your bird out, its good to have a kleenex handy. Cockatiels poop about every 15 minutes or so. I believe its the same with parakeets. Its small and easy to whipe up, and doesnt really smell, so its not a big deal. Generally after you've had your bird for a while, you can begin to tell when it's going to poop by the way its acting, so you can hold it over a trash can or something so you dont have to bother with cleaning it up every time.
Its almost impossible to train a parakeet, or any bird for that matter if their wings arent clipped, so make sure you get one with clipped wings, and make sure you spend enough time with it when you get it. (atleast an hour a day would be good to start) It'll be challenging at first but within a few weeks or so (sometimes more, sometimes less, all depends on the bird you get). You should have a super friendly pet that'll keep you amused for hours. Also, before you try to start taming your bird, you should give him a day or so, so he can get adjusted to his new cage, and calm down a bit (he'll be pretty scared when you first bring him home).
Also you should put toys in the cage so they have something to do. Birds have a very curious mind, and need something to entertain them while you cant. Dont over crowd the cage though. A few toys should suffice. I have a basket of bird toys, and every few weeks I switch them around, so my bird doesnt get bored. A swing is also good to buy. my parakeets have always slept on their swings. They like to sleep on the highest point in the cage. You should go to your library and get books on parakeets. That'll tell you everything you need to know, and will help you make a better informed decision. Seeings as they do live so long, you want to make sure you really want one before you go and buy one.
Also, I'm not sure how old you are, but i'm 24, and every time I need to read up on an animal, I head straight for the childrens section at the library. Adult books are good too but they have a lot of stuff that has nothing to do with caring for the pet. (like where they originated from, ancestors, relatives of that pet, etc etc etc....very boring). Childrens books tend to skip all that and get straight to how to care for the pet youre interested in. Maybe get a few books out of each section and see what helps you more.
Good luck on your decision :)
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