I had put on here a long time ago how my parakeet Perry loved to unravel string in his cage for entertainment. He really did love to do this. Just the other night, he became entangled in one of the strings that he often played with even though his claws were really not overly long.
I finally got him untangled, but he had hit his head on the cage by the time I got him undone from the string. He ended up passing away that night. He would not have died if he had not had that string toy in his cage.
I want everyone to know, don't buy the string toys if they can unravel, or even if they cannot unravel, because they like them so much they won't leave them alone and they could, like my baby, get entangled in the string toy.
Blessings, and RIP Perry. We love you. You brightened our lives so much! Run free and fly free at the Rainbow Bridge!
By Robyn Fed from Tri-Cities, TN
Parakeets love music, I discovered this when they tweet like crazy when the Monkees theme song comes on. Also, I play the harmonica for them, they love it, they are in awe as they listen. They do not sing along, but close their eyes and cackle with happiness.
They also love when I plant wheat berry seeds in organic soil. It sprouts and I put it in their cage and they eat and play with it. I had to laugh one day, one of the birds, all you could see was his hind end sticking up with his head in the pot, then he jumped up and was flinging dirt clods out of his cage.
Lastly is a important tip, chlorine is hard on little birds' kidneys, so I fill a plastic jug and let it set uncapped for 24 hours so it goes away. Then I put a few vitamin drops in their water holder and add the water. It is best to do the vitamins freshly, if it were to be added to the jug as it sets it would lose it's potency.
By Linda from Bellevue, N.E
I was privileged to photograph these little parakeets last week. It was 28 degrees! The owner has acclimatized them and keeps them outdoors year 'round. He has a heat lamp in a back enclosure, but the birds never use it. He said it's for his wife because she worries about them.
He has every color I've ever seen, and I have never seen tufted parakeets before. It was like being in heaven for a little while!
By Coreen from Rupert, ID
My parakeet loses his feathers and has a bald spot on the belly area. He is eating and acting normally. What possibly could have happened? We got him Thanksgiving of 2010. Thank you.
By gaboong from Fountain Valley, CA
By attic_treasures
02/04/2012
Maybe your parakeet is molting. They have special food at the pet store when a bird is molting.
We have 2 parakeets. We our new bird owners. What can you tell us to help us take good care of them? We want them to live a full life span. What kinds of toys do they like? Can we make our own handmade toys for them that are safe to play with? Thanks bird lovers!
By Trudy from in the woods, PA
By lkutynsky
06/14/2011
Most of our toys for our Parakeet are home made and are the best toys at low cost! We even made her a swing for her from bark and wire. She loves it! We also made her perch from a tree branch in the back yard. She ate all the bark and now it looks store bought! She is also able to jump to diff. branches. We gave her a cat ball w bell in it and she plays w it on the bottom of her cage w her beak. I went to the dollar store and bought X-mas bells and tied it to the side of her cage and she plays w it all the time w her beak. I went to a Craft store and bought a very small wind chime for one dollar and we can hear her every morning playing w it. :O) There are so many toys that you can make if you are creative and research the Internet for ideas... :O)
Lana - Des Plaines, IL
I have 2 parakeets and when I talk to them they move their beaks like they are talking back to me, but nothing comes out. They will also cock their heads to the side. What does that mean?
By Kayla from Miles City, MT
By Lorelei
01/04/2010
Your birds are attentive to your voice and recognize you with the tilting of the head while being spoken to. Not making any sounds with the movement of the beak doesn't mean they won't make any noise at some point; only they may be trying to imitate the sounds they pick up on and aren't successful at it yet. Keep talking to them and say the same phrase repeatedly and maybe you'll get that response you're hoping for some day. I own three parakeets and they love music. Try playing music to get them singing.
Our female parakeet keeps laying eggs (we have a male but he doesn't get in her cage). She is losing her chest feathers. She doesn't seem sick and she doesn't itch. Could you please help us? Thanks.
By Don
By Anonymous
02/06/2012
This is called a brood (incubation) patch and is completely normal. Since the male is not in the cage to breed with her simply remove the eggs as soon as they are laid. I learned about brood patches when I had a couple of finches (Romeo and Juliet) quite a few years ago. Here's more information about it so you won't worry that something is wrong with her:
http://birding.about.com/od/birdingglossary/g/broodpatch.htm
I think someting might be wrong with my parakeet. His feathers are gone on his head. It's sort of like the feathers are gone and only the little stick that holds the feather is there. On his chest, the blue feathers are going away and the white feathers are starting to show. I have to sweep almost every night because of all of the feather loss. Does anyone know what's wrong with him?
Jitterbug from Oneonta, AL
By the Oracle
By Ragteller
One of my parakeets developed a problem similar to your bird's. Hers was due to stress. Budgies are extremely sensitive to stress. Repair work was being done to my apt's roof; after hearing the hammers' pounding noise a couple days, her reaction was to pick out her feathers (none of the other birds did); from thereafter, she never allowed the feathers to grow back; she was normal 'n healthy otherwise, tho and even raised babies.
The stick you're referring to is the shaft of the feather. Do you have any other birds in the same cage?
What's the temperature in your apt? Budgies fare best when it's 70-78 degrees. Below that they get cold and possibly sick. Above that, the heat will stress them and also affect their health.
If it's too hot, the birds will/can molt an extra time that year. Because the temp. inside my home was constant, my birds didn't always molt seasonally and sometimes not at all.
You could also check for little mites which could be a factor. What you get at the pet store is a round metal container-about the size of a lady's compact-that attaches to the top of the cage; it has an insecticide specifically for birds that will kill the parasites and not harm the bird. I attached mine above where the birds preferred sitting most of the day. Change it every couple months.
Budgies also don't do well if they're in a draft of any kind; keep their cage in a spot away from air currents, and temperature extremes. If your bird moves back 'n forth, she's bored. If your bird starts to sit low on her perch, she is 'feeling poorly' and needs extra care.
When my birds were ill/feeling poorly, I added extra liquid vitamins to their water plus added stuff to their seed cups. There's also antibiotics, available in tablets when I had birds, that you can dissolve in their water. Make sure their seeds are the best you can afford-varied w/added vitamins 'n nutrients; they will live longer and remain healthier. My oldest bird lived 14 1/2 yrs.
Change their water daily; more often if providing them medicine in it. Change the bottom-of-cage newspaper daily. If you keep your supplies handy, daily maintenance should only take 20 minutes.
During the colder months, it's okay to drape the back 'n sides of the cage w/a large beach towel... even tho you keep inside temps constant. My birds also got a heating pad, on the low setting, placed atop their cage, beneath the draped beach towel, to keep them warm, to compensate for far-away drafts from opening and closing doors, during winter.
Get a good book that explains exactly how to keep your bird healthy; read through what's available and get the best one, or get both. Make sure the cage is large enough for the bird to fly around a bit to exercise its wings and maintain muscle strength. Also provide things for it to play with, chew upon, and provide a cuttle bone for its added nutritional and beak-sharpening benefits. If the beak gets too long, you'll have to clip it gently w/fingernail clippers. Be gentle and patient. It's also a good idea to take your bird outside its cage; it likes attention and also needs the exercise...even tho the cage is large. Drape their cage after dark so they feel secure and have time to rest from the day's activities. Try to keep things around them quiet or they can get stressed.
Beyond this, contact a veterinarian who treats birds. (03/06/2006)
By gator10tx
It's a good sign you can see feather shafts as new feathers will grow from there. Definately cover the top of the cage and 2 or 3 sides with a large towel, it will help the bird to feel secure. Good luck. cx (03/07/2006)
By Cammyhen
By Bill
My parakeet is acting strange. I'm afraid he's got what my other parakeet died from - respiration problems (wheezing etc). The only signs he's showed are some loss of feathers around the eyes and from my sister's accounts - sitting on the bottom of the cage, but I'm not sure for how long. When she just told me this she said he was sick like the other one. How can I know for sure? My parents refusing to take him to the vet? : Thanks again, Jay
By Dawn
By anne
My Parakeet is losing feathers. What could be causing this?
Michael
By Jan
My Parakeet keeps picking its foot, could it have mites? It is also plucking feathers. Could it be stressed?
By ccbb
By lorraina
By Shosha
By JustPlainJo
My parakeet is losing feathers from the neck region and the underside of the wings. He is starting to slowly lose feathers around his chest and I really want to know what is causing this. Can someone please tell me?
Michael from Irvine, CA
By Maryeileen
If you suspect the bird is sick, check around his vent. If it is clean and feathered, you're okay. Are his stools watery and loose? Or coming out in giant globs? Does he sit all ruffled up and almost horizontal? He's sick. Do you feed him anything besides parakeet seed? He needs bits of cut-up fruit, parsley (our birds are nuts about parsley), dark green lettuce, tender young grass, grated carrot, and even some chopped hardboiled egg.
I don't worry a lot about temperature requirements as long as the change is gradual. Mine are outdoor birds, and it is snowing right now, and they are happy little campers with babies. Hope this helps. (03/15/2008)
By Coreen
My parakeet is losing his flight and tail feathers. His wings were clipped when I first got him 4 months ago. He jumps off his perch a lot and tends to break his feathers.
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Caring for Parakeets