Grass parakeets

Karlys

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Apr 11, 2018
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Hello,

My local bird store has about 10 grass parakeets (I'm not sure of their exact species) in various colors. There's a solid blue one, a solid white one, several multi colored green ones, and a few that have grey backs but pink chests. I think they're absolutely gorgeous and it got me curious about them. On this website it says that "they are charming, quiet and inoffensive and often become very tame" but, also, that "they do not have potential as companion birds."
Grass Parakeets (Neophema) Fact Sheet

It doesn't explain why, though. Does anyone here know and have experience with them? I'm not in a position to bring any home any time in the foreseeable future but I am awfully curious.
 

WilliamKenyon

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Most if not all parrot's with enough training and loving companionship can become tame and friendly birds and i'm sure grass parakeets are similar:). From what i've seen grass parakeets are generally kept as aviary birds however i'm sure they could be great companions especially if handreared :green:. Typically they are friendly and gentle bird's aswell. I'm lucky enough to see them flying around in the wild, they certainly cheer up the neighbourhood. :)

Here's a flock of some wild ones i took the other day.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/fD7rBji1aFKNyLZq2
 
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reeb

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+ an aviary of 16 other budgies! all hatched 2014-2017
I have never had my own grass parakeets, but I have always wanted Bourke's parakeets. From my own research, they are lovely little birds and can be very tame, but are challenging to tame if they were not hand-reared. That being said, it isn't impossible!
 

MonicaMc

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Generally speaking, grass parakeets don't make good pets because they aren't as "friendly" as other species like budgies and cockatiels. They might enjoy sitting on your shoulder or finger, but don't expect to be able to get them physical attention like scritches. Hand raised finches and canaries would probably make better pets than a hand raised grass parakeet! (not including bourkes - since they don't really 'fit' in with the other grass parakeet species - but bourkes aren't far off, either!)


If you aren't looking for a cuddly, attention seeking bird demanding physical attention, then maybe a grass 'keet would be an ideal pet! (not to say they can't be... just don't expect it!) But if you want something more hands on, look elsewhere.



I liken bourke parakeets to be somewhere between a finch and a cockatiel... very flighty little birds with laid back personalities - typically more bark than bite! ;) And they tend to be more active at dawn and dusk, as compared to other species which may remain active all day long. That is, when other birds are starting to settle in for sleep, the bourke becomes more 'alive' and active for a short period of time!

Due to their personalities, I *DO NOT* recommend clipping them. I don't recommend clipping birds in general, but to me, clipping a bourke would be the same as clipping a finch or a canary. It does no good for the birds. They need their flight! And to truly appreciate a bourke, you just gotta have them flighted!
 
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Karlys

Karlys

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Thank you for the information and the picture of the wild ones! Maybe one day, when we get a bigger house, I can have a backyard aviary with some.

I Googled Bourke's and that's definitely what two of them at the store are! They, plus the solid blue one, were the ones that caught my eye the most. So, so pretty.
 

BirdGeeks

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Generally speaking, grass parakeets don't make good pets because they aren't as "friendly" as other species like budgies and cockatiels. They might enjoy sitting on your shoulder or finger, but don't expect to be able to get them physical attention like scritches. Hand raised finches and canaries would probably make better pets than a hand raised grass parakeet! (not including bourkes - since they don't really 'fit' in with the other grass parakeet species - but bourkes aren't far off, either!)


If you aren't looking for a cuddly, attention seeking bird demanding physical attention, then maybe a grass 'keet would be an ideal pet! (not to say they can't be... just don't expect it!) But if you want something more hands on, look elsewhere.



I liken bourke parakeets to be somewhere between a finch and a cockatiel... very flighty little birds with laid back personalities - typically more bark than bite! ;) And they tend to be more active at dawn and dusk, as compared to other species which may remain active all day long. That is, when other birds are starting to settle in for sleep, the bourke becomes more 'alive' and active for a short period of time!

Due to their personalities, I *DO NOT* recommend clipping them. I don't recommend clipping birds in general, but to me, clipping a bourke would be the same as clipping a finch or a canary. It does no good for the birds. They need their flight! And to truly appreciate a bourke, you just gotta have them flighted!
Is it possible to find hand fed canaries and finches?
 

MonicaMc

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Is it possible to find hand fed canaries and finches?

Not likely intentionally, but hand raised they appear to be charming and tiny little companions!


[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WWIwvYuWL0"]Zebra Finch - Pip being scritched - YouTube[/ame]


[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZMExIvzLVs"]Zebra finch likes getting scratched - YouTube[/ame]


[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAtr0_UUf4s"]Tame Zebra Finch~Super Cute! - YouTube[/ame]
 

Kiwibird

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One of our members (Ravensgryf) has 2 grass parakeets, both which I believe are fairly "tame". Hopefully she will see this thread and offer further insight into them as pets!
 

Bourkes

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I have never had my own grass parakeets, but I have always wanted Bourke's parakeets. From my own research, they are lovely little birds and can be very tame, but are challenging to tame if they were not hand-reared. That being said, it isn't impossible!


I have a female rosy Bourkes that was parent raised and she is very tame now.
I put her cage in a high traffic area and she'd screech when you walked by when she was eating. After a bit she calmed way down and now the only time she screeches is in happiness at me when I talk to her.
She flies free in the house along with a male English parakeet I handfed.
She tries to stand up for herself against him when he gets beak bopping nuts but she can outfly him easily. They get along well know though I wasn't sure they would.

In my experience Bourkes are easy to tame by winning their trust, they tend to freeze a while when scared and that sorta helps with taming them.I do recommend them as pets if you want a quieter and calmer bird than most that isn't the cuddly sort.
 

EllenD

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My mom bred and hand-raised both Bourke's and Grass Parakeets, and I can tell you first-hand that they can be every bit as cuddly and affectionate as any American/English Budgie, or any other parrot. That being said, they must be hand-raised, pulled from the nest-box between 2-3 weeks...

I would liken their personalities and attitudes, if hand-raised, to that of a Canary-Wing Parakeet (Bee Bee Parakeet). They are both a bit larger than a regular American/English Budgies, and a bit more intelligent, in my own opinion. They require a little more exercise too, as they love to fly. But the babies of both that my mom hand-raised were the most loving, adorable little Parakeets, and both so beautiful (she raised both the Rosey Bourke's and Fallow Bourke's, along with the Grass Parakeets). And I would imagine that based on their ability to be loving and cuddly parrots when hand-raised that they too can be hand-tamed as adults, as already stated above...

In my opinion, or at least from my experience and what I've seen, I think that the reason that most people believe Bourke's and Grass Parakeets to be a more "wild" species of Parakeet, and why some even think that they do not possess the ability to be loving, cuddly, affectionate parrots, is because for whatever reason, most of the Bourke's and Grass Parakeets that you see for sale, even the very young, just-weaned babies you see for sale by breeders, are parent-raised and not hand-raised. This may be due to the fact that a lot of breeders of both species (AND of Linnie's as well) keep them in large numbers and in open aviaries, and they allow community-breeding of them. So they have developed a reputation of being simply "Aviary Parrots" to be looked-at for beauty, but not to be interacted with closely as pets. It's a shame, because they make wonderful pet parrots.

My suggestion to you or anyone that is interested in interacting-with or bringing home either a Bourke's Parakeet, a Grass Parakeet, or a Lineolated Parakeet is to ONLY find a private, independent breeder who specifically says that their babies are pulled from the nest-box between 2-3 weeks old and then hand-raised by them, and then you need to go and actually interact with the babies. They should act just like any other species of hand-raised parrot. I have actually seen more and more ads for breeders of Grass Parakeets and Lineolated Parakeets that are hand-raised local to me (central PA), which is surprising because there are few to no parrot breeders around me at all. I know that their are several breeders who hand-raise Linnie's and Grass Parakeets about an hour and a half away from me in the Harrisburg, PA area. Sadly, there are also many Bourke's breeders in that area as well, but none that hand-raise, their babies are completely wild...
 

AmyMyBlueFront

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And a Normal Grey Cockatiel named BB who came home with me on 5/20/2016.
The blue grass 'keet is gorgeous.

I did a big "AWWWWWW" when I saw those finches getting skritches :D
My local pet store always has a number of Zebra's on hand and Amy gets all amazon mumbly when she sees them.
I always wondered if the finches and canarys could be tamed enough to handle..i guess so!


Jim
 

EllenD

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Senegal Parrot named "Kane"; Yellow-Sided Green Cheek Conure named "Bowie"; Blue Quaker Parrot named "Lita Ford"; Cockatiel named "Duff"; 8 American/English Budgie Hybrids; Ringneck Dove named "Dylan"
The blue grass 'keet is gorgeous.

I did a big "AWWWWWW" when I saw those finches getting skritches :D
My local pet store always has a number of Zebra's on hand and Amy gets all amazon mumbly when she sees them.
I always wondered if the finches and canarys could be tamed enough to handle..i guess so!


Jim


Yeah, that's something that I've never seen either! It makes sense though, I suppose that any bird can be tamed, especially if they are hand-raised as very young babies...
 

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