I just got parakeets and I have questions!

[MagicalMerlin]

Hey guys!

I just got 2 parakeets yesterday, it was sort of a sudden thing. I'll post a pic of them too! I know next to nothing about the birds, I do know that they came from a petsmart and they lived with a family for the last 2 months. They were returned to the petsmart, where my friends dad took them, then they asked me if I wanted them.

The birds look pretty good, I'll schedule a vet visit with my vet in the new few weeks.

From what I can tell, they're not hand tame. Which is fine, we'll work on that. My questions revolve around that though. I have a large cage for them, that I want to put them into. But how do I put them in there when they're not hand tame? That sounds so silly! I just can't figure out a good way to get them out of their small cage into the big one.

Also, do most of them typically know how to fly? They seem to fly around their cage a good bit, which leads me to believe that they are flighted. Which will be new for me, since my macaw is not! I'm not going to cut their wings, they will be able to fly around my house if they want. If their wings have been cut, shouldn't the flight feathers grow back in after the next molt?

Since they may be able to fly, can I just let them out for free time and let them fly around? Even with them not being hand tame and so new to me? How long should I wait to let them fly around/out of the cage?
I let my macaw out the day after I got him, to get him into the normal groove of the house.

I have them in the same room with my macaw, they're on a table since their cage is small right now. I plan on putting their big cage in the living room while we work on taming them. But while they're in the room with the big bird, will him screaming hurt their ears? He is super loud! I'm not introducing them yet or anything, they need to go to the vet first. But having them in the same room for right now is okay?

I think those are my questions for now, I'll add more if I think of anymore!

I'm really excited to have these little parakeets! They are so precious and sweet, they make the most lovely sounds, and they're already so fun to watch. They do seem pretty happy, I've seen some puffing, lots of preening, relaxed postures.

Thanks in advance!

 

[FlyBirdiesFly]

1) if they’re not tame, the only way to get them into their larger cage is to grab them and put them in. You can try putting treats in the big cage and letting them go in themselves, but with them being new and freaked out I doubt they will do so, and will probably just fly around in a panic instead.

2) From the picture, the green one looks flighted. I cannot see the blue one as well so a photo showing their wings will determine whether or not they have been clipped. To tell whether they’re flighted, you need to look for the long, pointed primary feathers sticking out behind the secondaries. You can also extend their wings if you want when you capture them to be put in their cage. If they’ve been clipped, then yes the flight feathers will grow back, but not all of them at once. It may take several molts to replace all the clipped feathers.

3) I would wait at least a few days before letting them out. They’re still adjusting to their new surroundings, and haven’t even been introduced to their cage yet. Once you get them in their cage, you should work on just sitting next to the cage and talking to them, and feeding them treats (parakeets love millet!) through the bars if they’re comfortable enough to do that. Only after they’ve settled in and are used to your presence should you open the cage door, or else they could freak out and hit walls as they don’t know their surroundings yet.

4) I would think the loud noise would stress the little budgies even more as they’re already stressed by the change of environment. Also I wouldn’t keep them in the same room until they’ve been to the vet as they might be carrying diseases and passing it on to your macaw. Some people do the full 30-day quarantine in a separate room as well.

 

[MagicalMerlin]

A little update on the parakeets, Rick and Morty (yes, we did).

I took a few days and let them get used to being in the house, in their old cage. I would put them in the living room next to their new cage, let them get used to us watching tv and talking and stuff.

Then I was just ready to put them in their new cage, so we can start getting to know each other for real! So I did have to grab them and put them in the new cage. It went pretty well. They were afraid, but they both ended up walking onto my hand and then let me close it around them to put them in the new cages. No bites! I can't imagine trying to reach in and just grab my macaw, I would draw back a nub!

The cage they're in is a corner cage, which isn't ideal but its the cage we have. I think its plenty big for them, they have toys and perches and fun stuff. They seem pretty happy, they're preening themselves/each other, eating, drinking, chirping and making all kinds of sounds. They get puffy when I talk to them, preen in front of me.

 

[FlyBirdiesFly]

The cage looks like a great size but do you know the bar spacing? Budgies should be kept in a cage with 1/2” spacing. Otherwise, great news!

 

[MagicalMerlin]

The bars are 1/2 inch. I checked before I put them in!

 

[Inger]

Such little cuties! I am always astonished by their bright colors. Like those colors can’t exist in nature but OH apparently they do!


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