Pet Parakeets are small, colorful, and bite sized for most other animals. If you own other pets I recommend you keep them well away from your parakeet.

Dogs and Parakeets

Most well trained dogs can interact with your parakeet under close supervision. They will enjoy watching the bird and of course smelling it. Don’t let you dog lick your parrot because bacteria in dog saliva (and your saliva) can get your parakeet sick.

Never leave your dog alone with your bird, even if you think your dog is tame enough. Dogs are hunters by instinct and you wouldn’t and “accident” to occur.

Cats and Parakeets

Cats should never be allowed near your parakeet even under close supervision. Wild cats eat birds as an important part of their diet. The instinct to kill is extremely powerful. Even caged birds can get clawed by a cat so do your best to keep the animals in separate rooms.

If your pet parakeet gets scratched by a cat, disinfect the wound as soon as possible. The bacteria on cat claws can kill your bird.

Other dangerous pets

Anything that eats meat should never be left alone with your bird. Ferrets, rats, and snakes are all a threat to birds. Never keep them close together with each other.

Pets that are safe with Parakeets

Other pets like bunnies, mice, hamsters, gerbils, and guinea pigs can be trusted with your pet parakeet but make sure all the animals are clean and that your bird is not exposed to urine or droppings from the other animals.

Most parakeet cages come with dowels for your parakeet to stand on. Dowels are great but you need to get other perches for your bird as well. Parakeet feet are designed for perching in branches. They have two toes pointing forward and two pointing backward which gives them an amazingly strong grip. Parakeets have no trouble hanging on to a branch that is bouncing in the wind and they even sleep while perched. Because of all this, perches are an extremely important part of your parakeet cage.

Variety is essential

The padding, skin, claws and muscles on your birds feet have been designed by nature to handle a wide variety of perch textures and widths. If all your parakeets perches are made of the same material and are the same size, your birds feet will get painful bleeding soars, and can even become deformed.

We recommend having at least one rope perch, one natural branch (cut it from a tree your self. See our list of non-toxic trees) and one stone or calcium perch. Each perch should be a different width so his little feet can stretch grow properly.

Make sure to replace your rope perches when they get too frayed. You don’t want your bird getting his claws stuck.

Sand Paper Perches

Many pet stores sell sand paper covers for perches. These are supposed to keep your parakeets nails from getting too long. I don’t like these because my parakeet seems to scrape his feet raw on them. I use a stone perch instead.

If you have one parakeet then you should have at least three dishes. One for water, one for dry food (pellets and seeds) and one for fresh fruits and veggies. If you have more than one bird then you should have more food dishes to prevent the birds from fighting over food.

Types of Parakeet Cage Dishes

Dishes typically come in either plastic or stainless steal. I find that stainless still is easier to keep clean because the plastic will scratch easily and bacteria will be able to grow in the scratches.

Cleaning food and water Dishes

Water dishes should be rinsed and refilled every day. Dry food dishes can be simply refilled every day (unless you find drippings in the food) and the fresh fruit and veggie dish should be rinsed every day.

A deep cleaning of all the dishes should be done at least once a week with warm soapy water. Rinse the soap off thoroughly before putting the dishes back in the cage.

We recommend having at least two sets of dishes for your parakeet cage.

Food and water Bowl Placement

Make sure that your food and water dishes can be easily accessed by putting a perch in front (but not above) of them. Some bowls come with a built in perch. Never put a food dish directly below a perch because your bird is likely to poop right into the dish.

Dishes to Avoid

There are many types of dishes available and for the most part you can use what ever type suites your fancy. Some dishes have coverings that are intended to stop your bird from flicking food out of the dish or from pooping into his food bowl. Many parakeets are frightened of these bowls. They don’t like putting their head into a hole because they can’t see what’s going around them. In the wild this would leave them vulnerable to predators. We recommend not using such bowls as they are stressful for parakeets to use and some will simply refuse to eat from them.

The above photo was taken by Anna Saccheri (originally posted to Flickr as Budgie Playpen!)

Budgerigars are active little critters that need plenty of things to explore and play with. In the wild they spend part of the day napping but the rest of their time is spent foraging for food, looking out for danger, and playfully interacting with flock. Your job as a bird keeper is to see that there are plenty of fun things to do in your parakeets cage. We recommend having at least two toys in your cage at all times and switching out (or rotating them) with new toys each week to keep things interesting.

Types of Parakeet Toys

There are three basic kinds of parakeet toys and each one serves a different purpose. Make sure that your pet gets regular access to toys of each type: Action toys, foraging toys, and shredding toys.

Action Toys for Parakeets

Action toys are any strange objects for your parakeet to climb, swing, or bounce on. These include things like ladders, swinging perches, bouncy ropes, dangling ropes, and hoops.

Warning: Makes sure that ropes are not shredded or stringy. Your bird can get his feet stuck in a  rope thats too warn. See that any hoop toys are large enough for your bird to easily fit through without getting stuck. Don’t put any string in your cage longer than 6 inches or your bird may get tangled.

We recommend using leather strips instead of string. The thicker leather is hard to get tangled in but is still small enough tie things together in your parakeets cage.

Foraging Toys for Parakeets

Foraging is the act of searching for food. Foraging toys are any toys where you can hide seeds and treats for your parakeet to find. Some people think it’s mean to hide food from their pets but it’s actually a wonderful form of parrot enrichment for your bird to search for his food like his cousins in the wild do instead of simply eating it all from a bowl (though you should give your bird food in his bowl as well). Foraging toys stimulate the body and mind of the parakeet. It’s fun to play with your food.

Forage ideas:

You can buy foraging toys or make them your self in a number of different ways.

• You can fill a small paper bag with crumpled paper towels and seeds.
• You can place some treats inside a used toilette paper roll and then stuff the ends with wads of clean unscented  toilette paper for your bird to pull out and get to the food.
• You can put a bowl or plate full of sand mixed with seeds into your parakeets cage. Your parakeet will sift through the sand for hours in search of food just like his wild cousins sift through dust in search of fallen seeds. Make sure not to put this below your parakeets favorite perch. You don’t wanting him pooping in the sand where he’ll be foraging.
• Use a leather strap to tie millet or fruit to the top of the cage so that it dangles and sways. It will be hard for your parakeet to get to but he’ll have a blast swinging around while eating.

Shredding Toys

All parakeets love to tear things apart but females seem to be in constant need something to shred! Parrot beaks grow constantly just our fingernails do so parakeets need to chew in order to keep their beaks sharp and trim. Buy toys made with wicker or soft wood parts or give your parakeet the following:

• Popsicle sticks
• cotton roaps
• leather strips
• wicker balls (unscented)
• cardboard of all types
• paper
• old phone books
• plastic straws

Some parakeets will be frightened of toys at first and may not want to play. Be patient, with time they will warm up to their toys and begin to explore. Once your bird knows that toys are fun, he’ll love getting something new play with each week and you’ll love to watch him play.

The above photo was taken by Chris Saccheri

People often think of parakeets as good starter pets for children. They’re small, cute, colorful, and compared to other pets they don’t make too much noise. Keeping pets is fun and of course it’s always a great learning opportunity but before you go out and buy your kid a parakeet, there are a few things you should consider.

Parakeets are Breakable

A parakeet is a lot tougher than he looks but when you’re only 7 inches tall there is a limit to how much abuse you can take. Many small kids (especially 5 years old and under) like to grab animals, pet hard, and play rough. If this is the case with your child then a parakeet is not a good match. What was supposed to be a wonderful experience of owning a pet is likely to end in tears.

Parakeets Need Daily Care

Food and water needs to be added every day for your pet parakeet. Even a child with the best intentions can easily forget the routine. If you get a parakeet for your child, it’s your responsibility to check on the bird at least once a day to see that he’s been properly taken care of.

Parakeets Need Attention

When parakeets are housed alone (no cage mates) they need direct attention from people everyday in order to be mentally and emotionally happy. 1 to 4 hours of daily supervised play time out side the cage is ideal. If your child has a busy schedule with school, sports, and summer camps, you are the one that’s going to have to give your bird that attention. Are you up for it?

Parakeets Bite

Parakeets can get feisty if they have not been properly tamed, are frightened, feel mistreated, or simply don’t want to be played with at the moment. Parakeet bites don’t usually do any harm to adult fingers but little kid fingers can easily bleed. Can your kid handle the occasional bloody finger? It’s bound to happen at least once, even with the nicest of birds.

Parakeet Cages Need Cleaning

Birds don’t generally stink if you keep them clean but they can sure be messy. The papers in your parakeet cage should be changed every day and once a week a deep cleaning should be done of the entire cage. This is a great opportunity for a child to learn some responsibility but keep in mind that you’ll be doing a lot of the work too.

If you and your kid feel you can take on all the tasks of keeping a parakeet alive and healthy then I suggest you go for it! It will be a blast. I wish you luck. Remember, if you have any questions about pet parakeets, just visit us here at MyPetParakeet.com

If you go to a pet store you will find a wide variety of products being sold for you to line the bottom of your parakeets cage. Don’t bother buying any of it. Why buy overpriced paper or wood shavings when you can reuse, reduce, and recycle!

Line your Parakeet Cage with Old Newspaper

If you or a neighbor still gets the local or Sunday paper then you have the perfect cage liner being delivered to your door every week! I like to layer the cage tray with 7 sheets. Each morning I pull the dirty one off the top. When I run out I know that its been a week since I last refilled. I’ll do a deep cleaning of the entire cage (I scrub down all the cage bars) and when it’s dry I put in 7 fresh layers of paper.

Black and white newpaper is best to use. Black newspaper ink is soy based and non-toxic. Color printed papers may have chemicals that can hurt your bird if swallowed. If you only have color printed papers, make sure that your bird can’t reach through the grate on the bottom of his cage to chew on them.

Phone Book Pages

If you don’t get the paper then you can always use last years phone book. Just cut out the page with a some scissors or a razor and line your cage with those.

Scrap Paper of Any Kind

Next time you go to toss out a piece of paper, stop and save it to line your parakeet’s cage. You’ll be surprised how much you’ve been throwing away.

Recycled Paper Towels

If you don’t get the newspaper, you don’t want to sacrifice your phone book, and you don’t have enough scrap paper to use then you can always buy recycled paper towels.  They are the brown ones that usually come in large rolls for cheep. They’re typically used in public restrooms to dry off your hands after washing. They’re a great eco-friendly last resort for lining your parakeet cage.

Once you’ve found the perfect cage for your parakeet it’s now time to place it in your home. There are a few things to consider when deciding where to set up camp.

Parakeets want to be a part of it all

Your bird will get lonely if he’s left by himself in an obscure room of the house. Let his cage be out in the living room or home office where he’s likely to get plenty of attention from you and others who are living in the house. It is advised however that you don’t put your parakeet cage in a hallway where he might be frightened by the constant opening and closing of doors.

Many people who get birds for their kids like to have the bird live in the child’s room. This is okay as long as the bird gets plenty of attention and an adult checks in on the bird at least once a day to make sure that food and fresh water are available and the cage is properly cleaned.

Parakeets and Sunlight

Parakeets love to sit in the sun and they need ultraviolet light in order to stay healthy. Unfortunately, putting a cage in direct sunlight can cause overheating. Having a cage directly in front of a window can also stress a bird out and make him sick. He’ll see hawks flying over head, cats in the neighborhood, and cars driving by. These things are all pretty scary for a small bird and if he’s stuck in a cage with no place to hide, the stress becomes unbearable.

If possible, place your parakeet cage in an area near a window but not directly in front of the widow. That way your bird can get some ultraviolet rays without the danger of overheating. Place a perch in a window where your parakeet can sit during playtime outside the cage. Make sure he can safely climb or fly away from the window if something outside startles him.

Dangerous Rooms

Never put your parrakeet’s cage in the kitchen or bathroom. These are rooms that tend to fluctuate a lot in temperature and are frequently cleaned with chemicals that can harm your birds lungs if fumes are inhaled. Fumes given off by non-stick pans when overheated are orderless  to people but can kill a bird very quickly.

If you’re trying to figure out what kind of parakeet cage to buy then you’ve come to the right place. Here I’m going to go over some options and clue you in on some important considerations you should be making.

Parakeet Cage Size

When it comes to cage size, bigger is always better. Birds did not evolve to be suited for life inside a cage but as long as parakeets have plenty of toys and get lots of free time out of the cage to fly around and play, they seem to be very happy even with a relatively small cage to live in.

According to the world parrot trust, a parakeet cage that is housing a single bird should be no less than 30inches (76cm) long. Most pet stores sell cages much smaller than this but it’s important to remember that your bird was designed to live as a nomadic wild parakeet in the Australian Outback. You need to be careful not to cramp his style.

Other sources claim that it’s okay to go as small as 24inches in width. Susan Chamberlain of Bird Talk magazine suggests that parakeet owners with a single bird need should stop and to the “60 test”. That means that the length, width, and height should add up to at least 60 inches (note that this is addition not multiplication). According to her, a cage that is 24 by 18 by 18 inches would be appropriate.

Wider is better than taller because parakeets fly horizontally like  a plane, not vertically like a helicopter.

If your cage is made of bars or wire, the bars should be no more than 1/2 inch apart. If they are too far apart then the bird can get his head stuck or even squeeze all the way out.

If you have more than one bird, your cage needs to be larger.

Parakeet Cage materials

Cages usually come in wire form but you can also get acrylic boxes with ventilation holes drilled into them. I preferred wire for ventilation purposes and because I like to be able to hear their little chirps in case they get scared or injured.

The best wire cages come with a hard colored coating that stops them from rusting. Some cages are made of stainless steal and some cheaper cages are zinc coated. In rare occasions, zinc coated wires have cause zinc poisoning in parrots and other caged birds so I recommend you stay away from this material. I have it pictured below so you can be sure to steer clear.

I like cages that come with an easily removable tray on the bottom to catch fallen food scraps and bird droppings. This should be covered with a grill to prevent your parakeet from playing in his poo.

Cage Doors

There are all sorts of cages and all sorts of cage doors. I like my cage to have a huge door so I can easily reach my arm in to replace food and water. I also like to put a bird bath in the cage from time to time and if I had a small door that wouldn’t be possible.

The best doors open from the side or from the top. Some doors open from the bottom and lift up. These can be dangerous because they can fall shut on your bird.

Make sure all the openings on your cage can be securely locked closed to keep your parakeet safe inside while unsupervised.

In almost every parakeet cage at the pet store you will see a cuttlebone (commonly misspelled “cuddle bone”). It’s a little white thing that sort of looks like a mini surf board hanging on the inside of a cage wall. The people at the pet store will all tell you that you must have one for your bird to chew on to keep his beak and nails trim and they will tell you that it’s also needed for your birds health. Why? What on earth is a cuttlebone and what does it do for your bird?

What is a Cuttlebone?

Contrary to popular belief, cuttlebones are not for your bird to cuddle with. A cuttle bone is actually a bone from a cuttlefish (well its more of an internal shell than a bone because cuttlefish are invertebrates and don’t have real bones).

Cuttlefish are squid-like animals that fill their porous chalky “cuttlebone” with gasses to help control their buoyancy in the water. Cuttlefish are considered a delicious meal in many cultures throughout the world but the cuttlebone is not usually eaten. Instead its sold to the pet trade and other industries where it can be either ground up to be put in medicine and toothpaste, or it can be kept whole and placed in a bird cage.

The cuttlebone as a toy

The cuttlebone is also fun for birds to claw at and chew on and helps them keeps their beaks and nails trim. If your bird likes his cuttlebone you will have to replace it every few months with a new one for him to tear to shreds!

Cuttlebone as a nutritional supplement

The cuttlebone is almost pure calcium and also contains large amounts of iodine. Both of these substances are needed for bird health but are rarely found in bird seed that’s purchased at the pet store.

Cuttlebones also contain high amounts of salt which some experts claim can lead to egg-binding in female birds. In spite of this risk, most veterinarians recommend the cuttlebone as an excellent calcium supplement that will help insure that your parakeet has healthy bones, feathers, and eggs.

Wild parakeets never eat cuttlebones of course, but they get calcium and iodine eating grit, dirt, mud, and even bits of shell in the soil where they live. Adding a cuttle bone or some other sort of mineral stone to your birds cage will help him feel more at home.