Parakeets?

[luker3232]

does anyone keep em or has kept them if so what are they like (please no comments like e.g. anoying.)

[morti]

I had a budgie for a while (which is what most American pet shops sell as "parakeets") and I really liked her. Once she calmed down, she would sit in my hand and do that little Purring noise they do. No sooner had I gotten her to the point that she was no longer a quivering ball of fluffy terror than she keeled over on me. *sigh*

[deadliestformula]

My sister brought some home when we were kids. All I remember is that they were noisy, and flung bird seed 'shells' all over. And hers got a a respiratory infection of some sort. THey looked very ruffled, and my parents moved mountains making them well again.

[luker3232]

hmmm do they have any way of like mimicing?

[deadliestformula]

I don't think so. But I could be wrong. I think they are more of a 'songbird' type of bird.

[morti]

Yeah, the noises they make are more whistles, clicks, and squeaks.

[amercnwmn]

The males are the mimickers..You should look at Cockatiels as far as "talkers"
They have a Lutino Cockatiel that is really pretty.
I like Parakeets, but like many birds, they are very sensitive to drafts, and temp changes.

[SteveJor]

Parakeets can talk and say hello but it takes a lot of time and patience.
They can also be tamed down to the point where they will let you put them on their back and rub their stomach.
My male knows the commands up and down and play dead as well as how to say hello.
The female only knows up and down and doesn't speak.


Here's a few pics of the male.

playing dead.


getting a belly rub.


just chilling


and the female (she's camera shy)

[spike06]

when they play dead, is it like they are actually dead? like is their body limp when they play dead? cuz there was a parakeet at work that must have freaked out when i went to change its water bowl and it died. i hope it died and it wasnt playing dead...

[SteveJor]

He plays dead when I point at him like a gun and say bang.
First he lays down in one hand and I "shoot" him with my other hand. He turns his head to the side and freezes until I say up.
He's kinda stiff but you can tell the difference between a bird that's playing dead and an actual dead bird.

[spike06]

ok good. so i know we didnt get rid of a live bird

[Adrya]

I will be making my two parakeets an acrylic cage here sometime soon. They are so incredibly messy with their seed hulls and feathers, and I even tried a very, very slow gradual switch over to pellets, but they didn't take to it. So they're left eating "junk food".... so I try and feed them a seed diet that is varied with many different types of seeds. They don't talk though.

Other than that, they make some sweet sounds and are funny to watch being "macho" to each other and hopping around and stuff. I did get just one female but I didn't have the time I thought I had to spend with her to tame her down, so I got a male.. and well... I really can't do anything with them now. lol I at least have my Patagonian Conure who likes to be with me and makes all kinds of crazy sounds... first time I left her alone in my bedroom and she made the sound of a screaming chimpanzee and a crying baby. Where she got the chimp sound from, I have nooooo idea. lol She doesn't talk either... but she makes certain squawks and beeps at me like saying hello, and she even whispers to me when I whisper to her... and she'll bob heads with me and loves taking baths in the sink. lol

[luker3232]

hmmm i might get one i love their colors

[BWSmith]

they taste like chicken.

[Allysen]

Actually, budgies (parakeets) are really good little mimics, they're just rarely given the chance to develop their abilities. I used to have a little female named Sketch who knew about 50 different words and phrases, and LOOOOVVVEED to talk. In articles about them, keets are usually ranked as "excellent" talkers.

That being said, it depends wholly on the individual bird. You could pay a thousand dollars and get an African Grey (quite possibly the most consistently best talkers) that just doesn't have any interest or talent in mimicry.

Here's a really nice article about the pet qualities of most budgies/parakeets:
Budgie Parakeets... Get Facts, See Pictures And Read What Budgie Owners Say

[luker3232]

thanks every one and for you BW...hahaha

[luker3232]

if i get one i'll get a male and teach it to say *whistle* youz looking good today!