Common name: Parakeet, Budgerigar, Budgie  
Latin name: Melopsittacus undulatus

A note about naming: The birds commonly seen throughout pet stores in the US called "Parakeets" are usually what are refereed to throughout the rest of the English speaking world as Budgerigars or Budgies. The word parakeet actually refers to any number of different small birds in the parrot species including; Carolina Parakeets, Monk Parakeets, Alexandrine Parakeets, Blue-crowned Parakeet and Red-masked Parakeets. For the purpose of this care sheet, and for any “parakeet” purchased at Neptune’s Corner Pet Shop, we are talking about “budgies.”

Native to: Australia, specifically the drier open woodland inland portions as opposed to the coast. 

Size: Average adult is 6-7 inches long; and they weigh barely over an ounce.

Life span: Their life span in the wild is fairly short, but in Captivity they average about 5-8 years, but have been known to live for as long as 15 years. 

General appearance: Wild parakeets have green underparts and rumps, while the upperparts are barred with black and yellow. The forehead and face is yellow in adults, and barred black with yellow in young till they change into their adult plumage at 3-4 months of age. Each cheek has a small dark purple patch and a series of black spots (called the "necklace") across the throat. The tail is greenish blue or purple; outside tail feathers have a central yellow band. Their wings have greenish-black flight feathers and black coverts with yellow fringes. Bill olive grey and legs greyish blue, with zygodactyl toes.[6] Wild budgerigars are noticeably smaller than those in captivity.

Captive bred parakeets are generally a little larger then their wild counterparts, and through decades of specialized breeding hundreds of different color mutations are available.

Personality: Parakeets are, very generally speaking, accepting of humans and other birds, but should NEVER be housed with a bird other than another parakeet. Care should be taken even when placing two parakeets together, as they can do serious harm to one another if they do not get along. They are relatively easily tamed.

The parakeet is one of the few parrots to be domesticated as a pet. Believed to be the most common pet parrot in the world, it has been bred in captivity since the 1850s. Breeders have worked over the decades to produce a wide range of color and feather mutations, such as yellow, blue, white, violet, olive, albino and lutino (yellow), clearwing and spangled. Feather mutations can produce crests or overly long shaggy feathers known as "feather dusters".

Parakeets can be taught to speak, whistle tunes, and play with humans. They are intelligent and social animals and enjoy the stimulation of toys and interaction with humans as well as with other parakeets. A common behavior is the chewing of material such as wood, especially for female parakeets.

Enclosure: The cage you choose must be designed for parakeets, not finches or canaries. A parakeet cage has bars that are parallel and do not taper. It should be a rectangular metal cage; minimum size of 2 cubic feet, 1' x 1' x 2'. Ensure that the wire openings are small enough so that the bird cannot put his head through the bars. Your parakeet should be able to stretch his wings and flap them for exercise without touching the sides of the cage.

Various perch shapes such as flat or oval will help to ease the stress on your parakeet’s feet. Find a safe place for your parakeet’s cage, away from cats. Do not place your parakeet's cage on top of or too near your TV. Also do not place your parakeet’s cage anywhere near where a draft might hit it (windows, open doors, heat vents).

Make sure the cage is in a room that has a steady even temperature and does not get too warm in the summertime or too cold in the winter.

Birds are awake during daylight and sleep when it gets dark. Your parakeet's cage should be covered at night-time with a heavy cloth which shuts out the light and some noise so that he can sleep, remove the cover every morning.

Parakeets like a bath and it keeps them clean. Some like to splash in bird baths, while others may prefer to roll in wet greens or grass on the bottom of the cage. Give your parakeet an opportunity to bathe once or twice a week. The morning is the best time for his bath to give him a chance to dry out during the day. Make sure that your bird has a warm draught-free place where he can dry out and preen his feathers.

Diet: A high quality seed mix such as Neptune's Corner brand Parakeet Food should be fed as the regular diet for your pet parakeet. Make sure that you replace the food bowl often, as parakeets will soil their food bowls easily. Wash and refill water bowls daily, ecspecially if vitamins (which they should be) are added to the water. Millet sprays and Honey "bells" or "bars" should be provided as a treat, but not too much.

IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU HAVE A CUTTLEBONE OR A MINERAL BLOCK IN YOUR PARAKEETS CAGE. This is both for a source of calcium and to help keep your parakeet's beak trimed so it can open up seeds that it eats. Small amounts of fruits and vegetebles also make an excellent healthy treat for your parakeet.

Special Warning: It has been discovered in recent years that certain “non-stick” coatings on many household pots and pans can cause parakeets and other birds to die, when a pan is left on a hot stove with nothing cooking inside of it. Instead of burning, the special “non-stick” coating becomes converted to a gas that while is totally harmless to humans has been known to be highly toxic to birds.

Recommended Products:
Neptune's Corner Brand Parakeet Seed
Living World brand Cuttlebone
8in1 brand Bird Protector (protection from lice & mites)
LM Animal Farms Beak Conditioners
LM Animal Farms Daily Liquid Multi-Vitamin
Sun Seed treat bells and honey sticks.