Parakeets (Melopsittacus undulatus) are one of the most common birds purchased as a pet bird. These delightful pets are usually friendly and relativly easy to handle. Although they can sometimes be difficult to understand, with a little hard work they have been known to mimic our sounds. Parakeet Facts: Life span: 10-15 years (up to 20).Origin: Australia. Colors: the normal wild coloration is green with black bars on the wings, back and head. Determing Sex: The area around the nostirls is called the cere. You can use this as a way to distinguish between males and females. Mature females will have a beige colored cere. Males will have a blue tint to their cere. Temperment: Known for being a very doscile and friendly bird, they are easily tamed if you aquire them while young. I’ve found that having more than o dachshund training ne parakeet resulted in the parakeets being hard to handle and less vocal. When I have just one parakeet, the bird looked to me for interaction and was much easier to handle and actually could say a few words. I placed a parakeet mirror in the bird cage and was amazed at how much my parakeet played with his own image in the mirror. Choosing a Parakeet I highly recommend you choose a young bird that has been handled regularly and has been hand fed. The extra costs you experience buying a hand raised bird will be worth it in the long run. While their is nothing wrong with a store bought parakeet, my experiences have taught me that they are slower to adjust to being handled. Use the same techniques you would use when buying a pet dog or pet cat. Look for a parakeet that is active and has shining and smooth feathers.
