Pluses and Minuses of Owning a Parakeet

Before deciding that a parakeet (also known as a budgie) will be a perfect pet you need to do some homework. Talk to people that own one, visit pet shops and go online to get more information on the pluses and minuses of owning these cute little birds. They are full of energy and their activities and chirping will make you smile and feel good.

Pros:

The Parakeet is a smaller member of the parrot family. They are very friendly and like to be handled, stroked and talked to. Most of them can be taught to say a few words but you often have to listen hard as they normally talk very quietly. When you are shopping at a pet store or from a breeder, you want to make sure that the parakeet that you are interested in is an active bird that is socializing with other birds.

You should always get a Parakeet that is young and the way to do this is by looking at the marks on their beaks. Look for a Parakeet that has bar markings in order to determine the age of the bird. A young one will still have its marks and by adopting a young one, you can expect your Parakeet to have a long and fruitful life.

A big plus is that a Parakeet is a pet that requires very little maintenance. You will likely have to care less for for this pet than you would have to for other types of animals. A pet Parakeet won't require daily walks or need to be taken to the park. This is a big plus if you aren't very active or just don't have the time to devote to your pet.

Parakeets are very intelligent birds that like to learn tricks and while it would be good to devote 30 minutes a day to them you can leave them to entertain themselves as long as their cage has a lot of toys in it along with another Parakeet.

If you are looking for a pet and your apartment or landlord does not permit a larger pet, the Parakeet maybe the answer to your problem. This pet can keep you company and will interact with you while you're not breaking your contract with your landlord.

Cons:

There aren't many reasons to for not owning a pet Parakeet. If you let them out of their cages to fly around the house you will find feathers along with droppings around your home. If you forget to cover them at night you will be entertained even if you don't want to be.

Your Parakeet will need a fairly large cage so they will have room to fly around a little bit. There also needs to be room enough for lots of toys and places for them to perch.

Another problem with owning a pet Parakeet is that you have to be concerned with chemicals that you are using within your home. The Parakeet is very sensitive to chemicals in the air as well as to pots and pans that you may be using to prepare and cook your meals on a daily basis. Always make sure to keep the Parakeet a good amount of distance away from the kitchen in your home.

Cleaning your pet's cage everyday may be another problem if you are pressed for time, but it's something that should be done. It doesn't really take much time but it may be more time than you want to put in every day.

Another thing that may be a problem is that it is almost mandatory to have at least a pair of parakeets. They are very social birds and don't do as well when you only have one. It isn't that much trouble to have two instead of one so get a pair. In fact you would have to spend more time entertaining just one instead of a pair as they will entertain each other.

As you can see the pros really outweigh the cons when you think about adopting Parakeets. If you have children, they could be the ideal pets as they are not very hard to care for and the kids can interact with them. Another good thing about these pet is taking care of them will teach your kids responsibility. All in all parakeets are a good pet for the whole household, especially a busy one without an abundance of room.

Don Levy http://www.petinfo4u.com/parakeet.htm petinfo4u.com