How to take care of a Parakeet

Step 1 Get your parakeet home and decide where to place his or her cage. Try to keep it away from any open drafts if you live in a cold climate, or have cold winters, and the kitchen. Parakeets are by nature, tropical birds and can catch a chill and die if they get too cold. Birds are also sensitive to smoke and such, and what our lungs can take theirs cannot. If they are anywhere near a kitchen, be sure to have an exhaust fan that pulls away smoke out of a window that is effective in it not bothering them. Also rid the house of teflon, because research has come up that it emits a toxic gas that is indeed harmful to us, but KILLS birds. Many devastating losses have happened due to ignorance to this and the popularity of teflon products (the Non stick pans). Step 2 Decide what to name your bird by knowing what sex it is. If it is a girl the top of the beak will be a light pink or a lighter color. Boys have a deep blue or purple colored top to their beak. Step 3 Feed your bird daily, as their stomachs are small and they eat a lot! Be sure to provide them with the gravely substance called "grit" which helps them to digest seed properly. Offer them fruits and leafy greens to help them stay healthy. Change their water relatively often, and make sure that it is always available to them. Step 4 At night, or simply if the bird is being too loud during a visit (parakeets are usually not too bad about this) You can cover your birds cage to give them a sense of night time, and also sleep time, so they are not so loud if they are acting up with visitors or such. Step 5 Put bedding in the bottom of your parakeets cage that is for birds, or even newspaper will due (Newsprint is made of a vegetable based ink, and is safe for use). Step 6 Be sure to get your bird some toys, as they are very intelligent creatures and need toys to have a healthy mentality. It is torture to put a bird in a bare cage. Wal-mart and many other stores have extremely inexpensive bird toys if you are worried about price. If you cannot afford a two dollar toy, don't buy the bird because they really do need the mental stimulation to flourish, and pets require financial dedication, some more than others. Step 7 Make sure your bird has lots of perches, or simply branches to hop on in their cage. Remember their habitat in the wild, and the fact that they dwell in trees and this will help you to adjust their cage accordingly. Step 8 There are many nutritional supplements, or vitamins you can put in your birds food and water to enhance their diet, as well as help them through nutritional deficiencies, or even sickness. Talk to your local pet store, and do your research to make sure you have a healthy bird, or know how to care for one if it looks puny. Step 9 Know that parakeets do well living together, and it is perfectly fine to buy them as a couple so they will have a friend. If you don't, get them a mirror so that they have a sense of companionship (they will talk to the reflection) Step 10 Know also that your parakeet has the capacity to learn words, but they are not as fluent as parrots such as Macaws. Work with them repeating words often, or whistle a tune that you want them to learn and see what they do!