Life Span of Parakeets

Parakeets are members of the parrot family. These birds can be found in Asia, Australia, Africa, Central America and South America. As far as their physical appearance is concerned, these are slightly different from parrots. They are smaller in size and have long, tapered tail feathers. You will be absolutely mesmerized when you look at these playful birds. If you are a bird lover, you will find it hard to take your eyes off this bird. Once you bring home a parakeet, make sure that you provide them with good food and a proper environment. Keeping them as pets will give you lots of joy because they are very lively, but make sure that you make them feel at home. Though the average life span of parakeets ranges from 5-9 years, it can vary depending on how well this bird is cared for.

How to Care for Parakeets

Parakeets that have adjusted well to their surroundings and are well-fed might can even live up to 15 years or more. Here are tips on caring for this bird.

Interaction
Their playful behavior makes them very popular as pets. These birds are very affectionate and playful, so make sure you interact with them for at least half an hour daily. They love it when you stroke them and talk to them. Therefore, before you get one home, make sure that you are willing to spend time with your exotic pet. If they begin to feel isolated or bored, it will have an adverse impact on them. So, talk to the bird in soft mummers and play. Never let the surroundings be quiet or very loud, it might scare the bird. Also get hold of some bird toys, bird swings and bird cage ladders. You must prepare the cage properly. You must get a big airy bird house with numerous bird perches. The bird will feel claustrophobic if the bird house or the cage is small. Make sure you keep both the bird and its cage clean. It would be a good idea to cover the cage on a few sides with a cloth at night. This is to make your pet feel secure at night.

Food
Give fresh food and water to your pet everyday. For that you can buy nutritious bird pellets. Several brands of healthy pellets are available in the market. So, head out and select the best for your pet. If you give the same food everyday, your pet might start showing a disinterest in eating, so, make sure that doesn't happen. Besides the 1-2 teaspoons of pellets, give them seeds, cottage cheese, peanuts, bean sprouts or mealy worms. You can also give them ½ cup of fruits and vegetables such as mangoes, papaya, zucchini, carrots, green peppers. Make sure that you don't give them any processed dried fruit.

Breeding
Their life cycle is divided into stages such as the laying and hatching of eggs, nestling and molting or shedding of the bird's feather. Molting marks the reaching of adulthood. As far as breeding is concerned, care must be taken that both parakeets must be adults, preferably older than a year. After mating, the eggs that are fertilized take about 18-20 days to hatch. Then it takes about 4 weeks of care before the chicks are fully feathered and ready to be on their own. It would be a good idea to get in touch with a veterinarian to check if the birds are healthy enough to breed.

If you are bringing a parakeet home, make sure you treat it as a part of your family. Never neglect this beautiful bird as that might have an adverse effect on its health.