kathryn
07-28-2006, 10:00 PM
I got my first parakeet two weeks ago. Does anyone know how long they live?
Von L
07-29-2006, 03:16 AM
Hi Kathryn,
A standard Budgie (what we usually refer to as a Parakeet in the States, but there are many different species of Parakeet, not just the Budgies) can live 12-25 years with good care and diet, but due to poor breeding practices many are prone to tumors and other health problems and don't make it that long. The English Budgie, which has been bred to be larger than the standard Budgie, has a shorter life span due to the selective breeding, and typically lives about 8 years.
Congratulations on your new bird. Budgies can be very, very good talkers, but they have tiny voices and tend to speed things up, so you may have to listen carefully to understand them. They can also be very tame and loving pets. If your Budgie was hand-fed it will probably already be hand tame, but even if it wasn't you can hand tame with time and patience.
Please make an appointment with an avian vet (or at least a vet with experience with pet birds) for a check-up. It is best to have a relationship with a vet before you need one, and many of the health problems Budgies and other birds are prone to can be triggered or made worse by poor diet. Your vet can discuse the best diet and care for your bird during the check-up.
Good luck
Yvonne
krazy4birds
08-01-2006, 04:00 PM
I know exactly what you are saying about them learning words. Sunshine (my Keet) is talking a lot but you have to be near her to hear it. I was so shocked the first time I heard her say... pretty bird! She says hello, good boy, just tons of little phrases. She is not tamed. I worked with her about a month and it was stressing us both out so I let her be. She sings so beautifull she sounds just like a Canary so I think she has heard one at one time before I got her. She is a Lutino...very beautifull. I may try one more time to tame her.....