How long do parakeets live is a common question among the pet lovers who want to bring parakeet home and raise them.
If you are thinking of adopting a parakeet, knowing the answer will help you to be prepared mentally before bringing it to your home. The standard lifespan of a parakeet is 30 years. But in captivity, depending on the care they get, they can live more or less than their expected lifetime. In general, parakeets live 10 to 15 years in captivity.
A parakeet is the best option for those who are looking for a low maintenance pet bird. This bird is also suitable for those who are living in a small apartment or have kids at home. Parakeets are cute, little, and colorful birds. This little parrot family member is a perfect friend to any pet lover who wishes to raise a bird for a long time. They are easy to care for and perhaps the best bird to look after.
Parakeets love company. So, it is better to spend a few hours a day with them. If you can’t manage time, you can get more than one bird. Be sure that you only have women or men together if you don’t want too many of them in a short time. You can differentiate the male from the female by their cere located above their beak.
When you own or intend to adopt a parakeet, you might have many different questions in your mind. This article will help you to get all of your answers regarding raising a parakeet.
Captive parrots survive longer than their wild counterparts as they are less vulnerable to pests and diseases. If the parrot lives in a cage with plenty of space to run, it can grow up better. It is also critical that it has ample space to fully stretch its wings.
You can keep your Parakeet free from diseases giving them a clean cage and a balanced diet. If you intend to have a parakeet, you should consult the breeder who is an expert and can provide information on the parakeet’s wellbeing and parrot’s personal medical background. Few important factors which affect the life expectancy of a parrot are-
Budgies have complex respiratory systems that can quickly be affected by harmful smoking, noise, kitchen chemicals, Teflon cookware, tobacco smoke, poisonous plants, etc. Budgies can quickly be feared, and unexpected sounds can lead them to severe accidents in cage bars. Therefore, it is entirely up to you how long parakeets can survive in captivity and protect your pet against these environmental factors.
A balanced lifestyle is essential for the excellent health of the Parakeet. Since parakeets have fewer fat stores, any missing meals or insufficient water consumption may soon result in extreme dehydration or ailments.
Most of the people consider bird seed as a healthy diet option for the Parakeet. If you feed only grains to your Parakeet, you are doing nothing but shortening your pet’s lifespan. It doesn’t provide the necessary nutrition it needs to grow and combat different diseases.
Usually, parakeets eat fruits in the wilderness. So, you can provide them fruits and vegetables as supplements along with seeds. Fresh fruits and vegetables offer daily energy and enough nutrition to the body of your Parakeet.
Do not provide the same food all the time to your Parakeet. Make the meal enjoyable and provide seasonal fruits so that they don’t get bored. Also, make sure they are drinking enough water. Keep an eye always on their dietary needs so that they don’t get sick easily.
A small unclean cage will catch your budgie and make it vulnerable to physical and psychological illnesses. Banging against the walls of the cage can lead to bones that can lead to bleeding and increased susceptibility to infections. It is better to get a cage in horizontal shape, which would be easier to climb on for the parakeets. The cage should also have enough space for the moving and expanding wings of the Parakeet.
Sometimes unexpected can happen, and you might have to take your parakeets to the veterinary surgery. If they break their bones flying inside the cage, they need immediate treatment. Broken bones can contribute to cuts since the bones are frail and hollow. If this is not fixed, the pet can become vulnerable to internal bleeding and infection.
Lighting plays an important role in the health of a parakeet. They become delighted and sing their happy song when they are kept in a bright place under perfect light. However, they should not be held under the sunlight as the UV lights can be harmful to their health.
Parakeets have very sensitive skin. So, maintaining optimal lighting can improve their immune system, provide healthier bones, ensure better sleep, and save them from different diseases. You should not keep them always in the indoor area. They should be taken to the natural sunlight for at least 30 minutes two to three times a week. It will improve their eyesight and provide necessary Vitamin D.
Choose two or three toys in the cage with one Parakeet and place a lot of perches around the cage at various heights. Toys stimulate the bird. There is an easy way to find out if the budgies are bored. They will pluck their own feathers when they don’t have to do anything or get bored. For your budgies, blocks, strings, and chains can typically be the best gifts.
If you want to give perches, choose the natural one. Wooden perch made with eucalyptus can be the best gift for your Parakeet. Avoid sticks made of pruno and oak.
The perches must be secure and placed at varying heights to be spread across the cage. As parakeets love to fly and play, so they need plenty to inspire and amuse them in their cage. Again, it is necessary to give your Parakeet a cage that you can use for long and stable life.
It might be difficult for some people to amuse or entertain the Parakeet. Some people chat and interact with pets, although some are uncertain how better to meet the cognitive and interpersonal needs of their birds.
Tricks, games, and therapies make things more interesting for you as well as your budgie. Parakeets are friendly birds that enjoy playing. They like to communicate with other species or humans, but if you carry just a single parakeet around, you might become his friend. All types of interesting topics are going to intrigue him. Demonstrate him how to get some fun, and then else he will follow you. few other ways to entertain the Parakeet are-
Parakeet is always excited; he will crawl, chew, and discover a variety of toys. You can get him a robot that can do a few things and teach him how to ring the bell or pull strings. Carefully add new toys, so your buddy isn’t scared. You can do it once in a week so that switching toys don’t confuse himself and be ok with a new toy. If you prefer to play with Parakeet and don’t want it to keep it in the cage always, you should set up a play area and arrange different entertainment options like toys for it.
Parakeet loves chewing all the time. By folding a sheet of paper into a little ball, you can make an exciting game for your Parakeet. Place these balls on the cage and roll it a bit. After seeing the balls, he will come and strike them softly. Wait for him to reach again. If he continues to chew and rip the file, delight him with a friendly reward the next time. When he performs this role, he will change the delights he finds so he will be ready to rip the item apart and see what’s inside. Only make sure the sheet doesn’t contain ink or pigment that it can absorb while chewing.
When you invest your hefty amount of time making your male Parakeet learn singing and talking, they will learn that easily. You need to speak to him often and slowly repeat the same words. He will soon mimic your intonation, and he will advance to say words. You should listen closely because your high-pitched or muffled murmurs aren’t as plain as a parrot’s speech. When you add them saying different syllables, listen to him to use the same syllables as each action you do. If he did, he would try to repeat the words. Sing or whistle to him a song again and again, and he can even mimic it.
So, these are a few ways that can keep your Parakeet happy.
It is obvious for any living thing, including birds getting sick any time for different reasons. Parakeets might get sick for insect bites, weather change, food intake, and other so many reasons.
Even if you are having a healthy pair of parakeets, it is recommended to take them to the vet for a check-up once in a year. However, if also should monitor time to time if they are developing any symptoms which may lead to a serious sickness. Whenever you suspect them to be sick, take immediate action. Taking them to the vet on time can reduce the risk of forming serious diseases or issues.
Few health disorders you should be careful about are- difficulties in breathing, sudden change of the behavior, losing weight, abnormal eating disorders, discharging anything from the eyes, and so on. These are few health-related issues that should be addressed on time, and immediate action should also be taken to avoid serious health complications later.
You also need to provide your budgie enough space for exercising. They should get the chance to socialize enough with their other companion and you. Sometimes psychological issues might occur when they don’t get enough attention.
One should deliberately improve the life expectancy of your Parakeet as a conscientious person. Good considerations for the physical and emotional fitness of the bird include the following-
Normal Free Flight:
Birds prefer to fly in captivity. So, there should be a standard height in the cage where the Parakeet can fly without much barrier.
No Isolation:
Isolation has a detrimental impact on the life expectancy of the Parakeet. As they live in the colony in their origin, it is advisable to keep a few parakeets together to improve their lifespan.
Good Diet:
Providing proper nutrition is also important to improve the lifespan of a parakeet.
Environment:
Good sunshine and cool air are important to give a healthier life to your Parakeet.
Proper Care:
Appropriate care and proper sanitation practices, as well as daily cage cleaning, will improve the life of a parakeet.
Clean Cage:
It is important to look for the cleanliness of the parakeets. They should be bathed at least once a week. The cage should also be cleaned regularly as a dirty cage might impact the long life of a parakeet.
Different types of parakeets are found in the wilderness having different life span. There are 279 different parrot types in total. In general, it can be said, the bigger the parrot, the longer the life cycle. Especially in captivity, birds will live their entire lives. Few types of Parakeet may live for only five years in the cage while some live for 20 years if proper care is given.
You need to know the type of Parakeet you own before determining the lifespan of it. The total life expectancy in cages is eight to ten years. Growing parakeets are typically less aged when reproductive powers wear out. Beyond that, sadly, parakeets are vulnerable to diseases; they produce, for example, many tumors that are possibly associated with breeding.
The years six to seven are also crucial for the age of a parakeet. In these years, there are many stages where they experience hormonal shifts – if a bird is well past this time, the odds of their extended age are not bad.
Determining the age of a budgie is not always possible. There are, though, different signs to indicate their age. The blue nasal skin also becomes darker with age in males. In women, on the other hand, nasal skin color sometimes appears light blue or grey.
Besides, older birds fly much less than young birds. In general, shorter routes rather than longer routes are favored. The motions are smoother and a little “stiffer,” like humans.
Sounds vary as well-older budgies are louder or smaller than young budgies. What differs nothing is typically diet.
There’s a lot to consider when choosing if you like one or two budgies at a time. Here are several ways to answer this critical question-
Particularly on the busy days of the week, you can think first about the amount of time you expect to spend on the schedule to take care of your pet. If you ever see many birds together, they are very friendly birds who frequently talk like other humans. However, they won’t be happy if they are left alone for a long time. So, you need to handle them with more love and care and spend quality time with them.
It is recommended to spend a few hours with them even if it is a busy day. It will help growing bonding with the bird, and also, the budgies will feel delighted with the attention they will get. It is better to have a decent cage with enough space to pamper your budgies. They love playing and spending time in their own way also.
Another great thing about the budgies is they are fond of toys. So, when you have other works in your home, or you have to spend time with your family members, you can keep them engage with toys.
However, if you have a more stressful life, for example, if someone has a full-time work and other members of your family are also occupied in different works where you only have one or two hours with them, and they are most of the time alone, we highly suggest that you have at least two budgies to be with each other.
As mentioned above, they are very social birds who need to be entertained for an hour or two. Much attention they needed more than they would be occupied by toys and things in the enclosure. Giving them no time can create behavioral difficulties. They always want a happy routine by default. As a result, you can feel so much more relaxed, but just think seriously about how much time you spend with your kids, how many features and schedule of yours and your home will be changed having them.
Who gets a parakeet in the house should make it clear in the that he/she is responsible for the welfare of them and that they should maintain this after best knowledge and consciousness-an entire lifespan of the animal, which can last up to 15 years with a healthy parakeet.
In the free wild, the Parakeet can take off in a large habitat and, if necessary, it can reach a speed of up to 25 km daily. But at our home, they can hardly fly from one room to another. However, they always have wished to fly and expand their wings. So, it is not recommended at all to keep the bird in a small cage. There should be some space in a cage where they can expand their wings and feel satisfied.
So, having a bigger and better cage is always recommended for your Parakeet. An aviary with a length of at least 1.50 m and a height of 80 cm is ideal for keeping budgies. By the way, round cages are not to be recommended, are even seen as being contrary to animal welfare, as the bird is unable to orient itself within them.
Otherwise, it is important to ensure that bars are not covered with white or shiny plastic because it may cause both glare and problems in health. If you can’t do an aviary but want to still provide a lot of room for the Parakeet, you can instead use the indoor aviary. In this case, it is optimal if the outside area can also be accessed over a door or window.
If you are considering owning a parakeet or already have one, things I have answered above will be helpful for you to understand how long you can have a parakeet or how to increase their life expectancy.
If you are getting a Parakeet for your kids, they can be a great companion to this little creature. If you are a hobbyist and yearning for a long time to get one, you need to make sure that you are giving it proper attention and giving them the company, they need. However, if you are not available to them for a long time, it is better to get more than one Parakeet.
Parakeets are small and cute birds. They are also very social and friendly pets. To keep them healthy and ensure longer life, you have to give them a nutritious diet, a friendly environment with a cozy and spacious cage, enough sunlight, and proper attention. As they are social, you also need to provide them enough company which makes them happy and ensures their long life as well.
