Not a blue sky, but it will do!

[journey11]

Thanks! We will sure try, anyway!

I thought at first they were both boys, but the one's nose band is more pink than the other's. I was told too that it might take awhile for it to be clearly evident which is which, since they are just babies right now. They said a colored band is a boy and a brown nose band is a girl. At least the names Ava picked will go well either way!

 

[canesisters]

They are beautiful!!! And they sure can learn to talk!
I think I've told this story before... Year ago I ran a boarding kennel and now and then we'd have something other than the usual dogs and cats. Once we had a parakeet that stayed in the kitchen/office. For several days we'd be somewhere else in the building and would hear what sounded like a TV or radio on. ? It took us a couple of days to realize that it was the bird! Whenever we'd leave him alone, he'd start babbeling along and sounded just like a news reporter. He wouldn't do it if we were with him, and wouldn't do it loud enough for us to hide around the corner and hear what he was saying, but he sounded JUST like a TV left on in another room! Soo funny!

 

[seedcorn]

A single keet will try to talk. Get 2 or more, they are over trying. Friend of mine use to raise them. 1 will become friendly. 2 or more may become civil but with 2 they will stay somewhat as distant. They are a social bird.

Flying free, I hate the "love drops" they leave.

 

[Nyboy]

Becareful if your keeping them in the kitchen certain cooking odors can kill them. Believe it or not cooking with Teflon pots will do them in. I think oven cleaner also. Have fun and enjoy them.

 

[digitS']

Mostly, my birds stayed in their tree. The base was a board about 2 1/2' sq., newspapered.

The "tree" was a nicely balanced branch secured to the base with a bracket. If there are cats, I think it should also be attached to the ceiling. No guarantee the cats won't climb the tree.

The birds seemed almost entirely interested in climbing and would return to their cage in the evening to be covered.

Steve
Who didn't have problems with:

drops​

drops​

drops​

 

[so lucky]

I sure miss my Petey, who was my step-daughter's parakeet for several years, then she gave him back to us when she moved away. He would do that "TV announcer" chatter, too. And he would say a few words and phrases, like "whatcha doin?" and "pretty bird." He loved to sit on someone's shoulder and groom their hair, ears, even eyelashes. He was the perfect pet.
This is not usually advised, but we just left his cage door open, as he got older. He would sit on top of it, and occasionally fly into the other room looking for us. I would hear him flying, hold my hand up and he would land on my finger. (or he would land on my head)
I would advise anyone who wants to get a parakeet, to get a young one if at all possible. They are much easier to tame/train. And I agree with seedcorn, that two birds will be company for each other, but probably less attached to you.

 

[TheSeedObsesser]

Pretty birds! I like parakeets. I used to have three males; one blue and two greens. The blue one was visious and wouldn't stop going after the other two. The green ones somehow ended up going to my sister, I had them finger trained. Parakeets can learn how to talk, but it takes a lot of time and you have to say the word you want it to learn about one thousand times over. Giving the bird something to associate the word with also helps. My cousin actually got his to say "cookie." That's what cousin would say to Squeakers each time he gave him a treat. So now the bird will continuously say "cookie" each and every time that somebody is near his cage. He likes visitors.

Ditto on what Nyboy mentioned, very good information.

And Journey is right on the color of the nose bands determining gender. The females bands are more of a pinkish when young, you might have a male and female there. I can't tell you what to do about eggs, I've only ever had males.

 

[ninnymary]

Journey, were these from eggs your friend hatched? I always thought parakeets were kind of fragile and sometime died suddenly.

Mary

 

[baymule]

What pretty birds! A friend of mine had a parakeet, her kids taught it to call "heeeere kitty kitty kitty!" They would let it out in the house and the bird would fly into another room, call heeeere kitty kitty kitty--and their cat would run into the room and look totally confused. The parakeet would fly back into the room and call the cat again. It was funny until the bird escaped and was sitting in a pine tree calling all the cats in the neighborhood. The kids were in tears. They put the cage outside and right at dusk, the bird went to it's cage. That sure made some happy kids!

Enjoy your parakeets. They are beautiful.

 

[journey11]

Wow, lots of good information...thanks guys!

I love your tree idea, Steve! I will have to make something cat-proof though. Maybe a branch hanging from the ceiling. I wish I could let them out more, but between the cats and the droppings...and 6 yr olds who like to leave the door hanging open... I already figured out I need to buy a bigger cage and have been shopping online today.

I think the blue/black one stands the best odds of talking. He/she pays closer attention to me and makes various sounds when I talk/cluck at him. The light blue one is more quiet.

That's crazy about the Teflon, Nyboy! Brings to mind a canary in the mine shaft, huh... I don't have any Teflon either, since I'd heard it could be bad for me too.

I hope mine will turn out as nice as yours, So Lucky and SeedO. Mary, they are babies that my friend hatched from their pair and still quite young. I don't suppose they ought to be allowed to breed if they are male/female, since they are siblings, possibly inbred once already. My friend said they wouldn't breed unless they had a nest to lay in.

It's becoming quite the zoo around here, but I don't regret my impulsiveness at all. I've been wanting to get some banties for the girls (and myself!) But that's another coop project and I don't think DH has recovered yet from this last one...