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Question:

February 10, 2021

parakeet behavior


I have had 2 little parakeets for 1 1/2 years. They do not even try to get out of their cage and when I go and clean the cage, they fly all over the cage and freak out; they are afraid of me. Please advise. Thank you.


Answer:

Hi Murielle,

Parakeets are a species of Parrot, and parrots are prey animals. So they are naturally afraid of anything reaching towards them. In a case where they aren’t tame, and they get scared during cage cleaning, or even when being fed, we tend to feel like it’s best to get everything done quickly and get it over with. The best thing to do is work on building their trust, so that you can care for them without scaring them. Their experience with hands has likely only been to be grabbed out of one cage, and moved to another, from the time they came out of the nest box. So they have no reason to trust hands, and they are too busy flying around when you cleaning to notice you aren’t chasing them or harming them. Try spending time near their cage talking to them, but keeping your hands on your lap or at your side or behind your back. Talk to them whenever you are around them. Be reassuring. When you do reach into the cage, keep movements slow and minimal. When they start flying around, stop moving, but don’t remove your hand from the cage. When they stop, slowly continue what you need to do. Always keep it slow and steady. If there is a food or treat that they really like, make a point of putting it in the food cup with your hand, again slowly and stop moving if they panic. With two birds, you aren’t likely going to be able to tame them or let them out of the cage. But you can at least establish some trust, and then they might show more interest in you and at least interact from in the cage. With two birds together, they have each other as a companion or mate, so they aren’t looking for interaction from humans. But parakeets that aren’t tame can still be very entertaining to watch. Give them some fun toys, good food and be patient with them and things should get better over time.

Thank you for asking Lafeber,

Brenda

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