Parakeets For Sale

Parakeets make great beginner pets, one because of the price but also because of the size. When getting a parakeet as a pet, make sure that you get a hand fed bird, hand feeding the baby parakeets will help to ensure that they are great pet quality birds. Not all hand-fed parakeets make good pets but it will help. It is very annoying to purchase a parakeet at a pet store only to have the parakeet fly away from humans and bite.

Parakeets, Melopsittacus undulates, are found on the mainland of the Australian Continent and a feral populations in Florida. They are a parrot of many names such as budgerigar, budgerygah, betcherrgah, shell parrot, canary parrot, undulated parrot, scalloped parrot, zebra parrot, lovebird, warbling grass-parrot or grass-parakeet. They are found in open arid and semiarid areas. Parakeets can also be found on farmlands and parks. They can be found in large flocks of 100 or more birds, sometimes in the thousands, which will be noisy when leaving or returning to their night roost. Feeding occurs most in the morning and late afternoon but will feed continuous throughout the day in cooler weather. The natural diet consists of seeds, grains, fruits, berries, vegetation and insects. A water source is never too far for them to drink from.

Baby Parakeets for Sale

In the wild, parakeets will breed after heavy rains which will increase the available food sources. Parakeets are old enough to breed at 6 months old. In the wild, parakeets are found in only green/yellow plumage. The males have bright blue ceres, and nasal area, and the females have light blue or brown ceres. They nest in tree cavities and will have a clutch size of about 5-6 eggs. The female does all the incubating and the eggs will hatch at 17-21 days. The chicks will leave the nest at about 4 weeks old and the parents will still care for them for another week. A parakeet's lifespan in the wild is 3 to 6 years.

Parakeet Bird

Parakeets do make great pets. They are very social in the wild and will seek out their owner for attention. Parakeets can mimic sounds. They are very readily trainable with the patients and time of the trainer. With all the captive breeding, there are many colors available to purchase then only the wild green/yellow color. You can find them in a wide variety of whites, blues, greens, pastels, and many more in the pet trade. In captivity, a parakeet can live 15-20 years.

The caging size that is best for a parakeet is the largest that you can afford and have space for as it is with any pet that you may own. The minimal size cage that you can purchase for a single parakeet to be comfortable in is one that measures 22” long by 18” tall and 18” wide. This gives enough room for them to open their wings and move around a bit. The bar spacing needs to be no larger than 3/8”. If larger, the bird can injure itself by trying to get out. 2-3 perches of a variable diameter of no smaller than 1/2” need to be provided in the cage. The different perching diameter is for the health of their feet to prevent sores on the bottom of their feet.

Toys are essential for any parrot. Naturally in the wild will spend many hours foraging for their food. Play and chewing with toys will help them focus their energy on playing than with behavior issues like feather plucking. When purchasing toys, look over the toy and make sure that there is no risk of your bird getting a foot or beak stuck on any part of the toy or that there are no parts that can get tangled around your bird. Also, you want to purchase a toy that is made for parakeet-sized birds.

The diet of a parakeet in captivity is easy to maintain with all the complete commercial diets available at pet stores. The best diet is a base of pellets with fresh fruits and greens. Some fruits and greens can be toxic to your bird so do your research before feeding any fruits and greens. Also add a small amount of seed each day or use as a treat. Always make sure clean fresh water is provided at all times for your pet cockatiel.

How much is a Parakeet?

The price of a parakeet will depend on a number of variables.

• How old is the parakeet?
• Is the parakeet a pet or a breeder?
• What is the sub-species of the parakeet?
• Does the parakeet have unusual markings or colors?
• Are you buying the parakeet from a breeder or from a retailer who has to make additional money to stay in business

With all of these unknowns, it is hard to put a definitive price on a parakeet. However, most standard color hand raised pet quality parakeets should be between $10-65.

Unique colors, sub-species parakeets have sold for as much as $650 so the price range can be drastic.

When purchasing a parakeet as a pet you do want to make sure that you are purchasing a pet quality, hand raised parakeet. This will produce the best results for keeping the bird manageable and friendly

How to tell Male and Female Parakeets

Unlike most species of birds, you can sex parakeets by their colors. Adult male parakeets will have a distinct purple type color around their cere. The cere is the area above the beak of the bird between the beak and the eyes.

Adult female parakeets will have a brownish cere. It makes it difficult to sex younger parakeets so waiting til an adult is the best way or send a dna sample off to get tested for about $25. Younger male parakeets will have a pink or light purple cere. Younger female parakeets will have a pink cere also, which makes sexing difficult. After 4 months, the cere will change into a white cere with different levels of blue depending on the parakeet. This will continue until around 8 months when both male and female parakeets will turn into their adult colors and the female will change into a brownish cere.