Hi!

[parrotlover]

Hi, i'm new to the parrot forum! I plan on getting a parakeet in about 2 weeks. And after i get the keet I will be atleast a week or two away fromstartimg high school. And I'll be gone 7 hours of the day. It should be alright; but should it have extra company? My mom works night shifts and she's usually home during the day so do you think it'll be fine? (idk if this seems like the same question I jad earlier; sorry if it is...).

[HungryBird]

Where is the parakeet coming from? If it is coming from a place that has other parakeets he or she has already been living with maybe you could take one of those as well. You should definitely make sure they get along first though. They don't always. It's also a good idea to offer two food bowls and two water bowls at first until you are sure they are sharing. My two share their food and water but for a while I offered two of each just in case. You also need to make sure the cage is big enough for two parakeets.

And hello!

[parrotlover]

Oh OK wel I'm going to be buying from PetSmart or PetCo. Well considering It'll be my first time haveing parrots I don't know if I'm going to be able to train two. I plan on training The parakeet and doing things like Michael does.

[zazanomore]

If you are choosing between petco and petsmart, pick petsmart.They keep healthier stock.

I know someone who bought numerous budgies from petco over the years, and all of them died of mysterious illnesses.

But the best place to get a budgie, is from a breeder. Look around your local ads and ad websites. You'd be surprised about how many budgie breeders there are around. And many of them sell hand raised babies, which means they come to you already trusting humans. And besides, they usually sell the babies for the same price as the pet stores.

The great thing about budgies, is that they can spend time alone throughout the day.

But, you need to keep your budgie occupied.

I suggest you buy a flight cage: http://elite-pets.com/A36.asp Many chain petstores and online pet stores (I'm in Canada, but I'm sure someone can list you some American sites to order one from) carry them.

You also need to provide him with lots of toys. I find that pet stores charge too much for their toys. I get my toys from a woman who hand makes them. This is her website: http://www.crystalsbirdtoys.com/index.html

Another thing you need to remember is to buy several different types of perches. All your pet stores will carry different perches. Pumice, java, grapevine, rope...there's a lot to choose from. And they all promote healthy feet.

[parrotlover]

Ah ok that's cool! I'll look into that. Thank You! But I think I'm going to get a Cockatiel though.

[parrotsareyay]

Hello, i am also trying my best to learn all i can about caring for parrots as well!
if you needed an american site, try http://www.windycityparrot.com/ the BBB gave them an A and they have a large amount of stuff that cost a lot less than some pet stores!

[parrotlover]

Cool Thanks!