I always hear from people how they bought two parakeets from a pet store a few weeks ago and they can't handle them. Or they even got a hand-raised parakeet that they can't handle anymore. What are they doing wrong?!
Parakeets, in the wild, are prey! They have evolved to naturally be someone else's food. They are towards the bottom of the food chain. Therefore, they are naturally very, very nervous animals! They do not trust easily!
Occassionally there will be one that is fearless and thinks they can take on the world! But often times, that is not the case. All of my babies are hand-raised, meaning every single day, from the time they are around 2-3 weeks of age, I take them out and hold them. I spend time with them. Once they have the muscle strength in their legs I teach them to step up. I teach them to step down onto a perch, to step up on to my finger from a perch. But they key is, I spend time with them!
I spend lots of one-on-one time with each baby, individually. I even spend time introducing them to all sorts of foods, such as scrambled eggs, mixed veggies and pellets. I work on introducing them to a variety of different people and different places around the house.
Sometimes, I will have a baby that no matter what, does not want to have anything to do with people. They would rather stick with their own. Sometimes they outgrow it, sometimes they don't.
But they key to having a tame parakeet, is spending time with them. And you must move slowly. Stop expecting them to step up the moment you get them home. Yes, you are very excited to welcome you new family member to your home! But
Parakeets, in the wild, are prey! They have evolved to naturally be someone else's food. They are towards the bottom of the food chain. Therefore, they are naturally very, very nervous animals! They do not trust easily!
Occassionally there will be one that is fearless and thinks they can take on the world! But often times, that is not the case. All of my babies are hand-raised, meaning every single day, from the time they are around 2-3 weeks of age, I take them out and hold them. I spend time with them. Once they have the muscle strength in their legs I teach them to step up. I teach them to step down onto a perch, to step up on to my finger from a perch. But they key is, I spend time with them!
I spend lots of one-on-one time with each baby, individually. I even spend time introducing them to all sorts of foods, such as scrambled eggs, mixed veggies and pellets. I work on introducing them to a variety of different people and different places around the house.
Sometimes, I will have a baby that no matter what, does not want to have anything to do with people. They would rather stick with their own. Sometimes they outgrow it, sometimes they don't.
But they key to having a tame parakeet, is spending time with them. And you must move slowly. Stop expecting them to step up the moment you get them home. Yes, you are very excited to welcome you new family member to your home! But