Keely's Keets™

Note: Parakeets remove the shells on the seeds when they eat them, they do not eat these hulls and they pile up on uneaten (good) seed. In tube feeders the shells can clog the good food from coming out, and in cup feeders the shells cover the good seed. Watch the food levels and make sure the birds can still get to the good seed.

The cere is a different color for males and females.

It is harder to tell gender in young/ sexually immature/ under 3-4 months olds/ pre-first-moult (all mean the same, and/or happen at the same time) budgies than in adults. All young budgies have, what I would call, pink/rosey ceres to an untrained eye, unless the bird has a blatantly white cere. Baby boys have 100% rosey ceres in a smooth coloration. Baby girls have rosey ceres with white around the nostrials with uneven color, or they already have all white ceres like adult females. However! There many types of baby budgie ceres that are harder to describe and tell gender on. Dark ones, light ones, odd ones, etc. every bird is different, plus the lighting one views the bird in, drastically changes how one percieves the colors. Also the ceres can change during childhood like deepening/lightning in color, probably harmones cause this as the slight changing occurs more offten as the bird ages. All these factors make it hard to tell the gender on some juvenile budgies. It is either definitely male, definitely female, or the cere color differences could be so subtile to the human eye we just can't tell with any certainty the gender of the baby.

Adult budgies, however, are very easy to tell the gender.

ADULT male ceres are always a distinct blue. Yet, there are a few exceptions. When the adult male in question is a recessive pied, albino/lutino, and a few other (fairly uncommon) color mutations, his cere will be a rosey cere like when he was a baby. It does not change to a deep blue but stays the rosey pink.

ADULT females sport a wide range of cere colors. Typically the female ceres are all white, then they turn to tans and browns that are very rough during their breeding cycle, and then they go back to white once the cycle is over. They can also have very LIGHT blue ceres with distinct white circles around the nostrails. Some budgie females NEVER go into breeding condition, not that there is anything wrong with them, just what they don't do. They can also have normally tan ceres that then turn brown and cursty in breeding condition and then revert back to tan. No matter the color mutation of the female these rules apply.

All of this simply put, don't worry about the baby budgie ceres because in a few short weeks they will be adults and you won't have to fret over the gender of your beloved pet. Becasue it will be so obvious, males are blue or rosey and females are everything else.

Quarantining is probably one of the most misunderstood necessities of owning birds. When one is quarantining a bird or birds, it is to protect the old flock as well as the new. Each group of birds live in their own unique environment, and have built up immunities to the germs (good and bad) that they are exposed to daily. Regardless of where a new bird is purchased from, how impeccable the husbandry, or the reputation of the seller, quarantine should be regarded as a very necessary practice.

The new bird is crated and taken from its ecosystem and placed in a totally new environment with a multitude of germs (good and bad) that it has never been exposed to. During this move to the new location some stress will be experienced. This stress can be very minor or it can be a major upset, depending on the nature of the bird, the difference in environment, and how the bird reacts to it. During this time of stress, the bird's immune system may become suppressed, and the bird may not be in as good a physical shape as when it left it's home. If the bird is not quarantined, it will be bombarded by millions of new germs and the immune system will need to kick in and respond to all these new germs (good and bad). With a compromised immune system the bird will not be able to surmount a good response and may indeed fall victim to a germ that normally would not be pathogenic (disease causing) in this bird in a different situation.

The new bird now becomes ill and starts shedding vast amounts of this now (new to him) pathogenic germ, and also starts shedding germs in vast amounts that the bird brought with him from his old environment. We now have millions of pathogens in the environment that the resident birds are being exposed to. Some are new germs and some are old germs that they already had immunities to, but the shear volume is more than they can handle. Now we have old and new birds getting sick and of course one believes this disease came with the newest arrival.

Obviously, if any of the birds involved had an existing pathogenic disease, the consequences would be much worse. Had this arrival been quarantined properly, his stress level would not have been so great and his immune response would have been able to build up to the smaller amounts of germs it was exposed to. After a gradual time of small exposures, the immune system can build immunities at a much more normal pace and not become compromised. This gradual transition into a new environment proves beneficial and necessary to all the birds involved. Germs don't read one-way signs.

How to quarantine: Keep them apart (separate). Most people will be taking their new budgie(s) home after buying them from a breeder or pet store. If you have other birds, immediately take the new bird to another room as far away as possible from your other bird. Be sure to wash hands after touching the new bird and before interacting with the other bird. During this time, look out for any signs of illness, such as sudden changes in behavior, fluffed up feathers, difficulty breathing, glassy eyes, poor reaction to stimuli, submissiveness, drinking more than usual, loss of appetite, and weight loss. If you see any of these signs, it is time to see the vet.

Many people have different time lines for how long this separation should last, but 30 days is the average and is most commonly used for birds entering the United States from overseas. This separation time will also give you an opportunity to get to know and bond with your new bird before introducing them. Once the period of quarantine is over, it is recommended by most to move the cages of each bird close together so they can have a "getting to know you" time before putting them in the same cage, if that is your desire. You can also let both birds out of their cages together to see how they interact with one another. Most birds will enjoy the new company and readily accept a new cage mate; but be aware that some birds will resent a new cage mate and possibly become very territorial, in which case, they may have to remain in separate cages.

I have heard of bird's bands getting stuck on things inside the cage which can cause problems. So make sure you do not have any thin, poky things inside the cage that can slip between the band and the leg. Like a paper clip sticking up after the birds ate the fruit off . They have clips for hanging food up.

Now that is out of the way I can explain the pros and cons.

Pro to clipping wings: easier to train/tame the budgie, becuase they are totally dependent on you.

Con to clipping wings: they can't get around without you because they can't fly.

Pro to clipping wings: They can't fly out of your home when you open the door.

Con to clipping wings: they can't excape from danger, like other animals.

Pro to clipping wings: when they see something shiny they can't fly over to it leaving you by yourself.

Pro to clipping wings: they can't run into an open window and knock the lights out of themselves.

Con to clipping wings: they may get fat and sickly because they don't get enough exercise, because they can't fly.

Pro to clipping wings: they can't fly off and land somewhere high/behind you can't reach.

Con to clipping wings: since they can't fly off high, they can run around low and get under something big and heavy and you can't get to them.

Pro to clipping wings: they don't need room to fly around?

Con to clipping wings: you can step on them!

Pro to clipping wings: your cat can have dinner easily.

Con to clipping wings: your bird can be your cat's dinner

Pro to clipping wings: simpler to budgie-proof your home.(doors, animals, low open water, low open flames.)

Con to Not clipping wings: more complicated to budgie-proof your home.(fans, doors, windows, shades, open water, animals, open flame.)

Pro to NOT clipping wings: they can fly off when bored and go see that shiny thing.

Pro to clipping wings: they only poop on the floor.

Con to NOT clipping wings: they poop everywhere!

The biggest attraction for getting the wings clipped: easier taming/training, no flying out the front door.

The biggest attraction for NOT getting the wings clipped: natural behavior, no chance of obesity, they can escape from other animals.

Compromise: clip the wings when you first get the bird, as long as it has learned to fly already. Take that time to tame/train your pet and let the wings grow back and never clip again!

When we had our first clutch of babies we clipped their wings right after their first flight. It was a mistake for our sistuation and for their age. Not only did it take a while for the wings to grow back, but once they did grow back the birds didn't know how to fly and it was twice as hard for them to learn to fly at an older age. We keep the adult birds in large flight cages, allowing them to fly freely. Back then the first clutch couldn't fly in such a large cage and had probleams getting around. They were jealous of the other birds being able to fly and they couldn't. If you have more than 1 bird, either have all their wings clipped or leave them all unclipped. Allow the young, just fledged, birds atleast 2 full days of flying before clipping their wings.

PS: they look much prettier with their wings intact.

The adult budgie loses/gains these features: they lose the barring on the forhead and it becomes a solid color; they get light gray/light yellow irises around their eyes; the cere shows gender, blue (male) or white/brown (female); the color brightens and/or darkens ever so slightly; and the tail is full length.

However with different color mutations some or all of these rules may not apply. Like the male albino's cere does not change from pink and they never have barring. Pieds may always have the barring on the forehead, portions of baring; or may never even have had barring. Other mutations, like the dark eyed clear, never get irises.

The molt is recognized by the scruffy and prickly looking feathers, mostly on the head. The new feathers that are growing are covered by protective sheaths and once the feather is mature enough, the sheath is ready to come off. (Don't try to pull them off yourself!) On the body, wings and tail feathers, the bird will be able to do this itself by normal preening. Since the bird can't preen his own head, the sheaths are left on until another bird pulls it off or they fall off naturally. (All new feathers are blood feathers.) Even with help from other birds, the molt is fairly noticeable and uncomfortable for the bird. They are itchy and some birds may become moody during this process and want to be left alone. Other birds will still be loving or even more loving during the molt. They also use up a lot of energy and nutrition for the molt, so for the moodyness and nutrition, it is advisable to give the bird their favorite fresh foods, lots of millet and love.