Losing your parakeet can be a devastating experience. He can often fly away and perch up in the high tree branches to hide in safety. This means he is very frightened by his surroundings and is unable to find his way back home.
Parakeets are not known to be adventurous birds and will rarely fly away to go on an excursion exploring the world. If your parakeet flies away from his cage and out through the door, do not sit back and hope that he will return after a short time. Parakeets get tired quickly and will only fly nearby, but in the presence of a wind current, he may travel as far as a mile.
Should I Let My Parakeet Out to Fly?
Flying helps to keep parakeets happy and healthy. They enjoy spending time outside their cages to explore and exercise in safe environments. If you train your parakeet well, he will fly around and return to his cage, whereas an untrained one can be difficult to recapture.
Parakeets that rarely or never leave their cages can become overweight and fall sick due to tumors and fatty liver illnesses. In the wild, parakeets live in flocks to achieve socialization, and therefore, they need to spend enough time with both their owners and other birds. It is advisable to let the trained parakeets out of their cages and fly in an empty room every day for an hour or so.
Parakeets require safe environments to fly outside their cages. Turn off the ceiling fans and stoves, close all windows and doors, and all mirrors in the room covered or turned to face the wall. Open fires, hot liquids, and foods are dangerous too. A parakeet may disappear around a fascinating corner because of their curiosity. Exercising should be scheduled regularly to help you avoid leaving the door open when your parakeet is out of sight.
A parakeet can shred materials, climb, forage, and play for exercise outside their cages. Encourage your parakeet to climb their toy ladders while holding a nut or treat at the top. You can slowly turn the ladder so that he must reverse and climb again. Specialized parakeet toys are also useful items for exercising, but make sure you rotate the toys every three or four so that he finds something different to play with.
Parakeet cages should ensure there is enough room for them to exercise while in confinement. Since they usually spend most of their lives in cages, buy the largest cage you can find or afford. Wide and shallow cages are better because parakeets fly horizontally, unlike the tall, narrow cages, which will allow the parakeet only to fly up and down.
Can I Leave My Parakeet in The Patio for a Few Days?
Parakeet owners commonly want to copy their natural habitat. Parakeets that are domesticated as pets are not suitable for the wilderness. Believing that your parakeet will enjoy the fresh air and sound of other birds while placed on the patio is very dangerous. This danger is attributed to the following;
- Risk of predation– unlike the wild where parakeets live in large groups, a pet parakeet does not have the advantage of having companions; hence it is at a greater risk of predation. Other animals and insects such as mosquitoes, ants, and wasps can bite and sting your parakeet. Being in a cage, he is unable to escape and is left defenseless.
- Stress– being sensitive animals, parakeets can startle easily. The outdoor smells and sounds can be stressful and make them unhappy.
- Escape– a well-trained parakeet will not try to escape as he has bonded well with his owner. Notwithstanding, he will still try to escape if you leave him outside unattended without a cage in the patio. The outdoor smell and sounds encourage escape behavior. Constantly exposing them to an outdoor environment alone is not recommended.
Will My Escaped Parakeet Come Back?
A parakeet that has flown far away is a lot harder to recall. He is likely not to fly back to his cage as this relies mostly on luck and cunning to lure him back. It would be best if you acted quickly to make sure he comes back as soon as possible.
Follow the bird on foot and carry a parakeet-capturing kit. This kit has equipment that will enable you to lure and recapture the escaped parakeet quickly. The kit should consist of; a cage, a cage cover, a net, a towel, a millet spray, and a recording of his chattering. A recording of your voice can also be useful because it will be a very familiar sound to him.
Your parakeet will not fly away immediately; he leaves his cage. If you do not see him anywhere nearby within the first hour of his escape, you don’t need to worry much as there is a good chance that he is still around that vicinity. Try and listen to his chirps. He will possibly be calling out to try and make contact with other birds that he encounters. Play the recording of your voice or his voice and listen keenly for his response.
When you manage to catch up with him, use a combination of the cage, parakeet song, or millet to lure him down. If he has been away for some time, he will be tired and hungry. He will also not be inclined to fly down from the safe treetops because of stress. He will remain high up in the trees and ultimately fly away, losing your chance of capturing him.
The only chance you capture him is to lure him down to you or into the cage. If he perches on a rooftop, you can use that opportunity to climb up the closest room upstairs and attempt to capture him from there. Using a net on a long rod or stick usually works well by moving it slowly over the parakeet and scooping him up. Return him to his cage to calm him down.
Rescuing Your Lost Parakeet
The moment you realize that your parakeet is not in his cage, immediately go outside because waiting longer reduces your chance of getting him back. Carefully look around, and use a pair of binoculars if you own one. A telephoto camera lens also helps if you do not have a telephoto lens on your camera.
If you can see your parakeet but cannot reach him, approach him with caution and try not to frighten him or else he will fly away. Some parakeets are trained to fly back to the owner, and so a favorite food will seduce him to fly and land on you. If this does not work, you can also bring a cage to where he is and bring with you some of his favorite toys. With the cage door open, step away to an area he cannot see you. Hunger and thirst can send him back into his cage.
Leave the parakeet’s cage visibly open outside your house with food-filled inside. Inside the cage, place some of his favorite toys in a clear view. If you have some recording of a parakeet’s chatter, you can play that to lure him back. Getting his cage mate out in the open will also help to draw him. Make sure to have a net and towel ready in your hands to aid in quickly capturing him in case he returns.
If you can no longer see your parakeet, do no panic, and do not give up. Instead, take notice of the place you last saw him and the direction he flew to. You can call him periodically and listen carefully to his chatter. Visually searching in the area where you last saw your parakeet can also help find him. Inform your neighbors about the lost parakeet and provide them with his descriptive information and your contact information.
Parakeets are social birds and will thrive well in groups. If you have other parakeets at home, bring them in their cage to the place where you or someone in your neighborhood last saw your lost parakeet. Place the cage on the ground with food and toys inside and move to a place where the parakeets cannot see you. The caged parakeets will chirp and call out, and if the missing parakeet is within that area, he will respond to the calls and even come looking for his friends.
If it is getting dark and you still have not found your lost parakeet, leave your house’s window open and hang his favorite toys at the window. You can also swing his cage at the window if you do not have another parakeet. It is the sight of these familiar objects that will show him the way home. Lost parakeets can be disturbed and disoriented and may not be sure of the way home despite wanting to return.
If these efforts bear no luck, create a flyer, and include a clear picture of the parakeet. Include your contact information such as email address and cell phone number in large visible texts. Distribute the flyers in your neighborhood and stick some at strategic points where people will easily access them. Report a missing per at your local police department and notify animal control, local pet shops and, zoos to keep an eye out for your lost parakeet.
What Can I Do When I Find a Lost Parakeet?
Any parakeet owner hopes to reunite with his lost pet. A parakeet can fly far away and significantly expand the search radius. When you find a parakeet, check if he is a pet or just a wild bird. The things to help you distinguish this include;
- Breed– a quick internet search and physical observation can help you tell whether the parakeet is a wild bird or a pet.
- Behaviour– a wild parakeet, will rarely approach humans or land on them. A pet parakeet will associate humans with food and security and will be quick to approach a person. A lost parakeet can perch on someone’s shoulders or perch nearby to try to get their attention. A parakeet can also show up on your balcony or in your yard and stick around.
- Identification– if there is any identification on the parakeet itself, that indicates that it is a pet. A leg band is a clear sign that he belongs to someone. Sometimes, there is a microchip, but this is not easy to notice as it is not immediately visible. Bring the parakeet to a vet to scan him for a microchip. The microchip will certainly contain adequate information to help reunite him with the owner.
Tips to Find a Lost Parakeet’s Owner
Once you are confident that the parakeet you have found is someone’s pet, try and reunite him with the owner. Tucking him into a new cage in your house is not advisable because, like any other pets, parakeets bond with people. Despite the difficulty of knowing how far from home he is, the best approach is to start searching locally. Some of the ways to find his owner include;
- Check on social media– the owner will often post about their lost parakeet. You can check these postings and reach out to the owner if their description matches the parakeet you have found.
- Post an ad in a local newspaper– some newspapers will post such ads for free. This is an excellent way to advertise about the parakeet you have found. If possible, reach out to regional newspapers to maximize your reach.
- Contact the police– report to your local police department, informing them of the lost parakeet you have found. The owners of a missing pet are always encouraged to file a lost pet report, and this can be a sure way to find the rightful owner of the parakeet.
- Call local bird shop or animal shelters– concerned parakeet owners will often notice the local animal shelters and bird shops if their pet is lost.
- Visit your local avian veterinarian– a bird vet can check for any microchip in the lost parakeet you found. If there is a microchip, there is a possibility of obtaining the owner’s contact information from the national database and directly contacting them.
The Bottom Line
Parakeets need to fly around to stay happy and healthy. While in a cage, they do not get adequate space to fly around or connect with nature. It is worth taking note of how your parakeet can escape and make necessary modifications to the cage. If you cannot find your missing parakeet, it is essential to report to the professionals as soon as you establish that you cannot trace him.