Having a pet bird can be a great experience. Songbirds such as parakeets constantly chirp, and their sweet music can create an ambience for a morning or afternoon. A parakeet can provide many hours of musical entertainment and make quite a show as the day goes on.
By nature, parakeets are considered curious and need a variety of activities to indulge in. They can climb, chew, fly and play with toys to spark their interests. If you notice yours is not doing any of these, it is recommended that you include a swing, a bell, ropes or a ladder in his cage to keep him from boredom.
Parakeets as Pets
These songbirds are masters of noise with varied tones and vocal ranges. Even by just observing their body language, you might be able to tell how they are feeling, or what they might be trying to communicate. Over a period of time paying attention to their behavior and mood, you might be able to point out precisely the kind of attitude they are in.
As social birds, they require a lot of companionships. If you are usually away from home, when travelling or at work, a parakeet may not be the best choice of pet to own. You might also want to adopt more than one parakeet so that they can often keep each other company while you are away.
Make sure their cage is positioned well in such a manner that they can see and hear you clearly. As curious birds, talk to them more often, and they will respond well to your communications. The parakeet cage should equally be large enough to provide adequate space for them to exercise and roost.
Do Parakeets Like Music?
Parakeets routinely make a lot of noise. They naturally need an environment where there is noise for their wellbeing. Nature sounds, peaceful music, active genres such as pop are ideal sounds that excite parakeets. Music with repetitive beats is instrumental. Nonetheless, you might want to avoid putting on too loud music as this may make them anxious or stressed.
Music is a right stimulus and a great approach to keep your parakeet excited and happy throughout the day or even away from the house. Music dramatically makes them feel at peace because to them, music is just noise. Even if you own only one parakeet, it is very crucial to play music.
What Music Do Parakeets Enjoy?
Parakeets generally enjoy calming and energetic music. Music that is calming is gentle and naturally relaxing, hence ideal for parakeets. Such music also possesses pitches and specific notes that are neither harsh nor dramatic. Parakeets find such music a great way to dilute other sounds in the neighborhood such as construction work which can be very loud.
The two genres that parakeets might find calming are new age and soft classical music as they engage them and make them feel happy and comfy. Nature sounds can also be a great appreciation to your parakeet. He likes the music you play for him and any musical sound that are easy on the ears. The sounds of ocean waves, waterfalls, flowing rivers and falling rain make him feel good. However, be careful not to play any sound that features a predator call.
Although pop music is not necessarily calm, many parakeets will have fun listening to pop songs straight from the television or the radio. Many of them will enjoy music that has vocals, while others enjoy listening to people talk. The music you find in the music charts is also generally relatively light with a lot of vocals. Parakeets equate these to human talking.
While all parakeets react well to specific types of tunes, each bird has his taste and preferences, just like human beings. If you opt to play music on the radio, you must remember that some stations play a wide range of music, so the tone and pitch can change drastically. Be keen to change stations when the radio is playing rock or heavy metal.
How Do I Know My Parakeet Likes Music?
Parakeets display explicit expressions, emotional changes, and body language whenever music is playing. Body language is one of the surest and most effective ways to know whether a parakeet is happy and content with the music playing. This indicator can be used to monitor his response to a specific genre of music or to generally check upon them.
The expressions may be both positive and negative. If the music you are playing motivates them and wakes them up, that is a good indicator that your parakeet enjoys the music. Chirping, mimicking words in the music and almost singing along also signifies that he enjoys the music. Some might also look to move around in the cage and play, while others may even whistle. He may also dance by bobbing his head and feet up and down as a sign of enjoyment.
What Sounds Do Parakeets Produce and What Do They Mean?
Besides chirping and screeching, parakeets also talk and sing. Singing and chattering is a sure sign of happiness and are a way of communicating that they are comfortable with their surroundings. When they sing in a group, they form one big cheerful family and indicate good health. It also means they are feeling happy and contented when they chirp for a long time.
It is essential to understand the types of sound produced by parakeets and what they are communicating. Some of the typical communications from a parakeet may include;
- Enthusiastic greeting– this is usually seen when you enter his vicinity and he starts to chirp up a storm. Possibly, he has not seen you around in a long time and cannot contain his excitement.
- Seeking your attention– a parakeet excessively chirping may signify that he is seeking your acknowledgement or attention. When you come to your parakeet’s view, and he chirps, he may want to have a conversation with you or want you to pick him up and feed him.
- Squawking and chirping– when your parakeet squawks or screams, assume something is not right. He may be upset. Repetitive sounds or other birds living in his cage are some common reasons why a parakeet may be upset.
- Singing– a frequent simple chirping can be a display of a parakeet’s singing voice. If you have music playing on your radio, you may hear him singing along to some tunes he finds calming.
- Pure contentment and delight– if your parakeet is feeling good, he may frequently chirp to show his gladness and satisfaction to the world. When in a group, you may hear increased chirping as the social birds thrive best in groups.
Is My Parakeet Happy?
Despite having their individual personalities, parakeets generally display similar behaviors when they are happy. Vocalizing by singing, chirping, whistling and mimicking other sounds is a good sign that he is happy. At dusk, he will soothe himself by chanting a variety of sounds.
A happy parakeet will nibble throughout the day. This is often seen in-between playtimes. He should make frequent visits to his water dish, seeds or pallets, and the vegetables or fruits you provide for him. To make him stay healthy and happy, give him more than just an all-seed diet. Provide him with a variety of fresh fruit, leafy greens, and pieces of protein.
How Do I Recognize Stress in My Parakeet?
Constant pacing and frantically flapping their wings can be an indication that he is experiencing some form of agitation or stress. When this happens, take note of the type of sound he is producing. The pitch and intonations should differ from when they are happy. Taking note of their body language and the subtle tone differences will help you apply the knowledge to similar situations in the future.
When in distress, your parakeet will make low screams or hissing noises. The low screams are sometimes just displayed in turns of activity, and hence should not be confused with loud, wild screeches. On the other hand, hissing or low screeches could signify stress or pain. If your parakeet displays these negative sounds, keep a keen eye on him. You can cover his cage for a while if you suspect stress, and if there is no improvement by the next day, it may good to take him to the vet.
Some of the common signs of a stressed parakeet include;
- Loud and mouthy– when a parakeet is stressed, he may yell at you. In this case, he might feel threatened or scared. He may also attempt to let you know that he is not pleased with the new pet with similar vocalization that you just brought home.
- Puffiness– if he seems extra fluffy, he could be sick or just stressed. He will puff up his feathers when he feels threatened, ill or when he has to lose weight. The puffiness makes them appear bigger to predator, hence reduce their vulnerability.
- Feather plucking– a stressed parakeet, may pluck his own feathers out. Some can also get so stressed to the extent of plucking bald spots on their chests. When this occurs, this behaviour should be checked by a vet as it might also be a sign of mites.
- Cage sitting– while a healthy parakeet will swing, play with his toys or stand on his perch, a stressed or sick parakeet may perch on the cage’s bottom.
- No chow– an upset parakeet will tend to eat less. Always monitor how much he usually eats to help determine occasions when he does not clear his plate.
- Weird behaviour– your parakeet could be stressed if he flies around the cage when you try to hold him, get freaked out when you touch him or attempts to bite you.
- Stereotypical behaviour– repetitive behaviours such as toe-tapping, pacing, screaming, and head swinging may signify stress. While these behaviours are not harmful, they could mean that your parakeet is not happy. As the owner, you should pay attention to such actions before turning into a more destructive behaviour such as self-mutilation or feather-picking.
- Vocalization shift– screaming more than often may mean your parakeet is stressed. Decreased vocalization can be an indicator of underlying unhappiness or stress. There is a need for medical examination to rule out health-related issues as underlying causes of less vocalization.
Should I Own a Parakeet?
Whether it is your first time owning a parakeet as a pet or not, they make great companions and can be very rewarding. The most important thing is to understand their needs and how to meet them for them to have a healthy and comfortable life. This will also help with creating a strong bond with the parakeet that both of you can enjoy. You should also identify the type of parakeet species before accepting to adopt one.
Pros
- Loving creatures
- They live in small cages.
- Easier to transport
- Amazing pets
- Produce less mess
- Very affordable
- Relatively quiet for a house bird
Cons
- Can be very loud
- Shorter lifespan of 8-12 years
- Fragile health.
- Require regular exercising
- Low level of intelligence.
Owning a parakeet will depend on your current lifestyle and the amount of time you are willing to put into raising with him. If you are looking for a small-sized bird as a pet, then the fun-loving parakeet will likely be the perfect fit.
The Bottom line
Parakeets need noise and sound around them as it makes them less susceptible to illnesses and depression. Frequent and consistent interaction with them will enable you to learn them, understand their needs and choose the best music genre to play for them. He will chirp when his favorite music is playing to show that he is happy. Be sure also to avoid playing music at very high volumes. You can teach your parakeet to choose the music type and songs that he likes. This ensures the music you are playing is constructive for him and that he enjoys listening to it. Parakeet’s intuition and intelligence give them the ability to communicate how they feel. Music will never substitute human interaction but can give you some time to leave the house or do house chores.