Last Updated on February 16, 2023 by Mitch Rezman

Lori asks

 

I received 2 parakeets as a present and everything for them.

 

I found out one is male and the other is female. 

 

How would I know if the female is pregnant? 

What should I DO?

 

Also, are sunflower seeds good for parakeets?

 

Dear Lori

 

Congratulations on your new family.

 

We are assuming you mean you have a new pair of budgies as “parakeets” cover a wide range of small long-tailed birds.

Female birds do not get pregnant but they can become stimulated to lay eggs if the conditions are right even without a male bird with them.

 

Until a female bird lays an egg we have no way of knowing if she has eggs being produced inside her.

 

Budgies can live together in a good-sized cage regardless of sex if the conditions are set up to deter hormonal behavior like mating and/or egg-laying.

 

Sunflower seeds in the shell are not standard food for the small birds.

 

They are too large to manipulate for most budgies.

 

Please select a good Parakeet seed mix to start and you can go from there to include more pellets, fresh vegetables, and small treats.

 

I would recommend this very good seed mix as it has everything to start. It contains seeds, tiny pellets, dried fruits and vegetables and treats too.

 

Higgins Sunburst Parakeet

 

Adding chopped vegetables daily to the cage in another dish is also good.

 

Lori asks

 

By the way, I heard that the parakeets sometime like to have a branch in their cage.

 

Could I do that so they can climb on IT instead of just being on their rope or perch?

 

Sure, just don’t bring one in from the outside because of eco concerns ie, squirrel urine, migrating bird diseases and so forth.

They really like rope perches.

 

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We also recommend starting with full-spectrum lighting no more than 6 inches over the top of the cage, on a timer.

 

12 hours – 12 hours off

 

This helps stabilize your bird’s circadian rhythms.

 

Here’s more on the subject of lighting for budgies.

How to get your budgies to eat veggies

A crash course on perch placement

Best

MitchR

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Mitch Rezman

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