A parakeet is a North American term for any one of a large number of unrelated small to medium sized parrot species, that generally have long-tail feathers.
Housing
A large cage is required, something suitable for the cockatiel or small parrot. Buy the biggest cage that you can afford and something which allows the bird plenty of room to stretch its wings. It is worth remembering that if you require keeping this bird in an outdoor aviary it can be prone to frostbite so some form of heating will be required.
As with most of the parrot family a selection of toys will be required to keep the bird happy and stimulated. Change the toys every couple of weeks to prevent boredom.
Feeding
A good quality parrot food, cereals, fruit and greenfood are required. If you feed your parakeets a varied diet you should have no need to worry about vitamin and mineral defi ciencies, but extra of these may be required when the bird is moulting, laying or rearing young.You can provide these either in powdered of liquid form, however keeping a mineral block and cuttle fi sh constantly in your birds cage will be of great benefi t. Also provide either bird sand or gravel in a spare pot as these also contain important minerals. Change food each morning adding any fresh food. Remove any uneaten fresh food in afternoon. Plenty of clean fresh water should constantly be available and changed twice daily. More frequently in warm weather. (We find our ring necks appreciate a stem of millet each day)
General
The average life span of a ring neck is approximately 15 years. The male of the species will develop the characteristic black and white ring round the neck, but this doesn’t start to appear till the bird is about 18months old. The female does not have the ring. The average bird reaches a length of about 16”. They are fairly easy to tame and they can with patience also be taught to talk. When your bird has become tame with lots of patience and sympathetic handling it can be allowed out of its cage under supervision. Always ensure that doors and windows are shut.
