My Pet Parakeet - A Colorful Bird I love

When I entered the pet store, the sound of animal noises filled my ears. There were dogs, cats, bunnies, and even a few snakes! They weren't my main focus though (maybe). I was here for a parakeet!

    After a month long fight with my parents, they finally agreed to get me a pet. They chose the cheapest one, which was reasonable, considering they never wanted a pet in the first place. I was still bursting with excitement 'cause my first pet would arrive on my ninth birthday!

    I decided to name my parakeet "Tika" because the name sounded kind of like a bird's chirp. When we brought the bird home from the pet store, he was really scared/excited. If anyone put their hand even a foot close to him, he freaked out and flew all over the cage crazily. It took a few days for Tika to go onto my finger, and come out of the cage. The treats ( millet seeds ) were very helpful in the process to lure the parakeet out. Did I mention that he loves the cage? If he's on anyone's finger and sees his cage, the little wings flap to the metal bars. His record of distance flown from hand to cage was 18.5 feet!

    Even though Tika is very playful, he comes with a lot of responsibility. The bird litter has to be changed every day, a week at most. They have a lot of excess waste in their body, considering how little they eat.  The parakeet's cage also has to be cleaned monthly, scrubbed with soap bar by bar.

    Parakeets are fun to play with, but you can't always trust them. We had thought that Tika was loyal enough to us that we could let him see the wonders of nature outside. Tika was a good bird at first, patiently waiting and enjoying the scenery, but after a minute or so, he flew away out of sight! I was so scared, telling my mom who was doing yard work, asking the neighbor for help, but we couldn't find him until we brought the cage out. Suddenly, out of nowhere, Tika flew back to the cage, frantically trying to find a way in through the door.

    I have realized that Tika is a very smart parakeet. Other people's birds get lost in the house and don't know what to do! Tika, however, is full of ideas. If he wants some attention, then Tika chirps loudly and doesn't stop! Then, to add to all the good things about him, he also chirps when he is lost out in the house!
 
   He, being a bird, has a great "birdinality", like being very calm and playful, and he also has favorite things too. Tika has his favorite places in the house, such as the dining room when he just comes out of the cage, the TV/exercise room, and his worst one, behind the giant piano! When he hides in the last place, we have to get a broom and scare him out :( But now, his good birdinality is kicking in and he doesn't go there any more!

   Parakeets usually live 10 or so years because of bad food or not taken care of well, but I know that Tika will live longer than that. I love him because of his colors (green and blue), his birdinality, and his overall person(I mean bird) and know I will love him for forever!

If you are interested in raising a parakeet as your own pet, you only need a few things to start:











 Wish you're as lucky as I am to get a great bird to play with!