I've found a parakeet. Any advice appreciated!

[StarDapple]

Hello everyone.  While I was out taking care of the cows, I found a little parakeet out in one of my fields!  He can running up to me as fast as he could and hopped onto my shoe.  His wings are clipped.  I have no idea how long he was outside.  I brought him in the house and found an old decorative bird cage I had to put him in.  I gave him water (which he drank so quickly) and went out and got him bird food for parakeets/cockatiels, a bird toy and a cuttlebone.  He hasn't shown much interest in the toy or cuttlebone, but it doesn't surprise me that much since he hasn't done much more than sleep and eat/drink.

I've never had a bird of my own before, and was hoping for some advice on bird care from someone who has birds, or is very familiar with them.  I've done a little reading, and he seems to be pretty healthy.  His feathers are soft and clean, and his eyes are bright.  He is, as I said, only really eating, drinking and sleeping, and I was wondering how long do you think it will be before he has some energy?  How quickly do birds calm down after very stressful situations?  Is there anything I should look for, or keep an eye out for?

Thanks!    

[LuvMyBoy]

Well, I did have some for a while, I used to buy them these mullett stalks that have little seeds all down the stalk and they loved it. But more importantly they are very prone to getting pneumonia from any drafts of cold air or temperature changes. Poor little guy! Being outside he must be a hardy little bird. So anyways, I'd just make sure the temperature is steady and he's not right by an open window or door that opens to the outside. And sometimes you have to clip their toe nails, but it helps to put little tree branches (well, twigs lol) inside for them to stand on because it helps them naturally wear down their toe nails. I hope that helps!

[BlueChaos]

Poor little guy has had quite an ordeal! I bet he needs to rest for a day or two to be back to his old self. Since parakeets aren't native to the US, he's an escaped pet. Look around on lampposts or on Craigslist to see if someone lost their pet parakeet.

[WhispersOfTheWind]

I don't know where in Missouri you are but these two lost postings come up under Springfield&lake of the Ozarks sections:
http://springfield.craigslist.org/search/laf?query=parakeet&srchType=A

[RavenWolf]

I have 4 parakeets and they make wonderful little pets. The best advice I can give you is to direct you to the Talk Budgies forum http://talkbudgies.com/forum.php They are a wonderful community that is very welcoming to new comers and will gladly answer any questions you have. They where just wonderful when I was a new bird owner. Your first stop might want to be the "Your Budgie's Health " area http://talkbudgies.com/forumdisplay.php?f=7

Oh just thought I'd mention, since another poster mentioned using branches/twigs. well they are good for parakeets you do have to be careful as some tree branches are poisonous to parakeets!!! and they can harbor bugs. The Talk Budgie site can hook you up with a list of safe trees and how to prepare them for the cage.

[StarDapple]

Thanks for the advice everyone.  I have already put out the word on my Facebook.

RavenWolf: I will definitely check out that site, thank you very much!  I put a stick in his cage for him to perch on, I didn't realize that branches could be poisonous however.  It is a maple branch, is that ok?  EDIT: Just checked the link you sent me and it says they just added elder/manitoba maple trees to it.  My mom says that we don't have that type of maple however.

I don't know where in Missouri you are but these two lost postings come up under Springfield&lake of the Ozarks sections:
http://springfield.craigslist.org/search/laf?query=parakeet&srchType=A

Thank you for looking this up, but these towns are very very far from me.  I will keep checking on Craigslist, and also in town.

[Yurusumaji]

Hi there. I currently have a pet Conure (a small parrot) and I have kept parakeets in the past.

The information concerning temperature is true. Parakeets are also sensitive to pet dander from dogs, cats and other furry pets. If you intend to keep the bird, you should also invest in some stainless steel cookware, if you currently use Teflon. Teflon flakes and the particles can damage the bird's airways and ultimately kill them. Some people never have an issue with it, but others do.

Sunlight is something every bird should have. Whether you just open a window or get a bird light, either way works. My bird is next to a window so I can just open the curtains and she gets some sun.

Perches should be all different sizes. Birds can develop foot problems if every perch is the same size. They need to be able to grip perches of different sizes and different textures.

I recommend a pellet food instead of a seed food. Doesn't matter if you get dyed or non-dyed, but pellets are more balanced than seeds. I get these other foods from PetCo that you cook and I serve those as treats, as well as millet spray.

That's everything I can think of for now. If you have anymore questions, feel free to PM me and I will try my very best to help you out.

[StarDapple]

Thank you for the suggestions, I've done what you all have advised me as much as I can.  I joined the TalkBudgies site, and have entered a post there.  I can only have one branch in the cage right now, as the cage is fairly small.  I am looking into getting a bigger cage as soon as possible, and when I do, he will have varying perch sizes.  He seems to have calmed down quite a bit, and is hopping up on his perch more frequently.  Thanks again! 

[Yurusumaji]

Thank you for the suggestions, I've done what you all have advised me as much as I can.  I joined the TalkBudgies site, and have entered a post there.  I can only have one branch in the cage right now, as the cage is fairly small.  I am looking into getting a bigger cage as soon as possible, and when I do, he will have varying perch sizes.  He seems to have calmed down quite a bit, and is hopping up on his perch more frequently.  Thanks again! 

Sounds good to me. Basically everything I mentioned is long-term stuff. A bird can do for a while on the bare essentials (mine is doing so right now due to our move), so there's no big rush to make every adjustment right meow.

Since the bird's wings are clipped, you could let them walk out onto the cage. The bars are smaller than the perch. Ta-da! Varying "perch" sizes. LOL.

[kaoskat]

Sounds like you've gotten great advice. I had parakeets as a teen/young adult and they are pretty easy to take care of once you get the hang of the routines and requirements. I do recommend continuing to keep an eye on him for a while to make sure he's ok and not over stressed. I'm sure you'll do just fine though. He's lucky you found him.

[wystearya]

Awww!   That is so sweet, poor little bird!   I'm glad he found you and that you've been able to take him in.

I want pics when you can!  <3

[okiegurl1981]

Sounds like you gotten some great advice!  I had a parakeet when I was younger, named Twinkie.  I really enjoyed him!  They're such great pets!  I'd love to have another.

[NinaMarie]

I had the exact same experience when I found my cockatiel. He was wandering outside and made a beeline towards me when he saw me and perched on my shoe. He stared at me for a bit then started preening his feathers. He also seemed very dehydrated, he gulped water like crazy. His wings were not clipped but he was walking around outside and not flying so I thought he must of been young or just plain exhausted.
I've had a parakeet and my sister has had several. They are relatively easy to care for but like others have said temp changes are really hard on them. That's how mine and one of my sister's died when we were gone.
Pellet food may be better for them but my sister has had some picky birds that would have starved themselves if they didn't get seeds so maybe try a mixture and just watch how he eats? And millet sprays are like catnip to parakeets they go nuts.
If you end keeping him he'll be an awesome pet. Parakeets are actually really good mimics and can learn to say words as well as imitate whistles and other sounds. My sister's parakeet is a perfect mimic of my cockatiel. She says birdie birdie, peekaboo, hello birdie and imitates all his calls and squawks in a smaller cuter way.
You are starting off on the right foot with this guy. Congrats and good luck!

[NovelNerd]

I'm not much for birds, but my mothers seems to enjoy the little mirrors and listening to t.v. That seems to perk him up and make him sing. Maybe call the local animal shelters? I know at ours people always left notices when pets were lost in case someone came in with them.

[StarDapple]

I had the exact same experience when I found my cockatiel. He was wandering outside and made a beeline towards me when he saw me and perched on my shoe. He stared at me for a bit then started preening his feathers. He also seemed very dehydrated, he gulped water like crazy. His wings were not clipped but he was walking around outside and not flying so I thought he must of been young or just plain exhausted.

Apparently birds wandering around outside is more common than I would have thought!  I've seen a couple of topics on the talkbudgies.com forum with the exact same story you and I both have.

Here's a picture for you all.  This was right after I found the poor thing in the field and before we had it set up in the house. 

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I was told on the budgie forum that he is actually a she!