Parakeets are actually a prey animal, which means that, in the wild, they have many predators. Your hand actually looks like something huge, coming to get them. This is why patience is needed. At first, the bird may flutter around, and act frightened. Don't give up; just keep your hand in one place, and talk and sing to the bird, until it Your parakeet bites when…. Parakeet Behavior calms down. A frightened parakeet will screech loudly, its feathers flattened, eyes alert in readiness, to take off at a moment's notice. A distressed parakeet will hold its wings away from its body and often appear to be panting or breathing hard with its beak open, sometimes even closing its eyes, for brief periods. A parakeet displaying this behavior is under stress - it is not happy; it is either scared of something, or is just too hot and may even regurgitate seeds under these conditions, rubbing its head, and expelling the seed some distance from its body. The alarm call is a sharp hissed 'tssst tssst' sound. This can be used sparingly to make a parakeet stop what it is doing, and fly off. A useful means of communication if the bird is out of reach, and chewing at something it should not be! In distress your parakeet could behave something like this… Your parakeet's alarm call: Male and female parakeets Identify the sex of your parakeet Parakeet Behavior The age of your parakeet plays a role, in whether or not you can tell its sex. Your parakeet should be one year or older, or you will not be able to tell for sure, if it is a male or female. The cere of the parakeet, which is situated at the base of the upper beak, contains the bird's nostrils. In young parakeets the ceres all appear the same, either a pink or violet color and as the bird matures sexually, the color of the cere changes, according to the bird's sex. In female parakeets, the cere will be usually a white, light-blue or brown in color, and in males the cere will be blue or purple, bright violet or pink, depending on the type of parakeet. In light colored parakeets like Albinos and Latino, the cere in both male and female is pink in color. But if your bird is less than a year old, the above guidelines won't help you. The color of the cere will be uncertain at this time, A younger parakeet's cere can appear to be changing to indicate a particular gender, and then change the other way, upon full sexual maturity, at one year of age. Cere of your parakeet Parakeet Behavior However, if your young parakeet's cere develops the brown flaky appearance, characteristic of female parakeets, you can be sure it is a female. You can also look at behavior, to determine gender. Males often bob their heads, sing, and are usually more active, and outgoing. Females are usually bossy over other parakeets in the cage, and rarely sing. Females also usually make loud manic parakeet sounds. Males sometimes make this sound too, but usually only when singing. If your parakeet makes manic parakeet sounds often, it is most likely a female. The male parakeet is generally playful, foolish and care-free, while the hens tend to be serious and moody. But some breeders are quite adept at differentiating the sex of the chicks, one method being to allow the youngster to nip one's finger, the hens, even at this stage of their lives, having a stronger bite than the males Parakeets are sociable birds, and usually live in harmony with their own species. It is best to introduce birds when they are young, although Aggressive parakeets Parakeet Behavior Male parakeets are friendlier than females. |