Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a parakeet and have been told by unreliable source that if you don't have a mate for him he will go crazy and die?

That is definitely WRONG!! A bird does not have to have a mate in captivity if well cared for and provided attention. He will need plenty of toys and interaction from his human counterparts. He will need a good diet with varieties of foods nd treats offered but no he does not need a mate! If you know he will not get adequate attention and are afraid he will be lonely or if you really love his company and decide you want another one, you may buy another bird which needs to be at least at first quarantined and housed in a separate cage. If they get along they can later be introduced to one another and they do not have to be opposite sex or be provided a nesting box if they are opposite sex. But again they do not NEED to have a mate and it will in no way harm them or drive them "crazy" etc if they do not have one!!!

Thats what I thought. I have 2 parakeets and I know one is a male ,but the other I don't know?"He" has light blue and some darker pink on "his" cere. I just would like to know, so if I need to prepare for eggs. I will be ready. They said he was a female, but dosent look like it to me. If he is a male Should I have gotten a male or female?

I have never had a problem housing two male budgies together. In fact most of my males get along better than my females when caged together. If you do have a female then the only real problem might be possible egg laying. We do have males and females together in an aviary. We do not provide nest boxes or hiding places, we do provid plenty of toys, perches etc and regulate the lighting we have never had problems with egg laying. On the other hand we have had in love birds and quakers that were constant egg layers and almost impossible to get them to stop even when leaving their eggs in or replacing with dummy eggs.