Why Not a Parakeet, Cockatiel, or Other Small Parrot by Troy Beaudoin Why not a parakeet or cockatiel?
Why do so many people overlook the smaller birds? One of the main reasons we hear is that they are not as “flashy, talkative, or as impressive as the larger parrots”. My English Budgerigar (Parakeet), Chirpie, hatched on July 16, 1998. She has as much personality as any of the bigger parrots do. She loves to play with all of her toys and talk and whistle. Talking is something that should be thought of as a bonus because even African Greys sometimes do not learn to talk. My Budgie, Chirpie, has a best friend, Scooter our female Black Capped Caique. Scooter has been spending some time teaching Chirpie to talk. Chirpie can say most everything that Scooter can such as, Scooter Dooter, Hey Baby, etc. She will also hang upside down by one toe to get attention just like Scooter and Columbo. I think that the statistics showing that 95% of birds purchased are not in their first household within 2 years of age, is because, especially the larger parrots, are harder to deal with. They are louder,
