Parakeets can live 7 to 15 years as pets. (Photo Source: www.britannica.com)
Let’s say you just bought a parakeet for your 9-year-old child. How long will this bird live? What do they like to eat? And how can you tell if the bird is a male or female?
Parakeets can live 7 to 15 years, which means your bird could live until your child is 24 years old. However, most parakeets die prematurely because of poor diets and improper care, so knowing what to feed the bird is very important.
In addition to feeding birds fortified parakeet seed, the Association of Avian Veterinarians recommends adding some dandelion greens, green/orange fruits and veggies, and even cooked rice and pasta to their diet. Visit their Web site at www.aav.org for more information.
As for the sex, look at the bump of flesh above the nose which is called the “cere.” On an adult parakeet, the cere is bluish on the male and brownish on the female. The bird to the right is a male.
Note: Parakeets should kept inside as a pet. This photo just happens to be showing a bird in the wild.
I live in San Antonio and write a pet column and blog for the San Antonio Express News. A reader sent me this link about a lonely, 49-year-old elephant in our local zoo who certainly deserves to live out the remainder of her days in a sanctuary that has already agreed to take her — all expenses paid. Elephants are intelligent, social creatures that need companionship and space to roam. They don’t belong in zoos or circuses. Can you imagine her trumpeting if she were moved to a sanctuary with thousands of acres to roam and other elephants to hang out with? Her story is told in the video below. Also, check out the link to a story about an elephant already living at the sanctuary. It looks like a great place for an elephant to live out the remainder of her days.
For years, animal groups have worked on the Hill to try to ban downer cows — cows that have fallen and are too weak or too sick to get up — from entering the food supply. Working on the Hill many years ago, this was one of the issues I talked to Congress about. It seemed like a simple, no brainer request, as 1) these animals could have illnesses that could impact the food supply, like mad cow or e.coli and 2) it seems the humane thing to do to put them out of their misery when they have reached their physical limits.
What Congress couldn’t do, the President has finally done. He announced this week a permanent ban on the slaughter of cows too sick or weak to stand on their own. The President said he was making the move to, “Ensure diseased cows don’t find their way into the food supply.” The rule closes a loophole in the downer cattle rule which would allow the use of an animal if it collapsed after passing inspection.
While it’s a step forward for food safety, the Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, says it’s also “a step forward for… the standards for humane treatment of animals.”
Cathy M. Rosenthal, The Pet Pundit, has been the pet columnist for the San Antonio Express-News since 2003. Her entertaining and informative weekly advice column (with an occasional essay on popular current animal issues) provides readers with insights into animal behavior. She offers solutions for the most common animal behavior problems; deals with neighbor-to-neighbor issues concerning animals; provides relationship information to keep pets and people together; and educates readers on humane pet care—hopefully keeping pets from being abandoned on the streets or local humane society.
She also authors a blog at www.mysanantonio.com called Animals Matter, and has been a contributor to Dog Fancy and Dogs USA magazines. Her articles have included such topics as, selecting dog foods; canine sports for beginners; alternative therapies for dogs; canine physical therapy; the problems with microchips; and the different ways we communicate with our pets through body language.
