Single Bourke’s Parakeet?

[Burb]

I’m new to keeping birds and have been interested in keeping bourke’s parakeets. I’ve seen a lot of conflicting information on keeping them alone and wanted to know what people who have experience with this think. I’m fine with keeping more than one but I just wanted to know if it’s better to have one or multiple. If they are able to be kept alone how much time would you suggest spending with them everyday?

 

[1oldparroter]

I have heard it said A LOT, a single male is the easiest to teach tricks or to talk. That is of regular parakeets or budgies as some call them. NO BIRD should remain caged all the time. They are flock animals and REQUIRE socializing. The more time you spend with them, the better. Not clipping their wing feathers is another positive thing because when they are out, they are free and get exercise. For starters go to YouTube.com and in the search window type wingsNpaws and hit enter. It is about an African Grey but applies to most all birds. jh PS: There are several instructive people there as Parrots in the search window will show.

 

[Rozalka]

1oldparroter is right but the 1st sentece is about budgies. Bourkes have simillar requiments like they but totally different characters - I have both species and I see it.
Are you going to have them tamed or untamed? This is almost impossible to tame adult Bourke. They have to be tamed since the chick.
It's rare to keep single Bourkes, if they won't be tamed, this is better to keep two of them but the decision is only your.

 

[buurd]

Ill add my two cents, even though this is old.
Bourkes are really gentle birds. Budgies, stor parakeets, even like zebra finches can be too bossy and mean to them. So I would say, only keep bourkes, and maybe the only other bird tonkeep with them is a turqoisine, aka turks. They are another kind of grass parakeet but more mellow than budgies.

I think the intention should always be to at least have a couple. If they’ve lived with each other, even better. Birds need other birds for their mental and physical health.

Bourkes do not have the same anatomy of the other Australian grass parakeets, like budgies, turks, etc. So they are not climbers. They will not appreciate a ladder to anywhere. They can do it, in short bursts if they have to, but they shouldn’t have to. Their legs and feet arent made for it. And because of this…
Most cages are not going to be ideal for them. You need a long cage, and most of them are make fro store parakeets and smaller birds like finches, and they make these cages high. Height is a waste because bourkes do not climb. Ideally, a 6ft aviary set up for them is ideal. But since there are hardly, any out there that aren’t very expensive, I would tell you to be prepared to let your bourkes have a room to themselves, where he can fly around it and have perches he can sit or swing or walk along, and look out windows etc. They’ll fly themselves to their (still LARGE) cages when they feel like eating, sleeping or resting, on their own.
Again, because they fly high around the ceiling, make sure there is nothing they can crash into or get tangled in. Windows and mirrors need stickers or curtains, something to show that the bird can not fly through them. If you leave the door to their room open, make sure you remember they can be sitting on top of the door, so no shutting it without knowing exactly where they are. (or opening if they are flying in the room)

They like to walk on the ground a lot. So this means you have to have a cage with a tray on the bottom, not bars, which will hurt their feet.
And an extra safe floor for them to walk on.
So no cats roaming, no electrical sockets they can poke into, no flaking paint or wonky molding they could play with. High pile or fibrous carpeting is not a good idea, at all. They can get fibers stuck in their crop or their nails stuck in them. Tile or hardwood is best. And of course clean, nothing they can snatch and play with or try to eat. Before you walk anywhere they roam, like their room especially, just expect them to be walking on the ground, so watch where you walk. And unless your dog is *exceptionally* proved herself gentle, do not trust them, because instinct can overwhelm them when they see a little squeaky thing running on the ground .

They need to keep their wings. They exercise by flying…at a very high speed. They never mention the high speed! I dont know why! But they are very quick. Expect your dog to be upset about it. My dog is still slightly scared and spooked when my bourke does this, and they are not just fast, but loud. My dog will slink out of the room, usually, when he does laps around the room. Being fast means…

You have to be certain they can be kept in a closed room whenever you have to open the door to the outside. You will never, ever be faster than them, poor human, lol

If they’re not handtamed from young, then expect them to be wild, meaning NO, they won’t get on your finger or talk or come sit next to you. Birds are not domesticated anyway, but unsocialized ones are wild and they act like it. They won’t like you interfering in their cages to clean or anything.
Forever, lol Or you should expect that, at least.
If you should have to administer them oral medicine, for diarrhea or anything, or have to put them in their travel carrier for a vet visit, they will be frightened of you and you will lose their trust by catching and handling them. Thats the sacrifice we make, to be their caretakers. And frightened birds can have heart attacks, so this is a delicate situation. This is all the stuff no one told me before I adopted, so I’m trying to give the advice everyone should know before they decide to adopt. And I say adopt because…
I’m not making an assumption n anyone, just laying this out, because it needs to be said.
Birds aren’t status symbols, accoutrements, toys or even particularly good company, all the time. Never should be bought on a whim. I spent near two years reading up on them before I adopted, —and I am STILL at a deficit because they are very complex in anatomy, health, behavior…in every way, they are very complicated. At minimum, you will be required to drastically change your lifestyle. Everything even suspected of having a nonstick surface, including pots, pans, hairdriers, curling irons, heaters, ovens, toasters, have to be removed or in the case of oven, used far away from the birds with enough ventilation. If you wear perfume, you can’t anymore. If you use hairspray or any aerosols, No more. If you
Use anything with a scent, like plug in deodorizers, say goodbye to them. You cannot even use candles, because of the smoke and fragrance. And cigarettes are obviously a No way. I’m sure there’s more to say on things that can kill your bird. There always is. Just about everything can kill your bird, because they are complex wild animals, not meant for being pets. That’s the truth.

So this is my personal view, shared by many who love birds. Please do not buy them. Just don’t. Adopt.

For bourkes, you can contact bird rescues and let them know you are interested if they get any surrenders, watch ads, because so many people give their birds up for adoption when they realize how hard it is to take care of them, usually because no one told them before and they didn’t do their research. If you really want to experience living with them, then wait until the time is right, for their sake, and don’t put your wants over their welfare. Wait for the right one to come up for adoption, by then you’ll have at least researched their care a lot more than you would have.

For me, I never even put pics of my birds out there, because I don’t want to advertise the breed and see them become a fad purchase because of their pink color. They definitely are not a gift for a kids.

Ok, I went way overboard here in giving general information and opinions, I guess. But all of this is good advice.

 

[Katrina38]

Ill add my two cents, even though this is old.
Bourkes are really gentle birds. Budgies, stor parakeets, even like zebra finches can be too bossy and mean to them. So I would say, only keep bourkes, and maybe the only other bird tonkeep with them is a turqoisine, aka turks. They are another kind of grass parakeet but more mellow than budgies.

I think the intention should always be to at least have a couple. If they’ve lived with each other, even better. Birds need other birds for their mental and physical health.

Bourkes do not have the same anatomy of the other Australian grass parakeets, like budgies, turks, etc. So they are not climbers. They will not appreciate a ladder to anywhere. They can do it, in short bursts if they have to, but they shouldn’t have to. Their legs and feet arent made for it. And because of this…
Most cages are not going to be ideal for them. You need a long cage, and most of them are make fro store parakeets and smaller birds like finches, and they make these cages high. Height is a waste because bourkes do not climb. Ideally, a 6ft aviary set up for them is ideal. But since there are hardly, any out there that aren’t very expensive, I would tell you to be prepared to let your bourkes have a room to themselves, where he can fly around it and have perches he can sit or swing or walk along, and look out windows etc. They’ll fly themselves to their (still LARGE) cages when they feel like eating, sleeping or resting, on their own.
Again, because they fly high around the ceiling, make sure there is nothing they can crash into or get tangled in. Windows and mirrors need stickers or curtains, something to show that the bird can not fly through them. If you leave the door to their room open, make sure you remember they can be sitting on top of the door, so no shutting it without knowing exactly where they are. (or opening if they are flying in the room)

They like to walk on the ground a lot. So this means you have to have a cage with a tray on the bottom, not bars, which will hurt their feet.
And an extra safe floor for them to walk on.
So no cats roaming, no electrical sockets they can poke into, no flaking paint or wonky molding they could play with. High pile or fibrous carpeting is not a good idea, at all. They can get fibers stuck in their crop or their nails stuck in them. Tile or hardwood is best. And of course clean, nothing they can snatch and play with or try to eat. Before you walk anywhere they roam, like their room especially, just expect them to be walking on the ground, so watch where you walk. And unless your dog is *exceptionally* proved herself gentle, do not trust them, because instinct can overwhelm them when they see a little squeaky thing running on the ground .

They need to keep their wings. They exercise by flying…at a very high speed. They never mention the high speed! I dont know why! But they are very quick. Expect your dog to be upset about it. My dog is still slightly scared and spooked when my bourke does this, and they are not just fast, but loud. My dog will slink out of the room, usually, when he does laps around the room. Being fast means…

You have to be certain they can be kept in a closed room whenever you have to open the door to the outside. You will never, ever be faster than them, poor human, lol

If they’re not handtamed from young, then expect them to be wild, meaning NO, they won’t get on your finger or talk or come sit next to you. Birds are not domesticated anyway, but unsocialized ones are wild and they act like it. They won’t like you interfering in their cages to clean or anything.
Forever, lol Or you should expect that, at least.
If you should have to administer them oral medicine, for diarrhea or anything, or have to put them in their travel carrier for a vet visit, they will be frightened of you and you will lose their trust by catching and handling them. Thats the sacrifice we make, to be their caretakers. And frightened birds can have heart attacks, so this is a delicate situation. This is all the stuff no one told me before I adopted, so I’m trying to give the advice everyone should know before they decide to adopt. And I say adopt because…
I’m not making an assumption n anyone, just laying this out, because it needs to be said.
Birds aren’t status symbols, accoutrements, toys or even particularly good company, all the time. Never should be bought on a whim. I spent near two years reading up on them before I adopted, —and I am STILL at a deficit because they are very complex in anatomy, health, behavior…in every way, they are very complicated. At minimum, you will be required to drastically change your lifestyle. Everything even suspected of having a nonstick surface, including pots, pans, hairdriers, curling irons, heaters, ovens, toasters, have to be removed or in the case of oven, used far away from the birds with enough ventilation. If you wear perfume, you can’t anymore. If you use hairspray or any aerosols, No more. If you
Use anything with a scent, like plug in deodorizers, say goodbye to them. You cannot even use candles, because of the smoke and fragrance. And cigarettes are obviously a No way. I’m sure there’s more to say on things that can kill your bird. There always is. Just about everything can kill your bird, because they are complex wild animals, not meant for being pets. That’s the truth.

So this is my personal view, shared by many who love birds. Please do not buy them. Just don’t. Adopt.

For bourkes, you can contact bird rescues and let them know you are interested if they get any surrenders, watch ads, because so many people give their birds up for adoption when they realize how hard it is to take care of them, usually because no one told them before and they didn’t do their research. If you really want to experience living with them, then wait until the time is right, for their sake, and don’t put your wants over their welfare. Wait for the right one to come up for adoption, by then you’ll have at least researched their care a lot more than you would have.

For me, I never even put pics of my birds out there, because I don’t want to advertise the breed and see them become a fad purchase because of their pink color. They definitely are not a gift for a kids.

Ok, I went way overboard here in giving general information and opinions, I guess. But all of this is good advice.

You don't think you can tame them after they are older? We just adopted an 8month old, that was handfed, but hasn't been handled since feeding. I had high hopes that we could tame him over time. I'd love more of your experience and thoughts. I know this is a different topic than the original post

 

[buurd]

I think mine were fed by their mother. If yours were handfed and went wild for 8 months, someone else needs to chime in. You can try all the tricks but they are wild animals and they set the rules for what they are willing to do.