Parakeets are Getting Cranky

User Question
I have 2 parakeets, a male and a female. They are about a year old. Lately almost whenever i reach my hand in the cage to get them out or pet them, they start pecking at eachother and sometimes at me. I was wondering why they might be doing this?

Lisa's Answer
Try to think if anything has changed in their routine. Have you spent less time with them recently for some reason? Are you sure they're getting a full 8 hours of sleep every night in dark, quiet? Are they getting fresh water, daily seed and fruit and veggies?

If their world in general seems to be the same as always, it could just be that they're going through their teenage years. Parakeets live to be 15-20 and after 6 months are going through sexual maturity. So they could be thinking about having baby parakeets and becoming cranky in general.

You always have to assume if you have a male and a female that you might end up with eggs. Be sure to read about breeding -

http://www.lisashea.com/petinfo/articles/bird_breeding.html

and talk to your local vet!

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