Smoking, Weekends Alone and Travelling

User Question
I'm looking to get a parakeet. I wanted to read up on keets before I ventured into the unknown. Btw, you're site has been very very helpful! Thank you!

However, I have a few questions that I couldn't quite locate the answer to on your site. Forgive me if they're there and I just can't find them.

I'm a smoker! Is it more dangerous for a small bird like a parakeet to be around 2nd hand smoke? Or is it not going to kill them, but it's just a bad idea. I'm very pet friendly and I'd be more than happy to step outside to have a smoke.

Also, I travel a bit. Every weekend, I'm usually away for 24+ hours. Is this reason enough not to get a bird? I know they're social creatures and me being gone every weekend might be a bad thing. What do you think?

One more question! How well do parakeets travel? I'm contimplating moving come this summer season. If I take my keet with me, is that going to hurt the bird?

Thank you for your time and I look forward to owning a very happy bird!

Lisa's Answer
Smoke really isn't good for keets. They have tiny little lungs and smoke particles can very easily lodge in there. Remember the stories about canaries in coal mines? How the canaries would keel over dead when something bad was in the air, and it warned the humans to stay clear? This is the same thing. Definitely smoke outside if you get a keet.

Keets are fine alone for weekends, but if it was EVERY single weekend plus you're away during the day for work, I would get 2 of them. That way they could keep each other company. It's really not that much more work to care for 1 vs 2.

As far as moving, I used to move every year and the keet would get packed up with everything else. Keets take their cues from you. If you are happy and content, they settle into their new surroundings in a few days and are happy too :)

All Questions in this Category

List of Parakeet Question Categories

NOTE: Because of the huge volume of incoming questions, I no longer answer them one by one. Instead, we have created a live, free Parakeet Forum which is very active, where people are online 24 hours a day to help you with your parakeet related questions. If you have any questions about parakeet care - or simply want to share your parakeet stories and photos - please join us!

Parakeet Forum