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We just got a parakeet a month ago. We think it's a boy. He is very young. At least that is what the girl at the pet store said. From reading your site, I think she's right. He has stripes on his whole head. They are starting to ( I guess you can say ) disappear. Between his eyes is starting to turn white. Do you think you can take an estimated quess at how old he is. His cere is like a pale, pale blue. If you look straight at him it almost looks white with a hint of blue. But from the side it looks more pale blue. What do you think he is?

Next, about him taking a bath. I bought a bathtub that attaches to the opening of the cage door. It has a wooden perch that he sits on and drinks from it but will not get in. He drinks his water from his water bowl so it's not like he needs it to drink from. Do you he just needs time because he's young? I have grown very close to him in the month we've had him. He is just so cute and little. I want to do everything right to have a happy, healthy keet.I'm a stay at home mom and my 10 year old daughter is at school all day. We bought " Max " for her because she really wanted one and we have a 8 year old dog that she always takes care of and is very affectionate to. I thought this would be a great pet for her.

And last, over and over in your site you say never let an untamed keet out. Max is not hand trained. His wings are clipped though. I leave the cage door open because I'm in the same room with him and can monitor him. At first, when we brought him home I didn't. Then, after about a week, I tried seing what he would do if I opened the door, which is a draw bridge style, and he would wander on to it and after a while would fly down to the floor or fly on to the chair next to his cage. I would take a perch and after a few minutes he would get on it. He was not hand raised and still seem afraid of my hand when I put it in the cage. Not real afraid just cautious. He does fly around like crazy anymore. I was doing all this before I found your site. Now, I'm worried I shouldn't do that so he learns to get on my hand to come out. I just thought he would learn to trust me if he knew we weren't going to hurt him. I'm confused!! Now, he never really leaves the cage. He sits on the open door. I have placed a TV tray with a play gym on it in front of the cage. About one foot from where the door ends when opened and almost even with it. He has no interest in it. Why? Also, I bought a "house" for him. They're sold in pet store. It's furry, soft and blue like him. It's a triangle shape and hangs from the top of the cage. It's like a small tunnel. He can go through it. At first he stayed a way from it. Now he sits on top on it. He goes through it some times but mainly sits on top. He really seems to like it. What do you think of it? And do boy parakeets like to chew? I know I've read females like to gnaw. I can't tell if he is just playing with his stuff or if maybe he's a she. He chews on the strings on his toys and the straps that are on the "house". I think he's just playing but I've never been around parakeets long enough to know their behavor. I just wish I felt more confident that I was doing the right thing.

Lisa's Answer
There really is no way to guess what a keet's sex is. You get a general idea from the cere, when the keet is mature. But only a vet can tell you 100% for sure. All new keets should go in to a new keet exam at a vet, so if you haven't done that yet, it's times to get that set up!

Keets take a while to get used to bathtubs, you need to help them understand what it's for. Splash water on him, sit him on the tub, have him in the bathroom with you when you shower. Keets learn by watching other birds and people do things.

It's really not wise to leave a keet out if it's not trained. There are all sorts of emergency situations that can arise. A clipped keet is not a 'safe' keet by any stretch of the imagination.

The more you hand train your keet, the more the keet will want to be out with you. But you need to work on that daily. But as far as the cage goes, the cage is their home. My keets hang out on their porch all day, it's where they like to be. Keets won't just wander around a room out of boredom, they go places they are happy being. So you can put millet and toys they like on a gym and they'll go to play there occasionally, but not 24 hours a day. And again, a keet really shouldn't be out at all until it is fully hand trained. Say your kitchen stove caught fire. If you can't get the keet reliably into its cage, you are asking for a disaster.

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