Pregnant Women and Parakeets

User Question
I have a couple of questions, we are adopting a parakeet from a friend, I am wondering how long it may take for him to adjust to a new home and family, also are there any risks involved with cleaning/care to a pregnant woman. I was reading through your website and saw that parakeets can be fed carrots, broccoli and lots of other vegetables, should these be cut into small bites as for a toddle, or given in larger pieces? Last question, are parakeets afraid of noises like vacuum cleaners, and if so should they be covered while vacuuming or placed in a quieter area until the cleaning is finished? Thanks so much

Lisa's Answer
On the pregnant woman issue, you are probably thinking of the parasite called Toxoplasma gondii. This parasite is found in raw meat and therefore cats that go outside tend to get it from the creatures they kill. The parasite goes through the cat's body and ends up in their poop, therefore in their litter box. So a pregnant woman who gets near the litter box could pick up the parasites, and develop Toxoplasmosis. This can be very dangerous and even deadly to a fetus.

Note that the parasite, coming from meat, is found elsewhere too. All meat you eat should be cooked thoroughly. If you have to touch raw meat yourself, do NOT put your hands near your face/mouth and wash them thoroughly. Thoroughly clean any utensils or cutting boards before using them for anything else. If you garden (because rodents hang out near gardens), wear gloves and wash thoroughly after gardening. Any food brought in from outside should be washed thoroughly. The cat is just one avenue of infection, but there are MANY others. Probably 20% of all people have toxoplasmosis - it's VERY common but it causes us adults no harm. It's only a pregnant woman who has these issues.

Anyway, as you can see, it would have nothing to do with parakeets. If you are feeding your parakeets meat, they are only getting well cooked meat. So you would be at more risk preparing the meat than having anything to do with the keet.

Parakeets don't swallow food whole :) So it doesn't matter at all what size you give it to them in. They nibble at it and break off bits with their beaks. Toddlers on the other hand grab things by the handful and try to stuff them into their mouths. Parakeets are much smarter than toddlers are :)

Parakeets can certainly be startled by strange noises but also enjoy hearing noises of all types because it intrigues them. So they might be startled by a cleaner at first but then come to find it soothing or interesting.

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