Expert: Chrys Meatyard - 2/2/2008

Question
Hello I have been looking at this site for a while now. It has helped me a lot. I just wanted to ask a question.  Can you tell how old a parakeet is by the stripes on the top of it's head?  Which one is easier to care for a parakeet or a cockatiel?  As a starter bird, what would you suggest?  Thank you and have a Great day !


Answer
Hi, Troy,

I'm glad our site is helpful for you.

A keet younger than the age of about 3 months will still have black stripes across its forehead.  If there are no stripes, then it can  be difficult to tell how old a bird is.  You can ask the breeder or the pet store where you buy how old the bird is that you want to buy.  Otherwise, someone who is not an experienced breeder or knowledgeable about birds will not be able to guess age.  Even breeders/experienced bird people/avian vets may not be able to determine age of a bird that is no longer a young bird.  There's usually no definitive signs of a bird's age, such as wrinkles or markings of some type.  

Which is easier to care for depends on your definition of "easy."  I find both require about the same amount of care, i.e., feeding, cage maintenance, time with human, etc., etc.  And there's a difference between the sexes of either species of bird.  For example, males of either species can learn to mimic, whereas the females chirp (don't usually learn to talk).  Tiels are more expensive than keets, so this might be a factor for you.  Tiels can be louder than keets simply because they are larger birds.  Tiels require larger cages than keets.  Both need to be fed a variet of healthy, nutritious foods (not all seed diets).  Just depends on your lifestyle, desires in a bird, etc.  www.birdchannel.com might be able to help you out further by providing additional information.

Chrys