Reddit reviews Vision Bird Cage Model M01 - Medium

Hi there! Parakeets are so misunderstood. Depending on how you train and raise them, they can act like a fun cuddly dog, or like a boring fish. If you want him to be a fun exciting pet, here's what you should do:

1.) Week 1, don't touch him. It's tempting to reach in there, but don't do it. He's scared as hell of being dropped into a new environment and you will only add to him being scared. Trust me on this, it gives him time to get used to the natural noises of your house. Instead, go about your normal routine around him, but stop and talk to him and get him used to your voice.

2.) After 1 week, start putting your hands into the cage - and by this I mean literally just putting your hand in and fiddling with things, getting them close to him, but don't touch him. This establishes that the cage is yours and he's just living in it. It will help with respect a lot later. Partway through 2nd week, work on getting him to climb onto your finger. Place your finger directly in front of his belly and say "up." If he does it, put him back on the perch, praise him, and give him some millet as a treat. Do this over and over. Birds LOVE repetition. Once he seems comfortable with this (about week of doing this), use this same method to take him out. Once you get to this point he will be more comfortable with the idea of hanging out with you.

3.) There are pros and cons of having his wings clipped. I've always clipped my bird's wings and that would be my recommendation (it doesn't hurt if a professional does it, it's like a haircut). So I won't give any advice on this except that you should definitely take into consideration if he has a safe enough environment to NOT clip his wings. If you do let him fly around your garage, make sure you "baby proof" it just like you would with a child, but vertically as well. Tools will need to be put away, check for holes or places he could crawl into where you won't be able to get to him.

4.) See #3.

5.) Parakeets are perfectly fine being alone during the day. Make sure he has 3-4 toys in his cage and that you rotate them every 1-2 weeks so he doesn't get bored. When you get home, give him attention. Aim for at least 30min of complete attention per day at a minimum. If no one in the house is home during the day, put the radio or TV on, they like the noise. Speaking of, they LOVE being the center of attention, I'd recommend you put him in a high traffic area of the house if you can.

6.) I have a very well trained parakeet and haven't been able to potty train. What you can do is try treating him for pooping inside the cage before he comes out which helps. You can expect he will go every 10 min or so. You can always pt a towel down anywhere you take him out if it bothers you.

7.) I wouldn't worry about it, he can probably get to it just fine especially since his wings aren't clipped.

8.) I agree with @FlyingPhotog for this. Also recommend searching google for foods that are ok and poisonous for birds. Giving him some human foods can extend his life.

9.) Additional tips:

-Be careful of drafts. Birds are sensitive to cold air blowing on them. Keep his area a consistent temperature and put a towel over the cage at night (this will also help with noise btw, they are pretty good about sleeping whenever it's dark.)

-Be careful of harmful chemicals. Any pesticides, air fresheners, candles nearby can be harmful

-Don't let him out if anyone is cooking. Seems self explanatory, but most bird deaths are caused by them flying into boiling pots of water because their owners were careless :-(

-Cages: Stupidly, every goddam pet store on the planet sells cages with vertical bars (like this:https://www.amazon.com/Prevue-Hendryx-Triple-Cockatiel-White/dp/B005S6V4QK/ref=sr_1_2?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1468628422&sr=1-2&keywords=parakeet+cage), but they very much prefer the horizontal bars (like this: https://www.amazon.com/Vision-Bird-Cage-Model-M01/dp/B000K67UF2). It will be harder to find but it is much easier for them to climb. I found my Vision one at PetSmart. This particular one also helps keep seeds in.

-I also totally recommend you put pellets on the bottom of the cage (like this http://www.petsmart.com//WFS/PETUS/en_US/-/USD/-zid36-4226/cat-0-catid-0?green=F0B73A16-ADD9-5A58-9BE0-EA09D3A310B1). It's something I've started doing within the last year and it's helped a ton with keeping the area around the cage clean.

-Get him comfortable with you before you have other people hold him

-Be confident. I'm not sure how they do it, but it always seems birds can tell if the person handling them is not confident and they will act up. It's like racing any other animal, you show them you're in charge and they'll respect you for it

-Give him kisses and chat with him. He'll start to chat back. Parakeets won't talk like big parrots do, but they do "chat" and repeat things you say. It's so cute.

Have fun! Parakeets make for fun, adorable, and convenient pets if you put the time in. Love him and he will love you back! Good luck!

I have one of the Hagen Vision cages - the small cage is too small but the medium is great for one or two birds:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000K67UF2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_tdMsybZE1AV4Q

It's really good and the design helps catch mess made by your birds when they eat. Highly recommended!

I prefer the vision cages. They are great if you don’t want them creating a mess when eating their food. I got a medium sized cage for my budgie and she was excited to be in it. Heck I cant get her to come out anymore because she wants to stay in it all the time. She loves to talked to the plastic hooks and the door knobs on the cage as well. I got a medium sized cage, you can order a large, or small one if you prefer but I found the medium is pretty good for me. Its also a lot easier to clean in my opinion!

The vision cages have different sizing as well. I got the medium m01, its longer. They have a medium m02 which is taller. So I would look at each cage and look at the dimensions, reviews and videos if you decide to get a vision cage. Its made it easier for me since I don’t have to worry about her flinging bird seed everywhere.

If you decide to keep him, make sure you buy a nice big cage (most of the cages at the pet store are too small - this is a good size one for a single budgie https://www.amazon.ca/Vision-Bird-Cage-Model-Medium/dp/B000K67UF2/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1550124503&sr=8-4&keywords=budgie+cage, a few different perches of different sizes (wood, rope, cement) and some toys to play with. Most budgies love chew toys, swings, and bells. He will also need seeds, pellets, a cuttlebone and a mineral block. Budgies also love millet and honey stick but both are high in fat so only give them in limited quantities.

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Also KEEP HIM HIGH UP AWAY FROM THE CAT. Far too many stories of budgies dying tragically by the family cat even when the cat didn't seem to notice the budgie before. The cat will see him as prey. Best solution is to keep him in a separate room with the door closed high up to where the cat can't jump to and never, ever let the two of them be in the same room together when he's out of his cage.

This is the cage I have for my canary, it’s really good at keeping his mess in his cage and not all over my floor lol

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Vision-Cage-Birds-Regular-Medium/dp/B000K67UF2/ref=asc_df_B000PGRVQU/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=256160966863&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=9836321009111271278&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1007008&hvtargid=pla-318775629279&psc=1&th=1

When it comes to letting my bird fly I let him out of his cage.