Red Rump Parakeets: Everything You Need to Know Before Getting One
Owning a Red Rump parakeet can be very different from owning other types of pets, but luckily everything you need to know before purchasing one is all laid out below.
What do I need to know before buying a red rump parakeet?
These birds are quite different than normal parakeets. They are known as the easy bird or the lazy bird because they don’t require much care. They also have a very pleasant tweet which makes them popular among bird lovers.
Everyone loves the looks of birds, especially bright green, blue, and yellow birds. That is why the red rump parakeet is not so popular among its common bird friends, but there is more to this bird than meets the eye. Read on to learn all of the cool tricks and trades of the red rump parakeet.
Things to Know about Red Rump Parakeets
The red rump parakeet is fascinating and I have loved being able to study it. They have such unique habits and looks that it is hard not to fall in love with them and want one as a pet.
Before anyone purchases a pet though, they should always do research on how much that pet will cost initially and in the long run, how to house it, what to feed it, and its quirks and history.
There is also all of the fun and interesting facts about each animal that will make purchasing them all the more fun if you know that information in advance to your purchase.
So below we have all of the need to knows laid out, as well a bunch of super fun facts about these adorable little birds that you can not live without. So jump in with me and let’s get started.
Finding, Buying, and Setting Up for a Red Rump Parakeet
These adorable green birds have become hugely popular in the bird community and especially in bird sales. They are cute, smart, independent, and they don’t need a lot of supervision.
Plus with their awesome tweet, who wouldn’t want one. But the real question lies not in who wouldn’t want one, but in how do I get one? This is one of the first questions future owners should ask themselves.
In order to find the perfect bird or set of birds to find, it is important to figure out how you want to purchase them, online or in person. If you want to buy one in person you can look up pet stores and bird aviaries near me and you should be brought to one.
If you want, there are a lot of great birds online that are shipped to you directly and that promise healthy and happy little parakeets. Whichever way you choose to go it is important to remember the price.
Red rump parakeets generally cost around 200-300 dollars. They are the perfect beginner bird and have done much to reach the price that they are at.
Fun Fact: Remember that red rump parakeets are very social but can be aggressive towards their own kind. Always limit one cage or aviary per pair of red rump parakeets.
Before you actually purchase a red rump parakeet, you need to prepare by buying the right equipment for them and the habitat that you are creating for them.
Although red rump parakeets can survive at temperatures as low as 40 degrees Fahrenheit, they have to be slowly acclimated to that temperature, so making sure that even your house is set up correctly for the arrival of your new bird friends is important.
First Things First, the Cage
Red rump parakeets are highly intelligent and are active during the day, so buying a cage that has enough room for them to climb and have ladders and toys lying around is perfect.
If you choose to use and purchase an aviary instead of a cage make sure it is roomy enough, and if you plan to buy an outdoor aviary make sure that if the temperature is ever going to drop that you have a place to keep your birds inside to weight out the cold weather.
Whether you are buying a cage or an aviary making sure that it is at least (if not bigger than) 30 inches long, 20 inches wide, and 20 inches high. It is preferred that your cage or aviary is slightly larger than that and that they are stocked with ladders for climbing.
Red Rump Parakeets live in-between 15 and 32 years, so picking out the right cage is fun and important.
You can purchase cages and aviaries at pet shops and bird shops around town or you can order them online as well. I love shopping on Amazon because it is quick and efficient, and I can always find what I need.
You can buy great cages and fantastic aviaries some that are meant to be kept inside and others that are meant to be kept outside. Whichever way you go, just remember the dimensions.
Once you have your cage or aviary down and have found one that you love, the next thing that you can make sure that you have in stock is bird food. Your lovely singers need to eat, and what you feed them is important.
Food, Food, and More FOOD
Red rump parakeets need to have a specialized diet or they can experience things like obesity, disease, and even starvation. These little birds are easy to please once you find the right balance of different foods.
When baby red rump parakeets are being raised they are normally fed an all seed diet. This works well for pet shops and breeders because it is inexpensive and the birds love it.
Unfortunately, a long term all seed diet is actually bad for your parakeet’s health and can cause quite a few health issues. That is why it is important to introduce a balanced diet to your red rump parakeet when they come home.
Fun Fact: Red rump parakeets are found in open grasslands or lightly timbered plains, and while it is the female who picks the nesting site the male feeds her every meal while she is nesting.
This may take time and adjustment. Seeds are like candy for red rump parakeets, so changing from an all candy diet to a healthy diet will be hard for them.
This change may take time and careful weening, as most red rump parakeets are pretty stubborn. There are a few red rump parakeets out there that will have no trouble switching their diets whatsoever. It really depends on how long they have been raised on all seeds before you bought them.
So, what is the diet that you should be feeding your pet red rump parakeet? Well, their diet should consist of about 50 percent parakeet pellets and 30 to 40 percent fresh fruits and veggies and then the last 10-20 percent of their diet can be seeds.
There are specific fruits and vegetables that are healthier for red rump parakeets to eat, as well as better seed packs and parakeet pellets that you can buy for your red rump parakeet.
Fruits
- Bananas
- Melon
- Apples
- Cherries
- Blue Berries
- Strawberries
Vegetables
- Corn
- Peas
- Lettuce
- Carrots (Green tops and orange bottoms)
- Broccoli Heads
- Cauliflower heads
- Green Beans
- Spinach
Making sure that all fresh fruits and veggies are washed before feeding them to red rump parakeets is very important. You don’t want your bird getting sick form ingested chemicals or bacteria.
At the end of the day, it is very imperative that all fresh food that wasn’t eaten is removed from the cage. Spoiled fruit and veggies are bad for the birds and can fill your house with fruit flies.
When you are feeding seeds to your parakeets it is wise to give it to them last as a treat so that they will eat their other food first. In this way, they are kind of like children who will only eat their dessert if you offer it to them first.
Types of bird seed that are appropriate to feed your red rump parakeets are:
- Mixed Canary seeds
- Sunflower seeds
- Millet
- Parakeet mix (Add in your own sunflower seeds)
- Cockatiel mix
Whatever mix or style of seeds that you decide to purchase, wild seeds will always be better for your birds as they have higher nutritional values which will always be healthier for your birds because they aren’t full of straight carbohydrates.
Remember to purchase seeds that come without maize or dog food, because your red rump parakeets probably won’t eat it anyways and it is not good for them.
All of these different kinds of seeds can be found at different pet stores throughout the country or you can purchase them all online. For me online is the easiest because running to the store last minute sucks, but noticing you are low on bird feed and then being able to order really quickly is nice.
I looked online and found some great bird seed mixes that you can get online at Amazon and in the store at Petco. Most of the time online is cheaper as well as healthier. My results are in the table below.
| Amazon | Petco | |
| Mixed Canary seeds | Healthier | Not Healthier |
| Sunflower seeds | Healthier | Not Healthier |
| Millet | Same Healthiness Less Expensive | More Expensive |
| Parakeet mix | Same | Same |
| Cockatiel mix | More Expensive | Less Expensive |
Although some of the seeds bought online were the same expense or same health, they usually were more bird-friendly for mixing together and making your own healthy mix.
When it comes to parakeet pellets you can find great brands online as well as in the stores. Doing your research to see which kind you specifically like for your birds is important.
Along with food you should supply your parakeet with sufficient water. Like all of the different living organisms on this earth, red rump parakeets need water just like the rest of them.
After you have housing and food out of the way the last thing that you need to worry about is accessories. They may seem trivial but you normally only have to purchase them once and they can be vital to your red rump parakeets health.
Accessories for the Win
There are three major accessories that every red rump parakeet needs to have in their cage or aviary to make them happy and healthy. They need a bird bath, climbing ladders, and toys.
These three things seem small but they all play a key and important role in the health of your red rump parakeet no matter how silly or insignificant they may seem.
Starting with the Bird Bath, red rump parakeets are notorious for bathing daily and washing their feathers. If they cannot do this their feathers can lose their color and healthiness.
Think of the male red rump parakeet with his bright green plumage, his red spot on his back, and his bright yellow underbelly and then think of all of those colors dulled to the light green and yellows of the female red rump parakeets.
Fun Fact: The red rump parakeets are named after the red spot on their lower backs, but it is only the males that have this mark.
Then imagine the female red rump parakeets with their light green feathers, olive-colored wings, and their pale yellow underbellies and imagine them stripped of color so they look dull and almost beige.
These dulled colors are not meant to be worn on the red rump parakeets, so it is important that they are provided with a birdbath that receives fresh water daily.
The second thing that they need is Climbing Ladders. These little birds come with a lot of energy and they are very intelligent. If they do not have ladders and things to climb on they have no way to get out their energy.
Red rump parakeets that have this problem have been known to over-eat and can even get sick. That is why it is important to provide your red rump parakeets with climbing opportunities.
The last thing that red rump parakeets need are Bird Toys. These are important because it is the bird toys that help these little creatures use their brains so that they don’t get bored and over-eat.
They have found that if red rump parakeets are stimulated enough and they get bored they will over-eat until they are considered obese. This is very bad for their hearts and very hard to reverse.
So, buying a few bird toys when you buy your red rump parakeets can help them to live long and have very fulfilled lives. Don’t forget that these creatures can mimic humans.
Related Questions:
Can red rump parakeets talk?
Although with a lot of patience and perseverance some red rump parakeets have been trained to talk, it does not come naturally to them. They do have a very sweet sing-song tweet though that has made them very popular.
How do red rump parakeets breed?
Red rump parakeets mate for life. Their breeding season is between August and January. The female will lay 3-6 eggs and will not leave them for any reason, even the presence of humans. The male red rump parakeet will watch over the female and bring her food.
How big are red rump parakeets?
They are not very large birds. Red rump parakeets weight about 2.2 ounces and they are about 11 inches long from head to tail. They are quite active for their size though and can eat like bigger birds.
