I have a fairly young parakeet who has gnawed a lot of wood off the perch on his swing (he has a cuttlebone and mineral block in the cage). Is this normal?
Answers (1)
It is most likely normal but observe to see if it in any way gets out of hand. Even though parakeets are domesticated they are still wild animals. Parakeets in the wild chew on wood and similar items to sharpen their beak and keep it in good condition. They need to beaks sharps to survive in the wild. You mentioned it is a young parakeet so it probably still has some of the "wild genes" in it's psyche still. Parakeets can behave differently depending on its original background. A parakeets received from an independent buyer will obviously act differently than one gotten from something along the line of a bird mill. A bird mill, the bird would take a little longer to tame as well. Better domesticated chances coming from a small home of an independent buyer. To end this comment, it most likely is okay, but it never hurts to keep an eye on it to make sure. Hope this helps.
That does explain it a little. Places like Petco, Petsmart. Those places do get their animals from mills. Keep on showing it love and attention and it will become tame. When I was younger my grandmother had one that she had for 7 years. It became very tame and she even taught it to talk. Parakeets do have speech capabilities. Keep at it and the bird may surprise you.
Thank you! I bought the bird "Moses" at Petco, and he is difficult to tame (although charming and fun to watch--he loves to bite and attack). I appreciate your thoughtful and helpful answer.