Most pets cannot be left alone for extended amounts of time.
Between destructive behavior, boredom, and separation anxiety, you and your pet might experience a range of issues.
In this article, we’ll determine – can parakeets be left alone for a few days?
How Long Can Parakeets Be Left Alone?
You should never leave your parakeet alone for more than eight to 24 hours, at the most. Generally speaking, parakeets are highly social animals and require frequent company.
However, if you must leave your parakeet alone, be sure it has sufficient water, food, and mental stimulation to keep it entertained.
You can include puzzles, chew toys, background music, or other toys to help keep your bird stimulated in your absence.
Because they are a naturally social breed, parakeets require company and stimulation. Without either, they run the risk of facing separation anxiety and loneliness.
Even for 24 hours, there are some guidelines you need to follow to provide primary care for your parakeet:
- Leave plenty of food and water
- Leave safe puzzles and toys
- Have a companion bird (same cage or different cage nearby)
- Play a YouTube video for entertainment
Ideally, if you have a pet parakeet, you will not leave them alone for more than six to eight hours per day.
Understanding that life might prove complications, a parakeet should not be left alone for more than 24 hours under any circumstance.
Basic Parakeet Care
Parakeets are members of the parrot family and have a life expectancy of up to 20 years, provided they are given proper care.
As previously mentioned, they are highly social birds and prefer to be kept in multiples.
Here are some of the basic parakeet care needs, according to the Animal Humane Society:
Medical Needs
To help tame your parakeet, you will need to trim its wings and nails properly.
Most veterinary clinics can provide these services. As a parakeet owner, you should never attempt to clip either yourself without receiving proper instruction from your vet first.
Improper clipping of wings or nails can cause bleeding in your parakeet.
Since parakeets have such limited amounts of blood in their body, a minor injury can cause the bird to bleed to death quickly.
Dietary Needs
Parakeets must have food readily available as they have very active metabolisms. Without food, within 24 hours, your bird can become very ill, very quickly.
A healthy parakeet diet should consist of:
- Fresh parakeet seed or pellets daily
- Grated cheese
- Cooked eggs
- Yellow and dark green vegetables
- Fruits
The parakeet feed should be checked daily since the birds will only eat from the top.
Any fresh foods should be removed after two hours. If you leave fresh food out for too long, it could spoil and make your bird very sick.
In addition to food, your parakeet will also need fresh water daily. Each day you should take the time to clean out the water dish. This practice helps to prevent the growth of bacteria.
If you are looking to add vitamins or supplements to your parakeet’s diet, you should put them in their food. If you put the supplements in the water, you run the risk of growing bacteria easier.
You should also regularly provide your parakeet with cuttlebones. These will help prevent beak overgrowth while providing calcium to your bird’s diet.
Housing Needs
Parakeet cages should be focused on length rather than height, like other birds. The ideal cage for a parakeet should be somewhere around these dimensions:
- 14 inches long
- 16 inches high
- 17 inches wide
You’ll also want to make sure to outfit the cage with appropriately sized perches. If the perch is too big for your parakeet, it may risk injury in its feet. Also, provide variety in the textures and shapes of perches to help exercise their feet.
Be careful of the placement of your perches. Avoid putting them above water or food dishes. While perched, droppings may fall, so you don’t want to contaminate food and water sources.
Your parakeet cage should never be placed near a drafty area or by a window. The birds are temperature sensitive, and these minor changes could drastically impact them.
Other fun and exciting toys for your parakeet could be bells, ropes, or ladders. These toys help to keep your bird mentally stimulated.
It can’t be stressed enough that parakeets are social birds. The birds do best in colonies or at least pairs. It’s important to note that the more birds you have, the more challenging you will have hand taming them.
Handling Care
You can easily hand tame parakeets if you please.
The best is to begin handling your bird while they are young. Be sure to find something that your bird enjoys, like a toy or treat, that you can positively reward them with after handling.
It might require some time and practice to get your parakeet with your hands near the cage.
Be patient and let it gain trust in you. Your bird needs to know that you do not intend to hurt it. Use treats to show your bird that your hand brings positive things.
How to Prepare to Leave Your Parakeet Alone
As to be expected, you will need to prepare if you plan on leaving your parakeet alone. Even just a few hours away from your parakeet could feel like days to it.
Anytime there will be extended hours in which you will not stimulate your parakeet, you should be prepared.
If you plan to be away for several days, keep in mind the daily tasks you will need to find a substitute.
At a minimum, you will need to find somebody to care for your parakeet by providing the following:
- Seeds and pellet replenishing
- Fresh food feeding
- Freshwater
- Daily tray cleaning
- Mental stimulation and interaction
Although some things might seem like common sense, it’s important to note some essential care items.
For example, if your pet knocks over its water bowl in your absence, it could become dehydrated rather quickly.
Leave Plenty of Food and Water
Your parakeet needs fresh food and water provided to it daily to maintain its best level of health.
Drinking water can get dirtied very quickly or even evaporate over time. Or, as mentioned, water can be spilled and cause other dehydration issues.
If you are away for an extended amount of time, you might want to look into feeding timers and water tube feeders.
These items can help keep ample food and water readily available to your bird in your absence.
While it might seem excessive, something as simple as droppings getting into your bird’s food or water dishes could quickly cause problems.
Rather than forcing your parakeet to wait for your return, it is better to have a controlled feeding and water system.
The more options you have available tend to be the better. At the very least, keeping your parakeet adequately fed and hydrated is essential to keeping it alive while you are gone.
Always provide more than necessary rather than running the risk of running low.
Leave Safe Puzzles and Toys
Mental stimulation and interaction are a crucial part of parakeet care.
In your absence, your bird can quickly become bored or even anxious. Puzzles and toys can help to keep your parakeet entertained while you are away.
Examples of safe toys include reflective toys, puzzles, or chew toys. All of these options will help to engage your pet. You just want to be sure that they are safe to leave with your unattended bird.
Ropes can be tricky because your bird might be able to get stuck in them. If you’re not around to help them in a situation like this, this can become a traumatic event for your parakeet.
Integrate Technology
You can sometimes trick your parakeet into feeling like a presence in your home while you are gone. You can try leaving the television on or playing music for your parakeet.
At the bare minimum, either option will provide a bit of stimulation for your bored pet.
Through intelligent speakers or innovative home features, you can control these features remotely.
This is an excellent addition because it helps to keep closer track of your pet while you are gone.
You can install cameras in your home so that you can keep an eye on your parakeet. That way, should any concerns arise, you can call someone to come to your bird’s aid when needed if you are unable to.
Visitors
Even if you are very careful and integrate all of the steps listed, you should still have someone to check on your bird. If you are gone for very long periods, just ask someone to stop by.
Of course, someone needs to check for any hazards and do daily food and water checks. Above all, the best option would be to have a housesitter come to stay with your parakeet.
Wrap Up
It does not come recommended to leave your parakeet alone for an extended amount of time.
Parakeets are highly social creatures and even prefer to be kept in pairs or colonies. In most instances, they are solo pets, making it even more important to care for their social needs.
If you know you will be absent for days, it is best to have a house sitter come and watch over your parakeet.
Otherwise, follow the detailed instructions above, but still, have someone check on your bird as frequently as possible.
Our recommendation is to never leave a parakeet alone for more than 24 hours at a time.
Their daily needs for food and water require tending to. Failure to be mindful of these basic needs could negatively impact your bird’s health and lifespan.
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