# Parakeet pair chews insulation



## oishiichigo (Oct 17, 2010)

I owned a single parakeet until last year, when family friends decided it was cruel to have only one, and gave us another one. That parakeet, unfortunately, was ill, and died soon after, and once again, the family friends decided it was cruel and gave us another one. I had enough trouble taming the first parakeet, due to my mother and sisters realizing i'd tamed them and grabbing them innecessantly.Now i can only rarely persuade my original parakeet to perch on top of my shoulder or finger, and that's only when the other bird is in the cage. The second bird lived in a household with a cat previously and is very skittish. Recently, however, the birds have begun to perch on top of the patio siding and rip out the insulation. The insulation itself doesn't have any harmful chemicals or anything, but it's very inconvenient, due to the cold seeping in and the mess of cotton and chipped paint which the birds drop on the floor. My parents have become very annoyed with the whole affair, and are threatening to give both the parakeets away.  Any suggestions as to taming the birds/ getting them away from the patio siding are greatly appreciated.
As a sidenote, the room with the patio is the only area where there's enough room for both of them to fly. Thank you


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

you would just have to be out there when they are out and shoo them away from where he is chewing... or try spraying bitter apple on it see if that helps. It is harder to tame parakeets that are not lone pets, they prefer their own kind.


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## NYBOY (Sep 15, 2009)

Do they still make bitter apple? Someone told me they stopped. Loved that stuff for training puppies.


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## oishiichigo (Oct 17, 2010)

According to the PetSmart website, they still do.


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## oishiichigo (Oct 17, 2010)

I really did prefer pet chickens for that reason (parakeets prefering to be with each other). But when i did live in a house, they weren't legal to keep :/.


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## drifter (Oct 7, 2009)

There's probably not much you can do to stop them. Make sure they have a cuttle bone or a calcium block in their cage to chew on. That might help but it's no guarantee.


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## drifter (Oct 7, 2009)

The calcium blocks are better, two parakeets can gnaw up a cuttle bone within a couple of days.


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## Ede-bird (Jul 7, 2010)

They need toys - lots of toys, especially the shredding kind. There are several forums that I belong to that are dedicated to parrots and parakeets. Check them out - they have alot of very useful information on toys, foraging and training  The Parrot Board, Talk Budgies, Avian Avenue, Kitkats Parrot Chat are all awesome. ( Cooter is the only soft bill in our home )


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## Libis (Oct 8, 2010)

Let them free fly in rooms where they can't access anything like insulation. When I had my budgie as a child he was perfectly happy playing in just my room with me. (I had to put in more time than if he had been allowed to range the entire house, yes, but it was worth it for him not to be destructive.)

I still use this method with my doves. Edmund is very happy free-flying in my bedroom and hanging out on the bookshelf watching me do homework. I don't see any reason why he needs to be in any more of the house, when I know that this portion is safe and he is happy with it.


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