How to take care of a parakeet?

So my dads birthday is coming up and he has always been very fond of birds. I really want to surprise him with a bird so I am just wondering how to take care of one. Like what do they eat, what tricks can they do, is it easy to take care of it, are they fine with other animals, and what supplies do they need? If you can give me some good websites that would be great! I have a dog but he is not very wild so I honestly don't think he would eat the bird or really try to harm it but I don't want the bird to bite him. And are they really noisy? Sorry if I am asking for too much
Answer:

Parakeets are fairly easy to care for and I have been keeping budgies/parakeets for many years. Starting with the basics. You will need a good sized cage that is wide and tall. There are many you can buy from ebay. If you are only getting one budgie, then a smaller cage, look at buying something like this: http://www.google.com.au/imgres?q=budgie+cage&hl=en&gbv=2&tbm=isch&tbnid=nNOSHcgv_zg42M:&imgrefurl=http://www.product-reviews.net/2007/07/11/budgie-cage-record-4p-bird-heaven-it-even-comes-with-a-bath-tub/&docid=5QntvdMmVr-MLM&imgurl=http://www.product-reviews.net/wp-content/userimages/2007/07/budgiecagerecord4p.jpg&w=280&h=280&ei=4fElT-DqI6WXiAfSm-TwBA&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=84&vpy=37&dur=457&hovh=97&hovw=96&tx=138&ty=170&sig=116540811002168183913&page=1&tbnh=97&tbnw=96&start=0&ndsp=18&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0&biw=1024&bih=387 Please don't buy a cage that is round with no sides because if the budgie is scared and wants to hide, it has no where to retreat. After you have bought your cage, have a small dish for food and the other for water. Budgies need a good quality budgie mix that contains millet, that all birds love. Give fresh water daily, and cut up some fruit and vegetables such as carrot, apple, lettuce (not too much). You could buy seed treats that you hang on their cage, but only give occasionally. Now for the cage accessories: Put perches in different heights and positions. The natural perches are better than plastic and natural perches are used all in my aivary. Buy toys that have the bells, and place some mirrors in the cage that are suitable for birds. Birds also love swings, so add them too. Cuttlebone is essential for calcium, this is recommended. Budgies are not very noisy, but can become very noisy when with more budgies. Budgies can be taught many tricks, here are some: http://www.thebudgiecage.com/budgie_training/budgie_tricks.php For more information, go to: http://www.budgieplace.com/ http://www.petbudgies.com/

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Other answers

They like cockatiel it's just that they are much more bigger than budgies/parakeet. Cackatiel and budgies are very social and love to play. Male budgies can even learn two words and they can whistle and yeah they are loud, while cackatiel, they can talk too and whistle but you might want to teach him how to talk before whistling. They can be put with other birds that are friendly and tame because they might fight. Also the bigger the birds the louder they make and the more birds you have the more louder they become. They can eat pellets, bird seeds, and fruits/vegetables. I can't give you any site for this time because I'm using my cellphone soo yeah.... Just remember they like to PLAY alot and you should spend times with them very day or else if they got bored thy might become wild or else die. Suprising your dad is very sweet, wish he likes it and happy advance birthday to your dad

TheUnknownDude

They are noisy and they are very messy. In fact They ARE birds. Be sure to buy a hand raised and hand fed bird or else it will be wild and fearful. They need a large cage, a cuttle bone, broccoli florets, natural perches - tree branches and a cover over the cage at dark. Your dog is a predator and will kill the bird if they are left unsupervised. A bird cannot defend itself even with that tiny beak. They should not be in contact with each other. Birds only like birds of their own species. But just one will love your dad. He will be the flock leader with one hand fed bird.

Owlwoman

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