Bourke’s Parakeet?

**Cassandra** · 10-25-2006, 02:02 PM

There is a Bourke’s Parakeet for sale for $35 in the paper. Do they make good pets? I tried looking for information on them but I couldn't really find any care sites or nothing. I heard they are very peaceful, would I be able to keep it with my cockatiel? Any information on them would be great.

**mattybgood67** · 10-25-2006, 03:40 PM

here are some links
http://www.parrotsociety.org.au/arti...ourke%20Parrot

http://www.ozpets.com.au/birds/revie...esparrot.shtml

bourkes are gentle enough to be kept with finches so you should have no problems with a tiel ( providing the tiel is not aggressive )
yes they are peacefull, generally quiet and often described as boring.

here's a pic with bourkes, elegants, red rumps, finches, canary's,doves all happy in the one cage..

regards
matty

**Cassandra** · 10-25-2006, 04:28 PM

Are they aviary only birds or can they be kept in a smaller cage? (my cage is about 5' tall, 3' wide and 4' long).

**mattybgood67** · 10-25-2006, 05:29 PM

casandra : they are generally aviary birds in australia, but thats not to say they can't be kept as a pet in a smaller cage...
alot of people consider them boring as a pet.. but hey we are all different in what we want .

regards
matty

**Rainforest Adventures** · 10-25-2006, 07:59 PM

Hi Cassandra where abouts in Canada do you live? Their is someone here in Ottawa selling his hand tame rosy bourke with cage and everything for $100.00. It's a good price.

**Cassandra** · 10-26-2006, 01:13 AM

I am on Vancouver Island. I'm not sure if that's my kind of bird though. There is a person selling one here for $30 and $10 for the cage and $5 for the accessories which is considerably cheap.

**sweetytweety** · 10-26-2006, 02:30 AM

i love the bourkes
they remind me of a bigger budgie
and i love their colours
they have such a pretty call
but
for me
cos i transport my birds regularly they need to be pretty robust and not the nervy type
i have sought the wisdom of others on this ..and everyone says theyre prone to stress so theyd not be so great for a lot of kids to handle
i could get a couple and leave them at home but that defeats the purpose of my project
ur the first person ive noted that is interested in bourkes ,,mind u im a newbie so thats not some groundbreaking news either !
ive heard kakarikis ard good with cockatiels and have seen them housed together plenty of times
good luck and let us know ur decision

**Sally a** · 10-26-2006, 01:10 PM

They are so beautiful.

**Joey28** · 10-28-2006, 08:08 AM

My friend breeds them and GIRLS go crazy for them becuase they are sometimes birght PINK lol! Crazy he sells them for 120.00 CAD thats a good price 35.00

**peachee** · 10-28-2006, 08:21 AM

Good price at $35 but WHY is it $35... I would be concerned with a bird that is so cheap. Most bourques I've seen are around the $100 range. I would make sure to check the bird out really well; make sure you see it's housing, temperment, health etc. before buying it (or any bird for that matter).

Do you have other birds? If so, you will want to take it to the vet to make sure it has a clean bill of health. Even with a vet visit, a quarantine would be needed for one month before any mixing.

Just really consider the SOURCE of this bird.

If it looks good, has been treated well with no health problems, Bourques make nice pets. They are quiet, gentle and very sweet; not the temperment for everyone though.

**Bird Man** · 11-16-2006, 03:36 PM

Bourkes are skiddish birds. They are also very quiet which is great for people who live in apartments. They really only make noise at dusk and dawn. You shouldn't put it in with a teal. No matter what the tiels temperment is. Each species should have it's own cage. When my tiels land on my bourkes cage they get stressed out, and start to flip out if the tiels are on the cage too long. It's just best if you get another cage. I've never heard them called boring before. Who ever said that is a fool. They are elegant and fascinating creatures. You can keep them in a large cage instead of an aviary as they are skiddish and don't like strange things so you'll need a cage big enough for them to fly a bit in.