Water is arguably the essential substance for all humans, including parakeets. In this article, I will answer a fascinating question: how long can a parakeet live without water. As we already know, humans can live for about three days without having water, but what about Parakeets? Obviously, in the absence of any water source, a parakeet’s survival instinct will kick in after leaving for about two days without food.
However, many believe that the actual amount of time to live without Food is much less, from around 18 to 24 hours. It is essential to ensure that your Parakeet always has fresh water readily available. Let’s know how long a parakeet can live without water without wasting another second.
Water is arguably the essential substance for all living beings, including cockatiels. Humans can live for about three days without water, but what about cockatiels? The survival instincts of a Cockatiel will kick in after it has lived for about two days without food.
Many people, however, believe that the actual amount of time is much less, from 18-24 hours. It’s essential to ensure that your cockatiel always has fresh water and food.
Can A Parakeet Live Without Water?
So, how long can parakeets go without water? A parakeet can live up to 1 day or 18-24 hours without water or even less. It is recommended never to put your Parakeet in such circumstances.
Freshwater sources should be readily available for parakeets nearby, whether in the wild or in captivity. In addition to freshwater, fresh food should be fed to parakeets daily.
There should never be any moment when you don’t have water or cannot provide moisture to your Parakeet. Many people often find themselves in a situation where they have to go on a business trip or a family emergency. At such a moment, it is better to hire a pet sitter or caretaker for the Parakeet behind until you get back.
Even the ideal amount of water for a parakeet to drink in a day is one teaspoon of water; it is recommended to switch the water every few hours or at least twice a day to ensure its freshness.
In case of dehydration, fruits like cucumber can be fed to parakeets as they are a good hydration source.
If you plan to go away for a day, you need to make sure that your Parakeet has enough Food and water that doesn’t go bad quickly. In case you have to go for several days, have someone come to your house twice a day or let your Parakeet stay with them so that it can have access to food and water until you get back.
Due to the absence of sweat glands, birds don’t need as much water as mammals do. However, parakeets are bound to lose water throughout the day in constant exercising, playing, and doing their everyday habits or routine.
Parakeets are also known to metabolize anything they drink or eat quickly. Always keep a fresh bowl of water inside their cage so your parakeets can drink as much as it needs. Let’s talk about signs of parakeet dehydration.
4 Reasons Why Is My Parakeet Drinking So Much?
When the sun is scorching in the summertime, it is usual for parakeets to feel often thirsty. Here are a few or some reasons why your Parakeet is thirsty.
- Your Parakeet exerts too much. They lose water and feel thirsty when flying continuously surrounding the cage, in the cell, or surrounding the house.
- Your Parakeet was training. When training, a parakeet will have to do many tasks while making them tired. Thus, your Parakeet feels thirsty.
- The Parakeet feels stressed. When a parakeet comes to a new environment, it puts them into a stressful situation. If your Parakeet seems to be under stress due to a sudden change in its environment, give some time to recover and adjust to its surrounding. With relaxation, the Parakeet will automatically try to drink more water.
- The weather is hot. If the weather is hot, your bird will feel thirsty. When Parakeets feel hot, they naturally drink and bathwater more than usual.
How Do You Get A Parakeet To Drink Water?
If your Parakeet is not drinking, you should first try to find the cause. The primary reason to not drink is due to a sudden change in their surrounding environment. Always offer clean and fresh water.
If your Parakeet isn’t drinking, you can opt for adding a few drops of honey. It will entice your Parakeet. Also, think of replacing the water with a diluted sports drink or oral electrolyte solution.
If your Parakeet is still not drinking, feed them some water-rich fruits. As such, watermelon and cucumber tend to be a good sources of hydration. Avoid offering water that absorbs chlorine or comes from heavy metals found in tap water.
You should always offer spring or bottled water that is chlorine-free. On the other hand, we have already talked about dietary needs many times. However, if you are a fresher, you can check out our helpful guide on what foods parakeets can eat. You can also learn the best parakeet fruits and how to prepare them.
A parakeet never drinks water if it throws Food in the water bowl. A defecated water is also not touched by parakeets to drink. Plus, it would help if you never wanted your Parakeet to drink such water.
Plus, if it is summertime and the day is scorching, you will want to have a giant water bowl for your parakeet bath in freshwater. Parakeets love water and bathing. Most parakeets enjoy being sprayed with water.
In the summertime, you should also offer not only fresh but cool water just like you had drunk yourself. Spraying water on a parakeet is a way to shower them and another way to rehydrate them. Of course, your Parakeet won’t be consuming all of that water. Since they only need a teaspoon of water every day, spraying water will help.
Interesting Further Reading
Final Thoughts
Parakeets can live without water for almost 18 hours. In the case of a baby parakeet, the time can go down to 2-6 hours. However, the ability to live without water also depends upon a particular parakeet’s willpower, personality, and bloodline.
Experts never recommend leaving a parakeet without Food or water for even a single day. You don’t want to put your Parakeet in a situation where it becomes life-threatening for them. If you don’t have access to fresh water all the time, it’s a bad sign.
Even a parakeet can live about a day without water cover; they will still need to drink frequently as they quickly metabolize their Food. On a regular, make sure your Parakeet has easy access to fresh bowls of water anytime.
Also, switch the water at least twice a day. A parakeet may drink less water if you have just given water-rich Food. If you need to go for a few hours, a parakeet will be fine. Otherwise, a parakeet must have fresh food and water readily available anytime in their cage, whether you are available or not.
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