How Big Do Parakeets Get? [Length & Weight By Age Info Guide]

If you are a new parakeet owner or are looking to get one or a couple, then you may be wondering how big they grow and how big do they get. It’s an important consideration, particularly when it comes to finding a suitable cage for them to be housed in. Of course, you want to afford your parakeet the most space possible.

So, how big do parakeets get? Parakeets grow to a size of 18 cms in length, 30 cms in wingspan, and weigh anywhere between 30 – 40 grams, on average.

There are a number of factors involved with their growth and what contributes to their defining size.

Let us now take a look at this topic further and see what you can expect of your pet parakeet at different stages of their life.

Parakeet Size Considerations

Part of being a caring parakeet owner is to think about how big your bird will become the older it gets.

This is something you need to factor in when it comes to their diet, and you must provide it with a cage that has enough room to fit its size.

This matters a great deal whether you own one or more parakeets.

When buying a cage, for one bird, it needs to be twice the height and width of its wingspan, they will need lots of space for hopping and flying.

Bigger parakeets tend to be more active, so you must ensure they have enough room for exercise.

Growth Of Parakeets

You can tell the adult parakeets apart from the younger birds by the yellow forehead and face.

The younger birds have a plumage that includes having blackish stripes down their noses until they reach about three months of age, with blue iridescent patches on their cheeks. Their tail is dark-blue, with splashes of yellow on the outside feathers.

Parakeets in the wild tend to be smaller than birds in captivity – this is due to having to work harder to survive.

As a bird owner, it’s important to understand the different growth stages that they go through to meet the demands of each stage.

Parakeets mature quickly and are independent adults by six weeks of age, they are fully feathered and at this age, they can eat by themselves without any assistance, and they eat a lot.

Parakeet Sizes

To understand the needs of your parakeet, you must be aware of how big they get on average at each stage of their development.

As you can see from the table below, they are very small and fragile from birth (fledgling), but then by day 24-28 they are stronger, more active, independent, and hungrier as well.

Parakeet Size Table From Fledgling To 40 days Old

Age of Parakeet	Average Weight (in grams)	Average Length (in cm)
Fledgling – 3 days old	2 grams	2 cms
3-5 Days Old	2-4 grams	2-3 cms
6-9 Days Old	5-7 grams	3-5 cms
10-12 Days Old	7-9 grams	6-7 cms
13-15 Days Old	10-12 grams	8-10 cms
16-19 Days Old	12-15 grams	10-12 cms
20-23 Days Old	16-18 grams	12-14 cms
24-28 Days Old	19-22 grams	14-16 cms
40 Days Old	30-40 grams	18-20 cms

As you can see, parakeets grow quickly and very rapidly. Within days they can literally double in size and this trend seems to continue within the first month of life.

When parakeets are born they are born blind with a few feathers. Their first food is known as “crop milk”.

Every hen produces this type of food, it contains a lot of nutrients and antibodies, this promotes a healthy immune system for the fledgling and helps it to survive to adulthood.

At 3-5 days old, parakeets are still blind but can move a little.

At 6-9 days old, their feathers begin to come through and their eyes start to open.

Between the 10th and 12th days, they have more feathers and develop more color, they can keep their siblings warm and their mother can have a break from them.

Between the 13th and 15th days, more feathers come through and develop on their chest and the back of their wings.

Between the 16th and 19th days, they become very active and the bright colors begin to appear on their feathers.

Between the 20th and 23rd days, they have better muscle tone, more colors come through on the feathers of their head and face.

By day 28, nearly all their feathers have come through, and they are starting to eat more, and by day 40, they are mature, fully feathered and at the maximum size you can expect them to grow to.

What Contributes To The Parakeets Size?

Healthy nutrition is an important contributor to a healthy parakeet size; a pellet based diet is ideal because it is nutritionally complete, you must also provide treats.

You can purchase parakeet treats on Amazon, but you can also offer fresh fruit, vegetables, seeds, and nuts. It’s important to note, that treats should make up no more than 10 % of their daily food intake.

Most pet owners love to spoil their pets, and it can strengthen the bond between a pet and its owner. It’s very easy to over-feed your parakeet by offering too many treats, but ultimately it is bad for their health and their ultimate longevity.

Ideal treats include – broccoli, carrots, zucchini, pumpkin, squash, apples, leafy greens, cherries, and grapes, but within moderation. Parakeets need a lot of protein, so you can offer them pieces of egg, cream cheese and yogurt every couple of days.

If your parakeet is on a primarily seed-based diet, you must learn to distinguish seed husks from edible seeds; sadly, many parakeets have died of starvation because their owners were unable to tell the difference.

Part of offering a healthy diet to your parakeet is knowing when they are struggling to eat from their bowls and drink from their containers.

Some new parakeets are unaware that the contents in their bowls are food. You will have to make them aware that the contents are food, you can do this by moving the bowl to the floor of their cage, or transferring the food to a shallow saucer. You will need to make them aware of their water containers as well.

Aside from food, birds, like any other pet needs love to thrive and live a healthy long age. They enjoy interacting with other birds and humans.

You can demonstrate love by chatting, singing or playing music to your parakeet, you can stroke the top of its head gently to show affection.

Have fun with your new friend, parakeets are playful and curious, so provide them with an assortment of toys, to get them chewing, climbing, exploring, and swinging.

Introduce new toys carefully though as parakeets are easily frightened by new objects. You can interact with your parakeet using the toys to encourage play.

Make sure that your parakeet is healthy and bring your parakeet to the vet if you notice any signs of sickness.

In Summary

If you are mindful of your parakeets diet, its need for exercise, play, love, and medical needs, you will have a beautiful, healthy-sized parakeet that will be your close companion for many years to come.