Provide your fish with enough hiding places to make it feel comfortable in its environment. Be certain that any hiding places are large enough for your fish to easily enter and exit from at its adult size. Some fish prefer plants to hide in; consider buying a plant light to keep them healthy.

Keep in mind that large birds are typically long-lived species. Parrots can actually live in excess of fifty years if they are well cared for. Do not let the pet store clerk talk you into a large species of bird if you are not prepared to provide decades of care to it, no matter how much fun it might sound to own one.

It is possible to tell the sex of a parakeet from the band of flesh that grows across its nostrils, called a “cere.” A male parakeet will have a smooth bluish or purple cere, while the cere on a female will be tan or brown and will be rough in appearance. Only parakeets at or approaching physical maturity will be differentiated in this manner.