Do Parakeets Drink Water? (7 Important Facts)

One question that tends to come up regarding parakeets is as to whether they ever drink water. This article explores that subject.

Do parakeets drink water? Yes, parakeets do drink water. But they prefer to drink it when their owners are not watching. In a day, a parakeet may drink water 2 or 3 times, consuming as much as 5% of its body weight in equivalent water volume.

What makes many people think that parakeets don’t drink water is the fact that they prefer to do it when their owners are not around/watching.

On that account, it is not uncommon to hear someone saying, my parakeets don’t drink water.

Alternatively, you may hear someone wondering, what do parakeets drink: because they have never seen a parakeet drinking water.

But closer investigation usually reveals that the parakeets drink water. It is just that they drink relatively little of it. And they mostly drink it when their owners are not around/not watching.

Still, that phenomenon of parakeets not seeming to like drinking water is one that baffles many people. It is the genesis for the common sentiment among parakeet owners, in which someone says, I never see my parakeet drink water.

Others start suspecting that perhaps the parakeets prefer to drink their water at night. This leads to another quite common question: do budgies drink water at night, or during the day?

In fact, there are those who wonder whether the parakeets are capable of drinking water at all. We may thus start this discussion with that question: on whether parakeets are capable of drinking water at all.

Can Parakeets Drink Water?

Parakeets are capable of drinking water.

If you place a water dispenser in a parakeet’s cage, and hang around (but away from the parakeet’s sight) for long enough, you will eventually see the parakeet drinking the water.

Alternatively, you can measure water, and put it in the parakeet’s cage. Then come and check the volume of the water after some time. It will have gone down. This means that the parakeet will have drank the water.

(By the way, if you were wondering, how do I know if my parakeet is drinking water, that is how to do it). If you leave water, and you find its volume having gone down, then you know that the parakeet has drunk it.

Therefore parakeets are capable of drinking water. And if you had the does parakeets drink water question, this is the answer to it.

Do Parakeets Need To Drink Water?

So far, we have established that parakeets are capable of drinking water. But being capable of drinking water and actually needing the water are two different things.

The question that follows then, is as to whether the parakeets need to drink water.

And the answer is ‘yes’, parakeets do need to drink water. Like all living things, they need water to survive. They do get some of the water they need from their food.

But they also need some actual fresh water.

How Much Water Do Parakeets Need Each Day?

Having established that parakeets are capable of drinking water, and that they need it, several other interesting questions arise.

Those include, how much water do parakeets drink? More specifically, how much water do parakeets drink in a day? And do parakeets drink a lot of water?

So, indeed, how much water should parakeets drink a day? The answer is that parakeets should drink water whose volume is equal to roughly 5% of their body weight.

Suppose your parakeet weighs 30 grams. 5% of that is 1.5 grams. In terms of water, that translates into about 1.5 milliliters. So that is how much water a typical 30 gram parakeet would need.

This may seem like very little water, but for a parakeet, it is very much. The parakeet may actually need to drink 3 times, each at 0.5 milliliters, to attain that daily requirement.

How Do Parakeets Drink Water?

After seeing how much water parakeets need, we should next deal with the issue of how exactly they go about drinking water.

So this is about the mechanics of budgie water drinking. Like, for instance, what do parakeets drink water out of? How do mature budgies drink water? And how exactly do baby parakeets drink water?

With regard to what the parakeets drink water out of, that can be a bowl or a water dispenser.

And with regard to how exactly they drink, this is by dipping their beaks into the water, then pulling the water inwards. The parakeet will pull until he has enough (which may be in just one sip), and then stop drinking.

The way baby parakeets drink water is not much different from how adult budgies do it.

What Kind Of Water Do Parakeets Drink?

In a discussion on parakeet water drinking habits, a question on what kind of water they drink is bound to come up.

So, indeed, what type of water do parakeets drink? To be more specific, do parakeets drink tap water? What about hot water or cold water? And do baby budgies drink water that is different from water drunk by adult budgies?

Let’s deal with each of these questions in turn.

Can Parakeets Drink Tap Water?

Ideally, parakeets shouldn’t drink tap water.

The problem with tap water is that it contains chemicals like chlorine and fluorine. And while these chemicals are alright for us, they can be too much for a parakeet.

The parakeet is a small bird. What looks like very little chlorine or fluorine for a human being may be way too much for a parakeet.

Of course, if tap water is all that is available, the parakeet will still drink it. It is not the sort of thing that can kill a parakeet straightaway. But it is also not ideal.

Can Parakeets Drink Cold Water?

Parakeets can drink cold water. But if it is freezing cold water, then it may not be ideal for them.

So if you have freezing cold water from the fridge, it may be best to first let it thaw. Then offer it to the parakeets to drink once it gets to room temperature.

Can Parakeets Drink Hot Water?

It is not ideal to offer a parakeet very hot water.

So it is better to allow the water to cool down to room temperature, before letting your parakeet drink it.

Do Baby Parakeets Need Special Water?

Baby parakeets don’t need special water. But it may be better to avoid giving them tap water, if you can.

That is because, on account of their very small size, the minute levels of chlorine and fluorine in the water may be too much for them.

If tap water is all you have, it may be better to first filter it. Then offer it to your baby parakeets.

How Often Do Parakeets Drink Water?

Parakeets don’t drink water very often. In a day, a parakeet may drink water 2 or 3 times only.

Therefore if you don’t find your parakeet drinking water very often, you needn’t worry too much.

As long as the parakeet is drinking 2 or 3 times, and getting about 5% of body weight in water volume equivalent, that should be alright.

How Long Can A Parakeet Go Without Water?

In a discussion on parakeets’ water drinking, we do also have to touch on the aspect of how long they can go without it.

After all, that question (on how long can parakeets go without water) is a very frequently asked one.

Thus ending the discussion without touching on it wouldn’t be proper.

How long can budgies go without water? The answer is one day, two days at most.

If a budgie goes without water for more than two days, he would be at risk of suffering dehydration. And that can be fatal to birds.

How Can I Tell If My Parakeet Is Dehydrated?

A parakeet that is dehydrated may have sunken eyes. It also tends to be quite lethargic.

Another sign of dehydration in parakeets is discoloration of the feathers.

A parakeet that is dehydrated may also tend to pass ill-formed feces. It may actually stop pooping completely.

How Can I Get My Parakeet To Drink Water?

Another question we need to tackle here is on how to make parakeets drink water.

After all, once you establish (objectively) that your parakeet is not drinking, that is your next concern. You have to work out how to get your parakeet to drink water.

One simple strategy you can use in this regard is that of making the water accessible to the budgie. If the budgie has problems accessing the water, then he won’t drink.

So accessibility is very important.

Another strategy you may use is that of flavoring the water with something natural: say honey.

Final Verdict – Do Parakeets Drink Water

Parakeets do drink water. But they drink very little of it: sometimes below 2 millimeters per day. And they usually prefer drinking the water when their owners are not around.

Thus actually seeing your parakeet drinking water is not easy.

You can tell if a parakeet is drinking water by measuring the water you leave in his cage. If you find that the water’s volume has gone down, then you know that the budgie drank it.

Normally, budgies will drink water 2 or 3 times in a day. And the water they need is modest: about 5% of their body weight, in equivalent water volume.

One or two days at most is how long a budgie can go without drinking water. Beyond that, the budgie may suffer from dehydration.

Ideally, budgies shouldn’t drink tap water, due to the chemicals like chlorine and fluorine. But if you filter the tap water, it should be alright for them.

Or better still, give them pure spring water that typically doesn’t have such chemicals like chlorine.

As a pet lover, make sure to learn about pet more and give your pet parakeet a good and comfortable life!

Rajkumar Ravichandran

Welcome to Learn About Pet. My name is Rajkumar Ravichandran and I love all pets, travel, and amazing food. I write about my passion and personal experience caring for multiple pets in this blog! ❤️