You've probably seen a cage full of parakeets- specifically, budgies- at the pet store. Maybe you stopped to look at them, maybe the loud chirping of 30+ parakeets steered you clear as you went to look at guinea pigs or lizards. But I'm here to tell you today why these little creatures make awesome pets, and who knows? Maybe the next time you're at the pet store, you'll stop at that cage a little longer, and maybe even walk out with a new friend.

1. They're pretty.

Each bird is like a miniature work of art. They come in all sorts of patterns and designs, and no two birds look exactly alike. There are yellow budgies, green budgies, blue and white and grey and various combinations of all of these. Our parakeets all look very different, and they're all very beautiful.

(Note: Please do not put your parakeet outside. They can and will fly away.)

2. They're cheap.

One parakeet costs a little over $20. That's a small price to pay for 6+ years of love.

3. They're adorable.

Especially when they're babies, parakeets are adorable. They're tiny enough to fit into the palm of your hand. They fluff up when they're happy and yawn when they're sleepy. When they're babies, they'll even cuddle with you. Miki (pictured above) and our other bird Tsuki would climb into my sweatshirt pocket and fall asleep when they were little. They're very sweet little creatures.

4. They're smart.

Parakeets can actually be trained to do a multitude of tricks. Our birds know when to go into the cage or when we have to pick them up just by us saying a few words to them. Tsuki (above) has a disco ball that he likes to sit on and spin. He figured that out on his own, but if you're patient, you can train your birds to land on your finger, ride a tiny skateboard, or balance on a tennis ball. Some videos of budgies demonstrating these abilities are here and here.

5. They're cheerful.

Their chirping may seem annoying, but it's actually a very pleasant sound. It's not particularly loud, and even if you're not a morning person (like me) chirping can be a very nice thing to wake up to. If it does bother you, you can always place the cage away from your bedroom. Tsuki (above) especially enjoys talking to himself in the mirror. It's hard to be sad when I'm listening to my parakeets chirp so happily.

6. They're funny.

Each parakeet has its own unique personality, and some of these traits can be really funny. As I mentioned, Tsuki likes to sit and talk to his reflection. When Miki was little and couldn't fly, she once walked across the entire length of the house. When we had our Christmas tree up, Elsa loved to sit in it just like a decoration. Mossy, our newest bird, shakes her tail like a dog when she gets excited. Birds also do great imitations. Our bird Spike, who unfortunately died recently, used to have quite a repertoire. My personal favorites were "sparrow in the distance" and "garbage truck". They can imitate all sorts of sounds if you say them enough. Here is a bird talking to himself, and here is a bird imitating R2D2.

7. They'll love you.

As I write this article, Tsuki is chirping at himself in my mirror, and Mossy is sitting on my head. Parakeets will sit on your head or shoulder for hours, talking to you or grooming your hair or falling asleep. They'll fluff up or stretch when you come into the room, or make a cute little "chip" sound when they sit on your shoulder. These are their ways of saying they love you. And really, isn't love the most important part?

[Modelling credit goes to: Tsuki (green), Miki (blue), Elsa (grey), and Mossy (dark green). This article is dedicated to the memory of Spike. We love you, buddy.]