Parakeets make great pets.  We raised them for a while.  The young ones are the easiest to tame.  The older they are the harder it is to teach them not to bite.  But start with a young one and he will sit on your hand or shoulder, you can teach him to talk.  Just keep repeating the same phrase over and over, soon your parakeet will be saying it too!  They come in many colors, be picky! Get a color you like, and make sure he is young.  You can tell the young ones have stripes on just above the beak, the older they get it starts fading.  Have Fun!