For someone with no experience with birds parakeets are an excellent choice.
If you want one that will interact with you get only one bird and spend time with it. It will likely learn a few words and will learn a few whistles. They are great little companions.
If you would rather have a joyous little group get three. They will be shy but they will chatter and entertain you to no end.
Another option is to adopt an older cockatiel. A big parrot in a little body.
As for a broken heart, I miss my African Grey, Chikchik, more than I can say. She was as loved a pet as any cat or dog I have ever had. She knew over 200 words and I swear I could carry on conversations with her. She could not only say words but she had at least a basic understanding of their meaning and the correct context in which to use them.
She died young, at 16 years of age.
They do need lots of attention, especially if you only have one. If they are healthy and don’t get skin problems and start plucking feathers, running up huge vet bills, or respiratory issues, they are great pets. If you have cats or dogs, it might be only a matter of time that disaster strikes.
Rest in Peace Chikchik. She sounds like a very smart bird.
Back in the ‘90’s, I rented by myself & had a black lab mix (RIP Shadow). One day we were walking and heard a parrot 
talking.
I just figured OK, that’s cool. I knew the couple downstairs had a cockatoo, which was quite the squawker, but that voice sounds cool.
Shadow was scared out of his mind, relieved himself then ran ME back upstairs. Turns out the cockatoo went back to the man’s ex, & they had some sort of green parrot.
Couple was Puerto Rican, and the bird could mimic his owners in both English and Spanish. Every so often he’d embarrass the wife by wolf whistling at couples walking by, which was embarrassing because the couples often didn’t see the bird and figured she whistled.
They’re smart animals, that’s for sure.
RIP Neo. He was a beauty!
One I had was a Nanday Conure. Door to the cage was always open after a few years. He wouldn’t leave the cage (would sit on top of it on a perch thing I made) unless felt threatened. I’d even take the cage outside. He’d fly over to a nearby tree. It would always come back to it’s cage. It knew that was a safe spot were the foot and water was.
Only time I had to put it in the cage and close the door was when company was over. They can be jealous and medium and larger birds can do a lot of damage with their beaks and claws.
I had a Cockatiel named Beeper.
That little guy would follow me everywhere, climb up my leg and nestle his beak behind my ear and make soft little noises of contentment. He was never loud. He beeped. Hence, the name Beeper.
He’d follow me into the shower and play in the water, take his own little bath with his feathers all fluffed up and do a little happy dance.
He was a great bird and a lot of fun.
What I did do is get him hand raised from a breeder rather than a pet store. I think that makes all of the difference in the world in their disposition and personality.
I also had a Mustache Parakeet named Amigo who was just as wonderful (private breeder, hand raised as well). That bird was a little loud but only when he was working as a lookout (people come to the house or someone pulls in the driveway, etc.) He made an excellent security system, lol.
They have a way of getting into our hearts and never leaving.
To your original question, yes, parakeets can make great pets.
They aren’t loud
They don’t smell bad
They aren’t expensive to buy or maintain
They are usually very healthy
They quiet down once the lights are turned off
They can learn a few words and whistles
They can learn to follow you around the house
However
They can be a bit messy
If you want it to be finger trained (so it will come to you and jump on your finger) you need to invest time
You will love it as much as a cat or a dog which includes all the fun and heartache
If you decide you want a companion bird find a breeder or a store that specializes only in birds.
So if you have two or more parakeets they will not go on your finger?
“Also, it’s pretty cruel to have them locked up in cages.”
I wish I could link to this video, if it’s still even online, but it violates our terms of service.
About two or three years ago, my husband, who loves to watch videos, showed me one of a man who destroyed the cage of his Moluccan Cockatoo. Don’t know if the motivation was something like he thought the bird would be more free in the house, but anyway the cockatoo watched the job from beginning to end—and was ranting up a storm, dropping f-bombs left and right 
Not sure, but maybe to pet birds the wings are clipped, so the cage is a place of safety and security, like crate training a dog if the crate isn’t used as a place of punishment. Dogs in the wild crave the safety of a den, so if properly trained with it, they’ll probably go in it on their own. Maybe if owners interact with their animals, make sure they have cuttlebone & toys, take ‘em out once in awhile, it’s not such a hated place for the bird.
It’s unlikely. They will be more focused on one another and not on you.
Honestly, I have a moral problem with this. It’s illegal to go out in the wild here and capture and cage a robin, a blue jay, a sparrow. But it’s ok to go to another country and hoover up their birds and put them in cages here? They should be living their natural life, not living in a cage.
I feel the same way about snakes and other reptiles kept as pets. They didn’t evolve to live in cages.
Dens are only used for rearing pups. Wild canines don’t live in them and only the mothers enter the den.
Dogs are domesticated animals, birds are wild animals. It is unacceptable if a dog bites, with birds it’s likely to happen and it isn’t their fault. Large parrots can and will bite if you are not careful and experienced in handling them. I have been bitten by my birds but it was always my fault.
Even parakeets will bite if frightened but I have never seen them draw blood. It’s more of a pinch.
Birds are intelligent animals and need stimulation. Toys, play time and time out of their cage, if finger trained, is important.
Their cages are their territory, it’s best to let them come out on their own and not reach in to catch them. This is especially important with large parrots. A bird’s cage is a lot like a dog crate. It’s their safe place.
I believe it is illegal to sell wild caught birds in the US. Birds available for purchase are bred from existing stock.
What I know from reptiles, is that people selling them can say whatever they want about being “captive bred”. Maybe there’s better policing in the bird world. I sincerely hope so.
I don’t know about reptiles but birds should only be purchased from a reputable breeder or bird shop.
My rescue Cockatoo was probably wild caught although I will never know. He is well over 30 years old and if I’m not mistaken wild caught birds were still being sold in the states at that time.
I have had him for 17 years.
All depends on the bird and rules, regulations, and laws. All they may need to do is attach a band to their leg to designate it was a wild animal. The conure I had was a banded one.
