Best kind of pet bird for beginners

[Ewe Mama]

Faith has expressed interest in getting a pet bird when she is old enough. I promised I would ask The Hive bird experts what types of birds are easy for a novice bird family.

 

She prefers birds that sing over birds that talk. I prefer something that is fairly hardy and easy to clean up after. :)

 

Any books or resources that we could check out?

[Impish]

Stuffed parrot :tongue_smilie:

[Ewe Mama]

Stuffed parrot :tongue_smilie:

 

Arrrggghhh, Matey, that's a keen answer!

[Remudamom]

Canary.

[somo_chickenlady]

I would say a bantam chicken. Some are very small (we had one that was the size of a softball) and can be kept in a cage inside, but they do best in at least pairs b/c they are social animals so they get depressed if they are alone. If you get them as chicks and handle them frequently, they can become very attached to you and be very friendly. :) They don't sing, though.

[Cassy]

Stuffed parrot :tongue_smilie:

 

 

We've done the stuffed parrot, for two years running. DS8 is adamant, he wants a real bird. I've actually bought the cage. We're looking at cockatiels, and hope to get one just after Christmas. I came up with the idea of a cockatiel following a thread by Nance who bought one for her mum. I'll be watching this thread avidly :001_smile: . (DS8 really wants an owl, he thinks he's Harry Potter).

[Remudamom]

Merciful heavens, don't get a chicken. They need more room than that. Canaries are small, sing beautifully and can be trained to hop on your finger. Males sing more than the females.

[Hoot]

My vote would be for a cockatiel. I had 2 many years ago and loved them. They were pretty easy to care for, hardy, and they were able to come out of the cage and hang out. With clipped wings I even took them outside on my shoulders. I never felt like I could do any of that with my parakeets because they were so flighty. Uhh... no pun intended. :glare:

[Spy Car]

The most important thing is getting a "hand raised" bird. Otherwise it will never* be tame and will spend its life caged. And won't be hand friendly.

 

Cockatiels are common starter birds. They are easy to care for. One potential downside is they are quite "dusty," producing a copious amount of dander to which some people are sensitive. While tame ones like their heads rubbed, they tend not to have huge personalities (which you may or may not consider a positive). They are relatively quite and sturdy.

 

Another option is a Peach Faced Lovebird. While these are small they tend to have huge personalities. If your taste in pets runs towards more active exuberant ones, a Lovebird is usually more entertaining and engaging. They are also much cleaner in regards to dander.

 

Whatever you do look for a "finger-friendly" hand raised bird.

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill

 

*there are exceptions where advanced bird handlers who put serious time and effort into an untame bird can (at least partially) rehabilitate a bird, but it is the exceptional case.

[justLisa]

The most important thing is getting a "hand raised" bird. Otherwise it will never* be tame and will spend its life caged. And won't be hand friendly.

 

Cockatiels are common starter birds. They are easy to care for. One potential downside is they are quite "dusty," producing a copious amount of dander to which some people are sensitive. While tame ones like their heads rubbed, they tend not to have huge personalities (which you may or may not consider a positive). They are relatively quite and sturdy.

 

Another option is a Peach Faced Lovebird. While these are small they tend to have huge personalities. If your taste in pets runs towards more active exuberant ones, a Lovebird is usually more entertaining and engaging. They are also much cleaner in regards to dander.

 

Whatever you do look for a "finger-friendly" hand raised bird.

 

Best wishes,

 

Bill

 

 

i was going to say a hand fed and raised bird is the way to go.

 

It depends on what you want from a bird. And of course how much you can spend. Some parrots make fantastic pets because they become literally a member of your family. They can follow you everywhere and even be harness trained to go out. I have a teeny baby Eclectus being hand raised right now. Those are hypoallergenic in that they do not produce a dander. But they are around $1500

[justLisa]

oops

[anabelneri]

I'm a parakeet (technically "budgerigar") girl. They're small, they chatter, they're happy little birds. They're generally smart enough to be able to come out and play around the house (I wouldn't take any bird outside, but my mom had a friend who used to take her parakeet on walks). They're also dumb enough to be able to entertain themselves too.

 

We had a cockatiel for a while, and it took up a huge amount of space compared to a parakeet, it had a ton of dander (as Bill mentioned), and it had the intelligence level of an 18mo child, complete with the emotional needs of that 18mo child (but louder!). When our first child was a baby we watched her catch up to the bird, then pass the bird in intelligence. Dh and I enjoy our 18mo children, but we are very happy that they mature past that. The bird never did.

 

My 9yo has been in charge of our parakeet's care for over a year now, and she handles it quite well with appropriate instruction. Our current bird is too inbred/dumb to come out of his cage (he inevitably lands behind the cast-iron core piano or the refrigerator) but all of my other parakeets (5 in all) have been able to come out of their cages and play for extended periods of time. They can learn to talk, but generally they aren't huge talkers.

 

Oh, and another vote for a hand-fed bird. I've had both, and both have worked out, but the hand-fed birds are less likely to bite, and that's reassuring especially for kids. Also it's better than supporting the pet-factory industry.

 

:)

[somo_chickenlady]

Merciful heavens, don't get a chicken. They need more room than that. Canaries are small, sing beautifully and can be trained to hop on your finger. Males sing more than the females.

Granted you can't keep them in a tiny cage (ANY bird will get depressed in one), but a bantam chicken such as what we used to have does not need much room. Nothing near what a standard size chicken does. Ours was not much bigger than a cockateil, but no one seems to have a problem keeping them in a tiny cage. ;)

[Ewe Mama]

Merciful heavens, my thread generated more replies than I thought it would. Thank you, everyone!

 

In Faith's words, she would like, "a little bitty bird with a happy face and a cheerful singing song it likes to sing for everyone to hear. It has to be a bird with a happy heart inside to make it beautiful to me. I don't know what color its feathers are, but its song is baby duck lellow (her favorite color.)"

 

We have plenty of time to learn about them and make a good choice. Please keep your wonderful suggestions and advice coming.

 

PS. We actually have chickens and have even raised silkies. Banties are lovely, but I prefer them in my barn rather than the house. You have reminded me that I wanted to think about ordering some more for spring. Thank you!

[dsmith]

Ds has decided he wants a dove. I've been looking into it, and it seems like a good choice for his personality. He is generally a calm kid and is very gentle with animals. I was on Petfinder looking at dogs when I noticed they list bird adoptions also. I found a listing for a hand raised dove that is good with kids.We're hoping to meet the dove after the holidays if I decide that a bird is a good fit for our family.

[Ewe Mama]

Ds has decided he wants a dove. I've been looking into it, and it seems like a good choice for his personality. He is generally a calm kid and is very gentle with animals. I was on Petfinder looking at dogs when I noticed they list bird adoptions also. I found a listing for a hand raised dove that is good with kids.We're hoping to meet the dove after the holidays if I decide that a bird is a good fit for our family.

 

 

That sounds absolutely wonderful! I hope it all works out for you and your ds. Keep us posted. :)

 

[PrincessMommy]

I'm a parakeet (technically "budgerigar") girl. They're small, they chatter, they're happy little birds. They're generally smart enough to be able to come out and play around the house (I wouldn't take any bird outside, but my mom had a friend who used to take her parakeet on walks). They're also dumb enough to be able to entertain themselves too.

 

We had a cockatiel for a while, and it took up a huge amount of space compared to a parakeet, it had a ton of dander (as Bill mentioned), and it had the intelligence level of an 18mo child, complete with the emotional needs of that 18mo child (but louder!). When our first child was a baby we watched her catch up to the bird, then pass the bird in intelligence. Dh and I enjoy our 18mo children, but we are very happy that they mature past that. The bird never did.

 

My 9yo has been in charge of our parakeet's care for over a year now, and she handles it quite well with appropriate instruction. Our current bird is too inbred/dumb to come out of his cage (he inevitably lands behind the cast-iron core piano or the refrigerator) but all of my other parakeets (5 in all) have been able to come out of their cages and play for extended periods of time. They can learn to talk, but generally they aren't huge talkers.

 

Oh, and another vote for a hand-fed bird. I've had both, and both have worked out, but the hand-fed birds are less likely to bite, and that's reassuring especially for kids. Also it's better than supporting the pet-factory industry.

 

:)

 

I'd recommend a parakeet too. I have one that sits with me next to my computer. She's very loving and fun. The key is to get a hand-raised one. Mine comes out of her cage to visit all the time. When I get home from being out she gets all excited that I'm there. However, as with any bird, there may be other members of the family the bird doesn't like. Mine doesn't like my youngest. Fortunately the nips she makes doesn't hurt - too badly.

 

One suggestion is to go to youtube and find some videos of all the different birds you're considering. You can hear the kind of sounds they make and see if you can live with it.

[KrissiK]

I had a couple parakeets for a while and they were pretty happy, low-maintainence birds. I enjoyed them, but then.. One died and then a year later the other one died. I have no idea why. But we never got more birds. But I'd recommend parakeets.

[Perogi]

We are considering a parakeet for dd for Christmas. We have had canaries in the past and their singing is beautiful but they are somewhat fragile - they can't tolerate drafts at all. I'm hoping the parakeet will be friendlier as well, though I'm not sure how much luck I'll have finding one hand raised. A friend recently got one at the pet store for her son and it's friendly enough to come out and sit on his shoulder.

[Hoot]

We are considering a parakeet for dd for Christmas. We have had canaries in the past and their singing is beautiful but they are somewhat fragile - they can't tolerate drafts at all. I'm hoping the parakeet will be friendlier as well, though I'm not sure how much luck I'll have finding one hand raised. A friend recently got one at the pet store for her son and it's friendly enough to come out and sit on his shoulder.

 

Ooooh, speaking of drafts, maybe 10 yrs. ago or so my step-sister gave me 4 parakeets. Her dad had bought them for her but she didn't want them. I took them home and a couple of weeks later all 4 dropped dead the same day. I thought it was weird until a friend told me that they are very intolerant to drafty locations. That day (in early summer) I had opened a window adjacent to them, which, I'm told, is what probably killed them. Birds are not really my thing though, so it could have been a fluke. Just something to think about though. I would read up on it just to check.

[anabelneri]

Birds as a group are vulnerable to a number of airborne chemicals, which is why miners used to use them in caves, as a warning system. Teflon/nonstick pans, for example, are toxic to birds when heated too high (we use cast iron instead). There are a number of cleaning products which are also unsafe to their little respiratory systems, so you have to read the labels carefully or use natural methods of cleaning.

 

We usually keep our birds away from windows, but our aging parakeet handles our chilly house quite nicely. We keep the thermostat at 64, but that's really only applicable in the low-ceilinged areas of the house. He's in the high-ceilinged area, and our house has single-paned windows and no insulation (aaah, California homes). I have given him a heating pad on low when it gets really cold, but he hasn't used it yet. I do generally try to protect the birds from major temperature shifts; a parakeet with a cold is a rather sad little being.

 

:)

[Sisyphus]

Just be careful to check the life span of the bird, especially of you get a parrot of any kind. They live a long, long time!

 

I don't like birds, they are IMO messy and sort of scary, with their reptilian eyes. Unfortunately, my mom loves them, and rehabs abused and neglected birds (which is awesome, in theory). Anyway, she has 4 birds now with lifespans of 60 years, they are all between 5 and 10 years old...and she is 67.

 

Guess who gets her birds, lol?

 

I will love them like my own u til I can find them proper homes, because if I drop dead tomorrow I know shed take my cats (my cats are no match for her birds, but she is allergic). But geez- some of these birds live 100 years, no joke. That's why they end up neglected- they live so, so long, and people can't care for them. So consider the life span!