Tell me about pet birds

[PeacefulChaos]

I'm *considering* the possibility of a pet bird.  Maybe.   :lol:

 

I know nothing about having a bird.  Well, very little.  

 

I know that there are some that live a really long time - I don't think we want to make that big of a commitment.  

 

I know some can make a pretty big mess.  I'm sure all of them make at least some mess.  I'm just curious as to how much mess is involved, how much cleaning, etc.  Is the cleaning difficult, or does it amount to just cleaning some paper out of the bottom of a cage?  Or somewhere in between?

 

It doesn't matter to me whether or not the bird can talk, though talking could be sort of cool... however, it does matter that it's nice to people and little kids.  I'd want one that's comfortable being handled by all of us.

 

Let's see... I think that pretty much sums it up lol.  I would *assume* their diet and stuff wouldn't be that weird, but... who knows.  

 

So yeah, educate me!!!  :D

[Lizzie in Ma]

There are no birds that are "good" with little kids that I am aware of.  As toddlers my kids had to be taught to never, ever, put their fingers near the birds.  As tweens and teens, the birds were more tolerant to them.

 

Hand raised birds tend to do better with being handling, but again, they can be picky about it.  One doesn't "pat" a bird per se. 

 

Bird bites, even small ones like parakeets, can hurt like the dickens.  And if they don't like what is happening, they will bite.

 

Most parrot types tend to be one person pets, they may outright dislike ones they do not "choose".  My amazon adored me and we had a fantastic relationship, but she hated everyone else and no one else was allowed to handle her because she would bite anyone other than me.  They are possessive and bratty at times, in the case of the smaller parrots, it is like having a perpetual 2 year old with all the joys, challenges and tantrums.

 

They tend to be long lived.

 

They need more room than you think they do.  Cockatoos especially  needs a huge habitat and will damage themselves if they are unhappy.

 

They are messy and often loud

 

You need a vet who deals with exotics, not always easy to find.

 

I am familiar with and have lived a long time with conures, parakeets, cockatiels and amazon parrots.

They are a challenge and a joy but I would think long and hard about whether you can commit to them.

 

That having been said, I wouldn't have missed out on my years with my feathered friends for anything. 

 

 

 

 

[PrincessMommy]

I've had two parakeets.  They can be sweet and if they bite it's not very painful. 

 

We had one bird that wasn't as friendly and I wouldn't have let her near my grandson if he had been around when the bird was alive.  However our current bird is friendly  - in that I'm scared of hands sort of way.   My grandson has been bitten by one of ours when he was less than a year and he didn't cry.  He was more surprised than hurt.  Birdy was equally inquisitive about the baby as the baby was with the bird.

 

I don't know that parakeets really like to be petted. ours doesn't.  She's afraid of hands.  But, ours loves to get our our shoulders and chatter at us and sometime grooms us.  If she was out of the cage sometimes she would follow me around the house or come find me..   Now that we have a dog I have to keep her locked  in her cage more - which makes me a little sad... but she's safer there.  Definitely, get a bird from someone who hand-raised the bird.  Also, when you pick out the bird, don't go for the prettiest - ask the seller which bird has the sweetest disposition.   Our first bird was pretty  - but not very friendly.  The 2nd time around I asked which bird was the friendliest... she's not as pretty as some parakeets...but she is very sweet-natured. 

 

Parakeets are smaller, they don't make as big a mess, and they only live about 5-7yrs on average.  She does say a couple of words, but really doesn't talk much... I think the larger the bird the higher the intelligence..so it's a trade-off.  I didn't want the mess or the long-lived bird.  Also, her chatter and squawking isn't as loud as say a parrot.   One thing you could do is go to Youtube and listen to different birds vocalizing.  That would give you an idea.

[hornblower]

I have a friend who is into pet birds.

My main observation is they're not a good pet if you're noise sensitive. Even quiet, or more musical ones drive me kind of crazy very quickly because it seems there's always some noise. 

I love birds outside but I don't know that I could have them as pets.
 

[Sarah CB]

I will admit to knowing nothing other than that a friend of mine has a love bird and it is very sweet.  They brought it to co-op.  It gets handled a lot by their teen daughter.  They also have a younger boy.  

 

My uncle had big parrots when I was growing up and I was particularly scared of Tony.  He was a big Cockatoo.  He would stand on top of his cage and lunge towards me, so if I had to go into the house to use the bathroom (for some reason we spent a lot of time outside when we visited my uncle...), I would crawl under the dining room table in order to avoid Tony.

 

One evening, my uncle returned home to find that someone had broken in.  There was blood.  Apparently Tony had scared there person off and inflicted some damage on the would-be robber in the process.

 

Oh, and Tony hated it when my uncle was on the phone.  He would make a huge racket until he got off.

[BigMamaBird]

We don't own birds and I know very little about them, but when I was considering getting one I heard many good things about Conures, especially Green Cheek Conures.  You may want to give them a look.

[Spy Car]

Birds are a big commitment. Most live a long time and require care and interaction.

 

The most important thing is to get a bird that has been hand raised. It must be very tame when you acquire it or (unless you are a very experienced bird handler who is willing to put in a ton of time, and accept middling results) you will never have a hand tame bird. I will bite instead. Bird that bite are no fu, and don't get handled. Birds that don't get handled don't build bonds with humans, and get even less tame. It is a bad cycle, and the bird usually spends its life caged.

 

Birds wing should be clipped to prevent them from flying away. Seeds alone are not an adequate diet. They need fresh foods. A few species need special diets, most can eat most foods that are healthful for people.

 

Lovebirds pack a big personality into a small package.

 

All birds need a lot of time, or they will lose the hand-tame quality that makes owning one so special. A cuddly bird is very special/

 

Conures are beautiful, but what a racket! Be sure you can live with any bird you choose for the long haul.

 

Bill

 

 

 

 

[SkateLeft]

We have a hand raised cockatiel, and he's a fantastic little guy. We love him! He adores me and my oldest daughter especially. He loves to be scratched around his neck and ears, and he likes to sit on our shoulders. He's very vocal and has a handful of phrases that he says. He mimics a lot of little sounds around the house (the microwave, a sneeze, me whistling to call the dog inside, etc.). He does some whistling too. He especially likes the R2D2 whistle. Sometimes he'll run through his whole repertoire just to hear himself, I think.

 

We originally got our bird when my oldest was 8 years old. Although he was "her bird," I knew that the responsibility for caring for him would be mine until she was old enough to be fully responsible.

 

He only gets loud when he makes his alert noise (we call it "Kweeping" because it sounds like "KWEEP!"). He'll do this if he hears a car pull into the driveway, or if someone comes to the door. He'll do it if someone shuts the door in the downstairs bathroom, which is a little weird. He's a good little guard!

 

He's fairly easy to take care of, as far as birds go and he's pretty clean. He gets fresh food (pellets, not seed - we use Zupreem Fruit Blend) and water each day. We wash his perches about once a week or so as they need it, and change the lining on the bottom of his cage (we just use brown paper grocery bags cut to size). His cage door sits open most of the day and he can fly around the room as he needs to. He likes to hang out on top of his cage and pretend he's the king of the house. We make sure ceiling fans are off or inaccessible. Birds need exercise, and many birds can't or shouldn't stay caged all day long, so that's something to keep in mind. If you have other pets in your home, like a cat or dog, consider what you may need to do to keep your bird safe. Even the gentlest dogs may inadvertently snap at a bird that lands on them.

 

He likes to be spritzed with water and we have a little water spray bottle that we use for his "bath." He'll hold his wings open and move himself around so we wet the areas he wants to be wet.

 

We trim his nails sometimes as necessary. We've never needed to trim his beak since we keep cuttlefish in his cage and he scrapes his beak on that. We have clipped his wings before (particularly when we brought him on the plane with us when we moved from CA to the upper midwest and had to take him out of his cage and carry him through security... Thanks TSA!), though this isn't something we do regularly. Cockatiels can be excellent fliers even with their wings trimmed. Nail trims and wing clips would be a parent's responsibility. I would not expect or advise a child to do this.

 

Birds are very sensitive to respiratory distress. Generally, you should avoid things like scented candles, paint fumes, etc. if you have a bird. We've had a couple of close calls over the years with things like new appliances or pots and pans being used for the first time. There's sometimes a chemical coating that burns off initially and it can make birds sick. You'll want to be careful with any household chemicals you use.

 

We have traveled with him on the plane, and we've boarded him several times when we've gone on vacation.

 

Another thing to know is that you may end up having to take care of the bird when your kids go off to college! When my oldest left in the fall of 2013, I took over bird care again. He's still here with us, though he may join her in her apartment in the fall.

 

Edited to add: I'm not aware of any bird that will be okay with little kids. Little kids are too unpredictable in their movement for any bird, even a wonderful, tame, hand-raised bird like mine. Also, he does like to throw his pellets around sometimes, so part of my cleaning routine is sweeping under his cage.

[hornblower]

One last thing - there are many bird rescues & birds are avail in shelters too. Choose to adopt whenever possible!

[Spy Car]

The fumes from over-heated Teflon is evidently very deadly for birds.

 

Bill

[Spy Car]

One last thing - there are many bird rescues & birds are avail in shelters too. Choose to adopt whenever possible!

 

The unfortunate thing is most birds end up in rescues because they had owners that neglected them and the birds are no longer tame. 

 

People with experience and expertise in rehabilitating parrots can (if they pour a lot of time into the project) make some head-way reclaiming the bird/human relationship. But it is not easy. With larger parrots it can be dangerous. It is not a good situation for a novice bird owner to start with a bird that is not tame.

 

Parrots are much harder to turn around than a dog. Dogs are pretty easy. Parrots are not.

 

Bill

[Lanny]

I don't know about a species that would like to be handled. Possibly there are some species that like that. I suspect if they do it is only by one person. We had a Parrot who lived to be 48 years old. You indicated you don't want one with that kind of longevity.  Someone gave my wife another Parrot and we cannot release her into the wild, because she would have no idea about how to survive and thrive.  They are endangered and it is probably against the law for them to be in a private home, but again, we cannot release her, because she probably would not survive in the wild.. She has a huge inner patio with fresh air and lots of room to move around. She is approximately 2 1/2 years old.  Sometimes she talks with the parrot who lives 2 houses down from us.  There is a large flock (approximately 50 I believe) of Parrots who live in our rural subdivision. Parrots can bite. The one we had before hated men (he'd bitten my wife's father on the nose (?) and he retaliated and that bird did not like men. When my wife was out of town and I had to feed him and give him water, I hoped he would not bite me.  And, I prayed he would not die, while my wife was out of town... 

 

The bad thing about birds, rabbits, etc., is that they do go to the bathroom.   The larger the bird, the larger the cage you will  need to buy.

 

You need to receive papers from the Seller that the bird you purchase was imported legally into your country. There is a lot of illegal trafficking.

 

My wife clipped the wings on our Parrot so she won't fly away.

 

If you want a pet that likes to be handled you are probably better off getting a kitten or a puppy.

 

GL with whatever you decide to get!   Once you get a pet it is a lifetime thing IMHO.   Their lifetime.  I always hope to outlive my pets. We currently have 7 dogs (4 are toy so don't eat much), one adult cat, 2 kittens and the Parrot. I believe that studies have shown people with pets tend to have better health.

[Evergreen State Sue]

I bird sat my friend's cockatiel.  In a word - MESSY.  That bird would grip onto the cage and flap his wings.  Birdseed and feathers would go everywhere. 

[Spy Car]

Against all the downsides (which are real and many) *if* one has a bird that is truly bonded with you there are few experiences quite like it. 

 

Bill

[Jennifer132]

We have a parakeet. Boys potentially can learn to talk, but ours doesn't. They do let you handle them IF you handle them frequently (like at the least daily). They do not bite. It is pretty easy to clip their wings and nails if needed. The clean up is super easy. Basically line the tray and vacuum any feathers, seed shells and dust around the cage. I want to say the life span is less than a decade...that being said, my kids got tired of him, and pay little attention to him now. My husband said he would handle him every day, but it didn't end up that way. He is well taken care of and prefers watching the goings on of the house rather than being handled.

[PeacefulChaos]

This is all very helpful!  Thank you!

 

I would be happy to do most of the handling by myself.  Mainly I just wouldn't want for one of the kids to walk up (assuming they were acting appropriately so as not to scare the bird, which they can easily do) and it bite them or something.  I would like if it would perch on them, too, off and on, because I'm sure they'd want it to.  

 

Pink wants a little white puppy for her birthday but we already have a 90 lb labradoodle lol... no more dogs for us!  At least not for a few years lol... This wouldn't be in place of said puppy - this is more just something I'm considering as a family/me pet.  

 

Idk.  Like I said, I'm just curious about it.  Not really leaning one way or another at this point- just looking into the options.  

[foxbridgeacademy]

I'm *considering* the possibility of a pet bird.  Maybe.   :lol:

 

I know nothing about having a bird.  Well, very little.  

 

I know that there are some that live a really long time - I don't think we want to make that big of a commitment.  

Budgies/parakeets or cockatiels aren't super longevity birds

 

I know some can make a pretty big mess.  I'm sure all of them make at least some mess.  I'm just curious as to how much mess is involved, how much cleaning, etc.  Is the cleaning difficult, or does it amount to just cleaning some paper out of the bottom of a cage?  Or somewhere in between? Somewhere in between, a lot depends on your cage and if you have a "skirt" for the bottom half of the cage

 

It doesn't matter to me whether or not the bird can talk, though talking could be sort of cool... however, it does matter that it's nice to people and little kids.  I'd want one that's comfortable being handled by all of us.  Little kids and birds can be a bad mix depending on the kid. My 4 year old Nephew is getting to the point where I don't have to hold his hands to make sure he doesn't try to pet the bird when it lands on his shoulder.  The only way for a bird to feel comfortable being handled is to literally handle it daily.  At first it might bite but over time it will become accustomed to you.  Our budgie is male and very loud.  He chirps and screams constantly.  He must be louder then the TV and if he hears me he yells until I go talk to him.  He does the same every day when DH gets home.  He insists on daily flying otherwise he gets cranky and will bite.  We don't let him out when he molts because even though he's a sweetheart 99% of the time molting is equivalent to the worst PMS ever.  Girls IME are less noisy.  Oh, yeah he doesn't talk but if you want to see a talking budgie check out Disco on youtube.

Let's see... I think that pretty much sums it up lol.  I would *assume* their diet and stuff wouldn't be that weird, but... who knows.  

 

So yeah, educate me!!!   :D

 

ETA- we love our Minty and he goes back and forth on who is his favorite (me right now). He's a super sweety, gives kisses, cleans your nails chirps super loud in my ear (singing to me) sits on DH's hands when he's playing Xbox.  My main problem is all the noise and that since he's a boy he tries to mate with my thumb.  I love him but if we had gotten a girls she wouldn't have been as noisy or as amorous. 

[SkateLeft]

Actually, cockatiels are pretty long-lived at 15-20 years. Not as long as some other birds, but as I said, that still means you'll likely end up with taking care of the bird when your kids go off to college, as I did. :)