Which Bird is Right for Me?

[theratlady]

Hi! I've just signed up for this site as it seemed like the best place to get help for my question.

I'm an animal lover. I always have been my whole life. As an adult living in apartments, I've only been able to own small animals. I LOVE pet rats, and think that they're probably one of the most underrated pets out there. They're smart, affectionate, and full of personality. I've also owned a ball python and a bearded dragon, so I'm definitely not new to pet ownership, and understand that even small pets need time and commitment to be happy.

I've recently become interested in owning a pet bird, but I need help deciding which one to get. In general, I'm looking for a bird that doesn't make too much noise, and would be suitable for someone who has very little experience with birds (unless you count chickens). My main requirement would be a bird that is affectionate and enjoys interacting with me.

Also if anyone could tell me what kind of things to expect from first time bird ownership? Things that you wouldn't find in books on bird care.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

P.S. I don't plan on running out and buying a bird next weekend. I like to know what I'm getting myself into, and probably won't start seriously looking into getting one until the fall at the earliest (probably closer to a year from now). I would just like to get a general sense of what kind of birds I should look into.

[PlaxMacaws]

Hi Charlotte... welcome to PP. I see that no one has replied with any opinions or advice for you yet. I'm sure some of our members will do so fairly soon.

There are so many parrot species on our planet... and I think each one has its pros and cons as far as potential for nicely fitting into a human family. It's also important to consider that each bird is an individual who will typically come with certain behaviors that are different from other birds of the same type. As you may know, the smaller parrots are usually easier to keep and require less expenditure to maintain. I'm talking about birds like conures, and cockatiels, and budgies... as well as some of the smaller amazons. I'll leave it to our other members to tell you about some of the particulars concerning those and other birds that might fit well into your life. My experience has been mainly with the larger guys.

I've had quite a busy night here so I need to grab some sleep (while I can). If I don't do that very soon I'll be paying for it several hours later . You are certainly doing the right thing as far as your research and thought ahead of time. Hopefully you'll get some useful replies here.

Oh, and BTW, I think rats can be great little pets... I have absolutely nothing against the little buggers . And I've always liked herps as well. I've even kept pythons in the past.

I hope to read more from you soon!

[spiritbird]

Hello Charlotte. New members are welcome here. Some birds are more quiet but overall any species of bird can make loud bird sounds depending on the time of day and what is happening around them. I will ask you to consider a bird from a rescue organization or breeder. Store bought birds generally are more wild because they have had little exposure to people. Hand fed birds are more used to us humans. Not all birds will talk either. A Meyers is a nice little African bird that is more quiet than others but is not known for talking. A Green Cheek conure is a very affectionate bird and loves to be the center of your attention. There are many varieties of them. I do not use the word "started birds" because it can give the wrong impression. Cockatiels are easily trained, on the quiet side, readily available, loving and playful. Some birds do better with a second one with them such as parakeets, lovebirds and cockatiels. When you have a bird or birds in your home there are many safety precautions to take so that your bird is not injured. Some are getting rid of any aerosols, candles, plug ins, covering mirrors and windows while learning to fly, establishing a non-smoking environment and if there are dogs or cats in the home it is very important to keep them away from each other. Suggest you study up on bird nutrition as it is a constantly changing subject. Gone are the days when you bring a bird home and put them in the cage with a bowl of seed and water. Check around where you live to see if there are any avian certified vets as you will need to establish yourself with them. There are many expenses involved with having a bird such as vet care, proper food, toys, cage and others. The bird will need you available because you will be a flock member/mate. A very good source of information and learning is the book Parrots for Dummies. I think we all have read this book at one time. Please feel free to ask any questions of our members.

[Mare]

Hi, Charlotte! Welcome! I think it's great that you are doing some research before jumping in to the wonderful world of birds . I have an Umbrella cockatoo (I don't recommend as a first bird and can be VERY loud), a goffins cockatoo (can be loud), and a cockatiel. The cockatoo's are chewers of EVERYTHING, not just wood but everything! Of the three birds I have, the cockatiel is the one I would recommend for you. They aren't too loud, sweet and entertaining to be around. If you work full time, you may want to eventually bring in a companion, for company.

There are so many different species of birds, these are just the ones I'm familiar with .

[Lady]

Charlotte,

Animals are awesome! And I agree that there is much to learn about having a parrot live with you. If I ever decide on getting another bird I think the best way besides research is to go to a rescue and learn first hand what a bird who lost his/her place in a human home goes through. Having a bird really needs to be forever or till the end of their natural lives.
As far as a good bird for an apartment have you thought about a Parrotlet? Here is a link with some information about them, http://beautyofbirds.com/parrotletsinfo.htm but there are many more to consider.
There are also some great threads here that ask some tough questions to help you make your commitment to which ever species you are interested in.
Here is a link to one such thread:http://www.preciselyparrots.com/show...tting-a-Parrot
If you made it through and are still interested, how about this one:http://www.preciselyparrots.com/show...nt-A-Parrot-Eh
I hope you make a great decision on which species would be happiest in your family and adopt one when you visit a reputable breeder or a rescue.

[94lt1]

Hello and welcome.. The advice I'd give right away is..

See if there are qualified avian vets in your area.. Vets that can "treat" birds.. And actual avian Vets are far different..

Compile a birdy first aid kit.. We have all the info for that right here on our site.. Not expensive and it can save your little birds life. It's not very expensive.. Something I'd recommend having done before you get your feathered friend..

You have lots of pet experience... What pets do you currently have?? I ask this only because some people think it's a good thing to have cats and birds in the same house... It's really not... Just something to think about..

When you pick a bird. It may not pick you.. You might get the bird and show it love and it may decide that your son or daughter or husband.. Is who it wants to be with.. Like my wife and our sun conure.. Long story lol.

Make the bird part of your family.. They're social animals.. And they love to interact.. If the house gets loud. They will too.. They like to be where they can take part in things.. And socialize..

That's probably enough for now.. Welcome.. And enjoy your time here.

[theratlady]

Thank you guys for all your advice! I really like the Meyer's Parrot, but the conures are lovely too, and I see cockatiels all the time so they should be easy to find.

94lt1: I currently have four rats (all boys), and a ball python. None of them are EVER out of their cage/tank without supervision.

Another question I have is would it be better for me to get 2 birds? I know that some pets need to be kept together to be happy (keeping a lone rat borders on cruelty, in my opinion). I work 4 days a week between 5 and 8 hours. Is that too long for a bird to be left alone?

[froggij]

Depending on the species, having two companion birds can actually change their personalities. Do you want the bird to be friends with you mostly, or with another bird mostly? If you're going for something like a cockatiel or budgie, it could be harder to hand-train them if they have a buddy to play with that looks more like them. If they're going to be spending a lot of time in their cages, you might want to get two so they have someone else to talk to while you're doing other things. My cockatiel is a single, and I got him before I had any other birds, and he is attached to me like no other, but my aunt's old budgies were in pairs and they didn't care about being out of the cage ever as long as they had each other (and they'd attack you if you tried to get them out). That being said, I think that's kind of like keeping a lone rat - to me personally, it seems pretty cruel, but I'm big on wearing my birds around the house. I work full-time (40+ hours) and go to school (online) full-time and my birds are fine while the house is empty - but I make it up to them on my days off and let them out all day long, so as long as you give them SOME time and don't leave them in the cage from sun-up to sun-down seven days a week, you'll be fine leaving them alone for 5-8 hours 4 days a week.

Another thing you'll want to be careful of around the house that I don't know if anyone previously mentioned or not is fans - ceiling and otherwise. I've known people whose birds have been accidentally amputated or killed because they didn't clip their birds' wings at all and let them fly around the house with a ceiling fan on. I had someone email me late at night asking for some birdy first-aid tips to keep his bird alive until he could get to the vet because his 'tiel lost a wing in the ceiling fan (it literally amputated the bird's wing right off), so if you've got them and you use them, either turn them off while the birds are out or do a partial wing-clip (so they can't get much height but can still flutter around with ease) - or don't take the birds out while the fan has to be on. Also be careful with heating and air conditioning vents - think about cage placement; if they have a draft on them, hot or cold, it can lead to illness. Same thing if they're too close to a window during extreme weather. If their cage is in another room in the house and they hear you, they're going to try to shout for you or get out and come see you, so make sure they're right in the middle of everything where they like to be.

Having a bird is like having a perpetual 1-year-old - literally, my 1-year-old niece came to visit recently and she found every single thing I'd finally hidden from my birds and started putting it into her mouth or tearing it just like my birds were trying to do with it. Most parrot-family birds live between 15 and 125 years of age, so choose very carefully, make sure you are ready for the challenge (just like having a kid, but less labor pains), and spend some time hanging around with your prospective bird choices before you decide for sure - find one that takes to you as much as you take to it, and you can't go wrong.

Birds are a real treat, and I hope you find a darling forever feathered-kid to share your life with