Which bird makes a good pet?

Answer 1

This is a matter of opinion if you want a really smart bird i would suggest a amazon or African grey if you want a playful bird but still very smart i would suggest a quaker or a conure if you want a talking bird that will talk alot but not as much as African grey or amazon i might suggest a cockatoo.

please note that almost all parrots will need at least 1 hour of attention.

Hope this helped you!!!!!!!!!

Answer 2

It's not just the bird you need to consider. You also need to look at:

• The space you have for the bird to live
• The costs of food and cages / your finances
• Other pets in the house
• How sensitive you are to noise
• And so on

Information

The most common pet birds, according to sales statistics, are an equal draw between budgies and cockatiels.

The second most popular are parakeets.

Other popular birds are finches (including canaries) and parrots (including lovebirds).

Medium birds like budgies, cockatiels and parakeets are the smart and can be trained.

Large birds such as parrots and toucans are even smarter and can be trained quicker, but they are expensive, require a lot of space and a very varied diet.

Smaller birds such as canaries, finches and lovebirds are not considerably smart, or so to say - they're bird-brains. but they are the easiest and cheapest to look after.

If you are a beginner with looking after birds, you should start with a small bird and eventually get bigger birds as you gain more experience. Although birds look easy, they're sometimes a lot more complicated than you think, because most of them need a specialised diet.

There is no predicting how other pets in the house will react around a pet bird, especially felines (cats) because birds are their natural prey. Therefore you will need to have precautions in place (safe areas, high cages, exclusion zones, etc) in case any other pets in the house fancy a bit of budgie on toast, or whatever you get.

There is also noise. Birds, just like humans, like to talk (and sing). Smaller birds such as canaries absolutely love to sing, in fact many people buy canaries just because of their singing. So, if you get smaller birds, be prepared to have your favourite TV shows interrupted by (beautiful) singing. Males sing three times as much as females, because singing is also part of a mating ritual in which males use their voices to attract a female mate. So, if you feel the constant singing may be annoying, get a female, because she will sing less than a male.

Larger birds such as parrots are great pets and are very loving. But they can also be slightly territorial, meaning they may get annoyed easily with other pets and children.

Most birds also need companionship, because birds are social animals. In the wild they work better in a pair or a flock. A lone bird can become depressed and lonely, causing it to become anti-social or pull their feathers out. To fix this, you should ideally place two birds of the same species together, so they can keep each other company. Beware - a male and female might mate and lay eggs and two males may become territorial and fight (but they can learn to live with each other peacefully).

If you can't afford two birds or don't want two birds, then you need to be prepared to spend at least an hour daily with the bird, playing with toys, being fed from your hands or simply just sitting with you being stroked or talked to.

Adaptations to the home

You also need to make adaptations in your home for a pet bird:

• No smoking indoors. Smoke is ten times more harmful to birds than humans. Smoking near a bird will shorten their life expectancy to a couple of weeks.
• No air fresheners or lit candles in a room with a bird. Air fresheners can choke a bird, candles can set them and your house alight (feathers are very flammable).
• Don't let birds in kitchens if you use Teflon (non-stick) Cooking Equipment. And don't prepare any home-made bird food in Teflon equipment. Teflon releases invisible, odourless fumes when heated, which are toxic to birds.
• Wake early and set a routine. Like cats, birds love waking up at 5 or 6 in the morning. In the wild, birds wake as soon as the sun rises and will immediately start hunting for food.
• Be prepared to become a clean-o-holic if you get a larger bird. They love mess.
• Lessen the jewellery you wear. Birds are naturally attracted to shiny objects (yes, all birds, not just magpies). (Funny story - a rich woman from Belgium reported the theft of her $18,000 diamond bracelet. Police found it hidden in her parrot's cage. The parrot attacked the police as they tried to retrieve it).
• Make sure any plants in your house aren't tasty treats to birds. Some birds eat certain plants as a treat.Some birds love nectar from flowers, so if you're planning on leaving a bunch of flowers in a room to surprise the wife, don't put them in the same room as the bird, otherwise the petals will be on the floor and the nectar would be in their stomach.

How to pick the right bird

1. Pick a size. Beginners should start small. You also need to consider the space you have in your home for them. Larger birds are smarter and loving, but they are most expensive and messy. Medium birds are also loving and can be trained. Smaller birds aren't as smart and are loud but beautiful and easy to care for.
2. Choose a species. There are over 10,000 species of birds on the planet (over 1,300 which are endangered or the brink of extinction). Do you want an active bird who will spend time with you? Or do you want an independent bird just for something beautiful to look at and listen to? Some birds (especially larger tropical ones) have extremely specialised needs.
3. Understand the bird you have chosen. You need to research into the needs of your chosen bird. This includes the space it needs, the food it needs, any other precautions or specialised diet and, most importantly what the bird CAN'T have.
4. How much time do you have? Lone birds should be socialised with for an hour a day. You need to spend 15 minutes in the mornings cleaning their cage and changing their food. Water bowls should also be changed at least twice a day for larger birds.
5. Don't buy from independent pet shops. Ever. Birds from these places could be from anywhere and could have a wide range of undetected health problems. Some pet shops are known to illegally import wild birds which are too wild to be tamed. You should buy from a professional (usually large) pet store or a professional bird breeder. Though, ideally you should look at animal rescue centres first and re-home a rescued bird. There are thousands in rescue centres waiting to be loved by a human.

Helping you choose

• You have a lot of time on your hands. You have kept a bird before. You are financially secure and social - Parrots, Toucans, Macaws, etc
• You have a moderate amount of time on your hands. you have a job but it isn't that great, you like talking - Parakeet, Budgie, Cockatiel, Lovebird, etc
• You don't really have a lot of time, your job sucks and you just want to be left alone most of the time - Female canary, female finch
• You love to listen to bird song - canary, finch, lovebird, etc
• You are a beginner with birds - anything small, cheap and easy
• You smoke lots, love air fresheners, need to light candles everywhere and enjoy getting out of bed at 3pm - a plastic duck for the bathtub

Be different

If you enjoy being different, you could try getting a small flock of chickens, a small flock of ducks or a pair of geese. They can live outside, are relatively quiet and easy, plus there's no need to pop to the supermarket for eggs.

However, look at local laws first, some places class a flock of birds as an agricultural flock - which may be illegal in some places or require certain legal procedures to be in place.

WARNING - In the UK, it is illegal to keep swans as pets. By law, all swans in the UK are legal property of the British Monarch. They are a protected species in the UK under royal law, keeping or harming them (unless you are a vet, animal rescue, etc) gives the Monarch the legal right to jail you.

Good luck in your search for the perfect pet bird!

Answer 3

Most tropical bird like parrots are kept as pets, but there are also certain finch and parakeet types you can find at a pet store.

Answer 4

That really just depends on you and ur type of personality. Each type is very different and it seems like theres a type for everyone

Answer 5

Well, birds that are simple and don't have complicated needs.... such as canaries or goldfinches

Answer 6

The best parrot to get is a Cockatiel, they are fun clean and easy to care for. What ever you do don't get a parakeet, they poo everywhere and are messy.

Answer 7

Parrots,Pigeons,Owls,etc.

Answer 8

macaws parrot