What is the best pet bird for a 13 year old?

Answer 1

I would recommend a parakeet as a first bird for your 13 year old. Make sure your child has read up and educated themselves on taking care of a parakeet and all about the bird itself. The parakeet is a fairly hardy bird as compared to canaries or finches. Of course the child should know that birds as a whole are fragile to drafts or being handled roughly. Purchase a nice size cage, some gravel, some parakeet seed & treats plus fresh greens occasionally (such as carrot tops, spinach, alfalfa leaf, lettuce, etc.), fresh water available at all times. Perches should be cleaned once a week or as needed with a perch brush & the cage daily. Don't forget a cuttle bone hung up on the side of the cage. Buy one of those plastic bird baths so the bird can have a bath once a week. It is fun to watch them bathe. A normal healthy bird is smooth looking, one that is all fluffed up and just sits there is not feeling well. Keep their cage in an area free of drafts & in a warm area but not too warm. Make sure you purchase a healthy young bird from a reputable Seller. A baby parakeet still has the bars that run across the forehead. A mature bird will have a solid white forehead. A mature female is brownish across the nostrils in color and a mature male is bluish in color across the nostrils. The young parakeets are difficult to sex as they are all different colors at that time. Only after they are a year old will the color settle in for the correct sex and the forehead will become a solid white in color.