Have been looking after my cousins Budgie while she was away... and now I'm hooked! :lol:

I know there are some bird lovers here so just thought I'd ask what's the best bird species to keep, what do they need in the way of housing.

Keep in mind:

- I want an indoor cage, not an outdoor aviary.

- I don't want to spend heaps on my first bird in case I get something wrong...

Thanks

Have been looking after my cousins Budgie while she was away... and now I'm hooked! :lol:

I know there are some bird lovers here so just thought I'd ask what's the best bird species to keep, what do they need in the way of housing.

Keep in mind:

- I want an indoor cage, not an outdoor aviary.

- I don't want to spend heaps on my first bird in case I get something wrong...

Thanks

Do you want an interactive bird that you'd let out of the cage or a cage only bird? Do you want loud or quiet? Do you want a talker or not? Do you wanta seed eater, veggie eater or mush eater? Do you want big or little, short lived or long lived? How much do you want to spend?

Do you have any idea what you like? Watch this video. Any parrot owner must watch this -

Are you ready for a 20+ year commitment in some cases?

Shouldn't that be any prospective parrot owner should watch this

If you do not want to upset your Mum, a hand reared budgie may be a good bet.

And watch out for the dog, as well.

Budgies are a good start and can be fun without costing a lot either.

Bear in mind at your age you will be going to school then possibly uni, where you may not be able to take a bird with you. If you get a larger, longer-lived bird than a budgie, you might run into problems. Larger parrots bond to their owners.

Thanks guys I think I might get a budgie, I really like the yellow and green ones.

But also looking at a cockatiel, they seem much more interactive with there owners and do some funny things - eg. One at local pet shop sticks its head up inside a bell and sings. And at $40 or so they won't break the bank. Anyone had experience with these guys.

both budgies and Cockatiels are a good starter bird, both will interact with you if they are tame

if not tame the Cockatiels bite harder

get a young bird that has been handled well or hand reared

you can quieten an older bird but this requires patience and a little skill

: One at local pet shop sticks its head up inside a bell and sings.

Is that Harry who sings Pop Goes the Weasel? I've had him attached to my finger by the beak a few times :-?

I got my cockatiel about 4 months ago. he came from an aviary not hand reared and following the www.birdtricks.com training guide had him hopping on my hand within 2 weeks. he would just cower in his cage and hiss/bite if I tried to go near him when I first got him. Now he spends most of his time walking around the house on my shoulder all day.

Birds have a lot of love in them.

The only thing I would say is watch the dogs. My cocky has lost his tail feathers twice to one of our dogs pinning him down when we weren't paying attention.

I suggest you start with a budgie. They are a lot quieter than cockatiels.

My nana's budgie could recite nursery rhymes and a number here met Bud, the wonder budgie. He had quite a repertoire and was free range every evening. We still miss him (and Pepper).

Budgies can be taught tricks too.

I suggest you start with a budgie. They are a lot quieter than cockatiels.

I disagree! I looked after a budgie for a couple months when my daughter was a baby, and I had to put him outside when she was sleeping because of the constant chatter and screeching. Had to move him out of the lounge if we wanted to watch tv. We had two cockatiels and they were heaps quieter, more pleasant whistling too.

Tho - if you do get a cockatiel, never take for granted that they don't know how to open the door of the cage. My one learnt how to flip up the door and I didn't cotton on until after he got out the second time (I thought I had left the door open the first time) and we lost him.

So = always peg the doors

If the budgie was making noise, it was because it wanted to be let out the cage and needed some interaction.

Birds are not made for cages, and the longer I have one the more sorry I feel for other captive birds.

If the budgie was making noise, it was because it wanted to be let out the cage and needed some interaction.

Birds are not made for cages, and the longer I have one the more sorry I feel for other captive birds.

+1

Either keep a bird in an aviary (a decent-sized one too) or don't keep one at all.

I disagree Joe. A caged bird that is let out daily is perfectly acceptable.

I disagree Joe. A caged bird that is let out daily is perfectly acceptable.

+1. Our friends have a cockatiel that's 22 years old and spends 1 hour int he morning and 2 hours in the evening out of the cage and he's still going strong. I was amazed when i realised he'd been around as long as I can remember.

I believe deco cty pets lady has young cockateils in the nest.

I disagree Joe. A caged bird that is let out daily is perfectly acceptable.

I know, but I feel it is much nicer that they are able to fly around whenever they want. I know that your birds were let out for a very long time, and they were happy. But I've talked to lots of other people before (kids at school etc.) that have caged parrots, and some don't get let out every day, or if they do it is only for an hour or sometimes not even that. So as long as you are extremely committed to letting it out every day, for a legnthly peroid of time, then a cage is OK, but I feel it is much less hassle keeping them in an aviary.

It's like fish; you can keep some larger fish in smaller tanks, even though a bigger tank is a better option, and the fish will OK, as long as you keep on top of the water quality, which = lots water changes, minimal feeding, more work, and it is really easier to get a bigger tank. So do you sort of have an idea of what I mean?

Maybe finches might be a better option as opposed to parrots - you can have a rather large cage, or a small aviary, which will suit them fine since they are such a small bird. If you make the cage yourself it costs less than the stuff in petshops, plus you can build it to your own needs. I know you can't interact with finches like you can with parrots, but they are still a very cool little bird.

finchs would probably fly longer distances in a day in the wild to find food etc than parrots which spend alot of time clambering around in their favourite tree?The main reason wild birds infact fly is to get from water/food sources.If the food is laid on they can just chill out.

I wonder if out fish enjoy being caged up in a tank? :evil:

I can attest that they don't like being "out of the cage" if that helps you decipher it

I think its important when owning a bird to simply be aware of what your pet might otherwise be enjoying if it was living free in the wild. A healthy bit of guilt will make sure your always striving to do better and better by them.

Also, personal opinion, but if you can at all help it then a bird that flies is...well, a bird! I think wing clipping is a fantastic tool for training, but allowing them to grow back out when you have mastered 'manners' with them is great. So long as, of course, your situation is such that they will be able to fly safely (in a an aviary, a safe room etc).

Watching Spud fly round is wonderful, and you can see the kick he gets out of it. Doing little acrobatics and such. Heres the little man in question with my Granddad.

I agree about the Cockatiel recomendation too btw.

I wonder if out fish enjoy being caged up in a tank?

Good point. Let's keep them in swimming pools from now on :lol:

did you know that pigeons in the wild rearly live more than 3 years but in the loft live up to 20 years?

Better health and food

Keeping things in captivity is not wrong but they should be kept with correct housing and care

Gorgeous bird Moya