What if I wanted to get a bird?

[Cirith Ungol]

I have a small flat and am playing with the thought of MAYBE!! getting a birdie.

I have no idea about birds however. Not the least. Well actually that's not true, I have a very general perception about them, mostly regarding their dietary needs and social needs, that many birds can't be / can't stand being alone.

What I would want optimally:
A bird that is:
- Smart
- Small
- Can do days without company if need be (yes I know that's probably impossible unless the bird is stuffed).
- Doesn't raise hell when ever he has something to say
- Doesn't poop all over the place as soon as he gets let out.
- Doesn't live all too long (I wouldn't want a bird that lives 200 or so years. 2 is enough for a start... or something at least closer to 2 than to 200).

What can you tell me about birds which somewhat go in that direction? What would I need to know, do for keeping?

 

[Mack&Cass]

Finches (zebras are the more common) may fulfill your needs, however, they aren't as smart as parrot.
You can keep some species in groups so they don't need your company. Unless you start with a hand raised baby, they never tame up so they are a look, but don't touch bird.
Mackenzie

 

[Cirith Ungol]

They look pretty smart though -
http://www.freakingnews.com/pictures/54500/My-Zebra-Finch--54516.jpg

Seriously however, I was hoping for some human/bird interaction, a look and touch and deep discussion about seeds approach... any bird up for it? :?

 

[StephanieH]

As a rule the african group are not as noisy as say the south americans.
Africans include senegals, brown heads; they are the poicephalus(sp?).
Stay away from conures, except for maybe the greencheeks.
The pionus are also a good choice. Sometimes my birds don't get hands on attention every day, but get ambiant attention. They are in the room, but not in my lap and being petted. That is really the only attention my african grey gets. She can't be touched unless you want to lose a finger, but I talk to her all day and she watches tv and is out on her cage.
You can potty train some species. I think you are going to have to make a list to what is important, because with birds you will have to give and take what each species needs. My biggest thing is noise, and I think I have the world's noisiest grey! She rivals the smoke alarm, which she does very well.

My two cents. I've had birds for 20 years.

Steph

 

[StephanieH]

English budgies are great!! They talk very well, but quietly. They are very independent but like interaction. Get one that is handfed and they are wonderful. I forgot about them.

 

[Faing]

English budgies are great!! They talk very well, but quietly. They are very independent but like interaction. Get one that is handfed and they are wonderful. I forgot about them.

I was beginning to wonder when someone was going to mention a type of budgie or parakeet. If you don'tlike noise however, I would stay away from a Quaker.

 

[Cirith Ungol]

Cockatiels were suggested to me yesterday. How about them? They live longer but were said to be good pet birds.

Thanks for the info so far!

 

[KoreanSpiderMan]

Green cheek conures are awesome and are quiet as far as conures go, which is still noisy hhehehe. But cockatiels are good too. though most parratoid species do make some sort of noise. Kakarikis are a new zealand parrot and they have quite a sweet personality. It also depends on how much you want to spend.

 

[Ariel]

Cockatiels were suggested to me yesterday. How about them? They live longer but were said to be good pet birds.

Thanks for the info so far!

Cockatiels are a good choice. They can live up to be around 30 years old, but they're plenty smart and certainly not the loudest out there! If you get a hand-raised one, or if you hand raise one yourself they are great companion birds but from my experience they don't raise the same fuss other birds might when they don't get attention everyday and do very well with just being let out of the cage even if they can't get human interaction.

If you get a female they tend (though this isn't always true) to be less noisy. If you can, no matter what bird you choose, go through a breeder or a local bird show that would be best, you're a lot more likely to get a hand raised baby over one that was left with the mother. Also it's good to know the genetics, my family learned that the hard way.

Budgies are a good choice too but IMO its harder to come across hand fed chicks plus from my experience are more fragile then other birds.

As suggested I'd pretty much stay away from conures as a whole. Conures are very intelligent and learn to talk very well but they also are some of the noisiest birds out there! They also require a lot of attention and special toys to keep them intellectually entertained.

I haven't delt with many of the larger parakeets, but i have delt with one type and he is the love of my bird life He is an indian ringneck parakeet and the most wonderful bird I've ever met. They are very smart birds and can learn to talk really well (Mine (well he's not really. ) doesn't talk very well but he's also a rehibilitated bird. ) and they can learn to do tricks. They're middle of the road as far as life span and though they seem to require more attention than cockatiels or budgies they don't require as much as many of the larger species would. However they DO need interaction. They also, in my experiance, are not nearly as loud as other species of birds. Of course, I never get to see king on his bad days, anytime I'm over for a visit is a good day for him.

All parrot form bonds and while they can tolerate a couple of people or even large groups most do tend to bond to a single person, and then this can lead to jelousy issues. For example, my dad has a parrot, the lesser jardines parrot I mentioned earlier, and this bird is very very attatched to my dad and it's resulted in this bird absolutely hating my mom because in his eyes she's 'competition' and he gets very jelous.

And which ever species you do get, remember to do your research on them. Different birds like different kinds of toys and stimulation, and diet is very important and its not 'just seed' as lots of people think.

Good luck picking a feathered friend, I hope I've been able to provide some useful information.

 

[dtknow]

I don't know too much bout birds, only done reading....but what about a parrotlet?

 

[Cirith Ungol]

Thanks for the info, especially Ariel.

How large a cage would a Cockatiel need and how much room to fly about if they are let out?

 

[KoreanSpiderMan]

Thanks for the info, especially Ariel.

How large a cage would a Cockatiel need and how much room to fly about if they are let out?

A cage measuring in l x w x h of about 50cm x 50cm x 65cm is pretty standard.
I recommend that you have them clipped while training. Later i let all my birds grow their wings out. My greencheek goes for a fly to the neighbors tree and eats some fruit and then comes back but bear in mind that each bird is different.
Also make sure and this is crucial, make some mental stimulation, any bored parrot WILL develop behavioral problems. Most have the intellectual capacity of a small child (depending on species 2-5 yo child) so they get bored easily. Its best to rotate the toys instead of having a million in the cage. If you need any training tips just ask. hope that helps.

 

[pouchedrat]

I'm loving my three little button quail right now. They're not smart, they're more like tiny chickens (but they can be trained to come when called, and can follow you around if you bond with it). They don't fly... they do make a cute little quail noise, and it's calming, not loud and noisy like parrots.
They dont' need to be let out of the cage and can be left alone for days and it's fine. Because they dont' have that massive need for mental stimulation, you can get away with leaving it alone. I'd worry about something like a small parrot or even a larger parakeet being left alone for too long.. they're just too smart, and if you've ever seen a mad or bored parrot, it's not fun. They can become nasty or even start pulling out feathers, etc.

The part I'm thinking of with buttons, they dont' live very long. Buttons live 4 years at most, sometimes shorter. Some females only live 18 months because of stress from egg-laying and calcium deficiency.

Budgies can live quite a while, mine lived 12-13 years. tons of parrotlets and such live far more than 2 years, which is the only reason my suggestion for button quail even comes out.

 

[Toirtis]

The main issue I see is the "multiple days alone"....really, that excludes all parrots (unless you want to have one with serious behavioural issues, like plucking, screaming, etc).

Finches, etc may be your only choice.

 

[RoachGirlRen]

The main issue I see is the "multiple days alone"....really, that excludes all parrots (unless you want to have one with serious behavioural issues, like plucking, screaming, etc).

Finches, etc may be your only choice.

Agreed with this 100%. Cockatiels and budgies are still parrots, and they still need daily attention & enrichment.

 

[Lucara]

Rosy Bourkes are a very nice small bird.
Stay away from conures as they are loud and require consistant handling.

Personally, if you think you can't stay consistant with handling, I would stick to finches.