In a year I’ll be moving to a house and will finally have room for a bird. But, I’m not sure what would suit me best. I’ve been googling and going to bird centric forums, but am still at a loss.
My criteria:
I want to be able to handle it. So no finches or “feathered goldfish” type birds.
Needs to have a relatively simple died. Cutting up fruits, veg, etc supplemented with seeds or commercial parrot food I’m fine with.
Relatively quiet. Some noise is okay, just nothing that sounds like a cross between a pterodactyl and a jet plane.
Not prone to biting. All birds bite, but I don’t want something that has reputation for it. Like Parrotlets and Parakeets.
Mess I’m okay with.
Needs to be able to chill if I can’t be there for some reason (hospitalization, etc). So nothing that starts feather plucking if left alone for a few hours.
So, any ideas?
Said bird will be a draft free area, biggest cage I can find, and will have almost the whole day with me, barring unforeseen things.
Have you owned a bird previously? I like Amazons and African Greys, but I’m not sure if I’d consider them entry level birds. For first-time bird owners, I usually suggest a hand-fed cockatiel obtained from a local hobby breeder.
A budgie would be a good choice - you excluded parakeets (of which Budgerigars are a subset) on the basis of biting, - budgies might playfully nip you, but they’re very unlikely to actually hurt you even if they tried really hard.
They’re very friendly and fun, especially if you have them from young and manage to get them completely hand-tame.
They’re simple to feed (mostly just seeds and water with occasional greens or fruit) and most of the noise they make is warbling chatter, or mimicry of your voice if you talk to them a lot. if you want it to be really tame, get one and handle it a lot. If you get two, they’re much more difficult to tame.
Birds can live for a long time so do you have anyone in your life that would be willing to take on the responsibility of caring for one if for some reason you no longer could?
We’ve had 3 birds over the years: a Nanday Conure (small but huge voice), a Military Macaw (medium with a usually small voice) and a Moluccan Cockatoo (large with large voice). The first lived for 15 years and died from being egg bound (we didn’t even know she was a girl until that year) and was a picker. The second was at least 40 or more years old when he passed (we were his 3rd family) and he was a picker. The third is around 31 years old but, thankfully, is not a picker. Our sons haven’t yet decided who gets him when we pass but at least we have all talked about it.
As for being alone and not picking: good luck with that. You’ll either have a bird that doesn’t want to interact with you or one that is devastated when you leave. Especially if they are used to you being there all of the time.
Your best bet would be to hook up with a rescue organization so you can meet and greet various birds and hopefully find one that fits your criteria.
After the boys move out we are considering adding a Goffin Cockatoo because my husband really, really wants one. Personally, I would rather have an aviary filled with Zebra Finches. Mainly because Goffins, too, can live forever and I don’t want to burden my kids with 2 old birds. But if we do decide to get one we have a friend hooked up with a rescue. So hopefully we can one that not only likes one of us but one that the Moluccan tolerates (he tolerated the others but just barely).
I have parakeets, both pet store and hand raised.
How bad is the dust? I have slight breathing issues and have heard that they create a dust storm every time they flap.
Tell that to the female keet that latched on to me and wouldn’t let go!:eek:
I got two of mine (different years, single bird each time) as hand raised and worked with them several hours a day, but they never really got tame. Now they live with a pet store bird in a large cage.
I’m looking for something a little more interactive.
I think your best bet is a rescue org or finding a local breeder. Hand raised birds are a lot friendlier. Rescue organizations will also be able to tell you a lot about the individual birds and let you interact with several.
Like most animals, birds have a wide range of personalities, so some of what you’re looking for isn’t necessarily a breed trait. It will vary bird to bird.
I second the recommendation for a cockatiel. They can be very playful.
I also second the caution that conures are piercingly loud.
That reminds me of the Simpsons episode where the old lady left her iguana to her equally elderly sister, who remarked, “Why didn’t she just leave me the bowel obstruction that killed her?”
The right bird for you is no bird! Seriously I am right this moment wearing earplugs because my budgies are freaking loud! Anything larger than they are is definitely going to sound like a pterodactyl.
Something you might consider is getting a nice, large cage and having a couple of finches. They’re fun to watch and aren’t super loud. Also, if you need to be away, they’ll have each other for company.
A main reason for birds with rescue groups is that they are just too loud and their owners don’t want to deal with it anymore. A lot of the parrots are shell shocked from having things thrown at their cages to get them to shut up.
Thing is, you want an interesting/interactive bird, so that’s probably something in the parrot family, really.
But you want one that won’t bite you even a little bit, that’s not something in the parrot family, unless you’d consider the Norwegian Blue. Lovely plumage.
I was just about to suggest a dove! I worked with one in the zoo education department for many years. This particular dove was originally an exhibit bird, living in a large walk-through aviary. He got sick or wounded (maybe an injury from a cagemate?) and was isolated for treatment. The zoo keepers and vet staff noticed how tractable it was, and they offered it to us in education for handling during programs, including being touched (CAREFULLY! ONE FINGER!) by visitors.
It wasn’t until I was updating the records several months later that I looked up his acquisition info. Little dove dude was 12 years old! He lived another six years in his new role, and seemed extremely content throughout.
Super chill, really friendly. I even used a clicker and tiny pieces of fruit to train some behaviours (step up, turn a circle, go into crate) fairly reliably.
Lots of places recommend keeping at least two doves, but I dunno. I feel like, if you want it to bond with you, another bird will just get in the way.
