Bird Advice Needed

[O'Man]

My daughter wants a pet bird. I know who, me, will likely become the long term caretaker of this critter. I am prepared to build a very large cage for it, and to do what I have to do, but I am clueless about what kind of bird to get her. I would be grateful for suggestions.

Thanks,
Brian

[pnosko]

I'm not sure if you're considering a low-end ($$$) bird or a more expensive, say, parrot. I had a mexican double-yellowhead for about 5 years, and I can tell you that parrots are no easy pet to care for. They demand a LOT of attention and often develop self-destructive "psychological" problems if not given the necessary attention. I regretfully sold mine back to the lady that I bough it from (she had an aviary) because I could no longer give it the attention it needed.

You don't say how old your daughter is. For pre-teen, I'd suggest a hand-raised cockatiel before trying anything more expensive/advanced to gauge her (and your) commitment. I started with a breeding pair of grey cockatiels and young hand-raised cockatiels are truly special birds.

Don't buy from a LPS. Find a reputable person that raises them. Visit their "operation" and make sure nothing looks neglected.

And if you're going to let a bird spend time out of a cage, watch out for ceiling fans and don't let them out of your sight for a minute.

[dc]

I agree, a cockatiel is a great bird for a kid, or a parakeet. If she is very small, she will probably like a parakeet as they are so colorful. I don't agree with the pet store thing tho. I have 3 cockatiels, all came from a LPS! Oh yea if you let it come out clip those wings. and don't get 2.

[KooDeep]

I really don't know much about birds, but my LFS sells exotic birds as well and I always take a look. Out of all of them, the sun conures always manage to capture my attention. They are pricey, but they seem very nice, are really inquisitive, and, not to mention, extremely attractive. Like I said, I've never kept a bird but if I were to try I'd give conures a whirl.

[pnosko]

To expand on dc's comments (and ethics aside);

One is better than two if you want the bird to "bond" with a human.

And "clipping wings" has a permanent harsh sound to it. This practice involves cutting away most of the inner flight feathers; it is slightly noticable in appearance, but not painful nor permanent. These feathers are shed and regrown at least annually, so you have to do upkeep. You want to leave enough there so that the bird can fly a short distance (to escape danger) but not enough so that it can gain enough lift to fly far away.

As far as using a LPS, be very observant and look hard for neglect. Birds tend to get abused (by customers and staff alike) compared to a home breeder. I'm not writing them all off, but the odds on it being a good source are probably about the same as with LFS.

[Fishwife]

I agree with the Cockatiel idea. They are very pretty birds, bright, personable, and not terribly expensive. The mess is less than with a larger parrot, too. I have a male who is quite vocal. Sings, chirps, calls out on and off during the day. Sometimes it sounds like we're in the middle of the jungle. I also have a female Cape Parrot. She takes much more effort but is worth every second of it.

'Tiels aren't overly demanding though they do love attention and, if they have been well socialized (good reason for finding a good breeder) they can be great little companion birds. They can live to be 15-20 years old so they are a long-term commitment.

I would look for a breeder. I bought mine from a bird specialty store and, though I love him dearly, it was a mistake. He had been cage bound for months and is very hand shy. He is happy and loves to be near us but we can't pick him up. I would get a copy of Bird Talk magazine or check Birds N Ways and Cockatiels A to Z for breeders in your area. Check them out. Make sure cages are clean and they don't have 50 'tiels stuffed in a cage. Ask for a health guarantee and locate an avian vet in your area. There's lots of good info on the web just do a search for cockatiels or parrots.

Somebody was writing about Sun Conures. Very pretty birds but known to be the noisiest of the Conures which are quite noisy anyway. Budgies (parakeets) are cute but Cockatiels seem more like a real parrot IMO.

Birds are a lot of fun - enjoy!

Laurie

[Nanoreefer]

I must agree with all of the above advice. I am an experienced Amazon Parrot owner of 6 years. My bird is very happily spoiled. He gets lots of attention.

A couple of points to consider:

Size of cage - My birds cage is only for holding food and for protection when we are not home or at night to sleep. For a very happy bird let him out when ever you are home and he will be a part of the family. I would not go out a spend a lot of money on a cage unless you get a very large bird. I am very glad I did not spend as much money on my bird's cage as I did my bird.

Type of bird - All the comments above about birds above are accurate. Remember any parrot can live 30-60 years in captivity, while cockatiels I believe have a shorter life span. And cockatiels can have as much of a personality as a parrot.

Conures - Are very loud!

Safty - Clip the wings, it is nothing but a hair cut for birds.

Remember!!! - Avocados, chocolate, and non-stick pans are TOXIC to birds.

Good luck

Hope this helps.

Fred.

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[Fishwife]

I agree, too, with leaving the birds out of the cage when you are home. First thing we do in the morning is open the cage doors. The birds climb out and on top of their cages, doing their morning hollering and playing and are ready to have fun for the rest of the day. We have our cockatiel's cage on a room divider counter and he has a play stand right next to the door of his cage. He is in and out all day, goes in to eat and drink, back out to fight with his mirror (attached to the inside of his cage door which is held open by manzanita branch on play stand. He basically does whatever he wants unless we have to go out.

The Cape parrot has a play stand on the kitchen table (we don't cook with Teflon at all) and she climbs up and looks out the window, plays with her toys, and just has a jolly old time. She also likes to help us feed the fish.

They get very indignant if we are going out and have to put them in their cages. And the greeting we get when we come home - whew! But they are very ready at bedtime to go in and rest on their perches. The Cape stretches for her cage when we are walking to it. Even if the door is left open she stays on her swing and tries to sleep. After we say "nite-nite" and cover them we don't hear another sound until we take the covers off in the morning.

Birds are great!

[pnosko]

I agree, too, with leaving the birds out of the cage when you are home.

I have a good story about this... later tonight when I have more time. ;)

[ranaman]

I would say cockateil, or budgie. Remember one of your best bets is a shop that is a bird specialist. Mass market shops have aviary raised birds. These parent raised 'teils and keets are cheap but are alot more flighty. Many bird shops will be hand feeding the birds in the shop and many shops will hold the baby untill it is ready to go home.
Conures IMHO are biological alarm clocks, you will never worry about being woke up at day break if you keep them. We had a colony of sun conures at work untill they were stolen. Yes the birds have a nice personality, are pretty, and can learn to talk. I always refered to them as squeaky birds.

[O'Man]

Thanks to all of you for your comments. I have been doing lots of i-net reading. My daughter is only 7, so I know if we do this, it all ultimately falls on me, and I am prepared to invest the time. Though, my wife and I are leaning toward chickens :) , the kid ain't buying it.

I want her to learn responsibility; though a pet like this will take significant adult involvement and supervision. She has been wonderful with feeding the dog, and giving him his pills, he has epilepsy, so it is important. She has to earn this pet, and I never thought she would be able to keep her room clean, but she is scaring me because she is calling my bluff and actually doing it-- but she has another month to go....

I always wanted one of those African Grays, but a parrot is out of the question.

My only experience with a bird was bird-sitting a dove for 8 months while my in-laws relocated. The dove was a rescued white dove that someone released a a wedding. They still have it.

Out of these suggestions, which bird is the most gentle? What about Lovebirds?

We have a good LPS where I know the guy from 13 years of reefkeeping. I cannot help but test him for fun, but he comes through with good answers.

[dc]

Lovebirds are the meanest small bird I've ever seen. If she is 7 I would start with either, let her pick. Cockatiels are quite a bit more expensive tho. Could start with a parakeet and work her up to a tiel. We went through lots when my daughter was little. finches are fun, you just don't interact with them. I prefer cockatiels myself.

[pnosko]

Originally posted by O'Man
I always wanted one of those African Grays, but a parrot is out of the question.
I considered one, but the Mexican Double-Yellowhead edged it out as a slightly better talker (per the breeder I bought from). We had friends buy one after they saw our bird. I'd rate the 2YH, Yellow-Nape and African Grey tops in speaking ability.

Out of these suggestions, which bird is the most gentle? What about Lovebirds?
I still favor the Cockatiel for your situation. They can inflict a nasty bite (I once grabbed my wild hen when I mistook her for a growing chick), but if it was hand-fed, I wouldn't worry.

Lovebirds-- I actually forget that these were my first bird. They are adorable. DON'T. Their shriek will seek-out your spinal chord and destroy your central nervous system.

Do me ONE BIG FAVOR should you decide to go with a talking parrot. Please do not teach it to say "Polly want a cracker." To this day, parrots are falsely stereotyped on TV. The parrots I mentioned above are considered to have the intelligence of very young humans (well beyond infants). Their association skills are so sharp that it is hard to not consider them part of the human family.

[dc]

Shut up is another word you don't want to hear over and over!:D My kids friends always wanted Oscar(Macaw) to say Polly want a cracker.:rolleyes: I always threatened to let him out and bite them if they did. Now there is real pain!!!
http://images.fotki.com/v3/photos/2/28482/82474/oscar2resized-vi.jpg?1014905873

[pnosko]

Originally posted by pnosko
I have a good story about this... later tonight when I have more time. ;)
At about the 3-4 year point of having our 2YH (we got it when it was about 6 mos old), my ex (then-wife) was out of town, and I had a friend and his family (with 3 young boys) over, working an a raft for a local river race. My friend and I had to run to Lowes to pick up some lumber, and I completely forgot that our parrot was out of the cage (I usually left it out on a stand, and the wings were not clipped). When we got back, I immediately knew something had happened by the looks on the faces of my friend's wife and kids. Apparently, they were running in and out of the house, and the parrot flew out the door at one point. I had actually had the parrot outside (BTW, I never named it because if you call a parrot by name, it will likely repeat it back to you) on occasions, and it flew off my shoulder a few times but just circled and came back. But I guess he didn't know anyone around and just kept on flying into the woods along the back on the subdivision where I lived. We all immediately started a frantic search, covering the area towards a zoo for about 4-5 hours until dark. I was in tears. We then visited every pet store in the area and asked the staff to keep watch out for "newbies looking for parrot supplies" and offered a reward. That night was one of the longest nights of my life. I called my ex and told her, and she took it very hard too. The next day, I got a call from the closest pet shop with clues. Someone had come in looking for food for a parrot and they seemed clueless. They only clue they left was the name of their subdivision, which I had never heard of. Checking a map, I found it was a single "U" shaped street on the other side of the woods, about 2-3 miles away. My friend started at one end and I at the other. The first house he checked had someone tell him "the people next door found one." He came back to get me, and I knocked on the door. An elderly lady and her twenty-something son lived there. At first they denied finding one, but I mentioned that their neighbor said they did, and I also told him that it was a crime if he did find mine and didn't return it. The police told me there was actually a law for "theft of lost property" so I wasn't bluffing. He let me in and I saw my parrot in a tiny finch cage. His mom told me she was gardening in the yard on her hands and knees and all of a sudden the parrot landed on her shoulder. I told him I had offered a $50 reward (he was very unfriendly, and this helped). I had actually offered $100 at the pet stores, but decided the lady at the store that called me deserved some too. I'm glad he was ignorant of parrots because when I reached in the cage, my parrot growled at me like he didn't even know me. But he stepped onto my hand and I left as quickly as I could (he got the $50).
This was a real wake-up call. I did trim a number of flight feathers after this incident. I was extremely lucky to have gotten our bird back.

[Fishwife]

Wow Pete you were lucky! My cockatiel can fly but our little Cape pretty much drops like a stone. :D She thinks she can fly though and is always trying. She is a very heavy bodied bird and even a moderate wing clips keeps her pretty earthbound. The cockatiel's wings are way clipped and he can still fly all around the house. We have been very careful about closing doors but accidents can happen.

Glad you got him back.

Laurie