A bird can be a wonderful pet for your family.They can fit very well into a family and your children will love playing with them. Before you get any bird you should research the breed and realize that your new pet will require care and love from your family. If you have small children that birds can not be treated with a rough hand. In this article I would like to give you some things to think about before you get your first bird as a pet.
First, before you select any bird make sure you understand the needs of that specific breed. Some require more space, some require more attention and some are just much more difficult to care for.
How to: Find Bird Information
Second, space is a very important issue. If you have limited space for an adequate size cage for your bird do not choose a large bird such as a parrot. You may want to choose a canary, finch or parakeet. You want to make sure there is enough room in the cage for your bird to get exercise.
Third, if you have chosen a bird that requires attention affection you and your family better be around for them. Some birds such as Cockatiels require human companionship. Some birds are happy to sit on their human owners shoulder all day. If you have chosen a breed that requires human attention, make sure you and your family will be there for the bird.
Fourth, most birds love to be taken out of their cage and handled by their owner. You must learn how to properly handle your bird and make sure you are not hurting the bird. Handling your bird will make for a much closer relationship with your bird.
Fifth, learn what is the proper diet for your bird. The diet of birds vary greatly by breed. You also want to learn what could be hazardous for your bird, such as house plants. With good nutrition your bird can live a long and healthy life.
Lastly, take the time and learn the steps for training your bird. A well trained bird is no different from any other pet it becomes a valuable and desirable member of your family.
Watch the video related to cockatiel
Help answer the question about cockatiel
How do I know when my cockatiel is pregnant?I have a female and male cockatiel that have just mated 2 weeks ago. But, there is no nesting box in the cage OR aviary! I have heard that cockatiels will only mate if there is a nesting box or some sort of nesting tool in their cage. Oh, and if someone can tell me what pregnant cockatiels eat, that would be FANTASTIC!
About Author
Bryan Burbank is an expert in the field of Pets. For more information go to: http://www.birdila.com
18 Responses
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PokeMann61 Says:
dude, you own! this looks identical to a photograph
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ThePimentanativa Says:
véiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii, que difuu
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pur81ple Says:
Get a very young MALE parakeet and start with just a couple words you say every time you go by the cage. Move the cage around so he is always around and NEVER swear.
We began with Pretty Baby. But when he began to talk he said Awwww Pretty Baby. We realized he would look so sweet we were saying Awww Pretty Baby. He was very tame we were a young married couple and no kids. His cage door was only closed at night. He learned to say Give me a kiss, Give me a kiss as he sat on our shoulders, we would turn our head and he would put his beak on our lower lip and make a klick sound for a kiss. BUT if we came home from shopping and forgot a treat for him he would ask for a kiss and bite a piece out of our nose or lip. We went around with parakeet bites for years. He thought he was human and went walking on the floor. Having us look for him and calling where are you baby? He would get on the floor and run from room to room Yelling Where are you Baby??? I think he ran on the floor cause he couldn't fly and talk. He loved to drink from out glasses till a party with punch when we never knew about the neighbor putting vodka in it. Frosty was taking fruit from the cups. We always had fruit punch and he enjoyed it. We didn't have a clue till he suddenly was upside down on the perch and swinging and yelling. He could have died and then the neighbor would have too. The next 2 days he sat in the bottom on his cage and hung his head. He never drank from our glasses again. He learned our babies name fast and when he was in the cage waiting for us to get up he would yell, CHRIS!!!! where are you baby? CHRIS and put his head in his bell and bang it something fierce. Chris always woke up. He road around on Chris's head from when he was 3 days old. He loved him and would say, I love you ohhh I love you to him over and over. When Chris was asleep in the daytime we would usually find Frosty sitting on Chris's butt or shoulder looking at him. Sometimes on the crib railing. Chris had no hair till he was in his 2's and there were little parakeet toenail marks across his head as Frosty had to dig in to stop. When Chris learned to walk they looked like drunken sailors going across the room Chris arms out wobbling and Frosty on his head chattering.
He learned lots of words that were said often and had noises he made for laughing it was like a squirrel chattering. He would go to the table we kept jig saw puzzles on and one was always in progress. He would spend the days we were not at home taking a piece and dragging it to the edge of the table and as it fell he would laugh and chatter. He had a toy table just for himself and we would keep changing them as he had everyone ever made for a parakeet. We would take 1/2 in a bag in the car and bring one in any time we came in with bags. He was delicate and precious and absolutely lovely. We had lived in an upstairs apartment with a long stairway down to the door. Frosty flew off our shoulders and heads as we opened that door. We were so used to him being on us we often didn't notice. I would be reading a book and an hour later he would fly off my head. So we got our own house and He was about 6 or 7 I guess. My husband went to the door to go out and get the mail. He opened the door and Frosty flew into a blizzard and of course a mostly white parakeet can't be found. We read later that his little lungs hitting that cold air he would have died in seconds.
I knew a man who had a Parrot and he tried for a couple years to get him to say words but he never said a thing I understood. But he was awfully messy and bit everyone if he got the chance. That huge beak I never went near him.
Good luck -
ryan s Says:
I'm afraid you have the wrong category. You'd probably get better answers in "Birds". Good luck.
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gatitahimeko Says:
A-W-E-S-O-M-E your works is very awesome! cool!!!! very good
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Soreanol Says:
HOLY CRAP! Comparing this to the original picture, they’re identical!
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11Alyt Says:
awesome stuff man,….ama practice hard to get to yo level!
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WilliamsShamir Says:
i use photoshop
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katrinaburgoyne Says:
Awesome work Williamsshamir
Great video.
Much love Kat -
Jamie Says:
Finches are nice, low maintnance, easy to handle (if handled when first purchased) bird.
I had one for a couple of years and then I had to give it away b/c we moved.
A bugie is a little sweeter and easier to handle though still low maintanance.
I would probably side with the bugie if you want a more friendly pet.
Have fun!
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loveitall Says:
It depends how big a "cockatiel size cage" actually is, and what the bar spacing is.
A lineolated parakeet is one good possibility. It's as small as a budgie, though, if you consider that a problem. see http://www.parrotchronicles.com/mayjune2003/lineolated.htm
Parrotlets are about the same size, but act bigger. see http://www.parrotchronicles.com/fall2001/speciesspotlight.htm
Slightly larger, I'd suggest a Pyrrhura conure such as the green-cheeked or maroon-bellied, or a poicephalus such as the Senegal, Meyers, red-bellied, etc. see:
http://zoologica.wordpress.com/2008/09/11/living-with-a-maroon-bellied-conure/
http://proaviculture.com/poicephalus.htm -
coolboiz713 Says:
awesome, keep up the good work!
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mandyliciousl Says:
Hi Mandy,
Parakeets are not known for their big talking ability so your bird may never say anything at all. I just had a budgie in rescue that said one word "Baby" and he was about 4 years old. I have another parakeet in rescue that doesnt talk at all and the one before him who was about 3 years old didnt talk either. It really is a hit and miss with keets if they will pick up any words at all and if they do it is usually 1 or 2 words. On occasion you will get a keet that may speak up to 5 to 7 words, but that is highly unusual in keets.
Right now your bird is quiet because he/she is in a new home. You are a really big predator in his/her eyes and it just takes time for your bird to adjust to his new home and his new human person. Your bird will eventualy learn that you are not a big predator and that it is okay to sing and chirp and be silly around you.
Is your bird hand tame? If so make sure you are taking him/her out of the cage at least an hour a day preferably longer and that you keep his/her wings trimmed down by a professional so that he/she will not harm themselves flying into windows or other things.
Good Luck with your new birdie
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ballsonwalls Says:
My favorites are superb starlings. Their colors are stunning. They are very smart and can eventually be tamed if they are wild. I am not sure if they can learn to talk (they will mimic sounds) but if you get one that is hand raised you can very easily train it to do lots of things. They are also pretty easy to breed. They are a softbill bird and require a different diet from a parrot for example. This can be a little messy and time consuming to care for.
Check out this website:
http://www.hoglezoo.org/animals/view.php?id=176 -
ryan s Says:
I assume you're talking about a parrotlet?
According to a survey done some time ago, about 70% of males learn to speak some words and about 20% of the females learn a word or two. It's hard to give you a number of how many words a parrotlet might learn as it depends upon the bird and upon the people it lives with. Spectacled parrotlets are said to be the best talkers of the parrotlets in general.
Parrotlet voices are very tiny, just like the bird. A parrotlet "talking" typically sounds like Minnie Mouse on helium – quiet, high robotic little voices.
Both of my parrotlets "talk". My 5-yr. old Spectacled is by far a better talker than my 1-yr. old Pacific. However the Spectacled will only talk when no one is in the same room. (Many parrotlets are said to be "closet talkers", preferring to chatter away when the room is empty, only to clam up as soon as someone enters.) My Pacific will talk to anyone who talks back to him.
All in all, don't choose a bird for its talking ability. You'll undoubtedly be disappointed. Choose a bird for its personality and how it will fit into your life and household.
If you'd like to meet other parrotlet owners and breeders you might consider joining a Yahoo Group that is dedicated to the Forpus species such as ParrotletsPlus, a group that addresses topics such as proper nutrition, housing, training, medical care, disease issues, basic genetics and the love we share for these marvelous birds.
Good luck with your bird!
Colette
ParrotletsPlus
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ParrotletsPlus/ -
MrWillewalo Says:
wich program he is for doing this ? beside a tablet ofc
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Tyler H Says:
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fishergirl Says:
Hi, I can tell you that parrots can be the best companions in the world. But, they can also be the very worst. First, as a beginner I would not suggest adopting a bird that needs rehoming. Displaced Parrots unlike your average pet such as a dog or cat need specialty care that a beginner just is not equipt to give. Most parrot rescue will not rehome their birds to beginners. Now, on to your question…
All of the birds that you mentioned are Parrots
Cockatoos—-little cuddles bugs often referred to as 'velcro birds'. Not reccommended for a person that works out of the home. They need constant attention through out the day. They are proned to fleather plucking and self mutilation if not given proper attention and/or diet. Not a good beginner bird at all because it requires an experienced person to be able to mold the behavior of this parrot and make sure that they do not develop behavior problems such as being too clingy or screaming. Go to http://www.mytoos.com to get a good description of the cockatoo. If you MUST get a cockatoo and again…i wouldn't recommend it…then go for a citron or lesser sulpher crested as they are able to entertain themselves for longer amounts of time. Depending on the species they run $800-$2000
Macaw—what kind of macaw? —-all macaws are little clowns. some more than others are capable of being very cuddly. Such as the greenwing macaw which is 2nd largest of all macaws. Is referred to as the gentle giant. But, do not be decieved…they can dominate any situation if not properly reared. Macaws are not good first birds. They are prone to behavior problems and need a skilled hand to properly raise them. Depending on the species they run $500 for a mini macaw-$15,000 for a hyacinth macaw
Cockatiel—is the bird for you
They are famous their sweet disposition and loving attitudes. They are fairly easy to take care of, love their human companions, and are able to bond to more than one family member. My cockatiels especially peachy is my very favorite parrot. She is completely tame and super sweet. She sits on my shoulder and goes everywhere with me. Even grocery shopping. She perches on my plate and shares my meals with me. She wolf whistles, blows kisses, plays dead, gives kisses, and is just the sweetest most loving bird ever. They need at least 2 hours a day to become tame and loving like this. My cockatiels have full run of my house most of them time. They run from $25-$200 depending on the color mutation you are looking for. Make sure to get a hand fed tame baby.A few other suggested birds that would fit into your life:
Sun conure $300
Jenday conure $200
Quaker!!! so cute with a BIG parrot attitude. They talk very well too.
Solomon Island Eclectus…bigger parrot yet not so demanding. Go for a male. $800
African gray timneh not to be confused with the congo..$800
Indian Ringneck
and don't forget a lovebird Here is a list of breeders in your area:
http://www.birdsnways.com/birds/brad2.htm
and here is a parrot rescue in your area…again i wouldn't suggest it for you. start with a baby and learn the ropes first. Parrots can be difficult to take care of.
http://search.petfinder.com/shelterSearch/shelterSearch.cgi?animal=&breed=&age=&size=&specialNeeds=&declawedPets=&children=&status=X&id=&internal=&contact=&name=&shelterid=GA84&sort=&preview=1Hope that helps.
MORE ADDED: I just read your profile. After doing so now more than ever I think that a cockatiel would fit perfectly into your life. They are very easy to take care of. Just feed, water, and clean their cage out daily and give them lots of cuddle time. That's it. Spend lots of time with it and it will be your friend for life. You would not be able to handle a macaw or a cockatoo. Please don't let anyone such as a pet store owner (looking to get your money and get rid of the bird) try to convince you other wise. They require much more attention than you would be able to give them. A cockatoo can destroy a wooden chair and just a few minutes. I have a greenwing macaw and literally have to chase him around the house to keep him out of stuff that he will destroy or hurt himself with. I really feel that it would not be a good experience for you at all and I hope you take this into consideration. A cockatiel will also be great around your grandkids!!! A macaw and cockatoo….might not be. You would have to keep a constant watch on them they are very mischevious and not to mention strong! Remember, a cockatoo can crack through brazillion nuts in a matter of seconds, imagine what it can do to fingers. Not pretty when bitten. A macaw can crush your hand and worse yet take it off. And eventually you will be bitten. All parrot owners are. Go with a sweet little cockatiel to fill your day with lots of fun and cuddles.