# Considering a pet bird



## olafhairybreeks (Aug 13, 2013)

Hi everybody.  I'm considering getting a bird as a pet, and thought I'd pick a few brains to help decide if a bird is right for me or not. Perhaps a little about me first. I am disabled so I have limited energy and tolerance for noise. I have two cats (my parents' really!) and a little dog. If I was to get a bird it would live in my room where the cats are not allowed, but the dog is. I am looking for a pet that doesn't require a lot of attention, but isn't totally indifferent to me. I have been researching canaries, finches and budgies so far, but none really jump out at me and it's difficult to get an idea of what an animal is like without talking to people who actually keep them! I'd love to hear people's opinions and experiences of these or other birds that might be suitable for me. 
Thank-you!


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## dorrit (Sep 13, 2011)

If you have low tolerence of noise I would forget about a bird... what about reptiles or fish?


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## olafhairybreeks (Aug 13, 2013)

You may well be right! I am also looking at fish or small mammals. Reptiles don't do it for me, and having kept rats in the past I know I just couldn't feed them pinkies or anything likes that.


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## Luthien159 (Jul 18, 2013)

Have you thought of a Bearded Dragon? No noise, little expense once you get it, and you don't have to feed live food. I have had 2 beardies and both have been on freeze dried food and done quite fine. They can be very affectionate and you can take them pretty much anywhere.


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## Guest (Aug 14, 2013)

Try looking at Doves prefrebly hand reared ones, their quiet and easy to tame.

I wouldn't bother with any parakeet as many are noisey to an extent all though Budgies have very soft voices and a very hardy.

Becarefull what you choose some species are prone to Night Fright and sudden death. Its not uncommon for a domestic bird to die from stress so its very important you can buy the right sized cage for the species you get as size matters. Imagined being caged all day? It can do some species heads in especially the more intellegent species such as the African Grey which has the same intellegence as a 2 year old toddler.

Whatever you choose fully research the species and think about this carefully taking on a bird should take carefull consideration.

I would recomend a hand reared bird as their easier to bond with but otherwise more expensive. Worth it from reputable breeder.


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## Phoenix24 (Apr 6, 2013)

Depends on what you mean by noise? If you enjoy a good song, get a canary. Otherwise they are fairly quiet, their cheeps are quite soft, and they don't screech for attention. If you get a hen, you won't even have the song. And canaries, if handled from a young age, can become very friendly and form a real bond with their owner (plenty of examples on you tube!).

Avoid all parrots - they screech quite a bit especially if they are bored, lonely or unsocialised with people. Similarly the smaller finches can be fairly noisy (I know from my zebra finches - they drive me mad - I am also fairly intolerant of noises) and practically wild and untameable.

I'm assuming that you won't have issues with the husbandry side of things? Just remember larger birds (or other pets) have larger cages, and mess needs to be cleaned up.. a lot. Birds seem to be especially messy - dropping and feathers and seed chucked around everywhere! Not knowing the extent of your disability, or your support from people you live with, are you able to keep on top of the daily clean outs?

I have no idea about doves, but being as they are active birds, unless you have a large aviary it would not be fair to keep them caged indoors. Besides, you can pick up all sorts of lung problems from keeping doves (pigeon fancier's lung springs to mind).

Pity you can't get a rabbit - they can be house trained and can be almost as sociable as a dog or cat (I have friends whose indoor rabbits sit and watch tv with them). Rats are supposed to be intelligent and fun creatures to keep - and unlike hamsters they don't keep you awake all night, but are quite active during the day.

Fish are great to look at, but if you have never kept them before they can be quite hard work to begin with, and getting a good setup can cost a lot of money. Have you got the space for a decent sized aquarium, and filter? Are you willing to get it set up appropriately - ie doing a full fishless cycle before adding fish? By the way, smaller tanks with internal filters are much noisier than the large tanks with external filters. And again, as with all pets, there is all the extra cleaning up...

Sigh. I lose a whole day each weekend just cleaning out animals, and hoovering up after them too.

Anyway, I would go for a canary if you are sure it would be safe from cats. My second choice would probably be a rat or two (they like company).


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## GeoffLondon (Feb 17, 2010)

Phoenix24 said:


> Depends on what you mean by noise? If you enjoy a good song, get a canary. Otherwise they are fairly quiet, their cheeps are quite soft, and they don't screech for attention. If you get a hen, you won't even have the song. And canaries, if handled from a young age, can become very friendly and form a real bond with their owner (plenty of examples on you tube!).
> 
> Avoid all parrots - they screech quite a bit especially if they are bored, lonely or unsocialised with people. Similarly the smaller finches can be fairly noisy (I know from my zebra finches - they drive me mad - I am also fairly intolerant of noises) and practically wild and untameable.
> 
> ...


I agree with Phoenix that a canary sounds suitable. My zebs and other finches make A LOT of noise. They're also prone to getting night fright with used to scare the hell out of me at 3am when they were kept in my bedroom as a child. Also, canaries are perfectly happy being kept on their own, where as I've always felt budgies need a companion. I know _WE_ can be their companion, but mine are always so much happier to have a mate to preen and chortle with.


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## olafhairybreeks (Aug 13, 2013)

Thanks for the advice everyone.  It's great to get the opinions of people ini the know. I'll have to do a lot more research before I make any decisions though. Phoenix - I actually kept rats for 15 years! I don't keep them any more as I didn't have the energy to look after dog and rats properly, so when my last doe died I didn't get any more. They're great pets, but at the moment I'm not able to give them what they need.


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## Guest (Aug 15, 2013)

olafhairybreeks said:


> Thanks for the advice everyone.  It's great to get the opinions of people ini the know. I'll have to do a lot more research before I make any decisions though. Phoenix - I actually kept rats for 15 years! I don't keep them any more as I didn't have the energy to look after dog and rats properly, so when my last doe died I didn't get any more. They're great pets, but at the moment I'm not able to give them what they need.


I'm worried that if you could not cope with your rats how you would cope with a bird?

Have you considered a hamster? Very affordable, noise free and very easy to maintain.

Hamster make far better pets then any bird or reptile. You can get long or short haired ones, Syrians MUST be kept on their own their are completely solitary animals but like human company.

Very hard and can live up to five years possibly more sometimes. If you buy an 84 ltr storage box it will cost you £20 from Ebay and completely escape proof (as long you close the lide) safe from cats because you can clip the lid on. a jigsaw cutter costs around £20 so a homemade cage is very cheap to make you will save around £20 and give the hamster that much more space for less.

They are very easy to tame but can deliver a nasty bite and completely quiet as long you don't provide them with heavy toys. They are great for someone with low energy as cage cleaning is very easy and quick .

Birds can be demanding and messy.


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## Phoenix24 (Apr 6, 2013)

So long as you don't keep a hamster anywhere near anywhere where people sleep! Though i'm not sure its fair to wake the hamster up either. I used to keep hamsters - I had them for over 10 years myself and bred them. I think about 3 of them were of the disposition and tameness to really, really enjoy as pets - the rest... well... I recall one in particular that was a right little beggar, lol. None beat my first one though - I got her at 6 months old and she was pretty fierce to begin with. By the time she died I could take a nap and she would nap with me. 

I would still go with canary. Much much more interactive than a hamster, and even a bite from one is nothing compared to a hamster bite. Birds don't smell as strongly either (their droppings compared to hamster's very strong wee) - but if you had rats then that's probably not a worry!


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## Guest (Aug 15, 2013)

Phoenix24 said:


> So long as you don't keep a hamster anywhere near anywhere where people sleep! Though i'm not sure its fair to wake the hamster up either. I used to keep hamsters - I had them for over 10 years myself and bred them. I think about 3 of them were of the disposition and tameness to really, really enjoy as pets - the rest... well... I recall one in particular that was a right little beggar, lol. None beat my first one though - I got her at 6 months old and she was pretty fierce to begin with. By the time she died I could take a nap and she would nap with me.
> 
> I would still go with canary. Much much more interactive than a hamster, and even a bite from one is nothing compared to a hamster bite. Birds don't smell as strongly either (their droppings compared to hamster's very strong wee) - but if you had rats then that's probably not a worry!


They are not too much trouble I would say a hamster is more interesting then a canery you just have to respect when they have just woken up but I find my hamster wakes when I go near her cage and will get out of bed to say hello.

They would need 2 cleans and plus 1 serious clean every week to keep them smell free.

If they have a dust bath they tend to smell less.

Avoid heavy toys as they can make racket but otherwise as long they have lots of tubes and a wheel they are quite happy. They do enjoy being cundled but just like with any bird on their terms their just more likely to tame more easily.


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## olafhairybreeks (Aug 13, 2013)

Prowl said:


> I'm worried that if you could not cope with your rats how you would cope with a bird?


That's why I'm asking.  I'd hate to get an animal and then find I'm not able to look after it properly, it wouldn't be fair. I have no experience with birds apart from chickens, so this is totally unknown territory for me! If anyone's reading this and thinks I'm absolutely crazy for considering a pet bird, do say so! It's much better that I find out in the early stages of research. I may also look into gerbils. I've had them before and find them more interesting than hamsters. I always expect them to act like rats and then get confused when they don't! Maybe it's because they're more similar in shape to rats than gerbils are. It's also entirely possible that I won't get any more animals at all, but I like to keep options open. Plus research is fun!


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## Luthien159 (Jul 18, 2013)

Prowl said:


> Try looking at Doves prefrebly hand reared ones, their quiet and easy to tame..


Correction here, yes Doves are noisy. I breed Ring Neck Turtle Doves and trust me if you have a dove they do coo/laugh a lot during the day. It's not annoying though some people even find it peaceful. Just a warning though they do make sound.

They are very easy to tame though and will go with you anywhere! You can train them to do different things and give them toys to play with. They love their people!!


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## Guest (Aug 17, 2013)

Luthien159 said:


> Correction here, yes Doves are noisy. I breed Ring Neck Turtle Doves and trust me if you have a dove they do coo/laugh a lot during the day. It's not annoying though some people even find it peaceful. Just a warning though they do make sound.
> 
> They are very easy to tame though and will go with you anywhere! You can train them to do different things and give them toys to play with. They love their people!!


Perhaps I should have said relatively quiet ^^


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## Phoenix24 (Apr 6, 2013)

I think compared to parrots doves are quieter and have a more pleasant voice  How about quail - what are they like on the noise-scale?


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## Guest (Aug 18, 2013)

Phoenix24 said:


> I think compared to parrots doves are quieter and have a more pleasant voice  How about quail - what are they like on the noise-scale?


To keep Quail you will need an aviary and provide lots of hidding places for them. As long as you don't get boys they are pretty silent. If you buy Japenese Quail which are fairly hardy and bomb proof the hens will lay you lots of little speckled eggs like the ones you get in the supermarket.

They can live in an aviary outside it doesn't have to be large but the bigger the better for the sake of the animals welfare. They can be flighty when frightened especially the Chinese ones which are smaller and like ping pong balls with feathers!! Japenese Quail can hurt themselves if they don't have the head space when they head up as can other species of Quail. All birds require gritt as they don't have teeth :>

Their are some other species you can get. Their is a good book which I highly recomend called The Encyclopedia of Cage And Aviary Birds its got very good advice information on all the species you can get including the ones you mentioned.


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## Luthien159 (Jul 18, 2013)

Phoenix24 said:


> I think compared to parrots doves are quieter and have a more pleasant voice  How about quail - what are they like on the noise-scale?


Oh this is so true, like I said I breed doves but I also have a Scarlet Macaw and doves are quiet compared to him!!


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