Does anyone keep birds at home?

[simontarr]

I know. But it also seems wrong that many beautiful birds die in the wild from predators and disease... whatever I end up getting, it/they will have a large cage, a well thought-out and have a good life, well-cared for.

I totally see where you're coming from. I should imagine they will think they've died and gone to heaven getting a warm house, food and water every day without actually doing anything.

I don't have a problem with other people keeping them at all- I just couldn't keep them myself because I would feel guilty!

 

[pseudobrit]

Most birds like cockatiels and parakeets can be left out to fly around your house with their wings clipped for extended periods of time. They're not the most graceful birds in the world to begin with and clipping the wings makes them work twice as hard to go half as far, but the exercise does them good and they enjoy the freedom. Of course, you'll want to not be cooking or leave the toilet lid up, etc. while they're out.

And you can leave them perched on your bed while you read a book or on your shoulder while you watch TV and they'll be quite happy.

 

[SpookTheHamster]

Most birds like cockatiels and parakeets can be left out to fly around your house with their wings clipped for extended periods of time. They're not the most graceful birds in the world to begin with and clipping the wings makes them work twice as hard to go half as far

My sister's African Grey has his wings clipped. I'm terrified of him anyway (he hates men, and has pierced my dad's ear and gouged my neck) so when he tries to fly at me the extra effort he has to put in is translated into a louder noise and more violent flapping. It's a terrible thing to see coming toward your face.

 

[Prof.]

Here's my son with his Macaw

Dayum... that Macaw is bigger than your son

My sister's African Grey has his wings clipped. I'm terrified of him anyway (he hates men, and has pierced my dad's ear and gouged my neck) so when he tries to fly at me the extra effort he has to put in is translated into a louder noise and more violent flapping. It's a terrible thing to see coming toward your face.

I know exactly what you mean.
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This isn't him but this is what my parrot looks like. His name is "Shamrock" He's a Vos Marie Eclectus Parrot.

My parrot is going thru a feather plucking stage. It would be too embarrassing to post a pic of him.

 

[pilotError]

You can leave them out, but you do have to keep an eye on them.

They are small, and they are curious little things. They will fly to the floor where you can step on them. My sister in law was in the kitchen putting away the dishes. She had the silverware drawer open and didn't notice the bird fly over and land in the drawer. Needless to say he spent a little time in there before they finally found him!

They are great little companions though, they will surf the net with you all night. They like to climb in your shirt and peek out of the collar.

The one thing about buying them in pairs is that they'll bond to the other bird and not you.

A Cockatiel is a little bigger, the cage is a little bigger, but they are very sweet birds if they haven't been abused.

A far as color, that's a personal thing. It's nice to see you doing the research and getting what you want instead of making an impulse purchase.

 

[Greenkow]

I have birds and they are totally love-heads. One cockatiel, two green cheeks and one Nanday Conure. I can't say enough about how great they are.

Yes, they can be a bit messy and noisy at times, but the same can be said for cats and dogs.

It sounds like from your info that a parakeet or a cockatiel would be a good fit. These unique creatures are just amazing with how much personality, love and affection they are willing to share with us humans.

I've never had finches but my impression is that they're not "companion" birds (i.e. they won't bond with you). If you're looking for a pet that you can bond with, try one of the other birds. Like any creature, having more than one will definitely help keep them company when you're not around, but they won't bond as closely to you because of it.

Good luck! Here's my pics -

 

[ktbubster]

Another vote for the parakeet or "budgie" I've had them since I was 7. They are great little birds. Ofcourse, they are more likely to bond to you if you just get 1. They can learn phrases and like perching on you. I let mine fly around the house occasionally too. He liked to perch in our fake tree occasionally and on the curtains.

My mom had a budgie when she was little that was best friends with their cat (oddly enough) and knew somewhere around 200+ phrases. He was a smart little guy.

Since I'm not around and we have plenty of other animals to take our time we now have 2 budgies and they are quite happy with eachother. We occasionally let them out (wings clipped to keep crazy flying at a minimum) and are quite happy hopping and flapping up on to pof things and looking around.

They do chirp a bit, but not too much, but at night we cover the cage and they go happily to sleep.

I definitely recommend the budgie. Happy cute birds and very easy to care for. Usually when we fill their dish all the way to the brim with seed, it takes them a good 2+ days to go through it all! Just make sure you keep the gravel a aplenty (birds digestive system needs it... atleast the budgies do) and fill their water fresh, and they will be content.

Our birds also like the sound of the radio or tv when we leave for extended periods too. If you only have 1, I highly suggest leaving the radio on, have it near some sort of window, throwing some fun toys and a mirror (yes... they really do enjoy the mirrors) in it's cage while you are gone and he will be pretty happy by his lonesome till you come home to talk to it.

 

[GoodWatch]

I could never keeps birds- it just seems wrong that they would never get to fly.

Dog can be taken on walks, cats can do what they want, hamsters can run around in their lil balls....but you can't exactly let your pet budgie out to stretch its wings.

But they can! We had a very tame and affectionate cockatiel that could fly around as much a he wanted because his cage was always open. And no droppings all over the place. I used to take him with me in the shower where he waited his turn on the curtain rail

 

[JNB]

i don't "keep" birds, but all the hummingbirds in the area (along with a really stupid woodpecker) like to spend most of their time in my yard.

 

[SpookTheHamster]

Our birds also like the sound of the radio or tv when we leave for extended periods too. If you only have 1, I highly suggest leaving the radio on, have it near some sort of window, throwing some fun toys and a mirror (yes... they really do enjoy the mirrors) in it's cage while you are gone and he will be pretty happy by his lonesome till you come home to talk to it.

Be careful though, we tried that with my sister's African Grey and the constant talking and noise drove the parrot crazy instead of keeping it happy and he started plucking heavily.

 

[ktbubster]

Be careful though, we tried that with my sister's African Grey and the constant talking and noise drove the parrot crazy instead of keeping it happy and he started plucking heavily.

yipes! That hasn't happened with ours yet! Perhaps if you are creative you could get a clock radio, set it on a quietish volume, and have it come on with an alarm sometime in the afternoon.... or make a bird friendly program on your mac that turns a itunes podcast on at certain times of the day hehe

 

[abijnk]

We currently have a cockatoo (Sheba) and she is the devil in avian form... I swear! She's fun to have around though, no matter how much mischief she gets into, and she's great for telling the 5 year old to shut up

A small bird, like a cockatiel (my personal favorite, I miss my little Stanley, RIP) makes a great companion pet.