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Pet birds
- Thread starter Cooky
- Start date
dybmh
דניאל יוסף בן מאיר הירש
Yes, I have experience with birds as pets.
Cockatiels are probably the best option. But they are messy. They tend to be affectionate with 1 person in the house usually the primary care giver. This can be frustrating for a child though, because, if they are not cleaning the cage and interacting with bird as much as the adults in the house, then the bird ends up bonding with the adult and not the child.
But they are fun. We allowed ours to run around the house out of their cages. We taught ours to play fetch... and they will mimic sounds and words, which is fun. They also love scritches behind their neck. They can be a very fun pet. But, they are escape artists, so be prepared for the heartache of losing the pet if it is allowed freedom outside its cage.
Cockatiels are probably the best option. But they are messy. They tend to be affectionate with 1 person in the house usually the primary care giver. This can be frustrating for a child though, because, if they are not cleaning the cage and interacting with bird as much as the adults in the house, then the bird ends up bonding with the adult and not the child.
But they are fun. We allowed ours to run around the house out of their cages. We taught ours to play fetch... and they will mimic sounds and words, which is fun. They also love scritches behind their neck. They can be a very fun pet. But, they are escape artists, so be prepared for the heartache of losing the pet if it is allowed freedom outside its cage.
Many years ago we had an employee who kept an injured kestrel. He had an estate car, the bird lived happily in the back.
Was a great deterrent against car theives.
We have not kept birds. Not a good idea if you have cats. But here is an alternative... We have a couple of bird feeders that attract several species of wild bird from sparrows, siskins, blue and great tits, robins etc.
Was a great deterrent against car theives.
We have not kept birds. Not a good idea if you have cats. But here is an alternative... We have a couple of bird feeders that attract several species of wild bird from sparrows, siskins, blue and great tits, robins etc.
dybmh
דניאל יוסף בן מאיר הירש
All of our birds bonded with the ladies of the house... Not sure why, but thought I'd mention it since you seem to be outnumbered, bro
PureX
Veteran Member
My mom had a pet canary when I was a kid. He lived quite a long time in a cage by the front window. Was a bit of work, though, as the cage had to be cleaned regularly, and of course it had to be fed and watered daily. And your daughter won't be able to physically handle a bird, as birds don't make that kind of pet. Maybe try a hamster. We kids had hamsters growing up.
I think it's fair to warn you that your daughter may become quickly bored with a bird for a pet. The interaction is much different than with that of a puppy or kitty. My mother had a cockatiel and a canary, and for me, I had as much fun with these birds as I did with our tropical fish.
If you're dead set on a bird, perhaps an emu?
Emus as Pets? Words of Caution for Beginners Who Really Want One
If you're dead set on a bird, perhaps an emu?
Emus as Pets? Words of Caution for Beginners Who Really Want One
sooda
Veteran Member
They are beautiful.
We have a parrotlet. He's the size of a parakeet, but he's smarter - as smart as his normal sized parrot relatives. He talks, does a bunch of tricks, and has a person-sized personality. We've had him for almost 6 years now, and everyday he still astounds us with how much personality and intelligence he has.
But he does need attention - every day.
But he does need attention - every day.
Cooky
Veteran Member
Thank you.
Cooky
Veteran Member
She'd love that. She actually caught one at Knotts Berry Farm last year outside the gates. She carried it around for like 5 minutes until we made her put it down.
...But we don't have a backyard.
If you really loved her you'd move to a house in the country...But we don't have a backyard.
Tom
Whatever you end up deciding, please do the due diligence. Bird training is nothing like dog or cat training. Negative reinforcement doesn't work at all, so scolding birds will just reinforce bad behavior.
They also aren't seen by most normal vets so you'll need to make sure you know where to get proper care.
Parrots are loud. They just are. No amount of training will change it. Listen to videos of parrots screaming, because you'll have that. Even cockatiels and budgies can be extraordinarily loud. So be prepared for that.
If you're looking for something a little different consider doves. They're not as smart as parrots but also won't get into as much trouble and rarely bite (and couldn't hurt you even if they did), are easy to train since they're food motivated and less stubborn, and get along with more people better on average than parrots, who tend to only like a couple people.
You can even adopt pigeons, who are the only truly domesticated perching bird, and have been loving pets since the middle ages.
You can even train them to send messages much like Hedwig.
They also aren't seen by most normal vets so you'll need to make sure you know where to get proper care.
Parrots are loud. They just are. No amount of training will change it. Listen to videos of parrots screaming, because you'll have that. Even cockatiels and budgies can be extraordinarily loud. So be prepared for that.
If you're looking for something a little different consider doves. They're not as smart as parrots but also won't get into as much trouble and rarely bite (and couldn't hurt you even if they did), are easy to train since they're food motivated and less stubborn, and get along with more people better on average than parrots, who tend to only like a couple people.
You can even adopt pigeons, who are the only truly domesticated perching bird, and have been loving pets since the middle ages.
You can even train them to send messages much like Hedwig.
Cooky
Veteran Member
Yeah, we actually have wild parrots here in So Cal. They are very loud, especially in flocks.
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At least we don't live in Australia where you could wake up to a flock of gala cockatoos *and* a flock of kookuberra.
Total thumbs up on the training. You have to use +R training, but you'll be in good company, dolphin trainers also use +R.
As for noise, that's another reason we got a parrotlet. He is occasionally noisy, but it's rare, and when he is, he's too small to create the same volume a full sized parrot can.
I've heard good things about conures, but it's all second hand.
(BTW, we also train our horses using our own special blend of +R and motivation theory, no bits or whips for us.)
My friend has a sun conure who is...Total thumbs up on the training. You have to use +R training, but you'll be in good company, dolphin trainers also use +R.
As for noise, that's another reason we got a parrotlet. He is occasionally noisy, but it's rare, and when he is, he's too small to create the same volume a full sized parrot can.
I've heard good things about conures, but it's all second hand.
(BTW, we also train our horses using our own special blend of +R and motivation theory, no bits or whips for us.)
Well, if he's out he will try and attack your face and draw blood.
Conures are complicated, and a lot of people have a honeymoon phase where they're young and sweet. But then they go through puberty and hormonal behavior owners see as being affectionate is actually mating behavior. Once you teach then you are their mate, they get insanely jealous, high stress and aggressive. And it's very hard to teach out of once it's taught. So far I've never met a conure over the age of five who can be handled by anyone outside family.
Which is not to say they can't be good pets, just that they should def not be an impulse buy.
As an aside, I grew up with arabs and quarter arab crosses an we didn't use bits or whips either. We did a desensitization positive reinforcement style training where they were slowly introduced to lots of object andsitiations then praised for not reacting with fear.
Okay, strike conures from the list - good to know!