* Pet Bird Chat * NEW

[FloatiBubble]

Hello bird chat! My family wants to get a pet soon, but my parents dislike many small animals and reptiles, and pet fees make us hesitant to pick a cat or dog.
Are there any birds I should research, or do you think birds are a bad idea for first time owners? I've read that a handful of finches would be comparatively quiet and easy, but I want to make sure that I don't choose a bird that needs hours of interaction that I can't give.

I suggest finches or canaries! Parrots are tough to own, even the smallest ones like Budgies. Finches and Canaries are not only colorful, but they are quiet and make very pretty sounds! They do best in flocks because usually they are not handled, and are just for show. It is highly recommended to not clip their wings because they have soft bills and cannot grab on to the side of the cage in order to climb up or down like a parrot can. They need their wings to move.

They need a large cage and a seed and veggie diet, as well as ample sunlight and many perches. They do not play with toys, so you will need to fill the cage with plastic or wooden leaves, branches, "bushes" and what not so they feel safe, but also have lots to do!

Parakeets. I JUST convinced my mom to let me get a few!!! YAY! I looked up if it's ok to have 3, and they were originally in flocks, so its fine! I do need some tips though, because you cant find everything online lol.

Parakeets do do well in flocks, but I suggest only getting 2 to start out with, or maybe even one if you plan to play with it a lot. Parrots are a lot to juggle and that's why you see a lot for rehoming. They need a good pelleted diet and fresh fruits and veggies every day. They will need at least an hour out of cage every day each, and more if you can give it! They will need a very large cage, the largest you could possibly afford is what is recommended.
They will need lots of different sized perches and many foraging toys to keep their minds occupied. They are much more work than a dog or a cat so make sure you know that! Dogs and Cats do not NEED human interaction like a parrot does, and it is quite an adjustment. Getting 3 will be a huge change in your family, and trust me, they can be LOUD.
They need lots of enrichment and time from you, which may be hard at first, but it will be worth it once they are trained and tamed and love you! It is best to keep their wings unclipped so they can live a full and happy life, and also free from most danger, just make sure to keep them in a secure room away from any door to the outside(:

Does anybody know if I should get them from petsmart, pet co, or a different store? We probably dont want to get them off craigslist, unless they are babies.

Definitely get them from a local rescue! There are thousands of homeless parrots everywhere and I can assure you that you can find a parrot rescue near you with some budgies! Petsmart, petco, and petland all have a "puppymill" effect for their birds as well. They are likely sick, injured, or inbred and it will cost you a lot down the road to get them to a vet and get them taken care of. Petco, Petsmart, and Petland are all unreliable and you should never purchase an animal from them because they keep them in terrible conditions much like puppymills for birds. Craigslist is honestly a better choice for a bird than any of those stores, and even if they are not babies you can train them and they will still love you the same! The world is too full of parrots, older ones need homes too!(:

Thank you SO much for the advice! I didnt think about that! And dont worry, I love adopting older animals that need homes, but since it's my first pet bird I want a younger one so that I get the basics of training them.

[cat;;]

My Sun Conure is molting, and his new feathers are coming in in those annoying spikes. Its making him moody and uncomfortable - I would be too. I bath him in luke-warm water every day to try and soften the spikes, is there anything else I can do to make him more comfortable?

Unfortunately, there's not much else to do. Eventually the "spikes" will soften so you can lightly pinch them and it won't hurt your bird at all, then they will fall off to reveal new feathers!

[moth·]

@ ℓιттℓє gαмєѕ :
thats nice with the macaw, how tame are they; Do you do tricks with them?
i did hear that they can become extrem tame and follow there owner...how are yours? ^^
where do you keep them? large outside or inside aviary? and where did you got the aviary :?:
Do you have pictures of them?

( last time i did see a video with a sort of harness where the birds could fly around in near freedom and where trained to come back to the owner some of them even could go fly after some years training without the harness and did come back after the call of the owner and walked around with them on the shoulder (one with one without harness thing)...but i think only macaw seem to get so tame. they had so much fun.

i did want a pair of Golden-collared macaw...but till the new aviary stands it will not happen...and then they need to like my greys.
and i love hyacinth...but way to expensive when buying and keeping for me for now...maybe in the future when i have more money, place and larger aviary^^)

---> but one thing you maybe should be very careful with...cockatiel to parrots...they can be carriers with an infect or what ever, that they do not show but with this can make a parrot sick ... i only read of it some time back when my mother asked if i would not put my bird together with a pair of them...

thats not the site i read it, but i dont find it in the moment, but this has also some info about what to watch out with new birds, like cockatiels, lovebirds and parakeets, and some other...that you want to bring together with parrots...
https://www.beautyofbirds.com/psittacosis.html
https://www.beautyofbirds.com/cockatieldiseases.html

i hope your new bird is fully tested for anything possible...and is healthy, not that the macaw when they are healthy get sick, it must not happen, some never had a Problem with one of this birds and there parrots, but to be careful with a new pet is bether^^

Sorry I didn't see this - whoops. Any ways.

There actually really good. The macaw is moody so it varys. For the most part he's good. My other macaw is the same-moody. Any ways thanks for the links. I didn't get my cockatiel but my birds have been test. I ended up getting a Opaline Green Quaker who is a sweet heart. He loves every body, it's amazing since he's trained to not go to the bathroom unless he's on a paper towel or in his cage.

For my macaws they can speak and know some tricks.
My hanhs macaw can play peek-a-boo, he likes hide and go seek and showing off the my other two birds when he's the only one out.
My blue and green wing macaw can have conversations, laugh, attempt to sing with sounds like a screaming goat and play games, peek-a-boo, hide and seek, tag. All those simpler games.
And my quaker is a baby only about six months.

I keep my quaker in a medium sized cage, like a few conures would go in. My hanhs macaw in a cage wider and taller then my quakers cage, I am slightly taller. And for my last bird is in a giant cage. I can get pictures soon c:


--- There is some sad news.
So my largest macaw might have to go since I'm busy at work. He does have conversations that aren't understandable always but he know what might happen. I've had him for almost three years.

[~Totally Insane~]

My Sun Conure is molting, and his new feathers are coming in in those annoying spikes. Its making him moody and uncomfortable - I would be too. I bath him in luke-warm water every day to try and soften the spikes, is there anything else I can do to make him more comfortable?

Unfortunately, there's not much else to do. Eventually the "spikes" will soften so you can lightly pinch them and it won't hurt your bird at all, then they will fall off to reveal new feathers!

Okay thanks

[tissue paper.]

Username: tissue paper. (call me tissue)
How many birds do you own? ( if applicable ): I own 2 babes <3
How long have you had them?: Meh, a couple months (im not new to birds though, always loved them, had a conure in my past, and 3 parakeets) I also attempted to nurse a sick pigeon back to health, my mom seen him on the road while she was driving, she picked him up and took him home, and we tried to feed him wild bird seeds and clean water. we were about to call the vets, but he died a couple hours later. Atleast we tried c: (I cried for a bit) I also had button quail, but I think they weren't button quail because they didn't look like them.. They sadly died though, but they were super cute and I loved cuddling them.. rip Fatty, Victoria, and err, I forgot the other names.. RIP BABIES!)
What brings you to the bird chat?: Simple. I love birds, there so amazing and stunning. I love them so much. I have an obsession over them, heh.. I want to work with birds sometime soon, or perhaps be a vet, specialising in aviary.

I have a rare crimson bellied conure, his name is Grim (currently beside me on my bed, biting things and being an adorable pest)
I also have an african gray, his name is Zues. He's a couple months younger then grim, we believe, but were still questioning his gender.

I don't know how to upload pics, sorry. There still babies, grim almost has all his red feather grown in ahh my babies growing up! <33

[.:FarmGirlAtHeart:.]

Username: tissue paper. (call me tissue)
How many birds do you own? ( if applicable ): I own 2 babes <3
How long have you had them?: Meh, a couple months (im not new to birds though, always loved them, had a conure in my past, and 3 parakeets) I also attempted to nurse a sick pigeon back to health, my mom seen him on the road while she was driving, she picked him up and took him home, and we tried to feed him wild bird seeds and clean water. we were about to call the vets, but he died a couple hours later. Atleast we tried c: (I cried for a bit) I also had button quail, but I think they weren't button quail because they didn't look like them.. They sadly died though, but they were super cute and I loved cuddling them.. rip Fatty, Victoria, and err, I forgot the other names.. RIP BABIES!)
What brings you to the bird chat?: Simple. I love birds, there so amazing and stunning. I love them so much. I have an obsession over them, heh.. I want to work with birds sometime soon, or perhaps be a vet, specialising in aviary.

I have a rare crimson bellied conure, his name is Grim (currently beside me on my bed, biting things and being an adorable pest)
I also have an african gray, his name is Zues. He's a couple months younger then grim, we believe, but were still questioning his gender.

I don't know how to upload pics, sorry. There still babies, grim almost has all his red feather grown in ahh my babies growing up! <33

I would live to see pictures of your buttons. I own 4 and am getting 2 more in the next week.

[tissue paper.]

Username: tissue paper. (call me tissue)
How many birds do you own? ( if applicable ): I own 2 babes <3
How long have you had them?: Meh, a couple months (im not new to birds though, always loved them, had a conure in my past, and 3 parakeets) I also attempted to nurse a sick pigeon back to health, my mom seen him on the road while she was driving, she picked him up and took him home, and we tried to feed him wild bird seeds and clean water. we were about to call the vets, but he died a couple hours later. Atleast we tried c: (I cried for a bit) I also had button quail, but I think they weren't button quail because they didn't look like them.. They sadly died though, but they were super cute and I loved cuddling them.. rip Fatty, Victoria, and err, I forgot the other names.. RIP BABIES!)
What brings you to the bird chat?: Simple. I love birds, there so amazing and stunning. I love them so much. I have an obsession over them, heh.. I want to work with birds sometime soon, or perhaps be a vet, specialising in aviary.

I have a rare crimson bellied conure, his name is Grim (currently beside me on my bed, biting things and being an adorable pest)
I also have an african gray, his name is Zues. He's a couple months younger then grim, we believe, but were still questioning his gender.

I don't know how to upload pics, sorry. There still babies, grim almost has all his red feather grown in ahh my babies growing up! <33

I would live to see pictures of your buttons. I own 4 and am getting 2 more in the next week.

I didn't have a phone/camera at the time, I have no pics of them, but they were small and cuddly. I hope you have fun with your new ones

[Ranger of the North]

Username:
Ranger of the North

How many birds I own:
Four. A budgie hen named Summer, a Rosa Bourke hen named Berk, a Rosa Bourke cock named Berzerk, and a rock pigeon cock (I think) named D'Artagnan

How long I've had them for:
I've had birds for over two years, but we've had the doves for waaaay longer than that XD

What brings you to the bird chat?:
Scrolling through the animal chat threads

Photos:


Berk ^^


Berzerk ^^



Summer ^^


Berzerk gone fluffy ^^


My three parrots <3 ^^


Summer and Master Eight's quail, Cinnamon ^^

Summer, one of my Mum'n'Dad's turks, and Berzerk

One of our turks, just for fun! XD ^^

Plez forgive me for the crazy long post, but I love my birds! <3

[rockonyo]

What happen to the bird beak? Does your bird live outside? o.o they are very cute.

[Ranger of the North]

What happen to the bird beak? Does your bird live outside? o.o they are very cute.

Thanks!
Yeah, we've got a big aviary for our birds! It's got a dead tree in it and my first budgie hen bored a nest into it!
Summer was laid and hatched by my second hen, though XD
When I first got her Berk went through the weirdest stage where she didn't clean the food off of her beak or feet?? It was really weird, but she seems to have recovered and now she's the friendliest!
Bird depression lol XD