Category: Animal House
I think most likely I'll get a bird. Much as I love dogs and cats, I don't think I can keep them any more and would rather bypass allergy tests. Anyone have a favorite type? On one board one person liked parakeets, or "keets". I've heard cockatiels are pretty friendly little birds. Any experience w canaries? Am only considering small birds as I have absolutely no experience to justify a large bird.
Yes.
Pet birds come in two general categories: hookbills (psittacines) are your parrot species, which include everything from the large parrots I pretty much recommend to noone (myself included) all the way down to paraketes (called budgies, keets, and the like).
The other group are generally referred to as softbills, and the ones you're interested in are the finch species, which include canaries.
Hookbills are a lot more emotionally needy and require more one-on-one attention, the one exception may be parakeets that are used to living in a cage and not being handled.
Owning hookbills = getting bitten, and hard. I've enjoyed owning them myself, but getting bit is part of the picture.
In the finch species, the easiest to care for are the Society Finches, though Zebras aren't that difficult.
You probably wouldn't like zebras that much as they do little more than flit and beep. Societies are the longest-held domesticated finch species and have no immediate relation in the wild. We don't know exactly for how long, but their disposition is a lot more calm than most pet birds.
Now canaries are pretty easy to keep, flightier than a society finch but you keep just one. They are more expensive than parakeets - a male singer may run you up to $100 but their life can be anywhere between seven to ten years if you're careful.
Here's my editorial biased attitude on the whole thing:
I love birds, though not particularly the giant ones up close. I'm a pretty fair bird handler as handlers go, meaning I know a lot more than most average people but am not a nut like you see some people.
That being said, I have found canaries a real joy to own. Their song is beautiful and even listening to them while they tear apart the spiniach or kale leaf you give them is very enjoyable. I think having one can be as close as a totally blind person can be to appreciating what fish can do for sighted people. When you come home tired and beat, and the canary sings you'll feel good.
Canaries, like all your finch species, don't leave their cage. Meaning don't take them out, unless you are doing so for a controlled reason. A good cage provides them with all the exercise space they need. Finches are flyers not climbers, so they don't need the constant supply of toys to be torn and shat upon.
Cleaning birds is a real chore: they shit on everything in their cage. They throw their seed shells everywhere, though if you can convert them to Lafeber pelleted food you'll be happier and more at rest knowing they're getting a lot more of what they need.
Birds need someone with a calm disposition. They are prey, not predatory, species, so you don't treat a bird like a dog. Their primary concern in life is not getting eaten, and the finch species will never truly get it that they're not potential dinner, so prying fingers around the cage aren't really a desirable thing. They are much more auditory than visual even though they react to bright colors and the like. If they can hear you before they see you, they're much more comfortable.
Anyway hope this is a starter for you.
Thanks for the informational post. I'd never considered owning a bird but now you two have gotten me interested. In my case, I'd want one that likes people and attention, rather than liking to be left alone. I'd also like one that's easy to care for and, if possible, that's not a terrible biter. Very interesting thread. I hope there are more posts here.
There is no bird that "likes people" and is easy to care for. You could get a dove that doesn't care too much. Doves aren't too bright and are quite docile, plus they are a poultry species so don't have the characteristic curved sharp beak of the parrot species.
I'd say budgies or cannaries. They both sing a lot and are good company. Saying that though, if I had a bird I'd want to let him or her fly round all the time because I hate keeping them in cages.
Part of what you're saying is a misnomer.
A well-constructed large habitat is more secure for a pet bird than having them fly around the house, fall into the toilet an drown, land on a hot burner, get stuck in a cupboard, and the like. Keets are easy this way because they're climbers. Finch species basically need a rectangular cage with a perch at each end, a swing and plenty of room to fly back and forth as that's what they do. I agree, canaries and parakeets are often really enjoyable to listen to. The Society finch has a nice little song as well.
Having owned cocktiels and having been attacked by one of them on a daily basis, I would highly suggest reconsidering birds. Birds aren't really a "domestic" pet - even in their cages, they behave much as they would in the wild. They prefer the company of their own species and regard humans as interesting toys and food providers, at best.
Have you perhaps considered getting some pet rats? Not to usurp your topic, but several blind people I've known - including myself - have had vastly better luck with them than our feathered friends.
Can they really be good for the blind? I mean, can we interact with them and also prevent them from escaping and possibly getting hurt? I thought about this quite awhile ago but wasn't sure how feasible it would be. I do know of a place called the Rat Fan Club that has information on caring for them and there are a few other pages about pet rats and mice out there.
So long as you take the proper precautions and are aware of spatial limits, rats can make good pets for the blind. They genuinely enjoy human companionship, as well as their own species. I'd recommend them over say, something like a hamster or gerbil, which tend to bolt even from their cage when frightened. Rats are more home-based animals and would rather explore within range of their territory or their human.
Miss M you're right about the Cockatiels, as they are in the first category I mentioned in Post 2, the psittacines. they bite hard, have a strong mandible and a sharp curved beak.
Also what you're talking about does apply especially to said hookbills but not necessarily to the finch species. Granted you can't really handle the finches much, so it really does depend on what you want out of a pet. I really enjoyed my canaries singing, though I don't miss the 1.5 or so hours' weekly cleaning of cages, and constantly vacuuming up seed. In short, while I thoroughly enjoyed them, I don't miss the work.
I don't know anyone who's kept rats, but I've heard of this too. Not my thing, but some like it. Some box turtles and tortoises are also interesting, but there again you really have to pay attention to habitat.
what about love birds? i thought they like people's attention
They do, but here again, hookbills. They can be extremely needy and have a well-deserved reputation for being nippy. I had one and can tell you it's a challenge to keep them. All hookbills need to tear up / shred things, that's part of their nature.
i have had several Cockatiels, or however you spell it. lol! if you work with them enough they can be very fun birds to have. ours loved people and attention. if you leave them in there cage and do nothing with them, they will bite and not want to be messed with after a while. the best way to start is make sure they were hand fed as babies! That helps to tame them. I've been bitten by one, and yes it stings, but it's not the end of the world. lol! now a bigger bird, ouch, no thanks. lol parakeets are also good pet birds, just starting out, this is probably the bird to start with. I had mine talking, and loving to be held. again, it's how much you work wiht it. it didn't talk as good as a Cockatiels or whatever, but, I could understand her. lol! good luck.
Wow, these posts are a lot of "food for thought". Maybe a smaller bird like a canary or parakeet is best for starters. I don't know with a preschooler in the house that I want to put a lot of time into a pet, too. Maybe wait until she's an elementary schooler and I have a little more time on my hands, or go for ol' familiar, a cat, where I at least know what to expect. I've had dogs & cats before, but only developed asthma in the last few years, so I'd have to go for the allergy tests first, so it's either going to be ol' familiar or one of the small birds mentioned.
Anyone know about lorikeets? Some zoos, for $1, will sell you a small cup of nectar and you can hand feed 'em. In this environment a dozen others will fly over to you to be hand fed too. Do these make good pets, or are they larger hookbills that are higher maintenance for and for much more experienced handlers?
They aren't hookbills but they have a strong bite, and can be quite flighty.
They also squirt everywhere because of their liquid diet, they consume nectar. There is packaged food you can convert them onto which is dry, and their systems adjust to it, so they drop normal bird droppings but success rates on conversion are not that high and only among experienced handlers.
Long way to say I'd suggest not.
And I'd wait on a bird till the little one is in grade school.