Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hello,

i wanna get a bird, i've been looking alot at finches, which look good, but i would like a bird a bit more personal, something i could get out and hold. but i have to get a bird that isn't loud, i looked at budgies but i've been told they can be loud. what other types of birds are out there(commonly available) that i could look into.

thanx for any help.

Hello,
Birds are a huge commitment. Instead of feeding an exclusive diet of seeds, they should recieve pellets, fresh veggies daily, fruit, grains, rice, hardboiled egg, pasta,bird bread, etc.

Another biggy is their lifespans. If you looking for a bird with a shorter lifespan, your looking at the finches/waxbills who live about 5-7 years.

Other great begginger birds are the budgies(With lifespans of up 15years), and cockatiels(of up 30 years), bourques(10 years)

Also, your comment about loudness...ALL birds can be loud. Expept species such as bourques and finshes are quieter.

If your going to buy a bird, BUY A HANDFED ONE. Search for bird breeders in your state/province. Handfed babies, are pretty much handtamed once you recieve them, as a human has fed them since a baby opposed to a mother bird.

Hope I helped a little,
Steven

All birds are going to be a little loud... but there are some that`re appropriate for apartments and the like. The most important thing it so meet all the types of birds you`re interested in, bring anyone you live with, and listen to them. Make sure that everyone can tolerate the sorts of noises the birds make.

Personally, I don`t think there`s such thing as a `starter` or `beginner` bird. Read as much as you can, find the bird you`re interested in... and get it. As long as you`ve done your homework and made an educated decision, that`s all that`s important.

Typically budgies (parakeets), cockatiels and lovebirds are the three birds most considered to be `starter` birds. They each have very different personalities and vocalizations. Budgies are very playful, but in my experience not very cuddly. They`re the most high-energe of the three.
Cockatiels are much more laid back then budgies. They tend to be much more cuddly, and a considerably less playful. They still play, but they don`t have the boundless energy of a budgie.
Lovebirds are SASSY. They tend to have very bossy, dominant personalities. They`re quite opinionated little birds and are afraid of nothing. I think they`re hilarious.

Other birds you might consider:

Parrotlets are small, quiet and playful. They`re often described as big personalities in little bodies. Like lovebirds, they`re FEARLESS. They have a reputation for cage territoriality, so that`s something you may have to deal with at some point.

I also love the pyrhurra conure family. These are the `quiet` conures. They include green cheeked, maroon bellied, white eared, painted, black capped... Black capped conures are my personal favorite. These small little conures have very soft voices in my opinion. They`re playful, mischievous, wonderful little birds. They like to play on their backs, so they learn easily to lay on their backs in your hand and play or cuddle that way. You`ll also occassionally find them sleeping on their backs on the bottom of their cage. It`s given a good number of owners small heartattacks as they think their poor little birdie is dead! It`s led to more then one bird getting a very rude awakening.

I`ve heard that pionus can also be quiet, but I know very little about this type of parrot.

I encourage people to get their birds from either a quality breeder (the type that will make sure you have a good education on bird care and as you lots of questions to make sure you`ll take good care of their baby. When you find that kinda breeder you know your bird has gotten the best start in life possible)

or from a quality bird rescue. Most bird rescues will require you to go to at least one bird-care class, so you`ll learn the most up-to-date info on parrot care. Since the goal of a good rescue is to find a good PERMANENT home for their birds they won`t misrepresent their birds to you, or mislead you. If the bird has any health of behavior problems they`ll let you know that immediately. Rescues can often get in birds that`ll make perfect pets, with no major behavior problems, simply because some sort of upheaval in the owner`s life forced them to rehome their birds, or because the owner couldn`t afford some sort of important treatment for the bird (like setting a broken limb). A good rescue will make sure the bird is completely recovered before putting it up for adoption. So please don`t count out a rescue. I know some people think all the birds from rescues come with heavy baggage and issues you don`t want to deal with, but this isn`t always the case. Let them know this`ll be your first parrot, and they`ll try to match you up with an appropriate bird. They don`t want to overwhelm you, since their goal is permanent placement.

I personally find working with the rescues to be more rewarding, but it can be a royal pain in the rump. I hope some of this helped. Just try to decide what kind of personality of parrot appeals to you, pick a few species to research in depth, and then go out and meet those birds. Interact with them, and listen to them. You`ll find the right bird!