Any Bird Owners?

Hi from Manteno, IL
I had birds many years ago, and I really enjoy the wild bird down here. (Last year we moved from Chgo to Manteno). We owned two (m & F) Zebra Finches. The male sings to beautifully in the AM. And when we put a next in there for them the kids were able to watch the baby grown from an egg to a bird. (Good science lesson in the cycle of life)
Hope this helps. I've noticed down here too, there are many more finched then in chgo. Just bought a pair of binoculars to watch them, and then i go to www.birdbrain.com to find out what kind they are.
Enjoy
MRs. P

Hi Niki: I have owned cockatiels (have one now) and a Quaker
over the years but I have also studied up on all sorts of
pet birds.
All birds are a lot of work, and with a three year old, you
need to have one that fits in, is not as likely to bite and
leave damage and one that is not too time consuming to maintain. For that reason, I recommend the cockatiel.
They are great birds, some learn to talk, (especially males)
and whistle. They are very cuddly once tamed.
They are also quiet (as birds go) and lower maintenance.
They area a great "first bird".
I would recommend reading up on them on the internet--
the National Cockatiel site is a good place to start.
There will also be a Caged Bird Show in Schaumburg in November if you want to look at all kinds of birds and perhaps purchase one. I do not recommend going to a petsmart or petco or petland type place--they are overpriced
and sometimes sickly there. They are often not handled enough and so not friendly as a hand raised hand fed bird from a breeder.
There is a guy in Crystal lake that has some nice birds
at a small pet shop called "Birds and Beasts".
Make sure you get a bird that is eating food on its own, completely weaned. Hand fed birds are usually very sweet
and tame too.
The younger the better once weaned, since then they don't have bad habits formed from previous owners.

Hope this helps. If you have further questions, let me know. The biggest thing is to research and think it through.

Also, parakeets can be hard to tame but make good "low maintenance" pets as do finches. I know less about these
birds but the same hold true for all birds--research, research research.

Good luck.
B.

Hi Niki,

We don't own a bird but we bought my mother-in-law a canary several years ago. It is a very pretty bird to look at, it's small, so it doesn't require a huge cage, and its best quality is the way it sings. It is just beautiful, particularly first thing in the morning when you need a little "sunshine."

I hope that helps!

Denise

I have 3 birds, and have worked in exotic veterinary medicine for over 10 years.
Birds are NOT appropriate pets for very young children.
A cockatiel's lifespan, with proper care, could be 25 years or more. Lovebirds and parakeets, also with proper care, should be around for 10-15 years. They are highly intelligent and social animals and should not be treated as "starter" or "disposable" pets. Also lovebirds should not be kept in pairs. "Love"bird is a bit of a misnomer. They tend to bully eachother mercilessly.
With proper care; including lots of fresh cooked foods and raw vegetables, a very large clean cage (birds are messy), and lots of stimulating toys and lots of interaction and socialization, and regular veterinary care they are not what I would consider a low-maintenance pet.
I have 2 dogs and 2 cats also and they are easier to care for than my birds.
Birds are extremely sensitive to airborne pollutants. If you keep a bird it is necessary to give up all your glade plug-ins, carpet freshener, scented candles etc. Also you CANNOT use anything made with PTFE coatings. That means no non-stick cookware, no using the self-cleaning feature on your oven, etc.
Think how they used canaries in coal mines, their respiratory systems are very delicate.
All birds can and will bite. Although a parakeet is not capable of doing any serious damage, their bites will hurt a small child. Lovebird bites will draw blood and sting like heck. Cockatiels are least likely to bite, and tend to be all -around the most agreeable. You cannot scold a bird, and most of the smaller guys cannot be potty trained...and they poop every 15 minutes or so.
All birds can be loud. If you are easily bothered by repetitive, annoying, or high pitched sounds then a bird might not be for you.
If you are interested I can direct you to some good, honest information about birds.
I do love my birds. As loud and messy and demanding as they are, they do give it all back. They are sooo smart and do honestly have senses of humor. They are sweet and cuddly, and obstinant and opinionated. I swear sometimes they act just like small feathered people :)

I'm due to have my first baby any day now, so it will be interestiong to see what new and annoying noises the baby teaches the birds LOL!

-C.

Owned by a 20 yr old African Grey, 9 year old Senegal Parrot & an 8 year old Cockatiel.

Hi Nikki. I haved owned 3 parakeets. Two of them lived to be two and one lived to be ten. They are inexpensive to keep. They can like all birds be a little messy. If you have more than one sometimes they tend to bond with each other more than people. It isnt a problem as long as you socialize with them daily. Hope this helps.

Hi Niki. I just recently (in July) gave up a bird I've had for 12years.He is a small parrot, specifically an Indian Ringneck.Beautiful bird, bright green, great talker, but my husband went on 3rd shift in February & couldn't take all the LOUD noise during the day when he was trying to sleep. My 8yr old son and I miss him a lot, but I'm currently pregnant and i knew he would be more work than i could handle when the babies come. Anyway... I've had parakeets and cockatiels in the past and both make excellent pets. If you get more than one though, they will prefer each other's company much more than yours! so, if you want a pet, just get one. Cockatiels can be pretty loud but males do learn to talk some. Parakeets are sweet little birds, not too loud. A good magazine to take a look at before you buy is Bird Talk, you can get it at the library. Good luck & remember, birds are very messy! P.S. If you cover your bird's cage at night w/ a light blanket they will settle down immediately. Don't forget to buy the biggest cage for that size bird that you can afford. J.

Hi-
I am a lifelong bird owner-mostly parakeets, but also cockatiels. Both birds can live to about 15 years; I've never met anyone who has had a cockatiel live 25. Parakeets are very sociable and playful, but generally more difficult to train, and prone to cancer. The male parakeets have been more likely to talk than the male cockatiels, although they can imitate a huge variety of sounds, whistles, etc. Cockatiels are generally more subdued, but affectionate toward humans. If you get one who was hand-fed, it makes the training a lot easier. We've had two of each until just recently (lost both parakeets over the summer to liver disease and cancer) We got them before we had children, and the cockatiels are more likely to approach my 3 and 4 1/2 year old than the parakeets ever were. Speaking from experience, it would be very difficult to train a new bird with a young child. I personally miss my parakeets, but won't think about getting new one(s) until my children are at least 4 or 5 years older.
As one of the others said, I would NOT recomment lovebirds. We semi-adopted my friend's mother's lovebird for a few months, and he could be sweet, but was mostly nasty and aggressive. I think it was territorial/possessive. Of the three, a hand-fed cockatiel would be your best bet.

Good luck.

I think adopting is a great idea, there are tons of animals out there who need good homes. I always had dogs but never birds; and honestly had never even thought about it. My husband surprised me one day & said his ex-wife (who got custody of their African Grey) didn't want her anymore & could he bring her to our home. We have 2 young boys and I wasn't thrilled with the idea, but felt like I couldn't say no. So in moves the bird & the mess. And, my hubby was NOT good about keeping up with the cleaning. Please be prepared! They are very messy and can make a lot of noise, and can bite. I have a friend that has several different birds and her daughter (4) loves her cocatiel (sp?)-she is very good with her-handles her & feeds & cleans the cage (or helps). Just make sure you have all the facts and are ready to commit to their different life spans; some can live 70+ years. Not trying to be a downer, just worried about all other non bird owners not ready for reality. At least that was my reality. You should go to the pet stores that specialize in birds and get advice & learn about the different species before making your decision. Liz's Bird Shop (Chicago) is great!! Good Luck! S.

I used to own 2 parakeets. I loved them dearly, and so did my younger brother and sister-at the time. They were very loving and if you keep up with clipping the wings and nails - you can let them out and "play" with them. The things I disliked then, and HATE now is that there were feathers everywhere! They would mault and these tiny little feathers would find there way into everyroom in the house. Bird seed and poop was also a big issue. We would clean the cage every 2 days, but would still find poop on the wall the cage was close to and seed all over the floor that they would throw out of the cages. Also, you have to be careful with the bird seed, as we once left ours out of the freezer/fridge and found worms in it - come to find out from the pet store that that is normal! The only other things was that at night you need to cover the cage so they'll go to sleep (and you can too) but if you don't uncover them in the mornings, they will chirp their heads off until you do!
They are wonderful creatures, but if you are thinking of getting one as a pet for a young child - this is A LOT more work than owning a fish! There is a lot of maintenace and clean up all the time! (vaccuumming and cleaning cages, and keeping them healthy)