Questions about birds

[DogLover9501]

I have a few questions about birds!

I love all these pictures of everyones birds, and I used to have birds my whole life when I was younger, but mostly budgies I think.

I've always liked Cockatoos(sp)?

I was wondering 2 things...

1-What are some different characteristics in birds? And which birds are loud/quiet..etc(Just general information on them).

And 2- Would having a bird with dogs and a cat ever work out??

Thanks

[Logan]

I don't have any bird experience, other than my Cockatiels, whom I adore, so I can't give you any comparisons. I do know that the bigger they are, the more they eat, the harder they bite and the more attention they demand. I would LOVE to have a big bird, but I don't think I could do it justice from a time standpoint.

We have cats, dogs and birds under one roof, but the birds are isolated away from all of them for safety reasons. :)

[DogLover9501]

Teils seem great! Are they noisy?

The bird would be seperated from the dogs and cat here too, and when its let out the dogs and cat would be outside or in other rooms, of course.

[BitsyNaceyDog]

Originally posted by DogLover9501
The bird would be seperated from the dogs and cat here too, and when its let out the dogs and cat would be outside or in other rooms, of course.

That's exactly what I do and it works great. I have 4 cockatiels and yes the can get a little noisy, but I wouldn't say "loud". My lovebird is non-stop singing.
My goffin cockatoo is quiet for the most part, but when she gets loud- SHE GETS LOUD. Baby has 2 cages her big cage stays in front of a window in the back bedroom. She stays in that cage when we aren't home and at night. When we are home she is either out of her cage in her bedroom or in my bedroom with me. Her second cage is a smaller cage that I can wheel around the house or outside with me.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/kblaix/furbabies/IMG_1142.jpg

My last bird is an Indian ringneck parakeet. I would defiantly recommend a ringneck. Oscar is an awesome bird. In fact just today I took Oscar to my SIL's k-3 classroom to see the kids. He is so gentle and a nice talker. He talks a lot, but I wouldn't call him a loud bird.
This is a picture of him after he took a shower with me. He is usually a prettier color green, but he was wet.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v244/kblaix/furbabies/IMG_0734.jpg

[DogLover9501]

Thanks for the information :D

My moms ONLY condition is she doesn't want a loud bird, so I have to work with that ;)

I heard females were quiet and less vocal than males, True or no?

I also heard you had to clip their wings?

Thanks :)

Your birds are beautiful, btw!

[My Peanuts]

In my life I have had doves, budgies, and cockatiels. My boyfriend has had an African Grey parrot for the past 13 or 14 years. I know a lot about cockatiels and African Greys, but as for other parrots I'm not sure.

I'll tell you this; I have 2 female tiels and 2 male tiels. The girls live together and the boys live together. The girls are great well mannered and quiet. I have one that is very young and one that is almost 8 years old. The 8 year old has egg laying problems, so egg binding is an issue and I’m waiting to see how the young girl does. My boys are loud and messy, but I don't worry about their health like I worry about the girls. (I'm constantly worried about calcium with the girls)
As you can see, you really can't win either way. My boyfriend's male African Grey is really smart. He can talk and he can say most things even if he only hears them once. (I always know when his parents have been fighting ;) ) He can be VERY loud, but I think it's worth it. Most birds, in my experience are very temperamental and touchy. The African Grey picks his feathers if his cage is moved or the family gets a new piece of furniture. Even my tiels are stubborn. It seems the more intelligent the bird the more touchy they are.
That being said, I love my birds. They are very affectionate and I love caring for them. Hope that helps a little.

I would suggest a female tiel or two. They do great in pairs.

[popcornbird]

Originally posted by DogLover9501


I heard females were quiet and less vocal than males, True or no?



That is very true. Muffin is sometimes so quiet that it seems like she doesn't have a tongue in her mouth. :p But she can talk a lot too, when she's happy in the morning.

Cockatiels are certainly not loud. Popcorn (my male) sings and whistles every morning in the most beautiful soft voice. Its a soothing voice really.....not bothersome at all. We love it when he sings softly. He can get noisy in the morning, but in general, he too, is very quiet. The only time both my birds get noisy is during the spring, in the morning. I think cockatiels are relatively quiet birds, when comparing to others.

Conures are VERY noisy..........VERY. Very loud, and very noisy. They are wonderful birds, but if your mom doesn't want a noisy bird, do NOT go for a conure. ;)

I have cockatiels, love them to death, and would definitely recommend them. I love both males and females.....they are different, but both very sweet. Males are more spunky, and females are more quiet and cuddly. If you can house them completely seperate from the dogs and cats, I don't think it should be a problem.

Good luck, and let us know what you decide!

[My Peanuts]

Originally posted by popcornbird
Cockatiels are certainly not loud. Popcorn (my male) sings and whistles every morning in the most beautiful soft voice. Its a soothing voice really.....not bothersome at all. We love it when he sings softly. He can get noisy in the morning, but in general, he too, is very quiet. The only time both my birds get noisy is during the spring, in the morning. I think cockatiels are relatively quiet birds, when comparing to others.


I wish Danny & Milton were like that :rolleyes: My brother once said, "either they go or I go." My dad told him to go :p. My bro got over it though. Danny & Milton are really loud in the morning, but when they visit the girls they can get loud too.

They are all different and have different personalities.

[Logan]

My Cockatiels make noise during the day, not constantly, but in spells. I had them in the office with me, but conference calls and customer calls became embarassing because Roger would be whistling to me constantly and Milly and the babies were squawking. :D I moved them into the guest room, but I don't like having them in there because I don't interact nearly as much. I'm going to try them again in the office very soon.

The good thing that I can tell you, Robyn, about Tiels is that at night, they sleep. They sleep a good 12 hours and they rest, off and on, during the day. They are precious companions! :)

[DogLover9501]

Wow, this is alot of good, and interesting information!!

First of all, they seem ALOT different than budgies I grew up with lol, they seem very smart!

Are they messy?(Like alot of feathers everywhere, or food everywhere?)

Also where would I find one/some??

When I get enough facts, I need to have a longer talk with my mom about teils.

I quicky asked her last night, all she said was "Maybe, if it isn't a loud bird". I know she loves birds.

I also know that it will be out of the cage for atleast a few hours a day, not all at once, but off and on.

I will probably like to get girls ;)

Any other information is definatly appreciated!

Thanks everyone :)

*EDIT* What about doves?? I know exactly where I could get some, I heard that they aren't loud, that they just "coo", but I don't know anything else about them, does anyone else?

[popcornbird]

Originally posted by DogLover9501
Wow, this is alot of good, and interesting information!!

First of all, they seem ALOT different than budgies I grew up with lol, they seem very smart!

Budgies are very sweet too, but when you compare cockatiels with budgies, cockatiels are definitely the more human oriented/intelligent bird. Of course it depends on the bird's personality, but in general, cockatiels like to interact with people a lot more. They're LOTS of fun! I've been around budgies a lot, and while I love them, tiels are different.




Are they messy?(Like alot of feathers everywhere, or food everywhere?)

During molting season, you will find feathers everywhere. Once they get their new feathers, the shedding stops for a long while. You will still find an occasional feather or two here and there, but not much. Cockatiels do leave a lot of dust when they preen though, but nothing a vaccuum can't fix. :p As to seeds, they do seem to enjoy throwing their seeds around, but there are things you can do to limit the mess. I have food bowls that are high from the back, so when they eat, if they throw seeds around, most of them end up back in the cage. You can also buy a seed guard for their cage. It also helps. I sweep under their cage every night. It doesn't take more than 2 minutes, and they're worth all the effort. We have tiles in our family room, so that makes cleaning up after them much easier. If your bird will be in a carpetted area, you'll need to vaccuum under the cage instead of sweep. :p




Also where would I find one/some??

There are many good bird breeders out there where you can get a sweet handfed bird from. You can also get them from most pet stores.




*EDIT* What about doves?? I know exactly where I could get some, I heard that they aren't loud, that they just "coo", but I don't know anything else about them, does anyone else?

I don't know much about doves, other than they're CUTE! :D I would *think* birds from the parrot family are more playful/intelligent, though I'm not sure.

Hope this helps!

[DogLover9501]

:eek: You have been ALOT of help! But I knew you could give lots of information ;)

I have even more questions :p

-Is there a certain place they like more?(like by a window, or does it not matter?)

-Do they play with anything(like are there certain kinds of toys I would need?)

-What do they eat?(I think I have a pretty good idea), I heard you could offer both pellets and seeds?? And also fruit, corn and stuff?

-How much do they eat?

-How much do they cost(to buy, and the cage, food..etc)

-What kind of cage do they need??

LOL Sorry for all the questions :o I want to make sure I know all this before I get one(*if* I get one)

Thank you so much!

[My Peanuts]

Originally posted by popcornbird

I don't know much about doves, other than they're CUTE! :D I would *think* birds from the parrot family are more playful/intelligent, though I'm not sure.


My brother had a couple of doves when I was younger because he did magic. They are really cute, and they have SOME personality. They are pretty messy with the seed. I remember them flicking seed all over the floor. If you are looking for a bird the more personality I would get a tiel.

Make sure you get a hand raised one because some can be really mean. I got Milton from a shelter in July. I'm sure he was never handled and he took a big chunk out of my finger. He's going to be my winter taming project :) . However, Alex, my 8 year old female that was hand raised takes a vet prescribed calcium supplement at night and when I grab her I don't even use a towel. If she nips me a little I barley feel it. Same with, Evie, my very young hand raised female. I think hand raised tiels don't know they can bite hard :D . Danny, my other male, bit me once but that was when Alex was sick and I think he was under a lot of stress. (He is VERY in love with her) Milton is my only aggressive tiel.

As far as seeds, I would suggest a cage like this... my cage (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=20735&item=4315595676) This is the cage I bought for my girls. Actually that is the exact auction. Notice the seed guard. It is GREAT. My boys have plexy glass around the bottom, but it doesn't work very well.

[My Peanuts]

Originally posted by DogLover9501
:
-Is there a certain place they like more?(like by a window, or does it not matter?)

-Do they play with anything(like are there certain kinds of toys I would need?)

-What do they eat?(I think I have a pretty good idea), I heard you could offer both pellets and seeds?? And also fruit, corn and stuff?

-How much do they eat?

-How much do they cost(to buy, and the cage, food..etc)

-What kind of cage do they need??


-I move my cages around. I like to keep their little minds active :).

-they love toys! I have different ones that I change out, also to keep their little minds active. A bird toy can be a lot of things. Old toilet paper roll tubs for example. There are TONS of bird toys. When I go home I can take a picture of my cages so you can see how I have it. The more toys the better, within reason.

-My tiels eat everything! My vet said whatever I cook for me to give them some. There are a few acceptations. NO avocados, alcohol (that's a no brainer), watch the fat and salt intake, and take the pits out of fruits that have them. My tiels LOVE scrambled eggs with cheese. Alex actually likes ham! My vet told me to get creative. Always keep pellets and some seed in the cage. Change it often. I change the pellets and seed about once every two days depending on how many shells are in the bowl. Change the water daily. Keep a cuttle bone in cage too. If you get a young tiel you should really try to get them to love the pellets. Pellets are way better than seed.

- You can see what I paid for my cage from the auction. However, I love my pets to have cages that are way too big for them. That cage is just for my two girls, and I could easily fit all four and then some comfortably in that cage. EBay has awesome deals on cages. If you want a cage from EBay I'd be more than happy to help you find one. I bought both my cages from EBay and I'm really happy with them. Seed and pellets for one tiel will not run you too much; especially of you give them some of your dinner.

Seems like a lot to worry about, but once its part of a routine it's so easy. I have four tiels, two dogs, and some fish. I also have a boyfriend, a job and an active social life and I have no problems caring for my birds :)

[DogLover9501]

Wow, thanks Diana!

They seem like so much fun!

I'll have a talk with my mom soon, I hope everything goes well :(

[ILoveMyAbbyGirl]

I love having Charlie around. Thing is, he'd go crazy if he was stuck in his cage too long... he just gives you a look and you can't resist... ;)

As for seeds and feathers... he likes to throw them, but like PCB said, nothing a vaccuum or broom can't handle. Baby tiels are clumsy (at least Charlie was! :eek: ) and might break a tail feather or two... in Charlie's case, all of them.. :rolleyes: (PS: They are finally coming in nicely! I'm so excited... :D:D:D)

[DogLover9501]

I hope I can get one :)

If I can't find any around here(which is the way it seems :() A dove may be the next best thing.

Also :eek: teils can talk??

[popcornbird]

Originally posted by DogLover9501


Also :eek: teils can talk??

Again, depends on the bird. ;) A lot of tiels do talk, but many don't. They do like to immitate. Popcorn immitates us when we whistle to him, and he immitates the cell phone ringer, as well as Muffin's squacks (which he did not know how to do before but now he's a pro at it), however, he doesn't seem to be interested in talking. He just likes to whistle. Muffin doesn't talk/whistle at all, but most females don't anyway.

I know Logan's Roger talks a lot, and I believe GoldenRetrLuver's Piper barks. :D My friend's cousin's tiel sings the whole *Mary had a little lamb*!!!

[My Peanuts]

Originally posted by DogLover9501

Also :eek: teils can talk??

I had a Lutino tiel that died a few months ago. She was 23 years old and I got her from my boyfriends grandpa. His grandparents thought she was a boy and named her Pretty Boy. We used to laugh because she would start to stay "Pretty Boy, Pretty Boy" at the weirdest times. My tiels now don't talk, but they make all kinds of noises. Danny is the best, he makes car alarm noises and washing machine noises :)

[My Peanuts]

Oh, BTW, I'm sure I can help you find a breeder or a place that has them. I love doing that stuff. Also, we got Alex when I was 16 from a Petsmart around here. I don't know if there are any Petsmarts around you, but they do hand raise them from time to time. She is really healthy aside from the egg laying problem, which was partly my fault for not being educated about what foods she should have been eating.

[DogLover9501]

Wow lol I think I already love them :eek: :D

They seem amazing!

Also :eek: 23 years old??? How long do they live?? :eek:

And what is this egg laying thing?

Im not sure how to start asking my mom :p Any suggestions on how to start all this off?

I have alot more to learn ;)

Also, I'd LOVE if you could find me one around here, nope no petsmarts, petcos or anything like that here.

[popcornbird]

Originally posted by DogLover9501
Wow lol I think I already love them :eek: :D

They seem amazing!

Also :eek: 23 years old??? How long do they live?? :eek:

Most parrots have very long life spans, and I believe the larger the bird, the longer the life span. For example, there are some parrots that can easily live to be 80-100 years old!!! Tiels generally, can easily live to be 20-25 years old when on a proper diet. Some even make it past their 30s! Many people are uneducated about their bird's needs and don't feed them a proper diet, which is why, sadly, many birds pass on before reaching their full potential. 20+ years is very common for cockatiels though.


And what is this egg laying thing?

Well...as you obviously already know, female birds lay eggs, just as female humans get babies, etc. :p Female birds can lay eggs even without a male. Those eggs are just not fertile, but many females lay eggs anyway. My Muffin is 5 years old now and has never laid an egg. I'm not sure why....I'm 100% positive she is female, but she has never laid an egg. The tiel board I occasionally visit had a member who had a female that never laid an egg until she was 17 years old!!! So some of them just don't lay. I like that Muffin's like that, and I hope she stays that way.

Any more questions? :p

[DogLover9501]

Wow they live a long time!!

I still haven't talked to my mom :( I'll get to it :p

I'm sure I'll have more questions soon!!

Thanks again, sooo much :)

[My Peanuts]

My egg laying problems with Alex started a few months ago. She never laid many eggs, but she was starting to nest after Pretty Boy died. Alex, Danny, & Pretty Boy were my only tiels and they all lived together. When PB died Alex and Danny started trying to nest. I bought a nesting box and kept a close watch. Alex started to act really weird, but I thought it was normal. One morning she was lying on the bottom of the cage and Danny was super aggressive. I took her to the ER vet and she almost died. After x-rays and an IV and other meds they found two eggs stuck. They went up in side her and took them out, but I told them to operate if necessary. Now a few months later she is doing great. She lives with Evie and only sees Danny and Milton with daily supervised visits. She gave me a bad scare. If your tiel has a better diet then Alex HAD then everything should be ok. However, egg binding can still be a problem with a proper diet. Something to think about.

[DogLover9501]

Hoping to talk to my mom tomorrow! I have been putting it off, waiting to make sure shes in a really good mood :p

Wish me luck, Lol!

[My Peanuts]

Good Luck! Let us know how it goes. :)

[popcornbird]

So...did you ask? ;)

[Honkers36]

I am owned by 21 birds, but by no means am I an expert. I get new information everyday. I find one of the best places to find bird information is birdtalk.com. I suscribe to the magizine and they have alot of helpful information. Ask yourself what you want in a bird. then go from there. Remember birds are flock animals and you are their flock. They require much more time and effort than a dog or cat. I don't find the sex has anything to do with noise. Perhaps maybe the size of the bird. Post me with some spacific questions and maybe I can help. I have finches(the smallest to a cockatoo(the largest).

[DogLover9501]

Today my mom and I were sitting at the grocery store eating chicken strips :p and I just brang it up out of nowhere lol.

I didn't really get an "exact" answer, I didn't get a "yes" either lol but still not an exact "no"....

It doesn't look that good, but I still have alot more to tell her about them ;)

Wish me more luck!


Originally posted by Honkers36
I am owned by 21 birds, but by no means am I an expert. I get new information everyday. I find one of the best places to find bird information is birdtalk.com. I suscribe to the magizine and they have alot of helpful information. Ask yourself what you want in a bird. then go from there. Remember birds are flock animals and you are their flock. They require much more time and effort than a dog or cat. I don't find the sex has anything to do with noise. Perhaps maybe the size of the bird. Post me with some spacific questions and maybe I can help. I have finches(the smallest to a cockatoo(the largest).

:eek: I really don't see how a bird would take more effort than the dogs, the cat I can see, but definatly not the dogs!

[popcornbird]

Originally posted by DogLover9501




:eek: I really don't see how a bird would take more effort than the dogs, the cat I can see, but definatly not the dogs!

I small bird definitely wouldn't, but a macaw, cockatoo, african grey, etc. might. They're VERY demanding........VERY. They say they're like a 4-5 year old child that never grows up...and they can live for 80+ years, so imagine having a 5 year old that never grows up for 80 years. That's a big parrot. ;)

[K9soul]

There is definitely a pretty big difference in the time and resources a bird demands between small birds and large birds. Little finches or canaries being happy without a lot of contact and attention if they have another birdie to live with. Parakeets and tiels are a step up from those IMO (though I also do not profess to be any expert, just by my personal experience), though I think parakeets again can be just as happy if their main companionship is another parakeet, and tiels seem to crave more affection and people time even if they have another tiel companion.

I know that in my experience, female parakeets and female cockatiels are far less vocal overall than the males, but it is probably very different with the large parrots. I have never had a finch or canary type bird before either.

This thread has been interesting :)

[DogLover9501]

Originally posted by K9soul
This thread has been interesting :)

Yes it has!!

I have got so much of great information from this thread!

Also I do have a few hours a day to spend with a bird, and the bird will be let out of the cage daily..etc

But what exactly do they need that can be so much effort? That's really all I dont understand...

Also do they need baths? :eek:

[K9soul]

I don't think the type of birds you are considering take any extreme effort other than care and attention like you were already planning on. A large bird like a full size parrot or McCaw takes a lot more effort and attention or they can develop problem behaviors. They need a lot of training and work with any problem behaviors in order to prevent them from becoming the ruler of the house, because I have heard nightmare stories of large birds like McCaws that rule the house! :eek:

Those types can become spoiled brats so to speak if they aren't handled and trained correctly. I used to visit a pet store where you could bring your dogs in with you to shop, and they had a McCaw they let run around the store.. only it walked around and terrorized the dogs, coming up and lunging at them and causing a ruckus. When they put the bird in its cage, it began screaming at the top of its lungs, and a McCaw can have deafening screams. He would NOT stop screaming, not for anything, till they opened his door again.

But again, I don't think this is the type of bird you are looking into anyway. A parakeet, tiel, dove etc., would not take this kind of time and effort, they are pretty easy to train and can be happy as long as they have company and are well cared for, preferably with some time to be with people every day for awhile too, plenty of toys and things to play with, etc.

[My Peanuts]

Originally posted by DogLover9501

But what exactly do they need that can be so much effort? That's really all I dont understand...

Also do they need baths? :eek:

It's really not that they need a lot of effort. Just think if you had to stay in a cage all day. You'd want out too :)

Yes they need baths, but it isn't what you may be thinking. You can spray him/her with a spray bottle or something like that. I take Alex in the shower with me sometimes. They make perches that stick to the side of the shower. I don't have one yet, but I want one. I don't let the water directly hit her, obviously. She'd get knocked down :p When it's warm out side I have a smaller cage I put all four in and I put the hose on mist and mist them down. They love to be misted and put in the sun.

[GoldenRetrLuver]

Sorry I'm late at replying.. I just saw this thread. :o

You've been giving tons of GREAT information already, but I just thought I'd add my two cents in.

I think probably the biggest thing IMO is that Cocktiels can not, not, not be kept in a cage all day. Piper's *usually* out all day unless we're not here, he's sleeping/taking naps, or if the dogs are in the same room. I know he'd go INSANE if he wasn't taken out often. :p

Also, they're VERY smart birds! Piper's pretty vocal, but it's not so much as an annoying sound, like PCB said, but soothing. I love his little songs he sings throughout the day. Piper can bark like a dog, imitate a dog squeaky toy, laugh, "wolf whistle", and say "Uh Oh", which also sounds like "Hello". :p

You can have one or two even though you have dogs around. But, that doesn't mean I would trust Molly or Daisy with Piper in a second; Molly most of all. Piper's wings are not clipped, only for the fact that in case something *does* happen with him and the dogs, he'll be able to get away.

They do need baths, but Piper prefers showers. Once a week while I clean his cage, I'll take him outside [while he's still in the top portion of his cage] and gently spray him with the hose. We have a hose nozzel that lets you put it on different settings, so you're not just spraying with *hard* water. He loves it.

They can be messy birds. I know Piper is, but certainly not compared to some of the larger parrots. It's not that big of a deal to sweep/vaccum under their cage when they do decide to make one. :p

You can only tell for sure if a bird is male or female by getting them DNA tested at the vet. We haven't, because quite frankly, it doesn't matter to us. PCB is pretty good with guessing *what* gender they are, though. :p I've also heard that you can guess what sex they are by how much noise they make; being that males are the noiser of the two. Not sure how true that is, though.

Good Luck! I hope you can get a tiel. They're great! :D

[DogLover9501]

Thanks for adding some information, Julie :)

My mom seems to be leaning towards "no" right now :(, we still haven't "fully" talked it over, so things may change once she learns everything about them.

I'll let you guys now if anything changes.

Thanks again everyone, I have gotten so much great information!!

[aly]

I suggest getting the Cockatiels for Dummies book. I've read it twice and its very helpful as far as basic information about cockatiel care goes. I've been researching cockatiels for awhile now because I'm DYING to get one and I had tons of questions too. That book will answer a lot of them for you!

I have a question for bird owners. I read that scented candles, air fresheners, carpet cleaners, aerosol sprays, etc are bad for them. Do you guys just not use any of those things at all or do you make sure you use them in a room far away from the bird then air the room out well?

[My Peanuts]

Originally posted by aly
I have a question for bird owners. I read that scented candles, air fresheners, carpet cleaners, aerosol sprays, etc are bad for them. Do you guys just not use any of those things at all or do you make sure you use them in a room far away from the bird then air the room out well?

Personally, I take some precautions, but I still use those products. I actually didn't know about the scented candles one. I'm going to look into that. I always use scented candles. I have even used them in the same room as my birds, but it wasn't really close to them. None of my tiels has had any respiratory problems other then when Alex was egg bound and having trouble breathing.