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.


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.

[DogLover9501]

Thanks for the information

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. 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 My brother once said, "either they go or I go." My dad told him to go . 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. 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. 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.

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! I would *think* birds from the parrot family are more playful/intelligent, though I'm not sure.

Hope this helps!

[DogLover9501]

You have been ALOT of help! But I knew you could give lots of information

I have even more questions

-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 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! 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 . 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 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