A good kind of bird for me

[Aspen and Misty]

Don't forget aobut perhaps a Cockatiel or two.........(hint, hint) . We do have 7 eggs!

I would take one of your babies in a heart beat!

I have been considering a Cockatiel, expessially if I were to get a bird any time soon. If you don't mind, can you tell me more about them, there personlities and how much time they need. I do think if I were to get a bird right now, I would go with a Cockatiel because I know for a fact that I do not have the time for a larger, more intellegent bird.

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I'll do more research on them all.

Ash

[Logan]

OK, Ash, as of this afternoon, we now have 8 eggs, layed over the last two weeks..........I'm starting to get scared!

I am no expert, although we have had Roger since Helen's 11th Birthday (January 29, 2002) and Milly was adopted shortly after that.

Roger was a young baby when we got him from a pet store. He "bonded" with Helen, immediately in the pet store, walking right up her arm and sitting on her shoulder while she walked around the store. I had to go back and get him for her. Milly came later, actually when I had gone to buy a stand for Roger's cage, and saw her up for adoption at the pet store. It took a couple of days, but I couldn't stand it and went back and got her (her owner had gone into a nursing home and her son didn't want the bird).

Anyway, they love attention and Roger is quite talkative. He probably learned more when it was just him. He has some phrases that he says and some specific tunes that he whistles. He mostly flirts with Milly. We have two cages, but they stay together most of the time now.

Many people recommend feeding them pellets, which are more healthy. Mine hate pellets, but I've tried to add some to their diet anyway. They do cockatiel seed and also fresh lettuce, kale, boiled eggs (with some shell broken into it) and sometimes fresh fruit.

Birds are messy, though, so you need to be able to be diligent about dusting, allowing them to bathe (helps reduce the dust a lot), and changing out the paper in the cage often. They poop, like all birds, but there are great products to clean that (the one I use is called "Poop Off"). Mine love to be outside of their cages, so usually, I keep their wings clipped. I have my avian vet do this as I don't have the nerve to do it myself, but most people can do it themselves. In my experience, it needs to be done about every six months. Mine LOVE to fly, but the more freedom they get, the more mess they make! They are great chewers and can make a mess of wires and paper if not monitored properly.

They love company. Mine love music, too. I hate that I have them isolated in one room, but with our cats and dogs, I have to do that. But we are in there a lot and I also take them outside in their cage on nice days when I can watch them and they get showered and enjoy "talking" with their wild bird cousins.

Does this help? I don't mind driving to Atlanta! LOL!!!!! You buy the cage, I'll give you a baby or two. You might contact Amber (CamCamPup) by PM, too, as she has Bennie, from our last clutch (two years ago) and she can give you some insight. I will not be able to handfeed the babies, but Roger and Milly did a terrific job last time, and I'm sure they will this time, too. I'm just hoping that we don't get 8 babies!

Logan

PS. I'm going to crosspost this on my other thread for Kari's benefit.

[Giselle]

Wow, you want to start big, huh? LOL. Honestly, I would recommend starting smaller. If you don't like Cockatiels, you might want to look into Green-Cheeked Conures. They're often recommended as a "next-step-up" bird:
http://www.petbirdpage.com/breed.asp?breed=grenchek

Similarly, you'll want to look into Maroon Bellied Conures:
http://www.petbirdpage.com/breed.asp?breed=maroonbl


Exotic birds can be fairly difficult to take care of, so it's often recommended you start small (lovebirds, keets, tiels, etc.). Eventually, with experience, you can move on to the larger parrots like Poicephalus parrots, Pionus parrots, Conures, and Caiques. If you're REALLY into birds, then, maybe, you can consider Macaws, Toos, and Amazons.

Having friends with macaws, some of the situations I see are truly atrocious. Macaws and Toos are like perpetual 2-year-olds. They are very difficult to cater to if you've never owned a bird before and I would recommend anybody looking into large parrots to have a basic knowledge of bird behavior. If you have basic knowledge of bird behavior, you can easily curb excessive screaming, which seems to be one of your main concerns. The thing with Suns and Jendays is that while they won't scream all the time if given proper attention, their screams are ear-splitting.

Please please buy Mattie Sue Athan's book, Guide to a Well-Behaved Parrot. It'll help you immensely!

[Argranade]

This is not your regular pet bird but so many ppl have them all over the world they can live a long life and best they can even be taught to speak very easy because in the wild they love to copy other birds songs.

I got one for my friend but sadly someone opened the window and it flew out because I forgot to clip his wings but he was a great bird and his name was Chico and know what on the first day I got her this bird it actualy sad Choo choo like a train you can also get them in pure white if your lucky.

These birds are starlings and I plan on getting one soon becase they make great pets and actualy came to Canada as pets but some where realesed by mistake.Now there are soo many which some ppl call them a pest but I love them.

Heres a site where everyone owns one.
starlingtalk.com

Heres some pics.

You can get them from a bird rehaber or a breeder.

[Aspen and Misty]

bGiselle - I have owned parakeets before and loved them a lot. I believe they were 5 or 6 years old when we got them and lived with us for about 7 years (I may be a little bit off here). Also, while I didn't get to spend as much time with it as I would have liked to, I had a foster Lovebird for about 3 weeks and loved every moment. My mom also worked for an avian vet for 5 years so I have a great back ground there as he would teach my mom a lot. Thanks for the tips, I don't think I wouldn't mind starting smaller, such as with a Cockatiel (from Logan, lol), as I love them.

Logan - Messy doesn't bother me, lol. When I had my foster love bird I would take it in the shower with me and put it on the opposite side of the shower away from the stream so it could get lightly misted. Do Cockatiels like to cuddle? I find that’s something I love about the larger birds. Do the babies like to be held if they aren't hand fed? My friend has a cockatiel that isn't hand tame and I know I would never want to go down that route.

I'm on my way to Amazon.com to see if I can get a great deal on the book Gissel recommended!

Ash

ps: I really apreciate all the advise guys!

[orcalover]

having a small bird might be better but if you don't like them than don't get them i just got a hand fed conure and he is the cutes thing i could have asked for
if you like biger birds and you have the time to give them then you could give it a try but they are a life long camitment
toos are great though they are very playful one of my teachers had one and was always saying how much it loved her children and that it would wake them up in the morning by climing into their beds if it could get out of its cage
she also had a african gray that was great. they pick up everything you say, and say it. she brought it to school durning a test once and it was having a hole conversationg as if it was on the phone (even started ringing a few times) but just look them up and find the one that fits you

[Sparklecoon]

I love Sun Conures personally. I've had love birds and tiels when I was younger and if I were to ever get another bird I think it'd be a sun conure.

[Giselle]

I can't believe you shower with your bird. That's fantastic!!! I shower occassionally with Bailey and he LOVES it. It's such an inspiring bonding experience and it really speeds up the training process.

I think a Green-Cheeked Conures are going to be the best bet here. They're about the same size as a Sun/Jenday Conure and their colors are just as beautiful in real life. Plus, their screams are more tolerable and they're comparable to cockatiels. Good Luck! They're fairly inexpensive, too.