What kind of pet bird(s) do you own and why?
I lost my budgie recently and would like to have another bird. I’m just not sure what kind. I am looking for other options. Any suggestions?
Note: I need a bird that would be good with children and other pets.
Our son is 14 months old. He was not allowed to hold or play with our budgie. He could look at or gently touch Skittles while I held him. We have 2 dogs and 2 cats.
I have 4 birds. I have Simon, a peachfaced lovebird, Mojo a quaker, Piper a pied cockatiel, and Kilo, and umbrella cockatoo. My suggestion to you would be to get something on the smaller side such as a cockateil. They are great family pets, and are usually fine with other animals and children. Lovebirds tend to bond to one person and may become aggressive to the kids if you are with them and not it. Quakers can go both ways. Some times they are nasty, other times they may not mind the kids or animals. Please dont get a cockatoo. They are awesome parrots but if you already have kids, and other animals, you wont have enough time for it which could cause many problems for the bird. So, finally, i guess my answer is to stick with a cockatiel. Conures are even great birds for a family. Possibly a blue crown conure? They are a small to med. size bird that , from my experience, is ok with kids and pets. Good luck and have fun with whatever you decide to get!!!!!!
CHICKENS! I’m not joking get a Japanese Silkie Bantam HEN. The roosters aree awesome too but they crow.
I’m not kidding at all. they are really sweet. they would sit on my lap. my rooster would come when he was called and they loved to be petted.
They were bred for centuries in Japan as pets. plus they lay eggs for breakfast! double whammy
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I’ve had 3 budgies, 3 silkies and 1 duck (all pets).
WEll, my family and i have a cockitiel and we love him….He talks to us and what not…..If your looking for a bird that you would be able to hold this is a good choice….just make sure it is hand feed. and remember that they do want to fly
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love birds are very harty and live for quite some time. i have had two for about 18 years. they are probably not as docil as parakeets but they are very prolific and lots of fun. if you give them a treat plate they will carry on like it is christmas as soon as they see you knowing it is treat time…
i also have a cockatoo…………VERY LOUD! if you have neighbors that don’t like the squacking forget the big birds.
finches sound lovely but are fragile
canaries are also a bit fragile but only the males sing and they can be expensive.
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none of ur bussiness!!
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Depends on what type of bird companionship you’re looking for. If you’re looking for a cuddle bird (one to just sit on your shoulder and hang out) try looking at a Sun Conure. They’re very pretty and are on the small, but can be loud if you don’t pay attention to them. If you have the money and time, an African Grey is one of the most intelligent and about a medium sized bird, but they are really one person birds. They don’t do well with too many people around. Macaws are very social and very playful birds (so be prepared for nips!) and are a large sized bird. They can be very loud too. The last bird that I’m familiar with is a Green Wing. Again, if you want to spend the money, they are incredibly friendly and gentle parrots, but they are rather large. Good luck on your search!
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got a parakeet that loves my daughter, her wings are not clipped and she will fly right to my daughter when she lets the cage open. my daughter is 12, our parakeet is about 3 years old now. she KISSES the thing on the beak now, not me, oh no, i can see that lil booger pecking my eyeball out and cackling about it……a
we also have a pic of our bird sitting on the fish bowl looking down at our betta fish………..
and we have a hampster too!
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Well I have 16 budgies and only started out last year with two pairs. They are like rabbits. I also have 4 cockatails 2 females and 2 males. One of the males is a baby from the one couple and he is adorable. Since he was born here I handled him from real young and so he is real tame. He loves to whistle at everyone and will open his wings and dance around while whistleing. Cockatails are alot calmer than the budgies and good with kids. Another good bird that is calm and you dont even need to keep in a cage are the contours (i think thats how it is spelled) I used to have two. They are small parrots. Alittle larger than a cockatail. They are green with black heads. They are really nice and not expensive either. They will sit there on a perch and not fly away as long as you cut thier wings of course. The ones I had loved to talk to our cat. They also will learn how to talk. My son taught ours to say things it shouldnt. Good luck on your bird hunting.
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I have 4 male cockatiels. They are great.
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um the best is a ring neck dove thereare the best i have a kid whose 5 and it’s good with her so it’s the pefect pet
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I own 2 parakeets, (Budgies). I like parakeets because they come in so many colors and you can train them to talk. The males are the best talkers. You did not say how old your children are, or what kind of pets. Parakeets are small & must be handled gentley, and protected from other pets.
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Owning many parakeets, and other pets.
i adopted 4 parakeets(my first birds!!!) and now i also have 2 lovebirds. the parakeets don’t let anybody hold them. the lovebirds even let my 2 year old pick them up,as a matter of fact they prefer our kids over us but i heard that’s not always the case. i have been told they can be quite mean. i have heard that the most child friendly birds are cockatiels(hand fed babies) but still keep an eye out because the birds personality will make a difference.
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I have 4 birds. I have Simon, a peachfaced lovebird, Mojo a quaker, Piper a pied cockatiel, and Kilo, and umbrella cockatoo. My suggestion to you would be to get something on the smaller side such as a cockateil. They are great family pets, and are usually fine with other animals and children. Lovebirds tend to bond to one person and may become aggressive to the kids if you are with them and not it. Quakers can go both ways. Some times they are nasty, other times they may not mind the kids or animals. Please dont get a cockatoo. They are awesome parrots but if you already have kids, and other animals, you wont have enough time for it which could cause many problems for the bird. So, finally, i guess my answer is to stick with a cockatiel. Conures are even great birds for a family. Possibly a blue crown conure? They are a small to med. size bird that , from my experience, is ok with kids and pets. Good luck and have fun with whatever you decide to get!!!!!!
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We have two Conures — a 2-year old Green Cheek and a 15-year old White-Eyed. We also have 2 14-year old Senegals that currently reside in another state with a friend.
The Senegals: Funny, loving birds that for the most part are quiet unless they let out with their fright screech. They are truly gymnasts that enjoy entertaining people with their clowning around. The bite of a Senegal (our male bites but not the female) can be very painful but reading body language can help you avoid the injury. When they clamp down, they grind their beak, which can lead to some nasty wounds.
Senegals have spurts of energy where they play hard and then nap for awhile. Active birds that love to chew, they need lots of wooden toys to destroy.
Senegals can be accomplished talkers but since vocalization wasn’t important to me, I didn’t train them to talk. The male has said "hello" and it didn’t take many repetitions to get him to do that so I would say they’re very easy to train.
Green Cheek Conure: Green Cheeks are little birds packed with a lot of personality! Smaller than a Cockatiel, these little guys love to clown around, sleep on their backs, hang from the tops of their cages and are snuggle birds. Very loving little fellows. GCC can be nippy early in life but they can get past the behavior. The only time that ours has nipped us was the first night we brought him home and he was scared. He was parent-raised instead of hand-fed so he hadn’t been handled much in his short life. He was very easy to teach how to step-up and interact with humans; he even learned to poop on command. Sugar is a sweet, sweet boy and would make a perfect family companion.
White-Eyed Conure: Mikki is 15-years old and was rehomed earlier this year. His lifelong human companion had died and because he is a little nippy, he was left in his cage for 4 years following the death of his beloved human. We’ve had Mikki 10 months and he has never bitten either my husband or me very hard. He is terrified of hands but yesterday we were playing "touch" and he was letting me rub his beak. It didn’t take long for Mikki to respond to love once he got here. We do everything in Mikki’s time and respect the boundaries he has set. Because he is willing to stretch beyond those boundaries, we’ve made great progress in his re-socialization.
Mikki is a talker! He easily picks up on new words and phrases so we’re very careful what we say around him. His previous companions had taught him to say, "Bye-bye Mikki, we’ll be back" and a host of other sayings and he does use them correctly. When I return home after being gone I call out to him and Sugar, "Hi Babies" and now Mikki is saying "Hi Baby". Mikki has been a joy to live with; he is very quiet and thankfully, neither he nor Sugar is destructive.
Of the three species, I would suggest the Green Cheek Conure as a family bird.
Good luck on your search for the right companion!
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Companion to 5 birds in my lifetime
im an animal lover…so i got lots….i currently have 13 pigeons, 11 parakeets, and 3 cockatiels…its a lot of work, but at least it keeps me away from the streets and the tv….lol….with birds, each of them are different, while pigeons are mostly afraid of you and would rather have you away, parekeets and cockatiels are very fun and love to have you around, especially the cockatiels….but they are all fun at the end….is just up to you to decide
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I did some research before making my purchase of a Quaker Parrot. I wanted a small parrot that could talk and do tricks. We have had Pete, our trucker talking parrot for 14 years, and he is a God Send! However, because our children moved on while Pete was very young, he no longer is use to having other people in the house and is not overly friendly. I wish I would have known to keep him trained to accept everyone that comes to our home.
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Personally, I would go for a cockatiel. They are simple, little birds and if hand tamed are very friendly. Hope this helps!!!
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We have a Quaker Parrot (parrakeet). She is the coolest pet ever. We have had her since she was young, she was still being handfed once a day. We have an excellent bond with her. She is about 5 months old and talks alreay. She says "Madinah(her name), Hi, I love you, gives kisses and makes kissy sounds" We have a four year old and she is good with him, she doesnt really bite, she tastes us. We actually want to get another one. And we got her from Petsmart. There is a quaker parrot forum- quakerparrot.com, i think. they have tons of knowledgeable people and give great advice. Good luck and sorry about your loss.
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It sounds to me staying in the same size range as a budgie would be best for you! I would suggest maybe getting a lovebird, I have 2 and they are just awesome. Someone mentioned a Sun Conure, I definitely would not get one with dogs cats, or children, mine hates all of them, and from what I’ve seen in other Sun owners, it is much along the same lines! Lovebirds can make great pets if you socialize them regularly, mine are both sweeties, BUT they hate eachother LOL go figure! So that would be my vote!
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Owned by 2 lovebirds, a Sun Conure, and a Senegal
I have a quaker,…it is loveable and my son loves holding it and playing with it.
I have an african grey timneh,….she is 1 year old waiting for talking to get better but anxious. However she is a bit moody with everyone except me.
I have a goffin cockatoo,….he is 2 1/2 he loves me cuddling him,…loves my hubby cuddling him and taking him riding on motorcycle,…he loves playing chase with my son but doesn’t like my son to hold him,…he talks good also
And my notorious yellow nape amazon,….I will tell you that I got her when she was 4 she is 6 now,…..She is an excellent talker but the breeder I bought her from told me that she had so many birds that she didn’t get to work with holding them so it would be out of the question for me to ever hold her,..within 9 months I could hold her and take her outside and she talks to everyone,….I am the only one who holds her,….my son pets her when I am holding her and telling her it is ok,….she will let anyone pet her if I tell her it is ok. It is amazing what you can do with these birds,…..What I was told would be impossible became possible.
All with alot of love and attention
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I breed Parrots and I think the best kind of family bird is a Cockateil. There friendly and gentle. I have a few in the house for pets but I also have African greys (not recommended for beginner bird owners) and I have Indian Ringnecks. The one ringneck can say over 400 words…he outtalks my pet Grey.Those are pretty nice family pets too and they come in many colors.
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Homing pegions. They are the most sporty, travelling distances as far as 400kms. They can also expand your business in many ways. One way is they bring home another pegion. Another is you can send messages as alternative to e-mail.
So what are you waiting for?
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i own a african grey. they cost alot of money. cost me $1900 plus the cage with it. but well worth it.
why? they are very smart and easy to train. but as well as kids, they do need the attention too. i wouldn’t consider it a pet for your kids. but they do get along with other pets.
kids seems to stick their finger in the cage and the bird may think fish sticks or french fries. unless you are around with the bird and kids together, it shouldn’t be a problem. but i do suggest a dove. they don’t bite at all. trust me i got 7 doves:)
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