by MFids on Sun Dec 20, 2009 1:15 am
Must haves for a bird include:
Non-aggressive. I don't want a bird that will bite at all. (Yes, I do know that any animal may bite at some point.)
Birds bite for several reasons, not just aggression. Young parrots go through a "mouthing" stage, and depending on how you care for them at this point in time can make a great difference to them as adults. Nipping and biting can also be a form of communication when they tried to tell you no before, but not "listening" you ignore their "obvious" 'no, I don't want to' which can then lead to biting.
Not a one-person bird. I am going to have people visit all the time, and I may have a roommate, so I don't need a jealous bird biting everyone who enters.
This depends entirely on the personality of the bird, as well you socialize the bird
Not noisy. I don't mind a bird that chirps and makes some noise, but I'm going to be living in an apartment, and I am also hyper-sensitive to noise.
Noise is relative. There are people who own budgies and cockatiels, but could never dream of living with cockatoo's or macaws, because of how loud these birds are. Likewise, people who own large parrots may not be able to stand the chitter chatter and constant noise of the smaller species.
Doesn't mind being left alone on occasion. Right now, I'm gone most of the day Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I'm gone a little bit the other four days of the week. I'll be home every day to spend several hours with the bird, but it can't get depressed if it is left alone for eight hours or so.
Again, depends on the bird, and how well it does playing on it's own. A bird who is spoiled too much, or one that doesn't learn how to play with toys will be a bird more prone to screaming.
Also looking for in a bird but not required:
Colorful. I love Sun Conures, Lovebirds, and Macaws. They are gorgeous.
All three species are known for being, well, noisy, to different degrees, of course. Sun conures and lovebirds can have high pitched squawks/screeches, while macaws can be just plain loud. Parrotlets are like lovebirds, although smaller and perhaps not as colorful, can be known for nipping, but are generally quieter birds. There are also grass keets who chirp and twitter a lot! I've heard, but cannot confirm, that pionus, and *some* poicephalus are quiet birds. Senegals are usually considered quiet, although I've been within the vicinity of one that I think was named Radar? Either way, he had this one really loud noise he made, and oh gosh, it was loud!!!!!
Intelligent. I'd like to be able to train my bird to do tricks, etc.
Any bird from a budgie on up to a macaw can be trained to do tricks. I don't know so much about passerines and softbills, but wouldn't be surprised, since it's also possible to train chickens!
Lives a long time. I'm going to be in school for a long time, and I want a companion to share all of that time with me.
Don't know about passerines here, but softbills usually live 3-5 years. Taken good care of, these birds can live up to 20 years (pretty rare!). Budgies also have the potential to live 20 years, but a lot don't make it past 3-5 years, yet again. Some may make it into their early teens, if your lucky. Cockatiels can live into their teens to twenties, and if in really good health, potentially up to 35 years. The mid-sized birds, such as conures, poicephalus and pionus species usually live twenties to thirties, if your lucky, even longer.
That said, and not a lot of people realize it, but they do need a large cage! Even the tiny guys! There's flight cages that would fit just about any of the little guys on up to the mid sized cages, and are usually rather cheap. Mirrors are not suggested, but a variety of perches and toys are. You aren't looking at just 2-4 toys, perhaps, but as many as you can fit into the cage without overcrowding it! On top of this, there's diet. Diet varies between species, as some do not do well on a diet of more than 25% pellets, with a base dry diet of seeds, while others may do best off on a 50% pellet based diet, with seeds as treats, and the rest, if possible, to be a variety of fresh foods. Fresh foods include cooked or sprouted healthy grains and legumes, veggies, and some fruits.
In regards to dangers, it's not so much a hot stove, but appliances coated in PTFE (one brand name is Teflon). PTFE can be on non-stick pans (not all), ovens, coffee pots, grills, hair dryers, toaster ovens, toasters, etc. Anything that heats up. The only way to know for sure is to contact the manufacturer of the products in question to verify whether or not they are safe. Ionizers are also a 'no-no'. There are also candles, air fresheners, perfume, carpet cleaners, and anything else that may give off fumes of any type that may be dangerous to birds. If I wear perfume or body spray, it's right before I go out the door! Otherwise, I don't use it. I also don't use hair products other than shampoo and conditioner, and *maybe* leave-in spray conditioner. I don't even paint my nails! Then again, I've never had nice nails and I really never got into that type of thing anyway. Once dry, the stuff is fine, although you don't want your birds around fresh nail polish, or polish remover, and it would probably be best not to allow them to chew on your nails if they have nail polish on them. Allowing birds access to your mouth or lips is also another big 'no-no' as well as sharing food that you've already eaten off of.
It's generally not recommended to keep birds as a college student, because birds do require a lot of time and commitment. They may enjoy time spent going about the house with you as you do chores, but if spoiled too much there may be behavior issues. If it's something you are interested in doing, go for it! Be sure to do a lot of research! On the other hand, perhaps you might want to wait on getting a bird after you get out of college and you are settled in your own place? At least then, you might be able to control your atmosphere better, and you wont have the stress of college as well as pets to contend with. We can all try and persuade you not to, but it's ultimately your choice, and what you believe you can or cannot handle.
Monica & Fids
"I am willing to make the mistakes if someone else is willing to learn
from them."
