How do you know if a bird is the right pet for you? And how do you decide what type of bird will best suit your household?
The following scenarios should help potential owners make a decision that's right for them and a new avian friend. If after reading these suggestions you want to get a bird, be ready - as with any companion animal - to invest money for regular veterinary care, a varied diet and toys.
Also, prepare to spend time playing with and talking to your bird. Today, most pet birds are hand-raised and therefore dependent on human contact for their happiness and well being.
- "I don't like a lot of mess." Choose small birds, such as budgies (a.k.a. parakeets), canaries, finches or lovebirds.
- "I don't like loud screaming birds." Although there are individual exceptions, avoid conures, parrots and cockatoos.
- "I don't have much space." Choose any bird, as long as you allow for a large enough cage and time out of it almost every day.
- "I am afraid of being bitten by my bird." If this is a concern, find out how large your bird will be when fully grown. As babies, medium- and large-sized birds are very sweet and have little beak strength. But when they mature, they can become somewhat aggressive, their beaks more powerful and their behavior somewhat erratic. Instead, choose a smaller bird, such as a cockatiel, who is less able to cause harm when he bites.
- "I want my bird to talk." African Gray parrots and Amazon parrots are considered the best talkers, but there is no guarantee that your bird will talk. Birds who speak the most are those who are spoken to most often.
- "I am concerned about how my new bird will get along with other pets and young children." Adequate space and close adult supervision will promote harmony among birds, children and other pets. You will need a room in which you can close off your bird for his or her protection when you are not present, even if you are just in another room. If you have a very large bird, such as a macaw, you may need to protect your children and other pets from the bird if he has been provoked inadvertently.
- "I am thinking of buying a captured wild bird because they are much less expensive than domestic birds." DON'T! The Wild Bird Conservation Act of 1992 bans the import of certain species of wild-caught birds, and many populations have been decimated by this trade. These birds also make inferior and often dangerous pets. They are not easily tamed and are known to carry more diseases than domestically raised birds.