Thinking about buying a parakeet
 

Bf has been wanting a real bird for a long time. Right now we have two birdcages, one empty, and one with a fake motion/light sensor bird that chirps whenever we go by it. I put my foot down at any large bird.

My fear was Toto would bark nonstop at it bc when we had Scrappy he did just that and Scrappy and Toto are like twins. But Toto ignores the fake bird and we also took him to Petco to look at the birds and he didn't seem to mind them.

Now my question is, are the birds sold at Petco and Petsmart humanely raised? Are there such things a birdmills? Is it ok to buy a bird from there?

I used to have parakeets, my aunt had them too. I don't know anything about buying them.

My 4 dogs were fine with them, so were my aunt's 2, I'd think the thrill would wear off in a few days anyway. The birds themselves can be very loud though.

If you get 2 make sure you really know what gender they are, we thought I had 2 girls until one got pregnant...

Also clip their flight wings, they can still fly, just not long distances or very high. My uncle thought it was mean and one of their birds flew out the door.

Are you supposed to get a pair? I was just gonna get one.

But yeah, my bff had one and they said it was a male, until it laid an egg. How do you double check?

Idk if you need 2, but I had 2 and so did my aunt. I was like 8 when we had them so I don't remember much.

I also don't know how you test the gender, but I assume the internet or a vet could tell you, basically I wouldn't trust a petco employee.

Did you get to see the babies? They're so ugly they're cute.

There are unethical bird breeders just like with dogs and cats. You are better off getting one from someone who raises them so you know how old they are as well as gender and that they have been socialized. Most of the ones at Petco are not socialized. Parakeets can be really tame and come when called and learn tricks but this works best with younger birds. There are just as many bird diseases as dog diseases. Unfortunately, by the time you realize a bird is sick, it is often too late since they are experts at hiding illness. Also, read up on what to look for in a bird when buying. For example, a bird sitting at the bottom of the cage, sleeping is a very bad sign. Missing feathers can be a bad sign unless it is due to molting, in which case you should see pin feathers beginning to emerge to replace the old ones. The vent should be clean and the eyes should be bright and clear. I know they are not super expensive but they are intelligent and loving if given the chance. Many people choose to get another bird if one gets sick because it's so much more expensive to take them to a vet than to buy a new one. Also, finding vets that know anything about birds is a challenge.

I love birds and I've fostered quite a few through the years. I've had everything from Macaws to Love Birds. Many people do not consider them to be "real" pets but as I stated, they are very intelligent and can develop wonderful relationships with you and your other pets. I currently do not have any, and I probably won't ever get another but I loved the ones that I worked with.

Oh man. That's a lot to take in. I know Macaws are a lot of work and they live for like 70 years. Plus they are really loud. Plus expensive! I wouldn't ever get one of those. Now I am rethinking. Thanks for your input.

I had a Cockatiel and a Bee Bee parrot for several years, clipped their wings, let the out of their cages when I was home. I had a poodle at that time, the poodle was GREAT with the birds, she would let the birds walk on her back, let them pluck her fur, she was very gentle with birds. Then I got my first yorkie, she would sit under their cages and salivate over them. There was no more letting the birds out, my yorkie would have killed them I am sure. I think it was the fluttering of their wings that would incite the yorkie. That yorkie turned out to be the most gentle, sweetest dog that LOVED to play hide and seek with my niece's ferret. Since I have had yorkies 35+ years I have never gotten any more birds.

There are a LOT of people who get birds, leave them in a cage and throw food at them once or twice a day. For those owners, having a bird is easy but it's not a good life for the bird. Then there are those that get a bird as another member of the family. These birds (parakeets, cockatiels, macaws and many others) socialize with you and love being around you. I had a cockatiel that loved to sit in the side of my bowl at dinner and drink my soup or eat part of my salad. I had a Green Cheek Conure that loved to sit on my shoulder and preen my hair why talking softly to me. A military macaw was my last bird. He died of cancer after $$$$'s of treatment. He was a love. He called my children by name, played games and was like a little kid. These are just a few of the beautiful little souls that I homed while they looked for forever homes due to people not realizing the commitment.

Don't get me wrong, I think birds are wonderful pets and if you decide to get one, I know you will treat it well. I'm glad you are taking time to think it over rather than making an impulse buy.

I got my cockatiel a female from a breeder as a little baby, I hand trained her, when I was home she was always on my shoulder, she would wrap her wings around my neck like she was hugging me. When I ate she would take pieces of food off my plate, she would walk the floor like a dog lol, I just loved that little bird, so did my Poodle. I had many varieties of dwarf parrots. My first bird was a parakeet, wings not clipped, she was out of her cage when I was home, you do not need 2 parakeets, two tend to bond with each other and not with the owner. As I wrote due to my experience with my first yorkie I will not get anymore birds, but I will say, it all depends on the dog. My first one that wanted to eat my birds was a puppy at that time, as an adult she was very gentle, the bird died before the yorkie reached adulthood, who knows, maybe my yorkie's attitude towards birds would have changed. I cannot keep a bird caged, they need the freedom to fly, even if wings are clipped they can flutter about, become a member of the family. I just will not take a chance yorkies and birds. I say go for the parakeet if your dog is bird friendly, you don't need two. If you can find a breeder you will get a baby that you can hand train. I know nothing about where PetCo or other pet shops get their birds. Don't deny your heart, get the bird.

I want a parakeet too I would buy mine from petco. The only thing that stops me is I have cats butt Ive heard the cats can get used to the bird if it lives in the home.

I love birds, but I wonder about the humanness of making the live in a cage. Personally flying seems like it would be so much fun, and then to have to live in a cage with either clipped wings like some of the big birds or just never be allowed out of the cage like some of the small birds, doesn't seem like a great life. I haven't researched this at all, it's just my own opinion and I'm sure some pet birds have a good life, but in Victorian times, they would build a special aviaries where they kept plants and the birds could fly all over it. This seems very humane to me. My sister-in-law just lets her birds fly all over her house and she has the poop to prove it! Anyway, good luck with your decision.

I'm so on board with you on this. Birds should be free to fly as they are made and have evolved to do better than any other living thing, having developed wings for just one thing - to fly high in the sky - "free as a bird". Even the tiniest birds have been tracked up to 1700 miles and migrate whenever nature calls. I'm totally fascinated by birds and would enjoy having one but the thought of keeping one captive in a tiny cage or even some 30 foot X 60 foot aviary in my house, a little being destined to fly the great skies when his wild instincts direct him, seems so cruel - seems to rob him of his reason for living - to get to FLY freely above us all. I'm the same way about fish tanks - particularly those slim, tall ones where the fish can barely swim forward but a few inches enough to push water through his gills - fish intended by nature to swim free and far in lakes, streams and oceans for miles and miles.

When I've been housebound for a few days after surgery, confined to one room or to bed for say 10 days, the freedom to get up and out, go shopping or to just drive, visit a friend and go out to lunch, free to roam where I'd like, is ever the sweeter once I'm released to resume normal activities. Imagine being housebound to one bed, one room, for your entire life and I imagine that's what a caged bird or tanked fish probably feels like. Of course if you were born in one room and shortly moved to another room to live your whole life, maybe you wouldn't miss all the things life otherwise has to offer and you'd be happy in your room.

As much as I have always loved birds and had several varieties all one wing clipped could flutter low several feet,but not fly 20 feet, they were free when I came home from work and all week ends. I cannot see a bird live their life caged in a cage. I cannot go into pet shops with stopping and looking at the birds. Even with Cody, even if I knew he could do well with a bird which I doubt I could not let it out of the cage in the summer as I have a doggie hatch / door thingie. To keep a bird "caged" for 6 months would upset me. So I feed the wild birds and get my enjoyment from seeing how many varieties I can entice to my feeders, and they are free.

I feel you about being caged for life. Perhaps I will have to get a turkey or ostrich. LOL Kidding! Ok maybe a penguin.

Well, I guess if your planning on eating the parakeet it's okay! :D How smart is your boyfriend? Would this fool him? Amazon

Haha OMG that looks so ghetto and it's $13?! I'll post a pic of the fake one we have later.

Read the reviews, I think it's his language not his looks that's a hit. This is something that would appeal to most 10 year old boys and men never mature past the age of 10!

I've had birds all my life.....
I currently have a Yellow Crowned Amazon who with celebrate his 10th Hatchday this Spring. He talks, asks for his favorite foods, plays with his toys, and enjoys his cage. He does not want to fly. He likes to come out of his cage and sit on top when given the choice. Birds are territorial and it is not mean to cage them. My parrot is very socialized and happy.

I do not think it is cruel to cage birds. It is safer for them so that they are not injured. They become comfortable in their environment provided they have the correct cage size and stimulation. We rotate toys and give him home cooked food along w/ a pelleted diet and he has a number of snacks. He likes to have a shower once a week too and has beautiful feathers.

I hope if you get a bird that it is the right pet for you and that you will enjoy them. I think they are wonderful pets for the right person.

Wow a bath once a week? How does that work? Is an Amazon a large bird? How do the yorkies handle the bird? Do I need to buy the bird from a breeder rather than Petco?

The bath is easy. He sits in the kitchen sink and we use the sprayer with warm water. He makes all kinds of happy chirps and spreads his wings. I think it's why his feathers are so nice. No they are smaller parrots. The yorkies are all fine with him except for one. That dog needs to be out of sight when he is out. The others don't care at all.

You are better off going to a bird store specifically or a breeder even if you are going w/ a parakeet. I love parakeets. You might also like Parrotlets, they are so adorable.

Thanks for the tips. There are a few exotic bird shops in Vegas, and a guy at the indoor swap meet that I AVOID AT ALL COSTS!

Bird stores that specifically sell only birds and bird supplies are usually pretty good places to go. And yes, my birds all loved to get showers. In summer I Would also mist them with water and they loved that as well. I'm also not against appropriate sized bird cages but I do feel that they need time out of the cage to socialize and stretch out. People that have problem birds often state that the bird is not allowed out of the cage, they have few if any toys and no variety in food choices. Since they are very intelligent, they get bored, scream and sometimes self-multilate, which is so sad to see. They also learn to bite in these types of situations as well. So many birds were given to me with these problems that took months to correct if they could be corrected at all.

One of my most difficult birds to rehomed was a yellow head Amazon that had been kept in a cage in a woman's bedroom when she was married. When she got divorced, she kept the bird but when she got a new boyfriend, he could not overlook the fact that the bird recalled everything about the woman's sex life with her ex husband. Anytime the boyfriend got close to the woman, the bird would start retelling lovemaking scenes with full sound effects...lol. I could not keep this bird long since my children were small. I had to find another foster that was able to work with the behavior.

I, too, am a bird lover. I have a cockatiel who is around 24 now. I bought him from a private person who really cared for her birds. I lost touch with her over the years, but I know she would be thrilled to know he has lived so long. He says "pretty bird" and "I love you" and he will walk to me to give me kisses when I ask for them. :) Tuffy is his name and I love him so much! :) I also have a sun conure, Kiwi, who was found in a local garage a few years back. Noisy little thing! :) I had a parakeet named Blue when my son was young...the problem with them is they don't seem to live as long as the larger birds. I had many cockatiels throughout the years .. Tuffy outlived all of them.

Birds have personalities ... each one is different. They are a joy to have.

I love birds too.... We've had several over the years since I was a kid. It seems as if they always die too soon and by strange occurrences. As a kid one by being beheaded by our dog, another took flight bounced off the shower curtain landed in the toilet and than drowned. I even tried to revive it with mouth to beak and a blow dryer but it was too late. We had another one get set loose by our pet raccoon who figured out how to open his cage when we were camping. He knocked the cage over that was sitting on the picnic table and he never came back. So that was the end of that until I was out on my own. We had a cockatiel for 12 yrs who passed at the age of 18. But nope it doesn't end there. Got a parakeet that ended up dying after my sister stayed over to babysit and left the window open and it froze. That was 12 yrs ago. So yea... we don't have much luck with birds in our family. We are strictly a Yorkie family now.

I've thought about getting another one but with Miah being such a bird dog that would not be a great addition to the family. I like to get them out and hold them and chit chat but if they should take flight Miah would chase it down and kill it. So no birds for us.

So, Priscilla did you get one ?

As someone who shares her home with our 6 yorkies and 7 parrot type birds, I can say they all get along just fine. Our birds are allowed out of their cages every evening while I tend to the cages. They all have large cages for their size and lots of toys, get fed bird food along with lots of fresh fruit and veggies. All our birds are over 10 yrs. now the oldest is our macaw, Bristol, he will be 20 in sept. that is still young for his species, he's been with us since he was 11 mos. old, besides Bris, we have 2 congo African greys, an indian ringneck parrot (the dogs are all scared of her, she will bite them) a green cheek conure (such a sweetie) and 2 little bitty parrotlets. Because of the dogs, we do not clip the wings, so they can fly, although Bristol doesn't. A while back the Petco store near me had the cutest little blue quaker parrot, he was very tame and I came close to bringing home another bird, luckily my hubby was with me and quickly got me out of there, whew. I think birds make wonderful pets, but they are messy and can be loud, it I had it to do over I might not have gotten the macaw as he can be a screamer, but my grandkids love to face time, not with me but the birds, ha.

No haven't gotten one yet. Still thinking and researching. If you've read my other thread, it's a toss up between an indoor bird or a pair of chickens in the backyard. Either way it's not going to be a decision taken lightly.

You might want to read this forum, it has lots of great tips and idea for raising chickens. This thread talks about the heat and how to keep them cool. Do chickens handle high temps well?

If it were me I'd choose the inside bird over chickens any day. I don't like fowl, their are nasty, and the smell... Yuk !

Inside birds are messy and do have a smell but nothing like chickens. With inside birds you can make a cover to help contain some of the mess but still the feed does get tossed around. I loved having my birds and would love to have another one I just cant with my pups. Miah especially, she has killed several outdoor birds. A few each summer over the years. She makes the kill than will chews on them and one they get nice and smelly and decayed she rolls on them. Its discussing !!

I also had a tiel that I hand raised....got him from a breeder when he still had only quills. He was an ugly little thing that grew into a gorgeous bird. I hand fed him and he would come running into the kitchen and sit on my foot when he heard me mixing his food. Cutest little thing I ever saw! My Benny....he lived to be 14. I haven't had a bird since (almost 8 years now) but my MIL lives with us and has a parakeet. We have 2 cats and two dogs (husky and yorkie) and while the dogs don't bother with him our male cat is infatuated with it. Thankfully in our new house he has not bothered with him. I would like to get a lineolated parakeet but we are waiting because we have 6 animals at the moment....and that is enough. Or so my husband says ;-) birds are wonderful companions. I never clipped my Benny's wings....I thought it was unfair to take away flight. You just have to be sure ceiling fans are off, windows and doors are closed and the stove isn't being used when they are out. Have to be careful what kind of pans you cook with if the bird is kept near the kitchen area.

I thought I posted this on you chicken thread.