What kind of bird should we get?
 

My Daughter really wants a bird. So we looked at the pet stres for a biird today. She found a cute blue parrotkeet that she likes but I wondered if another kind of bird would be better. She is 7 yrs old? What kind of birds make good pets for a child that age? We wont be getting one for a couple of weeks but in the meantime I am researching about birds

I love my parrotlet (I think you mentioned once before that you had wanted a parrotlet?) and I think they are great. She is relatively quiet (I have heard that they are quieter than most parakeets and lovebirds)-although sometimes she can get kind of annoying (:p) and she doesn't like to be left alone. She was a bit nippy when she was younger, but she has pretty much gotten over that. I have also heard they are good family birds because, unlike some birds, parrotlets don't favor one person over others. She loves toys and being out of her cage.

ETA: I would also suggest getting a bird from a breeder as opposed to pet store. Birds in pet stores typically aren't as hand tame as those from breeders. Birds from breeders are most often less expensive than pet stores as well.

Lovebirds are VERY noisy, but very cute. I think (if she wants something that's going to be handled) that a cockatiel is a great bird. They're smart, some will learn to talk (if you work with them...but so will some parakeets), and are very entertaining. They want and NEED attention though, so make sure that it's not just a passing fancy. Birds are all messy and are relatively high maintenance pets. They have to be fed, watered and cleaned DAILY (as opposed to cats, who should have the same treatment, but you can give them a big bowl of food and a big bowl of water in an emergency for a couple of days)to be healthy and it's not fair if you can't provide that. Do a lot of reading before you decide what kind of bird you want. See if you can find an issue of Bird Talk magazine (they usually have it at all the petstores); they usually have an article on "what bird is right for you?". I read everything I could for over a year before I even got my first bird, and I'm glad I did. Good luck; and Kyle is right; research your breeders instead of buying a bird from a petstore.

I had parakeets when I was younger...

I just loved them!! one was blue the other was green
(I named them Baby, Blue... lol)

We have a Cockatiel now.. I don't like it... it's LOUD:eek: :rolleyes:

I grew up with a parakeet, Tweety Bird, he was a great pet. I even taught him to talk, yes parakeets can learn to talk. I have also had a parrot, a cherry headed conure. I personally would recommend a parakeet as your childs first bird, they are small not as messy as a parrot and usually don't mind being held plus they have a pleasant singing voice. Parrots are messy, bite harder and are very vocally louder. My parrot was very mean, bit me every time I put my hand in the cage. Not that all parrots are mean, I just prefer the parakeet, especially for a child. i also like the Coackatil, but have never owned one. Let us know what you get.

I also had a parakeet has a child. They make great pets. Mine even talked. Mostly just saying his name, hi, hello. I think your Daughter may enjoy a parakeet.

I have had parakeets and a cockatiel. Jim taught the cockatiel to whistle Frosty the Snowman. Either one would make a great pet. There is a lot of maintanence though.

My girls had a couple of parakeets, and we also had a couple of elderly cockatiels. Parakeets are VERY fun to play with. (Beware of ceiling fans! Turn them off before letting them out of the cage. Ours got a few dings!)

While I'm sure you are researching all the pros and cons, I'll just add this one suggestion: be sure that you are prepared to give them lots of attention - (not just affection). Birds' metabolism rates are extremely high, so if they do get sick, hungry, thirsty, or anything, they can deteriorate VERY rapidly. So you won't want to just "not notice" that Echo (one of our names) didn't seem himself before going to school.

Good Luck!

I am totally in love with African Greys. If I ever have a bird that will be my choice. They are incredibly intelligent and beautiful birds.

I owned a Cockatiel several years ago and we lovedddddddddd him!!! I lived with my roommate and she and I treated him like a puppy, since we weren't allowed to have dogs in our apartment. :rolleyes: His name was Bombay and he was the cutest funniest little bird! We kept him out of his cage while we were home and he would go back and climb to the top of his cage to potty and then climb back down. When we had music playing, he would dance. LOL!! Whenever we were in the bathroom,getting ready, he would come walking in there, the whole time saying, "Come here!". He would then fly to our leg, grab ahold of our clothing and climb to our shoulder so he could watch us get ready. He would also lay against my roommate's boyfriend....against his chest, like a dog. Whenever we were trying to study and were sitting on the floor, he would actually run over, hook his beak under the cap to our pens and take off running with it because he wanted us to stop and give him attention. He also said several things...."Come here!", "Popcorn" (one of his favorite snacks), "Bombay", "Pretty boy", "I love you"....along with different whistles (his favorites were the wolf and the whiperwill.) Anyway, sorry so long...I am just having some flashbacks of my cute Bombay. :)

Tammy

Thanks for the opinions everyone. It sounds like its going to be a parakeet. We are going look at cages today

Oh goody, can't wait to see pictures.

i had a cockatiel named tootsy when i was little she was a good bird!! i got a parakeet a few years ago buy my yorkies would torment him. i couldn't even get him out because they would go nuts trying to get him... then one day he was on his cage and flew to the ground.. well Bentley ran and put him in his mouth.. we pryed his mouth open and then i decided i had to give the bird away..

A parakeet would be a good choice, but a cockatiel would be good too. I a 6 year old cockatiel an a 5 year old goffins cockatoo. Birds require alot of work and time, the smaller ones are less demanding. Just remember birds poop alot!!!! Make sure you get a young bird so you can handle and train it well. Check out online for a cage I did get good deals when I bought mine. I also buy my food online and remember sunflower seed are not good for birds, too fatty. Fresh veggies and fruit are great and so are cherrioes. Good luck

Don't get too small of a cage. The larger the cage, the happier the bird will be! A too small cage is harmful for the bird - especially mentally. Make sure the bird has been raised hand fed by humans - they make much better pets.:thumbup: