Budgies - what about the poo??

[yellowDahlia]

So both DDs (11 and 8) have put pets on their Christmas lists. A kitten for one, gerbils for the other. Don't worry, I am NOT about to get them pets for Christmas but am taking it as a message that they are increasingly keen for a house pet (as am I ).

I would jump at the chance of a cat but DH is very not keen. Small furries don't really do it for me and tend to smell I think? Am reading up on budgies as we already have hens so we are familiar with bird care in general. I like the idea that they can be quite tame and affectionate and interactive in a way our chickens are not. They seem easy to look after so DDs could help and would enjoy handling and playing with them I think.

BUT - what about the poo? If you have to let them out daily does that mean there's poo landing everywhere? And if so, is it infrequent? Or so small and insignificant that it's not bothersome - OR do you just have to be the sort of person who doesn't really care about having bird poo on the furniture?! I'm not especially houseproud but don't love the idea of finding poo next to my dinner.

Also - are they very noisy? Is there constant chatter and if so, is it something you just get used to having in the background? Again, I don't think it would bother me too much unless it was likely to be quite intrusive.

The DDs and I are so keen for an indoor pet and I think this would be a great option for us - so I need to be armed with the facts before I attempt to persuade DH

I used to have budgies as a child.

The poo really isn’t a concern tbh, the cages have trays you just slide out the poopy sandpaper, wipe down the base, put down new sandpaper.

Mine used to chuck seed husks abd feathers out the cage which made far more of a mess.

I had two females and they were not at all noisy.
However.
They were not at all tame.
One was quite jeckyl and Hyde with the other one.
Cuddling up all sweet one minute, attacking her the next.
She drew blood a few times.
We let them out everyday and they used to race from curtain pole to curtain pole.

The more placid one escaped one day and the other one became even more aggressive and quite depressed.

She bit and held onto my finger once.

I had to force her out the cage for exercise and she never flew again.
Would just sit sadly on top of the cage.
Sometimes I would take her down and she would just run along the floor.

Also, re small pets, my kids mice have recently passed on and as terrible at it sounds me and DH were so relieved.
I have never in my life encountered such stink from something so small and cute!!

Get a kitten!!
My OH wasn’t a cat person till we got ours and now he is obsessed.

They’re great for teaching responsibility as they don’t take toooo much looking after.

alexa I totally agree and would love a kitten or even an older/rescue cat but DH just won't entertain the idea I have ranted about this before on previous threads...

So until he has a radical change of mind I'm trying to figure out a suitable pet which is relatively easy/clean and also provides some kind of interaction - so yes along with the smell I feel like this kind of rules out small rodents. I get the sense birds have a bit more personality?!

snappy I would hope we could get some quite young and tame them so they're quite friendly - good to know your experiences too.

They can live for 15 years + so ensure you're in it for the long haul even if the children eat bored. Small mammals have shorter life spans.
Many people disagree with birds in cages as they are not free to exhibit their natural flying behaviours. If you commit to letting them free fly in the house then it's not as bad. But in the wild they fly miles and miles. They are social so should live in a pair as a minimum.

We have a green cheek conure, and he is the most amazing bird. They are intelligent, cuddly, chatty, not overly loud and can be poop trained! He is brilliant with my children, we have a dog too and I love her but our bird is bloody amazing haha!

I suppose if your DH doesn’t want a cat he definitely wouldn’t want a dog?

I have had rabbits, fish, birds, mice over the years and personally, have come to the conclusion that there is a good reason why dogs and cats are so popular.

I think, if you are careful to pick one with a nice placid temperament there are no better pets.

I have a dog and a cat.

My cat, though very gentle and tolerant with the children is an absolute horror!
Claws the furniture on purpose for attention, bites my DHs feet at 5 in the morning because she wants to be let out, counter surfs, steals food from peoples hands...
She is very cute though, usually found in bed with one of the kids.

My dog is an angel.
Super super tolerant and gentle and friendly.
Doesn’t chew anything, doesn’t bark, doesn’t slobber.

gossip how is your bird poop trained?!

snappy he has said he'd be willing to get a dog at some point but he's dragging his heels at the moment - probably quite rightly pointing out that we both work and can't really afford doggy day care three times a week. It is a different kind of commitment than a bird or smaller pet isn't it.

I hear you though - there's nothing quite like a cat or a dog...they're the kind of household pet I am missing and trying to convince him we need...