Has anyone got a pet bird ?

[Poodlelove]

Are they noisy ?
Are they good pets to have ?
I have seen some lovely cocketeils that talk and sing .

I like birds but can’t help thinking it would be cruel to keep one as a pet in a cage just for my enjoyment.

They are wonderful pets, but the talking and singing is a small part of it. They are very noisy. Very messy. And they can’t be left for long at all as they will flock call. Mine mainly lives on my shoulder.

oh. And the poop every ten minutes.

Birds should have the freedom of the sky. Why would anyone want to trap them in a small cage?

I don't really like birds in cages and so would never have one BUT we are currently looking after a cockatiel for a friend and he is adorable. He spends most of his time out of the cage and is really friendly and chatty. He sits on your shoulder giving you kisses and chats.
We love having him to stay

I have a conure parrot, he hates me and loves my DH despite being my bird! He bites, screams, poops, hides, destroys.

I love him more than life itself

Are you aware of the horrendous reality of the pet trade and the huge percentage of birds that die before they even get sold as ‘pets?’ Don’t see how anyone would even consider playing a part in that - added to that the cruelty and selfishness of locking up and isolating a wild creature because you think it’s cute.

www.worldanimalprotection.org.uk/latest/blogs/5-reasons-not-buy-exotic-pet/

I've only had birds that we have rescued and nursed back to health then released back into the wild (a Herring Gull, Pigeon and Crow)

I wouldn't keep a bird in a cage long term as a pet. It seems archaic.

I have seen certain species of bird that will dance to music

Please don’t cage a bird.

Another way to look at it is she would be rescuing from a pet shop (assuming it would be allowed to be freer at that point)

And for every bird 'rescued' from a pet shop, it's then replaced by another one.

A similar argument could be made for puppy farms.

Just don't.

This. One hundred per cent.

Keeping an animal that is meant to fly in a cage is beyond cruel. They travel so far every day in the wild they shouldn’t be in a house let alone a cage.

And?

It would also be supporting the trade and enabling it to continue.

It was interesting to me when I first saw it. I thought OP might now know about it

Okay then.

And?

Bears used to be (and unfortunately still are in some places) tortured and abused to learn how to dance to music.

Does that mean it’s ok?

Birds are not meant to be caged.

I think it is just a natural thing the birds do

There are bird rescue centres. You could volunteer in one for a few months and see if you like birds once you get to know them? They can live for a long time.

I used to let mine fly free round the house. They ate picture frames etc and shat everywhere. The bird seeds they eat actually have shells. They split them open. The shells pile up. What a mess.

I was always cleaning. And the vet bills are no cheaper for a canary than they are for a Doberman.

Do any of you who are castigating the idea of getting a pet bird have a pet dog or cat?
Does the knowledge that some parts of the dog trade are extremely cruel mean that it is wrong under all circumstances to have a pet dog? Does the knowledge that some cat owners, usually for sensible reasons, keep their pets as indoors cats make you think that owning a cat is a cruel confinement of a wild creature?
Having a pet bird is like having any other pet. You do your research to ensure that you only source the bird from someone who breeds and keeps them humanely. You check out the needs of individual pet bird species to make sure that you provide them with the living conditions that they need, which usually involves keeping more than one bird, getting the largest possible cage and making arrangements for them to have periods of free flight in the house.

Pet birds in the UK are bred in captivity, not sourced from the wild, or from wild parents, grandparents, great grandparents etc. Some species, like dogs, have been bred for so long that they no longer correlate with any species in the wild. They are adapted for life as pets, just as dogs are

Of course there will be some breeders who don't have high welfare standards. So you have to check that thoroughly, just as you do when buying a dog.

I have a rescue budgie (it flew into our garden and I couldn't trace an owner) and a pair of Bengali finches. They live together in an enormous cage. The finches in particular are very happy. They are always extremely busy at DIY, which mostly involves shredding the parsley plant I put in the cage and using it to make nests. I have a running argument with them about whether they should put it into the specially provided nesting tray or on top of all their food in the seed tray.

Personally, I would really recommend finches, because they are always so relaxed and busy. It seems to easy to give them the fulfilling environment they need. Cleverer birds, like budgies, cockatiels, parrots need lots and lots of input to help them have a full life.

Generally it is wrong to have a single budgie. I did get a companion for the bird that arrived in my garden, but it has predeceased him and I can't buy another companion without getting into an infinite budgie cycle. The finches have to be his only companions which is sad. But he is active and flourishing and I'm doing what I can.

From the link I posted above:

Pets like cats and dogs have been domesticated over thousands of years, which means they have been selectively bred for specific traits that mean they can live with humans in captivity without fear or suffering. Wild animals just aren’t born to live in our homes. Even those bred in captivity still possess the same qualities of a wild animal which make them unsuitable to be kept in a domestic environment.

Keeping a bird locked up in a cage or a house is barbaric and absolutely no different to keeping a dog locked in a crate, or a rabbit in a hutch or a cat shut away indoors.

We have a quaker parrot, we love him. He's messy, noisy and loves nipping us. He is never in his cage really but when he is he loves it as he has loads to do. He flies round the house at super speed! Yes, birds probably should never have become pets but they are now and if you want one I would recommend really researching and reading loads of books as it is hard to give them the quality of life they need! We are hoping one day in the future to train ours to free fly outdoors but that is a long process!

I have cockatiels, I've always had birds but these will be my last, I dont feel they have a good enough life despite me trying my best. They are noisy and messy although they are real characters and I love them, they can also live 20 years plus so a big commentment.