What is the best pet bird to buy?

Question

What is the best pet bird to buy?

Answer 1

It all depends on how much time you have, how much money you willing to spen, if you want this bird handfed or not, hanffed is more expencive but its worth it in the long run, and remember parrots live for a long time!

Answer 2

For the beginner, a cockatiel or budgie is the way to go. Anything bigger might prove problematic in the future unless you're sure that you're prepared. Here are some quick facts that you need to know about keeping budgies and cockatiels as pets; all other pet parrots require more care and attention than these two birds:

You need to give them at least 30 minutes of daily interaction (physical and direct talking) if they're to be tame, and you'll need to take some environmental precautions to accommodate their sensitive emotional and physical capabilities, such as no Teflon cookware or appliances (deadly if overheated), no yappy kids or untrained, predatory pets. To find a list of things toxic to pet birds, search "bird-safe" on Wikipedia or Google it yourself. And pet birds need their own vet, called an avian vet, if they get sick -- visit http://www.aav.org to find the nearest one. Also keep in mind that a well-kept budgie lives up to 15 years and a cockatiel up to 20, and if it is separated from its owner it suffers trauma -- so think twice if you're young and will be going to college or are thinking of a disposable pet (I don't think there should be any). Above all, KEEP RESEARCHING, researching, researching before you get your pet budgie or cockatiel -- a researched owner enjoys each and every moment with its pet.

If you are going to get a pet bird, don't buy, adopt one instead. This way, you'll get your bird for a fraction of the pet store (or breeder) price, and also know the personality of the bird you're going to get. But best of all, you'll be helping a bird in need -- there are so many good abandoned pet birds out there in parrot sheltesr needing good homes, and breeding or buying fresh birds worsens the situation for them and their future generations. Visit http://www.avianwelfare.org to find the nearest parrot shelter. They are dedicated to rehabilitating and rehoming abandoned, neglected or abused pet birds in good, forever homes. So it's a great all-around source to get your pet bird from.

Answer 3

Which one suits your personality?  What kind of noise level do you want?  How big a bird do you want (not one of the bigger ones if you're not experienced with birds; the smaller ones deserve just as much respect, but larger ones can be dangerous if you don't know how to read their body language)?  How much time can you spend with it?  How long are you prepared to keep it for (they can live a lot longer than other small animals)?  Can you afford a large cage, avian vet visits, safe toys, and food for a bird?