Birds can make excellent pets but making an uninformed choice could prove frustrating. Birds do require more care than many people think, and there are a number of key factors that any potential keeper should consider before committing to purchase. For example, some birds have substantial lifespans. This aspect alone merits thought as to how such a commitment fits with the keeper’s lifestyle and availability for socializing with the chosen pet.
Cages, Health And Interaction
The size of the cage required for the selected bird is a significant aspect, along with the internal aspects of nesting, ornaments and any special needs of particular species of breeds. The number of birds kept, whether mixed species are desirable or possible, how to contain any outbreak of disease, feeding and breeding considerations all have an impact. Some birds are best kept in outdoor cages, with all the incumbent parameters such as heat, security, socialization, etc., to be planned and prepared. For example, lories are very attractive birds but more messy than most due to having a liquid diet and are generally best kept in an outside aviary.
Birds are susceptible to disease from unclean cages so that generally, the floor of cage should be cleaned daily and the cage itself cleaned weekly. That said, there are some “false” floor constructions, generally for smaller cages, which mean that a tray can simply be removed and cleaned quite quickly, saving considerable time. Similar measures are required for any equipment in the cage or aviary.
Regular health checks will be required on birds, and for exotic types it is a good idea to ensure that appropriate veterinary service is available locally.
Birds are generally a very sociable pet and the level of interaction required with most is substantial. Canaries require less interaction than most species and are a very attractive songbird. This makes them very suitable as pets for apartments. They tend to scatter birdseed but are not as messy as other birds.
Good birds for newcomers to birdkeeping are parakeets, cockatiels or lovebirds. They are nice songbirds and not too loud, have a nice appearance and are relatively low maintenance.
Parrots come in a wide range of types and sizes. A larger size generally requires a higher level of maintenance but large parrots are generally great talkers even though in some cases their range of vocabulary may not be extensive. To train any capable bird to talk, the keeper will need to spend considerable time with it.
Even these summary points demonstrate the depth of thought that should go into choosing the right bird to keep as a pet.