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Canary vs. budgies

Sparkles99

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I've never had a bird before, & started researching awhile ago. I'm leaning towards budgies or a canary. It's a longterm project.

I've been lurking for some time & came across a couple of threads about projectile droppings & messiest birds. Is this typical?! Do either of them do this routinely? Someone even said their child was targeted! I'd like to avoid this.

I like the idea of not supporting bird mills. There's a master canary breeder near me. There're no budgie breeders, & I don't want an imprinted bird, so that'd probably rule that out anyway, as it seems most hand feed.

What're your thoughts for a good first species? Thanks for your help. :)
 

expressmailtome

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They are very different types of birds. If you are looking for a bird that will step up and interact with you outside of the cage, then a budgie is most likely a better choice.
 

Sand

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budgie. and their poop is easy to clean, not wet like slop.
i researched for a few years about poop etc, just like you. love my budgie
 

Kiwi & Co.

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finchly

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I have both.

It depends on what you want.... have you watched them on Youtube? Do you like the sounds/behavior of one over the other?

Budgies are more interactive with you. Canaries are usually, but not always, a little wild/not hand tame. So they live in their cage, or if you let them fly out they go back when they get hungry. Budgies will fly to you and sit on you or near you. They might even talk (a little).

If poop bothers you in general, I’d say don’t get a bird but neither of these does the gross kind of poop you’re referring to. They’re easy to clean up after and fairly inexpensive to feed. I like the sounds canaries make, both males and females, more than budgie sounds (sorry, all you budgie people! Don’t throw things at me).
 

BirdView

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I have both.

It depends on what you want.... have you watched them on Youtube? Do you like the sounds/behavior of one over the other?

Budgies are more interactive with you. Canaries are usually, but not always, a little wild/not hand tame. So they live in their cage, or if you let them fly out they go back when they get hungry. Budgies will fly to you and sit on you or near you. They might even talk (a little).

If poop bothers you in general, I’d say don’t get a bird but neither of these does the gross kind of poop you’re referring to. They’re easy to clean up after and fairly inexpensive to feed. I like the sounds canaries make, both males and females, more than budgie sounds (sorry, all you budgie people! Don’t throw things at me).
Do canaries need some time outside their cage everyday. I have budgies among other birds, and all my birds in DEMAND to come outside the cage every morning. If not they will scream and make a lot of noises. My budgies who are not tame will throw a fit if I keep ignoring them and don't let them out :):):)
 

clarousel

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I just have the one budgie and he's been great. He's also my first bird and it's been a great learning journey for me :) Poop hasn't been a problem for me since it's so tiny and easy to clean.

I don't know much about canaries but I do have a neighbour who has a canary and its singing is so beautiful! Budgies do screetch and sqwuak (how do you spell it lol) but they also make the cutest chattering sounds. It really depends on the individual bird.

Do watch some videos to get an idea of what either bird is like!
 

finchly

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Canaries do not need out of cage time daily. Get a decent size cage where it can move around and it’ll be fine staying in the cage.
If you only have one bird though, it will need some attention from you every day.
 

Sparkles99

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I watched some online videos. I like American singer canaries & budgies, but definitely prefer the singers' sound. The local breeder also has red factors & German rollers, but I didn't care much for the rollers' song. But I prefer budgie behaviour. They're so cute!

Poo wouldn't be a huge problem... being wantonly sprayed with it by my pets would be! :huh: Glad to hear they don't do this!!

I picked up an A&E elegant flight cage a couple of weekends ago, & found another locally tonight. :D I've discovered how hard it is to find decent cages in Canada, so was really pleased. I'm going to start with 1 species, but if I eventually get the other, it'd really bother me if their cages didn't match.
 

cosmolove

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I watched some online videos. I like American singer canaries & budgies, but definitely prefer the singers' sound. The local breeder also has red factors & German rollers, but I didn't care much for the rollers' song. But I prefer budgie behaviour. They're so cute!

Poo wouldn't be a huge problem... being wantonly sprayed with it by my pets would be! :huh: Glad to hear they don't do this!!

I picked up an A&E elegant flight cage a couple of weekends ago, & found another locally tonight. :D I've discovered how hard it is to find decent cages in Canada, so was really pleased. I'm going to start with 1 species, but if I eventually get the other, it'd really bother me if their cages didn't match.
The only type of bird that really rocket poops all over the place that I can think of is Lorikeets. They are a VERY different bird tho but they can be full of shenanigans.

As for canaries or budgies I really think it depends. I love budgies, especially english budgies. Budgies often are the better choice if you want to train them for trick training, handling, etc. You can with canaries but budgies are more apt for it.
 

Dona

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I'll chime in to say that I had 2 border canaries, one for 17 years, then one for just 2 who died of a stroke. My first boy had a wonderful song, varied and loud. He sang until he became very old, and his song seemed to get more complicated with each passing year. He's in the audio of every family video as my children grew up. He lived in a cage, seldom came out, and was only mildly interested in us. Mostly he just sang. He lived next door to our female cockatiel for many years and they occasionally went into each other's cages. An odd couple that lived together in a huge flight cage for their final 2 years. My second boy was a flirty and friendly canary. He sang, but nothing like my first. He asked to come out of his cage when we ate salads. He would fly to us and land on the side of a plate we made for him. Just so sweet. He liked everyone and clearly wanted attention. I was so sad when he died early. Neither bird was messy or had difficult poops to clean. I'm a huge canary fan.

Oh and if you don't like to clean up bad poops, don't get a Linnie. Gigi's first poop of the day rivals any I've seen from a bigger bird. And liquid-y. ;(
 

Bookwyrm

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This depends completely on how much you're willing to commit to the bird. If you have a single budgie, you will need to spend a TON of time with it. If it's a single budgie, it's also best to go with a male. (My male budgie's chirps are super cute, too. He's not super loud, but he's constantly making noise). If you get a pair of budgies (preferably a male and female, or two males. I know from experience that two females don't do well together.) they will likely be less interested in you, but would be a ton of fun to watch playing with each other. And, if you work with them correctly, they could accept you as a part of their flock and play with you. Budgies are more work, too. They have to be out of the cage for hours every day, they are kind of messy (but far less than other species), and it can be a pain to get them eating veggies and pellets. They're the only species that will starve instead of eating something new, if that's their only option.
I love my little guy to pieces, and he's a ton of fun to just hang out with. (You will get pooped on, but, as previously mentioned, you can clean it up super easily). They're also really smart for their size, and I've taught Kaladin to spin in a circle and to come to me when I call, and we're working on another trick right now.
I personally say go with a budgie or two, but they're really the only birds I have much experience, besides a brief encounter with a green cheeked conure and another with a cockatoo.
Just make sure that whatever you go with, to do TONS of research. You can never do too much. Budgies love shredding toys, and canaries can't even really use those types of toys because of the shape of their beak.
(It's great that you have a fight cage, by the way. I really appreciate that).
I hope this was helpful! :)
 
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