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Which bird is right for me?

joshjosh17

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I wish keeping sugar gliders was not allowed- they do not do well at all in captivity and most people do not live the sort of life that would make sharing a living space with them very comfortable for them as most people are not nocturnal.
I also think removing the "scent glands" (which do not actually exist in ferrets as far as I am aware) of any animal is cruel- I do not even know of a vet here who would ever entertain the thought of removing the anal glands from ferrets unless it is for a valid medical reason as the scent does not even come from them unless there is a medical problem with them. I find the smell of ferrets wonderful but then I never let my ferrets live in filth like so many people seem to do, my ferrets had a light musky smell but nothing offensive or strong.

I believe if you feel the need to medically or physically alter an animal (unless for its health benefits) to have it as a companion in your home then it is probably best to not have that animal- an animal should be allowed to be who it was born to be- it is bad enough we keep them in our homes but to alter them to make them fit in with our wants better is just kinda off.
Then sugar gliders is off the list ;)
 

joshjosh17

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If a rabbit is too much of a commitment, you most definitely do not want a bird. They live longer, make bigger messes, and in my opinion require more time and engagement.
I’m just assuming with the rabbit lol, never researched them. I meant more space-wise, I assumed they needed a lot of space.
 

Mizzely

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TikiMyn

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Bunnies aren't cuddly.

Take it from a 3rd time house rabbit person who also rabbit-sat, before getting my own, & has fostered for someone who adopted a formerly abused bun they couldn't initially handle.

They're also expensive to care for, which may or may not be a consideration. Litter, veggies, hay, pellets - easily more expensive than any cat I've ever had. They take up space & destroy stuff: furniture, rugs, books, you name it. So direct & indirect costs, & direct & indirect mess.

As for birds, honestly, I wasn't expecting the noise budgies make. Everyone said they were quiet. I guess that's a relative term. :lol:

Consider canaries. They & budgies are the only birds I'd seriously envisage owning, despite being periodically tempted by gouldian and zebra finches. They sound like they'd fit the bill. :)
Well I have cared for 34 bunnies, 11 were mine over the years and the others my grandparents, and I only met two who really didn't like human attention, but those two I never put the effort in because they lived outside and had bunny friends. Most of our buns lived outside, but still loved human attention once they got to know us. Some are friendlier then others, but with enough time and love all of them came around rather quickly, except those two. I was fine with them being standoffish, so I didn't try to change them. I had enough ones who did want to cuddle and play games, most of them likes to do agility in the garden, learn tricks and some even went out to a grass field on a harness and adored that. Some of them had been neglected, one was from a breeder, a few were meant to be meat rabbits, one was from a laboratory, some strays and 6 were babies of a pregnant bunny we took home. I would really consider meeting some bunnies in a rescue, their mess(I have had rabbits inside as well) is nothing compared to my lovebirds. Rabbits don't fling their food, don't make noise, are even easier then dogs to potty train, are domesticated unlike parrots, easier to care for if you go on a holiday, and not as unforgiving if you spent a little less time with them. I have volunteered at a rabbit rescue which also had a section for pension rabbits, and all of them remained curious and willing to learn, even if they came in obviously abused. The rare case really resented people, and the rescue would look for a place where they wouldn't have to interact with people much. If you provide enough enrichment, they will likely leave your furniture alone, or else with some training they will. Worst thing is the hay that they get all over the house, but that is the same with bird feathers and the mess they produce(destroyed toys and all that)
 

joshjosh17

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Well I have cared for 34 bunnies, 11 were mine over the years and the others my grandparents, and I only met two who really didn't like human attention, but those two I never put the effort in because they lived outside and had bunny friends. Most of our buns lived outside, but still loved human attention once they got to know us. Some are friendlier then others, but with enough time and love all of them came around rather quickly, except those two. I was fine with them being standoffish, so I didn't try to change them. I had enough ones who did want to cuddle and play games, most of them likes to do agility in the garden, learn tricks and some even went out to a grass field on a harness and adored that. Some of them had been neglected, one was from a breeder, a few were meant to be meat rabbits, one was from a laboratory, some strays and 6 were babies of a pregnant bunny we took home. I would really consider meeting some bunnies in a rescue, their mess(I have had rabbits inside as well) is nothing compared to my lovebirds. Rabbits don't fling their food, don't make noise, are even easier then dogs to potty train, are domesticated unlike parrots, easier to care for if you go on a holiday, and not as unforgiving if you spent a little less time with them. I have volunteered at a rabbit rescue which also had a section for pension rabbits, and all of them remained curious and willing to learn, even if they came in obviously abused. The rare case really resented people, and the rescue would look for a place where they wouldn't have to interact with people much. If you provide enough enrichment, they will likely leave your furniture alone, or else with some training they will. Worst thing is the hay that they get all over the house, but that is the same with bird feathers and the mess they produce(destroyed toys and all that)
Thanks for all the info! Guess I should maybe research them more!
 

TikiMyn

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Thanks for all the info! Guess I should maybe research them more!
They may not be for you, but they can make very nice companions! I would recommend visiting a rescue if possible, just to get a feel for different rabbits. From where you obtain your rabbits is up to you of course, but in a rescue there is a wide variety of personalities and backgrounds, plus a lot of different breeds usually. I personally love the big rabbits like Flemish giants, but don't have much of a connection with the tiny breeds usually. Ironically one of my favorite rabbits was a lionhead though;) She knew a zillion tricks, jumped up my lap for cuddles when I called, really smart(shell game was really easy for her) and great at agility. She never chewed something she was not meant to. She was a pair with one of the rabbits hat never warmed up to people, but because I had such a great bond with her, I was fine with him just chilling on a distance when we were playing.
 

Mizzely

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I’m used to that though lol, I have cages those size and bigger already
That's good, a lot of people see bare minimum sizes and think that's fine. Thriving and existing are two very different things.

Perhaps a hedgehog? They would be quieter but still a lot of work.
 

mak

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My Cockatiel is a female and she's so quiet!
How did quiet is quiet? Is she silent as long as you’re in the room? How does that work? Cuz I don’t mind the noise if I’m not in the room since it’ll be in my bedroom, but I’m worried if I try to nap or just relax I’m going to be disturbed by a bird lol.
No no and no, tiels are NOT quiet! I had budgies and was shocked at how loud my tiel was. And that's just the normal whistling which is cute and nice. The flock calls and screams are nerve grating and can go on for a while.
I think doves are much quieter but I personally cant stand the sound they make. Maybe finches? Maybe quail?
The bottom line is that birds are noisy, please don't let any one tell you otherwise.
Best of luck. :)
 

Sparkles99

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TikiMyn, there's a huge difference between liking human attention & being cuddly. I stand by what I wrote. They're not cuddly.

A lot of rabbit behaviour is misinterpreted. Like claiming people... Rabbit: "This human is mine!" Human: "Awww, what a cuddly, little floof ball!"

Yes, they're domestic, though for half as many years as cats have been. It makes a difference. Yes, they can be conditioned to sit on people's laps & tolerate hugs, but it's not what they'd prefer!

It's better to choose a species with traits you like, rather than to try to change a species' traits to ones you would prefer.
 

AzKhaleesi

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Thank you for this! I was really starting to think lovebirds be a good option from what I initially heard. So glad I didn’t do that now! I love diamond doves and I think it would be awesome but apparently they are a little “slow” mentally(aka stupid) and don’t do well with interaction. Then yet I heard they are awesome shoulder birds from someone else. I might run into petsmart sometime and check out the birds even though I’m not sure what feel I’d get for them. But I get other pet supply from there so it be nice and easy. But I’d look to a shelter for my bird once I get it, but chain pet stores are easier for supplies lol
NO no petsmart birds. They are not hand raised but yet the store claims they are, unless you can devote hours a day to undo the damage that's been done by petsmart, they mass house and just through seed in there and wait for people to buy them. I would NEVER buy a bird from Petsmart, Petco or any of those places. (unless I won the lottery quit my job and rescued them all and rehabilitated)
 

DesertBird

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TikiMyn, there's a huge difference between liking human attention & being cuddly. I stand by what I wrote. They're not cuddly.

A lot of rabbit behaviour is misinterpreted. Like claiming people... Rabbit: "This human is mine!" Human: "Awww, what a cuddly, little floof ball!"

Yes, they're domestic, though for half as many years as cats have been. It makes a difference. Yes, they can be conditioned to sit on people's laps & tolerate hugs, but it's not what they'd prefer!

It's better to choose a species with traits you like, rather than to try to change a species' traits to ones you would prefer.
I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to strongly disagree with this. If you put the effort into bonding with them, rabbits will absolutely love and seek out human attention. As I said earlier, my rabbit would lay in bed with me for almost two hours very morning and just grind her teeth happily or lick my arm.
 

Aves

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Getting messy here guys and totally off topic!
Yeah. I was going to reply to the rabbit argument, but that would derail the thread even further....
Anyways.....
Has anyone mentioned Aussie grass parrots?
 

TikiMyn

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I would go meet some birds and other animals, to get a feel for them. The sound is the same for a species, but their personalities can vary so much, it would be nice if you could meet some and see whether you 'click' with them.:)
 

Loveofbird

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No no and no, tiels are NOT quiet! I had budgies and was shocked at how loud my tiel was. And that's just the normal whistling which is cute and nice. The flock calls and screams are nerve grating and can go on for a while.
I think doves are much quieter but I personally cant stand the sound they make. Maybe finches? Maybe quail?
The bottom line is that birds are noisy, please don't let any one tell you otherwise.
Best of luck. :)
My tiel is a female and is also very quiet, she gives silent little chatters every once and a while but they are very quiet, not ear piercing at all. Though she flock calls when I leave the room it doesn't hurt my ears, and I'm a very sound sensitive person. Honestly my budgies are way louder especially when they make that ack ack sound.

But I agree with you birds are noisy and will make sound, they are birds after all, it comes with the package. I do believe some individual birds are quieter than others even if they are the minority. Quieter meaning of course they still make sound but not too loud depending on the bird and it's species
 

brdfvr

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No no and no, tiels are NOT quiet! I had budgies and was shocked at how loud my tiel was. And that's just the normal whistling which is cute and nice. The flock calls and screams are nerve grating and can go on for a while.
I think doves are much quieter but I personally cant stand the sound they make. Maybe finches? Maybe quail?
The bottom line is that birds are noisy, please don't let any one tell you otherwise.
Best of luck. :)
That's just my personal experience. She's quiet even when I'm not in the room. I barely know she's even in the house. She doesn't make noise when I have her out either, only when I'm trying to get her to stop chewing on my necklace. Lol. But I've mostly had conures so anything less is going to sound like nothing to me. She flaps in her cage, but never flock calls, screams or anything like that.

I was just offered a male cockatiel for my female and turned it down. I don't want to upset the apple cart. I have a single female cockatiel and she's the only bird in my home. I can't speak on how they are when other birds are around
 
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mak

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That's just my personal experience. She's quiet even when I'm not in the room. I barely know she's even in the house. She doesn't make noise when I have her out either, only when I'm trying to get her to stop chewing on my necklace. Lol. But I've mostly had conures so anything less is going to sound like nothing to me. She flaps in her cage, but never flock calls, screams or anything like that.

I was just offered a male cockatiel for my female and turned it down. I don't want to upset the apple cart. I have a single female cockatiel and she's the only bird in my home. I can't speak on how they are when other birds are around
Obviously every bird is different and every bird owner has a different idea of what is loud and what is quiet. I did not mean to imply in any way that your specific tiel was not how you described her (and I'm sorry if it came across that way). I simply wanted the op. to know that tiels can be quite loud, but obviously it depends on the bird. :)
 

PotatoePie

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Interesting, wonder why they’re so popular in the pet industry. Unless I’m mistaken, they are more popular than dogs! Cant imagine that many people tolerate such a big lifestyle change for a bird. I would but I am short tempered, that’s why I’m scared of the noise because I know I will lose my mind quickly lol
It's because people see a pretty exotic animal and impulse buy without knowing what they are getting into. Small cages, all seed diet. It's quite sad. Birds are also one of the most abandoned pets out there because people buy them then realize they can't handle them.
 
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