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Which bird is right for me?

DesertBird

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AussieBird, your sister's rabbit is one rabbit. As a general statement, yes, bunnies aren't cuddly. It does them a disservice to say otherwise. Everyone gets them hoping they'll be the exception. That's why so many are in rescue.

Anyway, this is derailing the thread. The OP wanted advice about birds... :ycanary:
Bunnies are very cuddly if you give the time to bond with them. Mine was like a cat. She would lay in bed with me for hours and lick my arm.
They're just like birds. You have to put the effort into taming them and gaining their trust. But, once you do that, you'll have a great companion.
 

DesertBird

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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.
Bunnies are really not that destructive. I never had a problem with my rabbit. If they were that bad, how do you think so many people free-roam their bunnies?
 

Shezbug

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It doesn't work on this forum? It works on the others that I'm on. Oh well.
No. You cannot directly post footage on the forum, you must link it from another site such as FB, IG, Vimeo, YouTube etc
 

DesertBird

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Any suggestions to other pets? I’ve explores most(gerbils, hamster, lizards, turtles, fish, hermit crabs, and obviously dogs/cats). I don’t like insects or arachnids as pets. Any ideas lol
I still think a rabbit would be a really good fit for you based off of what you want from a pet.
 

Birdie Mama

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Thank you all for the input!!! I was looking into sugar gliders but that’s besides the point. One last bird thing, i know it’s a no but might as well ask. Is there a bird that’s quiet most the time, like the one person said how their big bird is quiet until it wants attention when they aren’t in the room, but when it does get loud isn’t as loud as a big bird?
please do lots of research before you get a sugar glider. They are nocturnal so will be up all night and hiding during the day. Special diet and requirements. Also check for vets in your area that knows how to care for them as they are known not to do well in captivity, but can’t remember why.... I had a ferret when young and they are fun, just make sure you can live with the smell as they are pretty strong smelling. I would think maybe a hedgehog or chinchill, but again make you have vets that know how to treat them if you ever needed one...

all the best to you and kudos to you for doing your research!!
 

Aves

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Actually, now that I think about it, I think a bunny might be a better pet for you. Have you ever considered getting one? They are soft and cuddly, very friendly, they are smart enough to be trained, they don't make much noise at all, and they are not particularly messy. I know that's not what you came here to ask about, but I think you would be happier with a pet like that.
But, if you have your heart set on a bird, then you will have to be prepared to make some adjustments to the way you live.
Bunnies are:
very messy (hay, pellets, poop, pee, toy pieces, treats.... rabbits poop alot!)
expensive
rarely like to be cuddled (both rabbits I know hate cuddles, but one of the likes to be pet)
extremely territorial unless you get them spayed or neutered (both rabbits I know hate each other, because they aren't fixed)
picky (in my experience!)
very very very smelly (in my experience!)
@joshjosh17 I think you should set up a bird feeder, that way you can enjoy birds without owning them!
 

Shezbug

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Bunnies are:
very messy (hay, pellets, poop, pee, toy pieces, treats.... rabbits poop alot!)
expensive
rarely like to be cuddled (both rabbits I know hate cuddles, but one of the likes to be pet)
extremely territorial unless you get them spayed or neutered (both rabbits I know hate each other, because they aren't fixed)
picky (in my experience!)
very very very smelly (in my experience!)
@joshjosh17 I think you should set up a bird feeder, that way you can enjoy birds without owning them!
What an excellent idea! The bird feeder is a wonderful compromise :cloud9:
 

camelotshadow

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What an excellent idea! The bird feeder is a wonderful compromise :cloud9:
Friend had one in Australia. Every day the Galahs, corellas & keets would come for food.
No cage necessary & no poop mess. They would even recognize me on the street. One of them came to me & others would call. They get to know you from the sky.

I would just sit & watch them. Little care///just some seed & water.

I would feed the birds when the owner was away. He is away now & I am not there to feed them also. Sad but they are wild & although they will miss the treats will survive.

 

DesertBird

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very messy (hay, pellets, poop, pee, toy pieces, treats.... rabbits poop alot!)
expensive
rarely like to be cuddled (both rabbits I know hate cuddles, but one of the likes to be pet)
extremely territorial unless you get them spayed or neutered (both rabbits I know hate each other, because they aren't fixed)
picky (in my experience!)
very very very smelly (in my experience!)
None of the rabbits I've known, including mine, were any of these things! They were all perfect little pets.
 

Shezbug

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Friend had one in Australia. Every day the Galahs, corellas & keets would come for food.
No cage necessary & no poop mess. They would even recognize me on the street. One of them came to me & others would call. They get to know you from the sky.

I would just sit & watch them. Little care///just some seed & water.

I would feed the birds when the owner was away. He is away now & I am not there to feed them also. Sad but they are wild & although they will miss the treats will survive.

They certainly do get to know you and will recognise you in different locations. Lol. The birds we used to feed when my kids were really little discovered that we would be at the local primary school when we weren’t at home and they’d come at lunch time and beg for food treats from us there but they would not let the other people at school get as close as we could get to them.
There are heaps of people here who name these wild visiting birds and have them visit so often they’ll enter homes, they often bring back babies year after year to learn how to be birds in the safe yards of the people they trust. There’s a few people on Instagram who have hoards of wild birds visit that are more friendly and tame than some peoples pets.
 

brdfvr

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I have had green cheeks a pionus and currently have a cockatiel. Of all of them I would get another tiel and pionus in a heart beat. My Cockatiel is a female and she's so quiet! She does poop on counters, but if you don't want it to poo on your bed, don't put it near the bed. Not many birds poop while flying. I've been enjoying my tiel so much! She's got an adorable personality
 

joshjosh17

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Bunnies are:
very messy (hay, pellets, poop, pee, toy pieces, treats.... rabbits poop alot!)
expensive
rarely like to be cuddled (both rabbits I know hate cuddles, but one of the likes to be pet)
extremely territorial unless you get them spayed or neutered (both rabbits I know hate each other, because they aren't fixed)
picky (in my experience!)
very very very smelly (in my experience!)
@joshjosh17 I think you should set up a bird feeder, that way you can enjoy birds without owning them!
Believe it or not my mom is a huge bird fanatic so I have bird feeders around my house. But, I’m more looking for a companion. And I am not super interested in rabbits, they are a bit too big of a commitment for me.
 

joshjosh17

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To everyone mentioning rabbits:

There is a smaller type of rabbit that’s like fit in your hand type. Then there’s the traditional rabbit that is like a small cat size. And there’s probably everything in between, I’m no rabbit expert. I am not AGAINST that idea but having a hamster and gerbils already, plus the fact that they are much more messy due to size and are a little more in maintenance(and they don’t like cuddles apparently, who wants a fluffy creature if you can’t cuddle it☹), I think rabbit isn’t exactly what I’m going for.
 

joshjosh17

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I have had green cheeks a pionus and currently have a cockatiel. Of all of them I would get another tiel and pionus in a heart beat. My Cockatiel is a female and she's so quiet! She does poop on counters, but if you don't want it to poo on your bed, don't put it near the bed. Not many birds poop while flying. I've been enjoying my tiel so much! She's got an adorable personality
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.
 

joshjosh17

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They certainly do get to know you and will recognise you in different locations. Lol. The birds we used to feed when my kids were really little discovered that we would be at the local primary school when we weren’t at home and they’d come at lunch time and beg for food treats from us there but they would not let the other people at school get as close as we could get to them.
There are heaps of people here who name these wild visiting birds and have them visit so often they’ll enter homes, they often bring back babies year after year to learn how to be birds in the safe yards of the people they trust. There’s a few people on Instagram who have hoards of wild birds visit that are more friendly and tame than some peoples pets.
I don’t really like taming wild birds like that, it takes the wild out of wild nature and often causes the bird to rely on you, and forget how to hunt, and over time the family line of birds will die off when I leave or stop feeding. So I’m not a fan of doing that cuz I saw it happen first hand at my friends house. Their mother loved doing that and she decided to stop and before she knew it, they died(I should mention she did it with squirrels and chipmunks)
 

joshjosh17

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please do lots of research before you get a sugar glider. They are nocturnal so will be up all night and hiding during the day. Special diet and requirements. Also check for vets in your area that knows how to care for them as they are known not to do well in captivity, but can’t remember why.... I had a ferret when young and they are fun, just make sure you can live with the smell as they are pretty strong smelling. I would think maybe a hedgehog or chinchill, but again make you have vets that know how to treat them if you ever needed one...

all the best to you and kudos to you for doing your research!!
Yeah sugar glider is an option. My family saw them in the mall once, there was a traveling salesman with them and we fell in love. Heavily considered getting one for the family until we heard of the smell. It’s actually scent glands and they can be removed, I’m not sure how common this is in sugar gliders to have it removed since they are small, but in ferrets it is quite common.
 

Shezbug

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I don’t really like taming wild birds like that, it takes the wild out of wild nature and often causes the bird to rely on you, and forget how to hunt, and over time the family line of birds will die off when I leave or stop feeding. So I’m not a fan of doing that cuz I saw it happen first hand at my friends house. Their mother loved doing that and she decided to stop and before she knew it, they died(I should mention she did it with squirrels and chipmunks)
The people who do it here do not allow the birds to rely on the food treats they get- I have magpies who come here to scrounge and will even eat out of my hand- they will not come close if it is someone else out there and they do not accept everything they are offered nor do I ever offer enough for them to ever think they could rely on me to feed them. It is not hard to balance it so they are still completely wild and fully capable. There are many things you can do to stop them relying on you which are pretty simple really. Abundant feeding is the biggest mistake anyone can make with wild birds and those who genuinely love them will not ever over supply food or even supply it daily- it is a few mouthfuls here and there only. The birds are wild and smart enough to come and check for an easy feed and not starve when they are not supplied for, they are not tamed as such and usually it is only one person they trust. The magpies who come to my yard are certainly not forgetting how to be wild and fend for themselves but I do get where you are coming from and unfortunately people who free feed cause terrible problems for wildlife in many different ways.
 

Shezbug

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Yeah sugar glider is an option. My family saw them in the mall once, there was a traveling salesman with them and we fell in love. Heavily considered getting one for the family until we heard of the smell. It’s actually scent glands and they can be removed, I’m not sure how common this is in sugar gliders to have it removed since they are small, but in ferrets it is quite common.
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.
 

joshjosh17

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The people who do it here do not allow the birds to rely on the food treats they get- I have magpies who come here to scrounge and will even eat out of my hand- they will not come close if it is someone else out there and they do not accept everything they are offered nor do I ever offer enough for them to ever think they could rely on me to feed them. It is not hard to balance it so they are still completely wild and fully capable. There are many things you can do to stop them relying on you which are pretty simple really. Abundant feeding is the biggest mistake anyone can make with wild birds and those who genuinely love them will not ever over supply food or even supply it daily- it is a few mouthfuls here and there only. The birds are wild and smart enough to come and check for an easy feed and not starve when they are not supplied for, they are not tamed as such and usually it is only one person they trust. The magpies who come to my yard are certainly not forgetting how to be wild and fend for themselves but I do get where you are coming from and unfortunately people who free feed cause terrible problems for wildlife in many different ways.
Thank you for this!!!
 
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