Which Bird should we get? Suggestions needed! :)

[Marlienchen]

Hello everyone, hope I'm in the right part of the forum.

Me and my Boyfriend have been thinking about getting a Bird for long now. I already have 9 years of experience with my two Budgies which still live at my moms house now, because I moved too far away to take them with me. We would love to get a different kind of Bird for our home, since I already have budgies.

Here are the most relevant aspects we have to keep in mind:

-We would get two birds in any case, because the space in our Apartment is not big enough for a bigger flock.

- My boyfriend has a dust allergy. Our first choice would have been a cockatiel, but I read that they are very dusty in comparison to other birds. Do any of you guys have experience with cockatiels and allergies? My boyfriend did not have any allergic reactions to my budgies though, so a bird with a "budgie dust-level" would be great.

- We live in an apartment, so the bird can't be too loud. The occasional screech is fine, of course, but the general volume level needs to be on the lower end so our neighbours are not bothered.

- The amount of effort, like cleaning and attention they need per day should also be similar to that of budgies, a rather low maintenance bird.

- Not needed, but: If we could choose, we would like a curious bird species that can be pretty tame and friendly.

- We already have some species we like: Cockatiels, Lovebirds, Parrotlets or Finches. But we would love to learn about other species that fit our needs as well!


We're looking forward to your answers and suggestions!

 

[Love My Zons]

My take on living in an Apartment, Parrotlet! Small yet full of big bird life. Parrotlets are not ear piercingly loud/chirpy as some can be in the realm of lovebirds. They can't scream and are very much like their larger cousins the Amazons being not dusty, independent and feisty. If they have lots to do toy and chewing wise/foraging wise they are the perfect bird.

 

[sunnysmom]

I have allergies- cats, pollen, etc but cockatiel dust doesn't bother me. And honestly, I don't find them that dusty. If you clean their cage regularly and give them baths it keeps the dander down. Also, an air purifier helps. To be sure though, your boyfriend should try to interact with one before you would get one.

 

[Zara]

- The amount of effort, like cleaning and attention they need per day should also be similar to that of budgies, a rather low maintenance bird.

- We already have some species we like: Cockatiels, Lovebirds

Lovebirds are not low maintenance. Especially if you got two.


Finches or Canaries may be a good option for you... I hear some finches do well in pairs
@finchly

 

[finchly]

I have finches and canaries. I love them, but finches are my favorite. They don't make nearly the dust that other birds do - but they are messy! They toss seed hulls everywhere. Not a big deal.

Finches - smaller, quiet, easy to keep in a 30x18x18 cage.

Canaries - slightly larger than my finches, a little pushy to the finches (so I wouldn't house them together). Male song *might* be heard by neighbors, but if you have him with a female he will hardly ever sing. Or you could get 2 hens. Keep 2, but no more, in the 30x18x18 cage.

With either one, be sure and read here on the forum about feeding fresh foods and so forth. They should not have a seed-only diet.

 

[Marlienchen]

Thank you for your replies!

@Love My Zons do you have personal experience with parrotlets? I've heard they can be quite aggressive towards each other and humans sometimes, is that true? And are they a good bird to be held as a pair?

@sunnysmom That's good to hear! Maybe there is still hope for a tiel, if we visit a breeder beforehand and see how he reacts. How often do you need to clean the cage?

@Zara Good to know! Sadly A lovebird won't be an option then.

@finchly messiness is fine! How do your finches behave towards you? Are they more of a distant species or do they like to be pet and interact with you?

 

[Zara]

How often do you need to clean the cage?

Daily (for any bird/s).
Hoover up as often as possible as your partner has allergies. I just hoover once at the end of the day and spot hoover if I make a mess cleaning.

 

[sunnysmom]

Thank you for your replies!

@Love My Zons do you have personal experience with parrotlets? I've heard they can be quite aggressive towards each other and humans sometimes, is that true? And are they a good bird to be held as a pair?

@sunnysmom That's good to hear! Maybe there is still hope for a tiel, if we visit a breeder beforehand and see how he reacts. How often do you need to clean the cage?

@Zara Good to know! Sadly A lovebird won't be an option then.

@finchly messiness is fine! How do your finches behave towards you? Are they more of a distant species or do they like to be pet and interact with you?

I really only do a total cleaning once a week but change papers every day or every other day and wipe down perches, etc. as needed. Then I usually dust bust around the cage every evening but that's because my cockatoo is super messy. I probably did it every other day with my 'tiel.

 

[MahaSarah]

You did say you are looking for a low maintenance type of bird when it comes to cleaning and attention. How many hours per day could you spend with your potential birds?

Have you ever looked into English budgies?

Having two of any species is great but you will need to spend a good amount of time with them every day in order to maintain your bond with them.

Also, I would scratch out Lovebirds as they are pretty noisy lol!

 

[saroj12]

I change papers twice a day.

 

[Marlienchen]

@MahaSarah We would get the birds while on holiday, so we can spend much time with them in the beginning especially. Then regularly I would say about 1 hour a day "bird-only time". But since they will stay in the room where we spend most of our day, us and the birds would be side by side pretty much constantly while we're at home.

 

[Lady Jane]

Budgies which still live at my moms house now, because I moved too far away to take them with me

Are the budgies coming back to live with you again?

 

[Marlienchen]

@Lady Jane sadly not, I moved 12 hours away and it would be too much stress for them to come, especially the drive but also the change of environment, because they live in the same place since 9 years. But they are tame with me and my mom, so they're in good hands of course.

 

[Zara]

We would get the birds while on holiday, so we can spend much time with them in the beginning especially. Then regularly I would say about 1 hour a day "bird-only time".

Try to create a routine and stick to it... If you can only provide 1 or 2 hours time for the bird in the future, start as you mean to go on.
If you devote loads of time to the birds now, and later you spend much less time with them, they will be unhappy and this can lead to problems.

 

[finchly]

@finchly messiness is fine! How do your finches behave towards you? Are they more of a distant species or do they like to be pet and interact with you?

Mine are interactive from a distance. I don’t pet or touch but they will sing for me or come to the front and swing, looking at me. I have feeders on the doors, and if I open a door and a finch is on it, they just look at me and stay put.
I had one that I hand raised, he was ill and needed lots of medicine. After I put him in the aviary, he stayed friendly.
You can hand tame a finch but they have to be pulled from the nest really early. Canaries are easier. In fact I have 2 in the nest right now I might hand tame, they are so sweet and not afraid at all.
If you are looking for an extremely interactive bird, these won’t be for you. If you want one that is somewhat interactive but will happily hang out in the cage, and will be entertaining the rest of the time, finches might be the ticket.

 

[Love My Zons]

Thank you for your replies!

@Love My Zons do you have personal experience with parrotlets? I've heard they can be quite aggressive towards each other and humans sometimes, is that true? And are they a good bird to be held as a pair?

I do, I had my parrotlet for almost 16 years. I got him as a baby, he was a singular bird until the first Amazon came home he was around 9.

They are fine as a single bird. Many times smaller birds will bond to the other bird. They are NOT aggressive, but can be nippy when putting your hand in their cage or space. They are like mini Amazons in truth! They are comical, sweet and love to eat.

Most parrotlets succumb sooner then they should due to their tiny size via accidents in the home. Mine could fly was never clipped. They will live a very long time if fed a good diet and very little seed.

I hope and pray they have some at the bird fair tomorrow, I miss mine and might just cave in!

 

[Begone]

Google on a Kakariki/Red-fronted Parakeet.
I think a pair will be perfect for you. A very active bird so they do need a lot of out of cage time and a big cage.
But they are funny little clowns, but also very sweet birds. And not loud.

Here you can see how sweet they are. Their owner does not respect him/her but still he/she doesn't bite.

And here a bathing video:

And here: They are very similar to the Caique, but much easier to handle.

 

[Marlienchen]

Thanks for your suggestions!
We will look more into Parrotlets, Kakarikis and maybe Finches. All of them seem lovely and fit our needs! Before we make a final decision, we will of course inform ourselves and visit a store to see them in person, where we can also estimate how loud they are, the cage size and so on.