Compare and Contrast owning Finches, Parakeets,Doves, and Lovebirds

[Whispering Winds]

I have finches, and they are sweet curious little birds. I talk to them and they cock their little heads and listen to everything I say. We have eggs all the time, and a very nice lady on here has emailed me with wonderful tips on how to increase their fertility and hatch rate, so we have two new little babies that are all feathered out and sweet as can be. I have two parakeets, that I got free, that are nuttier than fruitcakes, and won't let me near them. They are pretty and in love with each other which is sweet to see them "spoonin", but I would rather have the finches and would LOVE to try something else, like a pair of lovebirds or a cockatiel. Try oasisaviary.com and see what they have for sale. They are a really nice group of people, and their website is great to read.

 

[bagendhens]

teils can be LOVELY pet birds!

 

[amyparrotflock]

Honestly, If I had never had an inside bird before (and it seems like you want to stay small) I'd go with a tiel.

Finches and Canaries are hands off, and watch me birds you can finger train them, but it is intense to do so, and they have short life spans.

Parakeets are great, both sexes can learn to talk, whistle and immitate. They can be trained to do other "tricks" with intense working with them. They have the worst birds though, they can bite and hold on like no other. They are also small, so their food tends to wind up in smaller pieces smatter all over the place.

Doves have a gentle coo. You never ever under any circumstances want to house more than 6 doves indoors, unless you like risking respiartory failure. They can't talk/whistle sing, but they can be friendly. I have and will continue to house my indian ring neck doves in parrot cages. they don't care, if they are left out together they try to kill each other. I leave them out the same as the other parrots, but one at a time. If you get a petstore dove, do a modified clip on the wings until you can safely handle the bird and it isn't flying away in fear- the first 2-3 feathers on each wing can be taken off, but remember unlike parrots doves depend on their wings to get around- they don't grasp the cage bars with their beak.

Lovebirds are squeaky. They can talk/imitate but few do so. When females hit maturity I would watch it, everything becomes a nest. They (both sexes) also bite and hang on. I've had the joy of raising them, and would do so again. They are clowns and will destroy toys you won't think they will. In pairs they will/can open cage doors and help each other to get out (the parakeets will do this too). They enjoy headrubs, and are an ok pet.

Tiels can learn to whistle/sing speak a little bit. They are dusty, but generally the least bitey when handraised compared to the parakeets and lovies. I have tiels I've rasied since day one and they are 100% handtame and fully flighted and they have never bit me. Females will be quieter than males.

Parrotlets are very similar to parakeets- only smaller, louder, and they have an amazon(big bird) attitude in their little body.

Quakers- if you can stand the scratchy voice of a quaker you have yourself a great pet who will rival the talking ability of african greys.

If you can find them- Red Rump parakeets(hard to find), or Bourkes parakeets-generaly easy to find (both are grass parakeets) are very similar in nature to the tiels, but both require handling to stay tame. Finding handfed Red Rumps can be a bit of a challenge, but they are excellet very laidback pets.

All of them are going to fling food, poop, toy pieces, and anything else they can wrap their beaks around, or squirt at you. You may wind up with a bird that poops down the cage bars because it can- or poops at you in anger (I had a quaker that would do this to me). If you want to help lessen the mess, place food bowls and water dishes closer to the bottom of the cage so it has less to go until it hits something solid. Be sure they can't poop in them from above before doing so. The larger the cage the better, and wider is always better than taller, as all birds will stay generally in the top 40% or top 25% of their cage. Introduce things when they are young, odd things, new toys, new people, etc. While some people reccomend a schedule with the birds, I don't because if you ever have to deviate from it, you're screwed.

Beware of household dangers- Teflon can be found in everything these days, are you ready to replace your cookware with stainless? Scented candles, incense and air "Freshners" can kill birds as well. Never feed chocolate, avacodoes, or coffee (or for that matter anything salty loaded with sugar, or high in fat or iron).

For my money since you just want a bird to step up, I'd go with the bourke's parakeet, find a breeder and get a handfed one, be prepared to spend $40-75 for a baby/young bird, another $100 on a cage, $50 on toys, and $200 for a vet check. Ask lots of questions to the breeder, and know that the birds should healthy, come from a closed flock/avairy and ask for a vet ref.- and call the vet. Ask when they come in what they see from the owner (is it emergency only? or are they bringing a bird for check ups when they get it?) Ask if you can visit the birds or have the breeder make a reccomendation as to what will fit your life better. You might walk in wanting a bourkes and walk out with a senegal

...

BTW, Parrots* are like Chickens. You can't have just one.

*All birds with hooked/curved beaks and Zygodactyly feet (two toes forward and two toes backward) are parrots.

 

[amyparrotflock]

Ringo, my first male dove. (Free, we took whatever the breeder had left to stop people from setting them free/killing them)
Edit: my lovies

Lemon and Lime ( Rescued from a porch in Michigan left to freeze outside during the winter)

The kids (babies from an accidental clutch) They all found pet homes.

The kids in the 'bator.

 

[msdoolittle]

I have owned all four.

Finches: hands off, NEEDS company of another finch. Many finches (zebra, societies) will breed readily in captivity. Fairly quiet. Seed slingers, but seed can be contained with the use of a 'seed catcher' easily created by using a baby blanket and clothespins (can explain further if needed). I think they do much better in an aviary setting in my own opinion (I have had them in both cage and aviary settings)

Lovebirds: entertaining little clowns, but have a mind-deafening shrill call (this is just my own opinion, but I seriously get a headache if I am around mine too long). They DO NOT have to be kept in pairs, but if you do get a single baby, I would recommend ONLY a handfed bird. The males, especially, seem to be a bit more affectionate, but of course, you will always find variances! Honestly, I just can't take the noise, although they are funny and beautiful.

Doves: Beautiful with a beautiful 'cooing' noise, quiet, messy with feed (they tend to slosh around the seed a lot). I have had both ringnecks and Diamond Dove. My ringneck honestly did not mind gentle handling, but the Diamonds wouldn't tolerate it, although the male was more stoic to me messing around in their cage. I think they'd be happier in an aviary setting, though. Mine were.

Parakeets/Budgies: This would be my personal choice. I would highly recommend a male (typically, but NOT ALWAYS had the blue cere, which is the fleshy skin above the beak), and handfed or handtamed if you can find one. Young birds can be difficult to sex. I handfed 3 budgies 2 years ago, and they are SO FUNNY. And, no, they DO NOT bite. And, compared to my African Grey, a budgie bite is nothing anyway! I have 2 handfed males, and one female. My experience is that the females are skittish...even my handfed female doesn't like to be handled, really, although she is not afraid of people. One male and the female talk, and it's hilarious. Depending on your situation, it may also be more beneficial to get a pair, but you must handle them frequently to keep them both bonded to you. My favorite male does have a mate, but his bond with me is stronger, and he always jumps to the side of the cage when I walk in the room. I currently have a large cage with 2 males and 3 females and they get along fantastically, and I still have my 'special bond' with the handfeds. The males chatter away and bob their little heads and do funny 'dances' on their branches. Really engaging! As a side note, I haven't had great success with taming down a storebought youngster, but it probably required more time than I gave at the time. And, yes, they can pinch and really hold on, which is why I'd recommend one that has been handled. You will pay more, but they are definitely worth more! I have owned several 'store boughts' and only had one which halfway settled down. However, this isn't always the case.

And, cockatiels ARE really fun. They ARE dusty however (their down feathers disintegrate into a very fine powder), so bear this in mind. I had about 5 at one time which were all rescues and we all would go into my shower together, lol. They do tend to be gentle, and I have only had one that would bite, but I think he had been abused. They can learn to talk and love to whistle tunes. I did have a female that was an accomplished whistler, but it is more typical with males.

I also have a Pacific parrotlet, and he is a funny little guy, however he was paired with another male who was not handfed, so he will require some one on one attention to become settled down again. They are small, cute and are relatively quiet. However, they are usually about 125 dollars and up for handfeds, and tend to think they are Macaw sized, so probably not a great choice for a first time bird owner.

No aquariums! I hope what you saw was a Plexiglas type cage (there is one at our nursing home), which is ok as long as there is adequate ventilation. My grey's old cage (3'x6')was covered in Plexiglas (for my children's safety...no biting!), with exception to the entire upper part, and it kept the mess in and little fingers out, and worked great. Several cage companies are now making Plexi/acrylic cages for birds, but they all have (or SHOULD have) adequate ventilation.


I would recommend a cage which is wider than it is tall, so that the bird has more flight room/play room. Tall cages are silly to me, since the bird basically has no room to play or move, and they practically have to fall to the floor to get to the bottom of the cage, as well as poop all over the branches below them. I have no idea why they manufacture these still. All of my cages are horizontally long rectangles, and I love them. This is one reason I no longer use the grey's 3x6 cage. THe space is totally wasted!

 

[amyparrotflock]

anyone that tells you that a handfed bird won't bite ever is lying. Every bird bites. The tiels that I have and have handraised have bit other people, but not me.

 

[msdoolittle]

Yes, a handfed bird absolutely WILL bite. My Grey will rip anyone else's fingers clean off, except for me. A HF bird typically has no fear of humans, so...they don't mind taking a plug out of you if the mood strikes. I was only referencing to the comment to absolutely not get a HF budgie, because they will definitely bite you (aka piranahs). I have not found this to be true at all, in my case. I should have said, "And, no, mine do not bite." The only thing they do is try to nibble off the ends of my fingernails. All parrots are individuals, so they will all have their own attitudes and tolerance levels.

There are no guarantees that you'll end up with a 'biter' bird or not. So, if you really don't ever want to get bitten, don't get a parrot!

 

[Skyesrocket]

What about button quail? They make good little house pets. I had some set up in a 55 gallon aquarium with plants and little logs. It was a nice little display and they didn't make as much of a mess as parakeets and such.
I do love my finches. I like the way they beep and how curious they are about what your doing in their cage.

 

[stephys_fluffybutts]

If you want something that doesnt bite, thats friendly and likes to be handled. Then you have to handle it. Can't expect a bird to be friendly if you don't put your time into them.
If you think you could just put them in a cage to hear them chirp then I don't think there something for you.

I have parakeets. I raised them from chicks. So they are really friendly. I let them out daily. They arnt that messy.
Most of the parakeets I have gotten from pet stores are wild. Occasionally I get a really sweet one.
If you want something nice from the start then you need to find a local breeder that will put there time into them. Instead of letting them go wild and alone in a cage.
I use to raise and breed them. Every person that got a chick from me were surprised with how friendly they were
I have one that I raised since it was only 2 weeks old. And its one of my favorites

Parakeets brood allot and can hatch allot of chicks.

I have a cockatiel. If your worried about the bite they can. And it hurts and occasionally bleeds. I am not saying there mean they just bite harder then parakeets would. So if your worried about the bite factor then those arnt good.

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[Kelly G]

We had a keel billed toucan growing up....I LOVED that bird (he was deemed an infertile and sold to us as a pet). We LOVED him and had him for about 14 years!

This isn't Sam (no digital pics from then - if I have time tonight, I'll scan a couple), but this is what he looked like...

You'd think a bird like this could deliver a big bite...WRONG! He could give a pinch with a twist, but probably could not break the skin if he tried! He had not one mean bone in his body! I'd love to have another one - but I don't make the $$$ my parents do!