Thinking about getting an indoor bird, suggestions?

[chick2good4u]

We're thinking about adding an indoor bird to our family. Maybe a lovebird or dove? We don't want anything very loud. I had a parakeet as a kid but other then chickens I know little about pet birds. so comments and suggestions are needed please.

 

[BeckyLa]

A Silkie pullet should do nicely.

 

[chick2good4u]

My husband said no chickens in the house unless they are babies. So it needs to be some thing more of a typical indoor bird.

 

[texasgirl]

I've known lots of people with Quaker parrots, they're fairly small, very interactive and friendly (assuming they are raised right) and I don't recall them being noisy at all unless they were being talked to.
Personally I find well behaved parrots to be more tolerable than small birds like finches and canaries that make noise all the time.

I'm not sure how much noise a pair of doves would make but it seems like their coo-ing would be soothing to listen to. I might like them

 

[Widget]

It depends. Do you want a bird that can be easily handled, one that can talk or one that is just as happy watching you? I've worked with and owned many different species of birds and currently have seven house birds.
Lovebirds can be very noisy; but are pretty. Doves are nice. I love their cooing. Finches and canaries can be fun to own. I have a wonderful American Singer canary who sings beautifully.
Parakeets and cockatiels are small yet really good pet birds. Some can even learn to talk. My personal favorite is the green-cheeked conure. A small bird, can be tempermental but are not the noisy, ear piercing screamers like the sun or nanday conures.
I also love my African Grey. But the larger parrots are certainly a huge lifetime commitment.

 

[Widget]

Quakers are nice but illegal to own in some states. I believe Tennessee is one of those states. They are able to survive through harsh winters and some states don't want escapees breeding and starting feral flocks in the wild. Too bad. I had one when I lived in Chicago and she was a good little bird. But I rehomed her when I move to Pennsylvania. Another state where they are illegal. And Maine doesn't want them either.

 

[snowydiamonds]

Silkies are NOT chickens, they are housepets. And very great ones! I've had parakeets most my life and three cockatiels. The boy cockatiels are very noisy. They fly all over and get into everything. You cannot put a cockatiel away to bed and try to open a back of any type of corn chips! They know that sound and as soon as the kids are put to bed and the birds, too, you try to sit down and have a chip or two in the peace and then they start screaming: CHIPS, CHIPS CHIPS!?! So silkies are the way to go, many different small noises and if you did get a boy, his "crowing" will keep everyone entertained! And its not loud so far...

 

[Aneesa's Muse]

If I ever have another "house bird" ..it will have to be a Caique!

They require a bit of attention.. like to play and be goofy... but they are not screamers/screechers at all!

 

[chick2good4u]

I'd rather not have something that requires too much time like some of the larger parrots and don't care whether it can learn to talk or not. Quakers are illegal here in TN. I mainly just want something sweet and cute. I cannot handle loud screaming. A pair of doves might be the way to go. What about finches?

 

[snowydiamonds]

There's a lady from India in our town who raises finches and everytime she walks in the house they hear her and she calls out: HI Birdies! Only she doesn't say the rrr's very well so it comes out as HI Biwdies...and they all start calling out to her, it was something to see and hear So I thought I'd get a pair for my three young sons when they were little. The urine or smell was so strong and stink, daily, I gave them back. They were not at all easy like parakeets. I'd say parakeets, they come in beautiful colors and are so friendly, if you really won't go w/silkies, of course

We had one parakeet that had a fever and lost most of his feathers so we called him Goofus. Goofus would climb off his hanging cage, climb down the window curtain, onto the back of the couch and from the couch he'd climb onto our Springer Spaniel (we had the black and white one and every summer watched another black n white one) and hold onto the collar. Our dog would open the door, take Goofus outside for a ride/walk, come back in and wait while Goofus hopped onto the sofa, climb back up the curtain and onto his cage. Then we had to train the dogs to shut the door cause we didn't want the other two parakeets outside on their own!

We had another parakeet who loved the ice cubes in your glass...he'd get a bit tipsy on holidays from my stepfather's ice cubes...that would make me mad! Parents thought it was funny...


Another parakeet loved my 3rd son and every morning would sit on his head while he had breakfast All the boy parakeets were called Pretty Bird

Oh, and the last parakeet my grandmother had, he loved grama and couldn't bear her to leave for church on Sundays. She'd get her nice dress on, put her awdacious hat on which looked wonderful on her, and Pretty Bird would fly onto her hat and she'd walk two houses down and across the street, into church. When everyone's voices rose to the rafters while singing, Pretty Bird would also rise to the rafters like our voices were lifting him and as the song declined or ended, Pretty Bird would float down and land back onto Grandma's hat...happy memories w/parakeets!