Thinking about getting an indoor bird, suggestions?

[birdnutz]

Diamond doves are real sweet. Also button quail if your state allows you to have them without a permit and are adorable. Stromers sells both, plus they sell all kinds of doves and pigeons.
As for the other caged birds look into petfinders.com for a rescue. I couldn't believe the amount of birds that are in rescues,including poultry. they have everything from finches to macaws.

 

[Schultz]

We have a parrotlet and a green cheek conure that we adore!

 

[Imp]

Quote:
Make sure you do a lot of research on the breed you decide on. Even the little parrots can be as loud as macaws. I had a quaker 10 years ago that was so loud and aggressive in the spring that I had to give it away before I killed it. I had a neighbor with a parrotlet that was also so loud that I could hear it from the inside of her house into my house. I found the squeaking of finches annoying after a while, but they were fun to raise. The woman I bought my last chickens from was telling me that she had doves in the house, but gave them up because they made noise all night long and kept her kids from sleeping. My favorite indoor bird has to be canaries. Unfortunately I won't get anymore because I know firsthand that cats do smile if they eat canaries. Good luck in finding your perfect pet bird. For now I'm sticking to outdoor chickens.

 

[monarc23]

Button Quail.....a chick hatched and imprinted from hatching, and raised by a pacient hand should have a little buddy out of a button quail. My first ever incubated bird was a button quail hen, she was the only one out of her batch to hatch, and imprinted on me. A week later she was afraid of me, when she hit 6 weeks old she fell back in love with me and wants nothing to do with the other button quails. I can let her out and she follows me around peeping as she picks at fuzzers on the carpet like a hen would out in the grass. I plan on getting her a tiny bird harness and taking her with us to the petstore when it gets warmer out. She's a nifty little gal. If you can find a breeder in your area who can let you take a just hatched chick it's a great option.

Pippin:

^ Her checking out BYC with me

Coturnix Quails make great pets too plus if you get a hen, you get edible eggies! but thier poo is stinky like chickens poo...button quails poo only smells if you ignore it for a week or more.

That or a conure i love conures

 

[Bec]

I would consider Zebra Finches, they are cute, active and not noisy. They hop all around the perches and make the cutest little noises! Parakeets aren't bad either.
I have a cockatiel now that I have had for almost 13 years and we don't notice the noise anymore, but everyone else does when they are over.
Doves are nice too, they make a cute cooing noise, but aren't overly active or fun to watch. my Aunt has 23 parakeets, 16 cockatiels, 10 Zebra finches, 4 doves and a Moluccan Cockatoo. Besides the parrot, the finches are the most fun to watch. They are ALWAYS busy!

 

[magikchick]

I would love some button quail. Most cage birds require a lot of attention and are screamers. I have a blue crowned conure right now. Drives my DH nuts.

 

[Suellyn]

Doves, finches & canaries are lovely but USUALLY not terribly interactive or "friendly".

Lovebirds bond VERY strongly with humans (If are worked with/handled regularly and NOT in with another bird), BUT tend to bond with only ONE person... can be an attack "HATE BIRD" to all others (!!)... You said a pet for your "family", so this may not be a great choice if multiple people want to play with it.

Like someone else said, large parrots (& cockatoos) are a lifetime commitment and can also come up with a MULTITUDE of behavioral problems (screaming, feather plucking, aggression, ETC!!) if not worked with & given enough proper attention.

You didn't say how old other family members are, but if children under 10, I would be a little nervous of anything larger than a cockatiel... Even a medium/smallish conure or caique can take a NASTY chunk out of a little kid's finger or face.

I would say best choice may be a parakeet or a hand-raised baby cockatiel. Either one still needs proper handling/attention if you really want it to be an interactive PET. Parakeets are cheaper, but generally have not been handled much/"tamed" (not hard to do, though!), hand-raised baby cockatiels much more expensive but are generally more acclimated to & "bonded" with humans... and they are known for their affectionate nature. Also live in flocks, so have the ability to bond to more than just one family member.

As far as breeds that are quiet, friendly, not smelly, and tidy (don't throw food & feather dust all over the place)..... Well... as far as I know, there ISN'T one...!!!!!!!!!!!! That's not to say that birds don't make great pets; they do!!! Just know what you are getting into & research the HECK out of the breed - both good and bad points. Good luck, I have had some incredibly wonderful bird companions

 

[bossynbella]

only inside bird I have ever had is a dove she was very sweet I would take her out and let her fly around the house. She was not noisy at all though she did mess her food out all over the place. If I ever have another inside bird and its not some tiny bantam it will be a dove.
Good luck
Melissa

 

[chick2good4u]

Thanks everyone for the input. I think we may be leaning towards a simple parakeet. My daughter is only 4 - she is gentle, but I don't want anything that can harm her too badly. Also, I wondered about the finches becoming annoying with their cheeping and I was researching, it looks like doves need quite a bit of room to stretch their wings every day. Thanks again, we'll let you know what we decide on.

 

[Nikki28]

I have a senegal parrot and she is wonderful! They are small and the quietest of the parrot species along with meyers and jardines.

She is sweet and does not require alot of attention because she can enertain herself for hours but is a snuggle bunny just the same.

I am not a fan of cockatiels and parakeets due to their ability to develope tumors and harbor disease. Take that into consideration if you will have chicks in your house or near the cage.

I don't like quakers because I think they are anoying and no where near as intelligent as a senegal or others of the pocephalus family.

http://www.wingscc.com/aps/s-desc.htm

http://animal-world.com/encyclo/birds/poicephalus/senegal.php


I worked with parrots for 6 years and they are by far the bird that I recommened to new parrot owners. All parrots require handeling and work regardless of what you choose.
Let us know what you go with and good luck!