I had my first pets around 8 or 9 years old, and I was a horrible pet owner. I hated having to feed and water my
pet rabbits and
clean their cages everyday. I would forget at times. I just wasn’t
responsible enough, and I wish my mother had not allowed me to have
pets. When I was in high school and more responsible, I was way too busy
to take care of pets. I had a part-time job and was in the marching
band. Then I moved away to college where pets weren’t allowed.
At no point during my youth, would I have been a good candidate for owning a
pet bird;
however, I would have been good at helping take care of a family pet
bird, which would have been the ultimate responsibility of my parents.
Now, some kids are great with pet birds; however, it takes the right
mixture of pet bird and child. Because parrots and birds are prey
animals, quick movements, loud noises and grabbing hands are all seen as
threatening to them. A parrot might respond to this by biting or trying
to fly away, so a child that has lots of energy and not much self
control over his or her movements or desires would not make a great pet
bird owner. This is why we often recommend that generally, the child be
12 years old before getting their own pet bird. There are, of course,
some mature children, who are exceptions to this rule. To help parents
judge if their child makes a good pet bird owning candidate, consider
this:
You should not get a pet bird for your child, if:
Your child is under the age of 12
and will be the bird’s sole care taker. Some children don’t understand
the consequences of their actions, especially if they forget to give the
pet bird food or water. Animal cruelty should not be practiced so that a
child can learn responsibility the hard way.
Your child has no money to take the pet bird to an
avian veterinarian if it gets sick. Parents who don’t allow pet birds that are
sick
to be taken to the vet because they don’t want to spend the money teach
the child a number of bad lessons. If the parent or child is unable or
unwilling to take to the pet bird to a vet, then don’t get the pet bird.
If the child is too busy with extracurricular activities to spend at least one to two hours hanging out with the pet bird.
If the child is not willing to check out websites or read
magazines and books about a pet bird before adopting one.
If the child has trouble controlling
his or her emotions. Prey animals do not respond well to physical
outbursts and will fly or bite.
If your child has the time, patience and maturity level for a pet
bird, there are nine species suggestions below. They were picked because
of the low noise level, availability and cost, ease of care
(comparatively speaking to the larger parrots), size, less challenging
mental and emotional needs, and life expectancy (all shorter than 30
years). There are many great stories of responsible children keeping
some of the bigger parrots, however, those parrots life expectancies are
longer, so the child will have to keep the bird through the life
changes that young adults go through.
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Canary: A
canary can be kept by itself and it entertains with its song. A canary
doesn’t come out of the cage, so it only needs food, water and cage
cleaning, but doesn’t need one-on-one play time. A canary can live up to
15 years, so parents should be willing to take over the canary’s care
if the child goes off to college.
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Society finches:
The society finch would make a great pet bird. You need to keep them in
pairs, they are readily available at pet stores, and they are low
noise volume and low mess. Buy them a roomy, horizontal-shaped cage so
they can fly around. They need their food and water changed and their
cage floor cleaned, but there is no one-on-one interaction. The society
finch can live to up to seven years.
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Budgies:
This is a wonderful pet parrot, native to Australia. It is a smaller
parrot, so is often refered to as the general term "parakeet" by
Americans. The budgerigar, or budgie, makes a great pet for older
children. A younger child may accidentally injure the bird if he or she
is not gentle. The budgie’s cage can fit in the kid’s bedroom. It can be
a great best friend if the child takes the time to tame it and interact
with it. Its volume level is low, although it can chatter quite a bit,
and some even talk. It will need veterinarian care, so don’t adopt one
if you are unwilling to take it to the vet. It needs daily food, water
and cage changing. It needs some fresh vegetables intertwined around its
cage bars. Toys are a must. It will need daily one-on-one time and
should have a play gym to spend out-of-cage time on. If the child is not
willing to tame the budgie and spend a lot of time with it, then I
would stick with a finch or canary. An untamed budgie is not fun for the
child or the budgie. The budgie can live up to 15 years, so you need to
plan on taking care of the budgie if the child goes to college.
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Bourke’s parakeet:
This is a beautiful and sweet parrot that comes from Australia. It is
bigger than a budgie, but still small at around 7½ inches long. You need
to get a hand-tame one as they can be flighty. The noise level is low.
Daily feeding, water changes and cage cleanings are necessary. It
needs a wider cage so it can move around, plus some interaction time,
but probably not a lot of heavy one-on-one time. Bathe it daily and make
sure to give it fresh vegetables. Life expectancy is up to 15 years, so
you need to plan on taking care of the Bourke’s if the child goes to
college.
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Peach-faced lovebird:
The peach-faced lovebird is a little more of a challenging small
parrot. They are small at 6½ inches and have a life expectancy of 20
years. They come in many different color mutations. They are energetic
and can get themselves in trouble, so the child needs to pay attention.
They can learn some tricks and their noise level is lower than the
larger parrots. They need daily feeding, water changing, cage cleaning,
plus some good one-on-one time. They should have a play gym, lots of
toys and perches. They can become a little territorial, so the kid owner
needs to read up a little to know how to deal with these little
challenges.
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Cockatiel:
The cockatiel makes a great pet bird. The female is typically more
docile and cuddly, however, it may lay eggs. The male is more vocal.
They have long tails, which make up a good portion of their 13
inches. Cockatiels need a roomy cage, plenty of toys and perches. They
need daily feeding, water changing, cage cleaning, plus some good
one-on-one time. Cockatiels can be dusty and should get a good misting
spray bath about once a week. Get a hand-tame cockatiel for your child,
otherwise they have to be tamed, which your child may not have the
patience for. Cockatiels frighten easily, so an older child would be the
best owner. 'Tiels can live up to 30 years.
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Pacific parrotlet:
These spunky small parrots are also best for the older child. They are
small, only about 5 inches. Parrotlets need daily feeding, water
changing, cage cleaning, plus some good one-on-one time. They need lots
of space in their cage, a play gym and lots of toys and
perches. Parrotlets are a little more expensive as they are not as
readily available as some of the others pet birds on this list. They can
live up to 20 years. Parrotlets have a fearless personality, so the
child owner needs to pay attention. Parrotlets can be aggressive and
curious, and they like to eat a lot.
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Diamond dove:
The diamond dove is a smaller dove at 7½ inches. It can be tamed, but
enjoys the company of other doves. It is pretty and easy going. It
doesn’t require as much one-on-one time as some of the parrots, but it
needs plenty of space and probably another dove. It needs lots of
perches as well as high, flat surfaces to roost on. The life expectancy
is 12 to 15 years.
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Goldie’s lorikeet:
This small lory is only about 7 ½ inches. It has a calm demeanor and is
less high maintenance than other lories. They are curious and chatty,
but have a lower noise level than bigger parrots. It does need nectar in
its diet, so the child owner should read up on its dietary requirements
before bringing one home. Goldie's lorikeets are a little more costly
and challenging to find. Check with lory breeders advertising in BIRD TALK magazine. Goldie's life expectancy is 7 years. It needs a spacious cage with several perches.
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