I am considering getting one, or possibly 2. I would LOVE a pet.
I've been reading about them and I want to gather as much info about them as possible before I jump into anything.
Are they hard to take care of? How loud are they? Are they loving?
Thanks! Cutie
Posted by lymemomtooo (Member # 5396) on :
Make sure you get a young one..Check the yellow pages to see if there is an exotic bird source as opposed to a mall pet store..
Then you have a chance for a young one that may have even been hand fed.
My mom has always had one until recently..She has mostly had very mild tempered ones and all have been able to say a couple or words.
One was a mean son of a gun and would bite but only one in 40 plus years..Good luck..
Two means a much larger cage.
Posted by mlkeen (Member # 1260) on :
My neighbor had some for a while. No problem as far as the kids getting along with them or health issues.
She did however get mice, we couldn't figure out why after 20 years of no mice. When the stove was moved out for a new floor we found mucho shells from bird seed and mucho mouse droppings. Apparently the seed atrated mice, going in the cage at night to get the seed.
Posted by Monica (Member # 224) on :
We call the spirochetes 'parakeets.' That's what I thought you meant!
Just my opinion: no additional wildlife in the house. They carry problems of their own and if you are not up to their care, it could be harmful.
Posted by Carol B (Member # 9110) on :
My daughter, Carolyn had a pet hampster,Merkle. One day we were sitting on the floor of her room when a mouse peaked out from Merkle's wooden house. He had apparently taken up residence,too and appreciated the free room and board.
We also had parakeets, not deliberately, but we just couldn't refuse when a neighbor dropped by with the cage saying her elderly Mother had Alzheimer's and whenever she came home from work she found the bird cage in a differnt location.
Then she came home one day and found them in the washing machine and decided it was time to find another home for them, so...
Only thing I didn't like was the way they flicked birdseed out of the cage for about a two foot radius. Be sure you subscribe to a newspaper to line the cage.
We've also had many guinea pigs. Some day when I have the energy I will tell you about the "Flying Dead Baby Guinea Pigs"
I'm off for a nap, as soon as my neighbor stops mowing his lawn.
Carol
Posted by Andie333 (Member # 7370) on :
If you're well enough to care for an animal, I honestly can't think of anything more healing than a furry or feathered companion.
I had a parakeet for about 10 years. He was given to me by a friend, and I was able to go slowly and gradually train him to come to me and sit on my shoulder or my finger. For the first five years or so, he didn't talk, but then...well, he started speaking in whole sentences.
His companion was a cockateil (separate cages), which is a bird smaller than a parrot but a bit larger than a parakeet. I also trained him to come to me. He never talked much, but he could whistle up a storm -- had a repetoire of about 4 songs.
Whenever the cockateil messed up one of the songs, he'd go: NO, Wait!! Then he'd start the whole song over again and whistle it straight through.
He made me very very happy. They both did.
I find them very little work compared to the joy and companionship they bring. Of course, if you already have a cat, birds are a pretty bad idea...which is why I don't have one now.
One more thing: you asked about noise...the birds I've had didn't tend to be squawky. At night, you just put a cover over their cages, tell them good night, and they go to sleep.
When/if you get an addition, post the picture here so we can see!
Andie
Posted by 5dana8 (Member # 7935) on :
Hey Cutie
I hope you get one because a pet's love can be so healing.
I had a yellow cockateil once -"tweetie" He though I was his mommy and would waddle after me everywhere.
The place I bought him from said best to make sure a head of time that they where hand raised.
This is important because they associate your hands with their mommy. And are much more gentle and affectionate.
You have to make sure to keep their cages out of drafts and not to get chilled. He was no trouble and made me really happy.
I saved a feather from his tail and it sits on my desk to this day.
![[Smile]](smile.gif)