Finding the Right Breed for You

A pet bird can be a very friendly, affectionate and rewarding pet; once tamed they can also become great companions. Most pet birds are relatively easy to care for but it does take time and patience to tame them. After buying their first pet bird many people expect it to be talking and sitting on their hand after two weeks but this is unlikely, every bird is an individual and there is no specific time period in which a bird will become tame.

When considering buying a bird you must first decide which species of bird to choose as some are more suited to living in your home than others.

The following birds are all suitable as house pets and are widely available:

• Budgies
• Cockatiels
• Canaries
• Finches
• Kakarikis
• Lovebirds
• Parakeets

The Budgie is one of the most commonly kept of all cage birds as they are widely available and relatively easy to look after. Budgies come in a wide variety of colours and can be tamed with time and patience: some may learn to say a few words, although many will never talk. It is thought that male birds will talk more than females although there is no proof of this, it all comes down to the individual bird. Budgies need a basic seed diet but will benefit from egg food, millet sprays, cuttlefish, fresh fruit, vegetables, an iodine block and bird grit.

Budgies live for about 7 years.

The cockatiel is also a popular cage bird and is widely available. The cockatiel is much larger than the budgie and requires a much bigger cage, ideally the largest cage you can afford. Cockatiels make great house pets once tame but some people find their whistles very shrill. They can learn to talk given time but like budgies there is no guarantee. The cockatiel will need a basic seed diet as well as cuttlefish, millet, bird grit and also small amounts of fresh fruit and vegetables.

Cockatiels are a long term commitment and can live for 15 years or more.

Canaries are kept by a large number of people mainly for their singing ability and are now available in a variety of colours other than the traditional yellow form. The females never sing, they just cheap and the only way to reliably determine that a canary is male is to see it singing. Canaries can be delicate but thrive if given a varied diet and this is particularly important during the summer when they are moulting. A good quality seed diet should be supplemented with egg food, millet, greens, bird grit and cuttlefish.

Canaries often live for up to 10 years.

Finches are normally quiet birds that are best kept in pairs or ideally small groups of the same species. Unlike many other birds they will not talk and are unlikely to become very tame. However, they are very attractive little birds and are great fun to watch.

Their diet needs to consist of a good quality seed mix supplemented with egg food, millet, greens, bird grit and cuttlefish.

There are several species available in a variety of colour forms but on average you can expect them to live for about 5 years.

Kakarikis are a small parakeet, slightly larger and stockier than a cockatiel; they are usually green and yellow but pied mutations are available. Kakarikis are generally quiet birds but have a funny little call and do become tame with time, although they rarely learn to talk they do have fantastic personalities. If kept indoors Kakarikis demand a lot of space and can suffer from feather loss caused by central heating, so regular water sprays are essential. A good basic seed diet is needed as well as fruit and vegetables, millet, cuttlefish and bird grit.

Kakarikis are relatively short lived compared to other parakeets but they still live for more than 5 years.

Lovebirds choose their own mate and need to be kept in pairs. They can be very affectionate with each other but don't normally become very tame and prefer the company of each other rather than that of humans. It is worth bearing in mind that if you get a true pair of lovebirds they will try to breed, and you need to be prepared for this. They need a basic seed diet as well as millet, fruit and vegetables, cuttlefish and bird grit.

Lovebirds will live for about 10 years but if one of a pair dies it can be difficult to introduce another within the confines of an indoor cage.

Larger Parakeets are not always suitable as house pets and are much better suited to outdoor flights. They can be a lot more difficult to tame and need a lot more space than other, smaller birds. This is not necessarily the case with hand reared parakeets as they will already be used to being handled by humans and will be hand tame. If you are interested in owning a parakeet look out for a hand tamed birds, they may be more expensive but they make much better pets.

Each species is different and the larger ones tend to live longer. You should expect to be looking after them for at least 10 years although some will live for 20 years or more.

REMEMBER: The bigger the bird, the bigger the cage and the more space they need to be healthy and happy.