Bird Buying: Six Things You Must Consider Before Buying A Pet Bird
After deciding how much you can spend on the bird and all of its needs, cage, food, etc. Then you are going to want to consider about where you will make the bird its home in your house. How much space you have available for the bird and his cage will also help determine on what size of a bird you can have.
The next thing that you want to take into consideration is, do you or your family have time to spend with the bird? Birds are not like rodents, they are very social animals and they like to play and will expect to be played with on a regular basis, as well as have their homes cleaned. Having a bird for a pet is almost a life-long investment depending on the type of bird you get. Some of the more expensive bigger birds such as the cockatoo and the African grey can live to be about 60 years old. Make sure that you are prepared to spend a lifetime with that bird. If you do not think this is going to work out for your family dynamics, don’t get a bird.
One thing that you need to remember is that ALL birds are parrots. Any bird can be taught how to talk. Some just take more time than others because of the simple physiology of the bird. The African Grey and birds of that size are the big talkers and easier to train to speak. The smaller birds are the ones who communicate through chirps and squawks and if you can tolerate this, it’s a good thing. Make sure that your neighbors will be able to tolerate a noisy bird as well. You do not want any pet that you chose to be a nuisance to anyone else.
Also, as natural as their playful behavior is, they are very curious and they love to nibble on things so if you have things in your home that are valuable, you will want to make sure that the bird never has access to those items. They will peck at anything and that is just part of their personalities.
The last thing I recommend is that if you have decided to get a bird and which one you are going to get, make an investment at the store where you purchase the bird on a book all about that bird. Sometimes, certain birds have special dietary needs, and you will need to know all there is to know about your new family member and the care it will require for them. Never purchase a bird as an impulse buy. This is not fair to you, or the bird.
