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Birds are so pretty and many of them learn to talk or sing beautifully. These reasons alone make them desirable as pets.

Just be aware that birds can be very noisy at certain times of the day. Make sure your housemate or neighbors aren’t going to object to the noise before you invest in one. Certain breeds of birds are noisier than others with the larger parrots, Macaws and Cockatoos most notably, being the loudest of all. Of course these two breeds also learn to talk the easiest, so it can be a catch-22.

Having a bird as a companion is not the same as having a dog or cat, though. Many birds don’t care to be petted or touched, so you don’t get the tactile satisfaction with a bird. Trying to push the issue often results in a bite and those beaks can really deliver a painful one no matter how small the bird! With patience and care, though you can teach a bird to be handled, although there are some that will never be truly happy with being touched on certain parts of their bodies.

Caring for a bird is hugely different from a dog or cat. Although they are small, they require a rather large cage for their size (if you’re going to keep it caged), This means you have to consider where the cage will go.

Birds have specific diet requirements. You can’t just throw them some seed every day and expect them to thrive. Most birds need fresh vegetables and fruits and some require nectar. The larger parrots need nuts (not peanuts!) such as almonds, walnuts, and pecans.  A lot of the food you find in the pet shops contain corn. While corn in and of itself isn’t bad for your bird, I find that mine don’t care for the hard corn in these feeds and just ignore it or throw it out. They much prefer fresh corn.

Oh, and it’s imperative that you throw out any uneaten food every day and replace it with fresh. It may look uneaten, but they’ve picked through and gotten all they will eat of what you’ve offered. A hungry bird will still not eat what it’s refused to eat and you can literally starve your feathered friend to death. You should keep track of their weight by weighing your bird often — at least once a week — to make sure he’s not too fat or too thin.

Birds can be trained to do many different things. Clicker training is by far the most successful method there is. There is a wonderful group of people who help you learn how to train your bird at birdclick@yahoogroups.com. To learn the best diet for your particular bird, check out FeedingFeathers@yahoogroups.com

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