Expense of owning a bird?

[tieldaddy]

I'm low income but manage and prioritize my money very well.

I know a macaw is out as well as most larger birds.

I was thinking possibly a tiel but now I'm thinking maybe a green cheek conure or some other smaller bird.

I just want to be able to take good care of any bird, any pet.

Any ideas?

What about some of the very low cost big birds with cages that I see sometimes in my local bargain sheet? If cage is large enough would that be an idea or not?

What does it cost to feed and provide toys to one large bird each month?

I do have a credit card for medical care but would only use it for vet expenses and would never charge a bird or regular items, it's for back up only for vet.

[parrotntn]

WOW>.. what a great post and set of questions. It speaks volumes about your concern for the welfare of your choices. I'm very humbled by this.
Birds "can" be expensive. That has a lot to do with it. It depends on how badly you want what you want.
There are great rehomed birds as well as cages. Some cost a little, some are given away.
Have you ever owned a bird before?? Have you made yourself known to the local vets/clinics...
I have found that recently I had TWO calls to have birds GIVEN to me. One was a scarlet Macaw and one was a conure. I declined on both as I'm focusing on a VERY STUBBORN Amazon right now.
People need to know that you would take care of the bird firstoff. They need to know that it's safe.
Were you to buy one, the bigger the bird, the bigger the cage that'll be needed.
We love dearly our Tiel Dood. I wouldn't write em off just yet. Great pets....He loves to snuggle and he sings a mean Andy Griffeth.
Hope this helps,
Mark

[featherfanatics]

Tiels are great. My little tiel, Taz, can do everything that my big birds can and more. He can whistle all the songs that all my other birds know. He dances. He snuggles. Taz is learning to wave. IMHO Tiels are the perfect bird, especially for someone just starting out.

[Monica]

Cockatiel; $50-$150
Cage; $50-$150 (go for a flight cage, biggest cage you can get for the money)
Perches/Toys/Dishes; $50+
Food; $6-$12+ (depending on size and amount you get as well as quality vs crap - does not include fresh foods)
Miscellanious; ??? (depends on if you want say a playgym, cage cover, water bottles, spray bottles, treats, etc)

Green Cheek Conure; $100-$400
The rest, about the same...



Although, if your lucky, you may find a bird in need of a home who already has a good cage, toys, etc, was loved and thus is tame, for a good price for everything... heck, it could be half as much as you'd get if you were going from scratch... or even less! However, at the same time of saying this, you run the possibility of getting a second hand bird with a lot of baggage and you don't have the experience to care for the bird.

My largest bird is my mitred conure. He cost his foster mum furtunes in health care due to his big bird attitude. Initially, he cost me nothing. Thus far, I've bought him a $250 macaw cage (littereally, 40x30x60, and the brat could care less!), probably about $50 +/- in food (small bags of pellets $6 each, 20lb bag $40), maybe about $40 in toys (he can't really DESTROY a toy, so I've been indecisive on the best toys to pick out for him), and I don't really know what all else... Money has been put towards some dremel pieces for the dremel that came with him, for trimming his beak (thus I have more supplies and better supplies in which to trim his beak with), although I'm not sure how much that has been total... Beyond that, I do have a bunch of extra toy parts (most given to me) that I've used to make more toys out of.

[tielfan]

Cockatiels are great for first-time bird owners, although there are several other species that would fit the bill. Most first-timers are better off with a small bird. They're easier to handle and tend to have more stable temperaments than some of the bigger birds.

I'd be very cautious about getting a second-hand large bird. Big birds are generally more demanding than small birds and are frequently less suitable for first-time owners, although there are some success stories. When a large parrot is advertised at a low price, it's frequently because of a behavior problem that the first owner couldn't deal with. And a lot of sellers lie about the problem since they want to unload the bird for the maximum amount of money. The most common behavior problems with birds are biting, excessive screaming, and self-plucking. Plucking can't be hidden since it's visible, but birds are often cautious around strangers so a biting or screaming problem might not show itself at first.

[LT_loops]

I agree tiels are great first time birds. I'm getting one this weekend(he's my second) for 85.00 with the cage toys and food. Just make sure it is hand tame. Here's a great site for making your own bird toys. The Toymaker DIY Bird Toys- Make Your Bird Toys. Exotic birds & parrots bird toy ideas. And there's lots of people on here that can give you ideas for toys and food. Forums are a great place to learn! Good luck!

[itchysquid]

Caesar cost me 700, with a nice big cage, toys and seed (which he doesn't get anymore, except for treats!) However, I live in Australia, so birds are more expensive, because they're a less common pet.

On going costs are not too bad, as he's small and eats like, well, a bird! Toys can be expensive but if you get one or two each month it's not too bad. The only expensive thing is vet bills, a check up costs about 300 here! So I'm timing Caesar's annual check ups with when I get my tax return :D

I was a first time bird companion (except for a chicken I had when I was very young), though a pretty experienced animal carer when I got Caesar, so I'd recommend a GCC, we learnt about each other together and I find the psychology of birds to be very very interesting and completely different from horses and dogs, which I am used to.

Good luck!

[Amazonlady]

I like most of the post so far agree that a cockatiel is a good choice for a new bird. They are wonderful and have great personalities. It get's my vote for a first time bird.

[Lisa B]

I have to say, being that I have lived with almost all species of birds, I agree, that a Cockatiel is the PERFECT bird.....not just for "starters" but the experienced as well. Most times, they are the happiest, social, self amusing critters out there. I have had 17 of them! They are PERFECT family birds, from the youngest to the elders. They dont tend to pick on person but LOVE everyone, and want to be with everyone!

There are alot of them out there that need good homes. check petfinder or craigslist.

They tend to be more easy on their toys then alot of wood chewers. To buy and make their toys, is pretty easy on the pocket.
A Good seed based diet for a tiel(tiels dont do well on pelleted diets)
should run you about $10.00 a month. And then your veggies and fruits will last a bit longer then if you had a large species.

Playpens can be made as well, and or a nice one online might run about $40.00...that would be a one time purchase.
example:
COCKATIEL PARROT PLAY YARD PLAYPEN CAGE - (eBay item 270162047109 end time Sep-08-07 0918 PDT)

BIRD TOY PLAY GYM,WITH 14" BASE-SWING,& TOYS-TWIN MOUNT - (eBay item 140153883039 end time Sep-09-07 0400 PDT)

The important thing is that vet care is the same for a macaw to a keet. They do not charge less for a parakeet then if you walked in with the worlds rarest bird. Exotic health care is expensive. There is insurance you can carry on them but that is something you need to really think about, and decide if its worth the out of pocket expense.

With that said, good luck with your choice, and thank you for caring ENOUGH to look into your thoughts before jumping in when it comes to your new family addition.

[Sally]

It is great to ask questions before getting a bird. I just want to add that tiny Parrotlets need VERY large and wide cages. Birds need a wide cage. I can't keep up with the money I spend. I just don't keep track. Lots of toys for Parrotlets are needed. Lots of fresh food and a quality and large cage. If the bird is ill, they have to see a vet also, like all pets.