Best first small bird for our family?

[Mommyjodie]

Hi everyone,

We are looking for a first bird for our family. I am an at home mom with two children aged 11 and 7.5. We are considering a budgie, Lineolated parakeet or parotlett.

I am having trouble finding information about the differences between these species in terms of care needs and temperment. This bird would be a companion for myself but also must be friendly towards the kids. The cudlier and more interactive the better.

Any advice or suggestions would be really appreciated.

Thank you so much!

[chapala]

I suggest a Cockatiel, hand-raised if you can find one. A Parrotlet can be feisty, usually fine with their bonded person, but I'm not sure how a P'let would do with kids. Budgies are great birds too. I'm not familiar with the Linnies but have heard they are very nice birds.

[Peanutbutter]

Three very nice choices. Myself, I wanted a 'let for a while but after reading about common nippy-ness issues I decided that probably wasn't best for my family--small kids.

Linnies have the personality more like a cockatiel... they don't have a reputation for nippy-ness, but are more playful & active than tiel's. Linnies like to hang around upside-down a LOT too. Little clowns. (edit to add: Linnies are also QUIET birds! They chatter, but don't really squak!)

If I had researched more before I picked out my first cockatiel I would have ended up getting Linnies instead--- because linnies don't have the dust like tiels.

I think Linnies are a wonderful option --just try to find a hand fed/tame baby.... check out Lineolated Parakeet Forum - Linnie Forum Community

Lots of great stuff all about em'

[Greycloud]

Hi, and congrats on wanting to add a feathered kid to your home. Fids are great fun and lots of work too. I have been a breeder for 15 yrs. you do not want a parrotlet as a first time bird. These tiny miracles have the personality of a big amazon. Handreared babies are great but they can still be moody. The budgie is always an excellent choice. So many colors to choose from. It's best tp purchase a handfed baby and preferably a male. Males have whispery talking voices and can learn to say hundreds of words. Great with kids. The linnie keet is also a great choice, many colors and always by a handfed. Very fun little birds. The difference in prices between a linnie and a budgie is tremendous. Linnies are very expensive but are extremely popular due to their personality. Have you considered a handfed cockatiel? They make excellent pets, are great 1st time birds and are very good with kids. Hope I was helpful.

[jdlilfan]

Budgies are really wonderful! With budgies, you'll really find good things do come in small packages. They've got amazing little personalities. I had my budgie, Muffin for almost 10 years. I was devastated when he passed on. They're really great little birds! What I always loved most about Muffin were his songs. They have beautiful little voices!

[Mommyjodie]

Thanks so much everyone for the great and quick replies! I would definately consider a budgie but I am a little wary about buying one from a pet shop. I can't find anyone who breeds hand fed babies near me. Are pet shop budgies ok?

Thanks!

[usamma]

Try Craigslist in your area and kijiji.com's bird ads. They are usually full of ads for baby handraised birds, especially kijiji.com. This is prime bird breeding/baby season and there are plenty of babies right now.

[loyallyroyal]

I love linnies! What is great about them is that they tend to stay friendly in pairs.
http://www.avianweb.com/lineolatedparakeets.html
Lineolated Parakeets

[Lori~D]

There is always the nice male English BUdgie (more often found as handfed)- make great pets and can usually end up with a great vocablary. That or a nice handfed yound male tiel. No offense to females it just seems people like birds who may talk human words so its a great place to start!

[loyallyroyal]

here is the article I was looking for:
http://www.lineolatedparakeet.net/myexperiences.pdf