Pet Bird ?

Randy Dandy · #1 07/04/07, 05:36 PM

We have a widowed neighbor woman that is 70 years old. The wife and her have been very close for several years. My wife was wondering what kind of (small ?) bird sings a lot and is not very messy. She says she does not want a dog or a cat but possibly a bird. It would also need to be a fairly inexpensive bird and the messy factor is very important.
Thanks

DQ · #2 07/04/07, 06:17 PM

in my experience all birds are messy. you can cut down on the mess by using a specially designed tray that extends out from the cage to catch all the seed hulls. I would stay away from most parrot type birds, they don't sing. they screech alot of the time. some zebra finches are small and inexpenive. careful though, some people find their almost constant chirping pleasant, until they hear it for a week straight non stop. I would post this in the pet forum. you may get more ideas. the only parrot type bird that might be good is a hand fed pionus. they are very quiet and make great companions in this sort of situation, but they aren't real cheap, and sometimes can be hard to find locally, you might have to order one, which isn't as big a deal as you would think, they just fly them to you after they are weaned. the plus side to them is that you can cuddle, hold and play with them, which is nice if the purpose is companionship.

pancho · #3 07/04/07, 06:59 PM

Yes, most birds are messy. There are a few small birds that will sing but the more they sing the more they cost. Birds aslo take a lot more care than most realize. A cat would be a lot better companion and a lot less trouble.

Maybe a better idea is a bird feeder located near a window where she could observe many different birds and the only care would be filling a bird feeder.

Randy Dandy · #4 07/04/07, 07:39 PM

Thanks for the help and suggestions. It does sound like a bird (any bird) will be too messy for her to put up with. We will try to come up with something. I will post this on the pet forum if you would like to go there and respond. Thanks again for the help.

tnokie · #5 07/04/07, 09:04 PM

My SIL left her love bird for mil to "watch for a few days" ,which has lasted about a year now!LOL. She was totally against it at first ,now is very attached to it. Even plays cassette tapes for "the bird" to listen to!

NickieL · #6 07/04/07, 09:30 PM

yup...birds are messy, even the little ones but I would go with finches as they are slightly less messy. I know, I had an aviary as a kid and raised cockatiels, parakeets, doves, pigeons and love birds for the local pet shops. Put netting around the cage to cut down on the mess and dust. That wont work for other birds but doves and finches, as the otehrs ould love to tear the netting up! parakeets are the worst imho for mess, they love breaking things and make messes on purpose LOL They are funny though.

65284 · #7 07/04/07, 09:53 PM

You might consider a pair of Diamond Doves. Not terribly expensive or overly messy. They don't sing but the male makes a very pleasant cooing sound and they are entertaining to watch.

DayBird · #8 07/04/07, 10:02 PM

Two male society finches. YES, both males. The males sing a very sweet, quiet song and will get along fine with each other. Plus there is absolutely no way that she'll have to worry about babies. They come in several colors, mostly pied, and some even have crests.

Get a large enough cage that they can fly back and forth from perch to perch. Not a silly pet bird cage from a petstore that will barely give enough room to flap their wings and probably cost $35+ but one of the inexpensive 16X24 breeder cages that should cost less than $20. Then put the seed bowl right in the very middle of the cage. That alone will go a long way towards keeping all the hulls in the bottom tray.

zookeeper16 · #9 07/05/07, 01:17 AM

I would suggest finches....I like zebras in particular. The society finch we had growing up seemed to poop the most! LOL! And yes, with finches, keep two males!

If she wants more "song," canaries are nice too.

rootsandwings · #10 07/05/07, 06:08 AM

My son has african clawed frogs. they are not birds, nor are they particularly cute, but they require almost no maintenance, swim around, come up for treats, and in the evening they sing. It sounds like bird song and is really nice. When he was smaller I had them in the kitchen and they sang to me while I cleaned up in the evening.

NickieL · #11 07/05/07, 06:10 AM

Be advised that finches can aim thier poop and squirt you when startled........they do use it as a weopon.

GrannyG · #12 07/05/07, 09:23 AM

I would suggest a male canary. The coloring is beautiful and the song is a delight to the soul. They are small, and they would not bite, as the case of some birds I have owned, and a seed guard around the cage would keep any "mess" of loose seeds or feathers down.

BaronsMom · #13 07/05/07, 04:13 PM

My parents have zebra finch and they are sort of noisey - a different kind of noisey. They have a seed catcher around the cage but the birds still make a mess.

I would also suggest a canary. You would have one bird - a male. He would sing beautifully. And, you can buy cages especially built to reduce the mess from seeds. I've had canaries and don't find them as messy as other birds. Use a seed catcher, keep the cage in a bright, cheery location - away from drafts and you are set.

My mom also used to play "records" for our canary so he would learn to sing. We had canaries as adults and never had to play a record - they just sang.

GrannyG · #14 07/05/07, 05:20 PM

Baronsmom....you brought a smile to my heart over the birds and the record. Our relative bought a parakeet years ago and wanted it to learn to talk. The record played day after day after day......and guess what the bird learned ? He learned to make the sound of the "click" as the arm lifted up to replay the record. We laughed till we cried.

mwhit · #15 07/05/07, 10:03 PM

I'd say a male canary as well-- they do sing beautifully. My aunt went blind before she died and she asked her kids to get her a canary-- she loved to listen to it. If you buy a cage with a dropping tray and keep papers in it, it is very easy to keep clean. One thing to keep in mind is that bird dust is an allergen/irritant to many people-- especially the very young and old.

PonderosaQ · #16 07/06/07, 05:32 AM

Granny G hit it on the head, a male canary. My father used to breed them but gave it up once we were grown. After Mom died he couldn't stand the quiet of the house and got himself a canary. With a seed guard round the cage it wasn't very messy and added a lot too his last years. He even recorded it singing to share with us. When he died we had lots of offers of new homes for the bird within the senior residence he lived in!
PQ