Are You A Bird Person?

You cannot decide to have a pet bird just because you like a parrot or a canary, but you also have to determine whether you have the capability to keep a bird in your home.

Having a pet bird is not very simple, it requires a big commitment and you would have to know that you really ready to have such commitment. To know whether you are ready or not to have a pet bird, you can ask yourself these questions:

How Much Money Can You Allocate For Your Pet?

Every pet requires a caring budget, and for exotic birds this budget could be high and vary according to the species. The money you spend for the bird is not only the money you use to buy the bird, but you also have to consider about buying a cage (which sometimes can be costly), veterinary care, toys, wing clipping procedures if you can’t do it yourself, nail trimming, and of course their food. Try to make budget estimation, and if you think you can handle it then ask yourself this next question.

How Much Time Can You Dedicate To Your Bird?

In the wild most birds live in flocks, so they are a highly interactive animal. You must spend a little time everyday to interact with your bird, to show your love and let your bird knows that you are his friend. You need to spend at least 30 minutes to play with your bird every morning and in the evening outside of its cage. Not only that, you also need to clean the cage and prepare your bird’s food (this would take at least about 15-20 minutes), and another 15-20 minutes to clean the water and also to change the cage paper.

Besides daily care, there’s also weekly care like cleaning and disinfecting your bird’s cage, and other caring procedures depends on the needs of your bird.

Do You Stay At Home A lot? Do You Go On Vacation Often?

If you stay at home a lot or maybe you work at home, then bird is a perfect pet for you, but if you spend most of your time away from home, you should reconsider about having a pet bird since they need a proper daily care.

And if you often go on vacation you should consider about having someone to take care of your bird and this could be an extra cost for you. You cannot just left them with food and water stock for a week or something and just leave them, if this happen you could just found a dead bird when you come home.

Is There Any Children Or Perhaps Other Pets In Your Home?

Actually birds can get along well with children and other pets, but you will need to do some arrangements. Birds require enough space for their cage and also a playstand in the part of your home where the family use to do their activities. Remember, when a bird feels threatened it could bite, and children can get hurt. You have to teach your children how to interact safely with your bird. Besides children you also have to pay attention to your other pets, make sure they’re friendly to your bird as one single bite from a dog or a cat could means death to it.

Can Your Neighborhood Tolerate Noise?

Especially when you live in an apartment, loud noise from your bird could become a problem, make sure it’s allowed.

Is This Your First Pet Bird?

If you never had a pet bird before, it’s a good idea to start with a smaller one to see just how you can handle it. Bigger birds usually need bigger attention and more complicated caring.

Any Allergies In The Family?

Is anyone in your family has allergies to bird? Some pet birds like Cockatiels, African Greys, and Cockatoos produced some kind of powder which is more like dust when they preen and this can cause allergic reactions to some people. If one of your family members is intolerance with this kind of allergy you should reconsider about having a pet bird.

Would You Mind If There’s A Damage In Your Furniture?

Birds love to chew and sometimes they chew on something they’re not supposed to like your couch! Is it okay with you?

How Much Do You Love Cleanliness?

If some people call you “Mr. Clean” then maybe a pet bird is not for you. Birds create mess, so if you are a clean freak then probably a pet bird is only going to be a problem for you.

What Actually Is Your Reason?

If you want to have a pet bird because you need a loyal companion and a “good friend” then having a bird is a great choice, but if you only trying to impress other people by having an exotic pet then you should reconsider your plan. Like I said before, bird is naturally live in flocks so they need a lot of interactions and they need you as a friend.

How Long Can You Maintain Your Commitment?

Some birds can live up to 60 years of age, so it could be a lifetime commitment for you, and you should definitely take this into consideration before deciding to have a pet bird.

After you answer all of the questions above hopefully you can make a better decision whether you should have a pet bird or not. Deciding to have a pet bird is not so simple, as you can see there’s a lot of things you should consider, not simply because you like them.