Exotic Birds As Pets
by Fucelo Dimorea
http://www.mrparrot.com
Before making the decision to care for exotic birds, you
should know more information about their care and
maintenance. Different birds require different types of
treatment. Popular exotic birds are parrots, budgerigars,
zebra finches and canaries.
Parrots are friendly birds and easy to train. Canaries come
in an array of bright colors. They live up to 10 years and
male canaries sing better than females. Zebra finches are
small birds, and are active and fun to watch, and relatively
quiet. Although small, they need a fairly large cage in
order to have flight room. All finches are social and should
be kept in pairs.
Another popular bird is the budgerigar, often referred to as
a parakeet. These small parrots make wonderful pets, are
friendly and easy to tame. Some are capable of mimicking
speech and others are difficult to understand.
Try to choose a hand fed baby or young bird. A hand fed
bird is already use to being handled and easier to tame.
Hand fed birds are more expensive but worth the price. It
is difficult to determine if a bird at a pet store has been
hand fed. These birds are usually harder to bond with and
difficult to tame.
When choosing a bird, avoid birds that are sitting quietly
with puffed feathers. These might be ill. Choose one that
is alert and active. The feathers should be shiny, smooth,
and flat against the body. Feathers around the vent should
be clean, dry, and free of fecal matter. Nails should be
in good condition, feet should be smooth, and the beak
should be well shaped with clean clear nostrils.
Acquiring a new bird is a major investment emotionally as
well as monetarily. There are many things that you should
consider when buying a bird. The first concern is to
determine that the seller is reputable. The second is to
ensure that the bird is as represented and that there are
some guarantees with remedies available if anything is wrong
with the bird purchased.
Pet birds are a billion dollar industry. Millions of birds
are bred annually but only a small percentage of birds
survive the process of shipping the birds from breeder to
retailer. Larger birds such as Amazons and Macaws often
live seventy-five years. The birds that survive the
horrendous shipping process often die before their fifth
birthday. Smaller birds like budgies and lovebirds die
within their first year of life. Bird that are lucky enough
to be purchase by well meaning humans often end up abused
and neglected because of their screaming, biting, and
chewing instinctive nature.
So, if you wish to take a bird as pet, think twice whether
you have the passion and patience for a lifetime commitment
before you actually go in for it.
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