.
Once you have your cage set up ready, you are ready to buy your bird.
Buying your bird
When buying your first bird, I strongly recommmend you buy from a private breeder, for the following reasons:
1. You can see and know where your bird is coming from
2. You can ask if there have been any diseases recently in their flock (as you want to be careful not to introduce any disease to your flock)
3. They are usually cheaper anyway
Whether you are buying from a private breeder or a pet shop, make sure you check that the bird looks active, healthy and happy. A chirping and playful bird is normally a happy one.
When choosing what colour bird you would like, it is entirely up to you.
A few little things to keep in mind... (this does not apply to ground birds though)
- Males are easier to tame, and are more likely to talk (it still takes a lot of patience and time to teach though)
- Younger birds are easier to tame
- Females are slightly more nippy than males
- Two birds are better than one, as they keep each other company.
- If you want your birds to mate, obviously you need a male and a female.
- If you don't want them to mate, it is best to get two males as they bicker and fight less than two females would.
(see my Sexing your Bird article if you want to know how to tell the sex of the budgie you're buying. Cockatiels tend to be harder to sex.)
article by CHRIS C at chrisbirds.co.uk
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Last updated: 24th Oct 2008