Letter
I'm thinking about buying a bird. I've read alot of bird books, gone to alot of bird sites (like
yours), considered all the pros and cons and I've decided that a cockatiel or budgie is what I
want. I live in a house not in a apartment so I have enough room and I'm home schooled so I'm
home all day. Which one do you think I should choose?
Reply
Both tiels and budgies can make outstanding pets. I started out with budgies and my second
species was cockatiels. Here's some information to help you decide which would be best for you:
Budgies- Hyperactive, not cuddly or into petting, love to hang out on shoulders and play in
hair (we're big jungle gyms to them), chatty and can learn to talk, usually not sold handfed so
taming is neccesary, easy to tame if you know how and are persistant, females a bit more cranky
than males and less chatty but still great pets (my first one was a female), keep away from
mirrors, tiny poopies, nails hardly ever bother you, easy to sex.
Cockatiels- Love to nibble on stuff, very cuddly, usually comes handfed BUT may not be tame if
the handfeeder didn't do a good job, females usually silent except for the "Where are you?"
call all tiels do when you leave the room (some people find this call annoying), males are
excellent whistlers, not so great talkers, keep away from mirrors, easy to sex, nails may need
trimming often to avoid pricking owner, usually content to sit on owner's shoulder, always
demanding head scratches.
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