by kaylayuh » Tue Mar 22, 2011 3:18 pm
I don't think a lovebird is necessarily any more intelligent than a budgie; and from my personal experience, I've seen more budgies that have been trained to do tricks than I have lovebirds.
I have two budgies and I love them, but they're not really hand trained. They step up with multiple prompts and will occasionally sit on my shoulder, but those times are very few and far between. My budgies are pet shop birds, though, and it seems that pet shop birds are a lot harder to train than birds that are hand raised and people friendly.
All three birds would be lovely to have as pets, I'm sure. Training and bonding with any of them would be difficult if you buy them in pairs, though it's not impossible. I would suggest you find a breeder and hang out with a few of each to see which bird you interact with better and go from there.
And even though cockatiels, budgies and lovebirds are all at the cheaper end of the cost spectrum, you need to make sure you have money for the cage, food, toys, and vet care. My budgies cost me $21USD each, but their cage was $100. I spend $40 every four to six months on a seed/pellet mix. Each vet visit is $62. And toys can easily go for $5 each.
"Mockingbirds don't do one thing but make music for us to enjoy. They don't do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That's why it's a sin to kill a mockingbird."
- Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird