You can probably skip this part.Beloved Tika passed away last spring after multiple vet visits. She lived over 8 years with me and we had a good life together, though we had hard times as well. Early on, she was rather docile for a pet store bird, but participated more out of fear it seemed than a desire for companionship. After a few years of intense academic work and some social neglect, she became a very doting vampire bird, although she doted on my dad more than me. Once I moved out on my own, clicker training really took off and she loved doing a huge range of tricks each day, and the best part was she actually wanted to spend time with me.
So, shortly before she died my fiance got a budgie from an even worse pet store, even though I warned him not too. He is a big softie and fell for the whole pity purchase.
Now we have Momo, who will step up and likes to talk to us across the room occasionally, but generally is uninterested in us or millet spray. At first I thought he was just bonded with (and then missing) Tika, but I would think by now... but that is a topic for another part of the forum.Important-ish Stuff Now
Since I have a 3-parakeet history, let me start with what I feel about them:
Pros:
Chewing: I loved making chew toys for her. Momo (being male I guess) does not like chewing so much
Chatter: Small chatter and warbling to fill a room is one of the great boons of having a bird!
Energy: She was so eager to learn, and so happy to show off her tricks!
Mimicry: I'm not picky, but I did love when my childhood parakeet would speak.
Singing: Singing and dancing to music is a great way to bond with my birds.
Size: Budgies are easy to keep in small living spaces while still giving them lots of room to play.
Consistent Perching: She like to explore, but she didn't crawl behind TVs to chew wires or anything.
Normalness: I didn't have to worry about having an exotic pet; people think they are like fish.
Poops: I think I could have potty trained her if I tried, but really there wasn't that much need.
Bite: The only thing we have to fear... is fear itself.
Cons:
Fweep & Squawk: When Tika was bonded to my father, she would sit on my shoulder and make me deaf by calling for him from across the house. He didn't even like her!
No Touchies!: Even after we were so bonded, she still didn't enjoy being pet even when she let me do it.
Fresh food: Even the parrot sanctuary I worked for said budgies aren't usually into fresh food as much, based on their natural diets. I like to share.
Size: I kind of wanted the ability to take my bird places, maybe do storytime with kids, have some outdoor flight time... maybe I should get a falcon?
My considerations
Nothing huge in body or needs! I've been to the Macaw and African Gray houses in the parrot sanctuary. My supervisor had great stories of Macaws walking around her yard with her, but I just can't do that.
I'm thinking another budgie, a cockatiel, or maybe a small sennie or something. I kind of want to do something different, but a hand-raised budgie would be different, and I could always pick out an unusual color so it doesn't seem like a copy of my previous birds. A cockatiel sounded nice because they are usually more cuddly and I like how they whistle, but they don't seem very active or clownish. I think a cockatiel would have been perfect for my fiance.
I suppose I could always get him a tiel and take Momo under my wing, but I didn't want to start with an untame bird again. Then I think maybe there is another bird out there that I am not considering, like the brown-headed parrot that might be just what I'm looking for.I will be frequenting an excellent bird store that breeds and handles all their birds for quality, so I will be able to meet some personaliites but I just wanted to hear some opinions on these less frequently discussed traits, such as the desire for chatter and chewing.
Thank you!
