Birds 

Budgies are one of the most popular of all the parakeet pets. Their bright colours and playful characters make them very charismatic. Their bold nature and high intelligence make them great to train and can easily learn a number of tricks and commands very easily. Due to their intelligence, it is important that budgies get lots of stimulation through toys, exercise and human interaction. Budgies are extremely social and do prefer the company of other birds of the same species in either pairs or groups. 

Pros: One of the smaller of the parakeet family meaning their physical demands are slightly lower.  

Cons: Highly intelligent so will require lots of time and attention to keep them occupied. 

Canaries come in a variety of colours and can arguably produce one of the most beautiful songs of any of the caged bird species. They are one of the easiest species of birds to keep and will readily breed within captivity for even the novice breeder. Due to their lower intelligence than parakeets, canaries will not 'play' or interact with toys in the same way. However, their home can be enriched with items such as swings, ropes and a variety of branch types. Canaries can be territorial and males will often fight over females. However, in many cases they can also be kept in pairs or suitable groups. 

Pros: Males will produce a beautiful song. The range of colours is also vast and appealing.  

Cons: A less interactive species that does not like to be handled.