Birds
Budgies
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: Being one of the smallest in the parakeet family, their physical demands are slightly lower. They can be tamed relatively easily and form good bond with their owner.
Cons: Budgies are highly intelligent so will require lots of time and attention to keep them occupied.
Canary
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: Being a less interactive species, they tend to enjoy handling less than more friendly species
Finches
There are many different species of finch, coming in many beautiful colours with unique songs. Compared to budgies and some parrots they prefer not to be handled, but will spend hours playing and interacting with toys and each other. Finches are relatively easy to keep, with simple husbandry and dietary requirements. As they are social animals, nearly all finches should be kept in pairs or groups. They will often be heard chirping and singing to each other. Some species include star finches, diamond doves, yellow bishops, zebra finches, and hex finches.
There are many different species of finch, coming in many beautiful colours with unique songs. Compared to budgies and some parrots they prefer not to be handled, but will spend hours playing and interacting with toys and each other. Finches are relatively easy to keep, with simple husbandry and dietary requirements. As they are social animals, nearly all finches should be kept in pairs or groups. They will often be heard chirping and singing to each other. Some species include star finches, diamond doves, yellow bishops, zebra finches, and hex finches.
Pros: There is a large variety in colour and size, and they are typically more quiet than other common bird species .
Cons: A less interactive species that does not like to be handled.
Cockatiels
Cockatiels will either be parent-reared or hand-reared. Hand-reared birds will tend to be much more expensive, as they are significantly more friendly and will be massively interactive and social towards humans. They are intelligent, inquisitive, and affectionate, which makes them excellent pets to those who can provide a large amount of time and effort. They require a large amount of toys and enrichments, and benefit from flight time outside of their cage- both for physical exercise and mental stimulation. They are a smaller species compared to some parrots, but live for up to 25 years.
Pros:
They can make great interactive companions, with vibrant colours and comparatively small mess and cage size.
Cons: Their lifespan makes them a big commitment, and they can be very loud- especially when bored, or left alone for too long. Their daily maintenance is much more than smaller birds like finches.
