Introduction- before getting your bird

There are many considerations to make before deciding on whether or not a bird is for you, firstly, don't let their size fool you, they take up more room and time than you might first imagine, they can be very messy and some extremely noises there are questions you need to ask yourself before you make your purchase, you don't want to realize after a few months and much expense that you have made a wrong decision by lack of research from an impulsive purchase

•Do you have adequate room to allow for a large a cage as possible?

•Do you have enough time to devote to your bird? some require a huge amount of human interaction and socialization, if you are out a large part of the day, it would be recommended to buy 2 birds to keep each other company while you are out, and in this case of budgies finches and cockatiels it would be recommended to keep them in pairs or more anyway

•Who will care for your birds when you are away or on holiday?

•Can you afford the fees of a good avian vet, many small animal vets will not know how to treat you bird if it becomes ill?

•Do you have small children or babies that can be trusted enough not to poke fingers or small objects into a cage?

And not forgetting a parrot at play will often hang upside down from his cage screeching, if you had a baby asleep at the time or while you are trying to watch your favorite soap,is it fair to cover the bird up?

Whilst you may wish to welcome a bird into your home, you must research as to which bird will fit right into your home, it may not be the species of your first choice, but you must be sure its a bird that will fit in with you naturally.

Rather than trying to force a bird into a situation that will make it unhappy and ultimately, will not make the right pet for you or your family.

For instance....if You live in a flat, your neighbours wouldn't appreciate a newly acquired cockatoo that has just moved in, calling you all day while you were at work, or a African grey who's nervousness by nature, was forced into living with a family of 4 children under 5 .

Once you have done your research as to which species is right for you and your family, there are now two options. You can either take on an older bird or rescue, who will more often than not come with its own baggage and associated problems, however, these birds are usually better suited to someone with a previous knowledge of keeping birds, someone who has time and patience,

you can look for a baby, more often than not these are usually hand-reared, not always as some now are parent reared, but whether you choose to go for a handreared bird, or whether you have the time to tame down a parent reared bird, be sure to find a reputable breeder, ask as many questions as possible, visit as many times as needed before you make a decision, if its a reputable breeder they will have their birds best interests at heart