Best bird for a child?

My daughter's parakeet passed away. She wants another bird but is contemplating a different breed. She helped care for a old conure we took in for fostering. She is also the sole care taker of the chickens so I know she is responsible enough for something different. (With supervision of course!!) She is 12. What would you recommend? We were thinking conure or cockatiel. She LOVES talking to the birds.

Hello, Welcome to the forums!

I'm so sorry your daughter's parakeet passed away.

Cockatiels are wonderful birds. Why not research the conure species you're interested in and take your daughter to visit some breeders so she can interact with the birds and see which ones suit her better?

Best of luck on your new adventure.

I've owned three cockatiels in the past and currently own a pineapple green cheek conure. She beats the cockatiels I've had hands down in terms of cuddliness and temperament. She loves my kids, always wants to be with them, loves playing with them and is so gentle. All the breeders I spoke to when doing my research agreed that green-cheeks are great with kids.

In saying that, I know all birds have their own personalities, and I have seen some more snuggly cockatiels on here. One of mine, Obie, was very sweet and loved scritches but he developed a bond with my dog and just wanted to ride around on the dog's back whenever he was out of his cage.

Whatever you and your daughter decide, get a hand-raised bird who is used to being handled. It will be easier for your daughter.

I don't know where you are from, but here in Australia I know lots of people that have or have had lorikeets. They are a similar size and are very playful and silly a lot like conures. I haven't had one, but I've heard they can be bitey. If the bird was handled a lot and trained that may not become a problem. They have a more specialised nectar diet though and have VERY messy poop! Also their availability or price may not be as reasonable depending on where you are. I'll share some pics of Lilo with the kids for you.

http://www.parrotforums.com/members/angie_robyn-albums-lilo-pinapple-gcc.html

It could also be worth adding lovebirds to your list. Affectionate, stunning colours and intelligent My 7yr old is dead set on one of these after doing her own research. Once you have two or three different possible species to choose from, hit up the breeders, listings etc.

Just remember that cockatiels and most of the small parrots are still going to have lifespans that put your daughter way into adulthood.

The best one is one that both her and you would enjoy. You may be the primary caretaker when she goes to college.

What characteristics does she and you find appealing?
Level of acceptable noise?
How much space can you dedicate to a cage?
Time to devote to bird?
How much money do you have to buy a bird, a cage and additional supplies?

Those are some things to think about, some breeds are more high maintenance then others.

Every baby handfed cockatiel I have had has always wanted to do nothing but snuggle into my neck all day. So their snuggly factor is quite high if you are willing to buy a baby and spend time to bond with it. They play but their activity level and acrobatics are quite low compared to other types of parrots. They are a bit more timid then other parrot breeds. Seriously, the one I have now is scared of everything. He will not even come to me if I wear a dress. I have to change into pants before he will come out for snuggles.

I put my responses to your questions next to them

mekat said:

What characteristics does she and you find appealing? Lovely with personality. Something that is happy to see you.
Level of acceptable noise? Any. In total we have 5 kids lol.
How much space can you dedicate to a cage? She is going to be putting the cage in her room. About a 3ftx3ft area.
Time to devote to bird? I am a stay at home mom and she is a homeschoolet
How much money do you have to buy a bird, a cage and additional supplies? I am planning on getting a cage off Craig's list to save money. Initial set up with bird about 1k

Those are some things to think about, some breeds are more high maintenance then others.

Every baby handfed cockatiel I have had has always wanted to do nothing but snuggle into my neck all day. So their snuggly factor is quite high if you are willing to buy a baby and spend time to bond with it. They play but their activity level and acrobatics are quite low compared to other types of parrots. They are a bit more timid then other parrot breeds. Seriously, the one I have now is scared of everything. He will not even come to me if I wear a dress. I have to change into pants before he will come out for snuggles.

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Where are you located?

I think conures are a good choice from what you are describing and will most likely get plenty of socialization with that many people in the house!

What kind of conure were you looking at so far?

i agree with green cheek conure.. even the petco ones are friendly and lively and enjoy being handled (in my experience)

i also agree with hand raised.. the best birds ive owned did not have a bracelet

After a childhood budgie that my parents helped me care for, my first bird I really remember was a cockatiel that I had well into adulthood, even after the birth of my first child. They are wonderful birds for children and tend to be very even tempered. So I vote cockatiel.

My next vote would be a hand-fed/socialized male Peachfaced lovebird from a really conscientious breeder. They really are brave, outgoing little clowns. Their small size makes it imperative to supervise children carefully to avoid accidents (they love water and can drown in a kid's glass of juice in just a few seconds). Lovebirds live a long time if you can keep them from getting into trouble.

Conures (even GCC) are, in my opinion, for more experienced bird keepers. They're great as babies but as they go into adolescence, they really can be complicated to handle and their bite is very meaningful if the child doesn't read the body language quick enough to avoid the warning.

OOwl said:

Conures (even GCC) are, in my opinion, for more experienced bird keepers. They're great as babies but as they go into adolescence, they really can be complicated to handle and their bite is very painful if the child doesn't read the body language quick enough to avoid the warning.

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^ I second this. My little GCC is a huge menace, and if I weren't the dedicated bird slave that I am, I would have rehomed him by now.
Maybe give cockatiels another look? They have wonderful personalities, and are definitely less likely to bite and scream than conures.

I am pro-cockatiels for children all the way. Budgies are too small to handle comfortably and conures can be so unpredictable for a kid. Cockatiels can be snuggled and are generally passive and sweet.

There's many people that deal with aggression issues with green cheek once reached maturity so that's something you should look into. One of my top favorite birds are the Cockatiels. Mine were funny, playful, interactive, talkative, and cuddly birds.

I will not suggest a Lory with children, especially the males as they can be very temperamental.