Hello, I'm quite new here and I've been wanting a bird for several years now. I used to own chickens, ducks and budgies a long time ago, however due to some family struggles I have ended up living in an apartment with my mother and sister, along with my two burmese cats.
I have been doing weeks of research recently, visiting local bird shops and asking for advice and such etc, however I am still very uncertain if I should even consider owning a bird right now, let alone what species would suit my particular living conditions.
I'm 17, and I spend a LOT of my week being at home. I am taking some classes, however they do not occupy much of my week. I'm also an artist/animator, meaning I spend plenty of time at my computer drawing away. I plan to continue this path as a later career, whereas I'm unsure how much of my time will be taken up by the work. However, I am certain that right now and for the next couple years I have a lot of time to spend that could be used on taking care of a bird.
First of all, the cats. They are two male desexed burmese brothers, and are extremely sweet with all humans. They are indoor cats, meaning they have never hunted or killed any mammals or birds in their lives. (We chose to keep them as indoor cats as many many of our previous cats have unfortunately been run over/stolen in the past.) They are somewhat familiar with birds however, with wild lorikeets hanging on the trees outside, sometimes visiting our balcony for treats. The cats would chatter and occasionally scare them off. The only creatures they have 'killed' are insects or small lizards they would normally watch and follow, occasionally tapping it.
One of the bird shops we visited suggested a confident quaker or lory, along with training the cats to be 'afraid' of the bird. The other shop suggested not getting a bird at all. They had also recommended to avoid small birds like finches as they are extremely flighty, making them very tempting for the cats.
Lastly is the fact that we live in a small apartment. This means low noise and small space. Many birds could qualify for these two aspects, but I'm not sure on what species would be a good balance of everything I've mentioned. Let alone if I should get a bird at this time. I have heard many good things about the pionus, but I just want to be safe on the matter.
That should be the gist of it.
But yeah, thank you for any input, it would mean a lot!
I have been doing weeks of research recently, visiting local bird shops and asking for advice and such etc, however I am still very uncertain if I should even consider owning a bird right now, let alone what species would suit my particular living conditions.
I'm 17, and I spend a LOT of my week being at home. I am taking some classes, however they do not occupy much of my week. I'm also an artist/animator, meaning I spend plenty of time at my computer drawing away. I plan to continue this path as a later career, whereas I'm unsure how much of my time will be taken up by the work. However, I am certain that right now and for the next couple years I have a lot of time to spend that could be used on taking care of a bird.
First of all, the cats. They are two male desexed burmese brothers, and are extremely sweet with all humans. They are indoor cats, meaning they have never hunted or killed any mammals or birds in their lives. (We chose to keep them as indoor cats as many many of our previous cats have unfortunately been run over/stolen in the past.) They are somewhat familiar with birds however, with wild lorikeets hanging on the trees outside, sometimes visiting our balcony for treats. The cats would chatter and occasionally scare them off. The only creatures they have 'killed' are insects or small lizards they would normally watch and follow, occasionally tapping it.
One of the bird shops we visited suggested a confident quaker or lory, along with training the cats to be 'afraid' of the bird. The other shop suggested not getting a bird at all. They had also recommended to avoid small birds like finches as they are extremely flighty, making them very tempting for the cats.
Lastly is the fact that we live in a small apartment. This means low noise and small space. Many birds could qualify for these two aspects, but I'm not sure on what species would be a good balance of everything I've mentioned. Let alone if I should get a bird at this time. I have heard many good things about the pionus, but I just want to be safe on the matter.
That should be the gist of it.
But yeah, thank you for any input, it would mean a lot!