I'm after a companion parrot, currently deciding between a budgie or a cockateil. First of all which one of the two are noisier? I live in a studio unit and while I can take moderate sounds I don't want a pet that will be squawking in the in the middle of the night on a daily basis.

 

I've done some research on a cockatiel and maybe a female might be the best for me as they're not as noisy... but don't know much about budgies. Would keeping 2 be better than 1? And how easy are they to tame - meaning for them to be able to perch on my hand/shoulder. Since I live alone I can probably dedicate an hour or so daily on the bird and let him out of his cage.

 

So based on my lifestyle which bird would you recommend for me? Summary of my enquiries...

 

1. Which is noisier, a cockatiel or budgie?

2. Like cockatiels, are females quieter than males?

3. Which is easier to tame?

4. Will budgies be better kept as a pair?

 

Thanks in advance!

1. Which is noisier, a cockatiel or budgie? They are both noisey but a tiel is louder by far

2. Like cockatiels, are females quieter than males? yes

3. Which is easier to tame? both are simple to tame when you get them at a young age, tiels you can usually find them more readily handled when they are right out of the nest.

4. Will budgies be better kept as a pair All birds are wonderful to be kept in pairs because they love to be together they are social creatures do you need to have them in pairs no. I have 1 budgie Merlin who is in my siggy.

 

I personally stay away from female birds because they can lay eggs with or without a mate. Tiels generally are worse then budgie and once they start especially tiels they are hard to stop. That is my talk I had with our avian vet.

 

If you keep a consistant pattern of covering your bird at night neither a tiel or budgie will squawk at night.

 

Personally on the time that you have to dedicate just an 1 hour a day you may not be ready for either type of bird. Birds are social creatures and I believe personally if you don't have them in pairs you should be able to dedicate at least 3-4 hours a day to play and flight time throughout the day. That maybe extreme for some but we are talking about a lone bird with no friends. If you had a pair (which are noiser) then an 1 a day would be okay but don't expect too much in the term of being tame because that is not much time. If I did pairs I would do the same sex so you don't have to worry about egg laying or breeding which is another responsibility in itself.

 

You also have to ask yourself are you going to commit to the longevity that a budgie or tiel can give you? Budgies can live up to 18 yrs and tiels up to 25 plus years. This is another factor that you need to consider and one of the most important ones because there are so many unwanted pets (including budgies and tiels) in the world.

 

Can I ask what do you want out of a companion parrot and what are you willing to offer the bird as they are wonderful little companions but what I see the most is that the bird doesn't live up to the expection of what the owner thought it would be and then they get rid of it. Because it was TOO noisy, or because it didn't tame down like they expected, or because they didn't realize that they moult and leave feathers everywhere or even because they are messy they throw their seed shells all over the place..... (I don't want to offend you just asking so I apologize if I do in anyway).

 

Oh welcome to the forum and I am so glad you are asking all these questions before you get a bird that is a wonderful step to responsible ownership. By the way don't forget to check out our FAQ they are chocked with great information.

:ygbudgie: Having both species plus lovebirds, it is hard to say because I have budgies who are very loud/quiet and the same for cockatiels. But it is important to remember THAT EVERY BIRD IS DIFFERENT! (just like a dog or cat) I have found my cockatiels and lovebirds more interactive and trainable than budgies but AGAIN, that is my own personal experience. I love my budgies because of their sweet singing and antics although only a couple of them are somewhat tame. You sure don't get "sweet" singing with lovebirds or cockatiels. And lovebirds can have other issues. As Elly has mentioned, there is the egg potential with females but that doesn't always happen either (unless you live at my house, I am cursed!). Guess you just have to do your research, observe the birds and decide which is best for you, all the best! :yellowhead:

Birds sleep at night, so you don't have to worry about singing during the night if it is dark. I would say that budgies are quieter than cockateils as they don't screech however they tend to sing and warble for a lot of the day. Boy budgies are very much fun to watcxh especially when they are doing their happy dance. 2 boys would probably be a safe bet

I'm after a companion parrot. Since I live alone I can probably dedicate an hour or so daily on the bird and let him out of his cage.

 

You might want to allow more time for the bird than an hour or so, as a companion bird requires a lot of interaction with its owner to stay tame and be a sociable bird. Are you away at work most of the day ?

:ygbudgie: Oh yes, one hour per day is the bare minimum!!! I have trouble getting things done as I have so many birds but at least my computer (and most of the birds excepting the fosters) are in the living room.

Thanks for your replies.

 

When I said an hour each day I meant an hour with full attention to the bird, the rest of the night I spend watching TV, browsing the web or doing other homey stuff. I could keep the bird free during the entire evening, allowing him to perch on my shoulder or play with him while watching tv...so time outside his cage would easily be at least 3 hours each day.

 

At the moment I'm bent on getting a female cockatiel.

 

I don't often see handraised budgies for sale. How easy would it be to tame a budgie from a petshop?

Edited November 5, 200717 yr by ziggyboy

You are better to go directly to a breeder for either a hand raised budgie or tiel.........NOT a petshop. In my experience Teils are noisier than budgies and if noise bothers you it would have to be a consideration. Many a tiel will scream for you when you leave the room or because it hasnt finished one on one time with you when you have had enough.

Really? I was told by a tiel breeder that females rarely scream. By The Way I contacted a budgie breeder and said she has newly hatched budgies and will be available early December, all hand-tamed for $30 each. Is this a good price?

 

Also, would it be okay to get 2 hand-tamed budgies or would they just bond with each other instead of me?

 

Another breeder is also selling some that are 2-3 weeks old. Very young. Would these be more suitable if I'm to tame them myself?

Edited November 5, 200717 yr by ziggyboy

2-3 weeks old is way too young to be sold they should be at least 6 or 7 weeks old. You could get one budgie tame him up then a month later get another budgie and tame him up while he is in quarantine and then they should be pretty tame when you put them together

:ygbudgie: First of all budgie babies ARE NOT ready to be adopted until 5 to 6 weeks when they have proven that they are able to feed themselves, sometimes it takes longer. Whoever told you that female cockatiels DON'T scream is way out of line, they can SCREAM incessantly when they are hormonal or some can just scream for the heck of it but yes, they are quieter than males and definitely more affectionate. I don't mean to be rude but am highly involved in animal/bird rescue and I am worried that any bird you select might not be up to your expectations, just like people, birds don't always act in the way we would expect them to. From your time constraints that you have mentioned, I don't think you have more time than to tame one bird. Perhaps start off with one budgie and get another to keep it company. :ygbudgie:

Hi there! I have both species myself and i think it depends what you're looking for in a pet. Generally speaking cockatiels are quieter and cuddlier. Budgies chatter lots, and while it's not loud it can be fairly constant. I find that it doesn't bother me in the slightest having my three boys chattering in the room while i watch tv. Having said that dad does calls with work from home, and they think he's sitting in an aviary. :(Laughing out loud): Budgies are active, acrobatic and act like silly little clowns. They're awesome fun, easy to tame and make brilliant pets! Get one at 6-8 weeks old, and it won't matter if it was hand reared. Budgies are really friendly, and usually quite easy to tame. Like others have said, breeder is better than pet shop. You'll probably get a healthier and friendlier baby from a breeder. I have two budgies i've bred myself who have had very few health problems, and one who i got from a pet shop who is an absolute darling but i've had a fair few health problems with. A single budgie is okay if you can give it time, but there really is nothing like watching two budgies play and chat together. Puts a smile on my face everyday watching my three. A budgie was my first pet and i've owned them for 8 or 9 years now.

 

I got my first cockatiel over a year ago. A hand tamed (not reared) female from a pet shop. With the exception of a slight screaming issue i had shortly after she came home (which we resolved) she's very quiet, very cuddly and a lovely pet. I got my second tiel, Bailee, a few months later. He is hand reared and from a breeder. Like a lot of male cockatiels he's learned to mimic some whistles and he blesses us with his "singing" lots when he's out and playing. That can be quite noisy and i can't say i can block that out when i watch tv. He's a mummy's boy and sticks to me like glue. As much as i love cockatiels i find them to be a little air-headed and they're higher maintenance and want more one on one attention than the budgies.

 

I would read up all i could on both species. Either would need a roomy cage, and both do better with company. They also both have practically the same dietary requirements, so it really comes down to what sort of personality you want in a bird.

Thanks. I understand what everyone has been trying to tell me. Also understand that I'm not really an overly busy person. I work the usual 8-9 hour office job and being single, spend the rest of my personal time alone. A couple of times a week I may go out to dinner with friends but that's it. Time I could spend with a birdie would be when I come home mostly, and maybe in the morning if I wake up early.

 

okay so now I'm looking at a single budgie for now. The cage I have on order online is quite roomy so that will be good if I need to get a friend for him. It's 30" wide x 18" depth x 18" height.

okay so now I'm looking at a single budgie for now. The cage I have on order online is quite roomy so that will be good if I need to get a friend for him. It's 30" wide x 18" depth x 18" height.

That's a great sized cage. I have one exactly those dimensions in my garage which comes out as a breeding or quarantine cage. One or two budgies would be very happy in it.

Great cage. You are on the right track there.

Yep sounds good. I don't end up playing with my budgies every day, but because they have friends and a large cage they are relatively happy.

Edited November 5, 200717 yr by Sailorwolf

are you going with a male or female budgie?

 

Just to point out again do make sure the baby is around 6-8wk mark any breeder that will give you a baby at 2-3wk to handfeed yourself is looking for money and not the best interest of the bird. Many birds are sold before weaned and do die unless they are with a person who is experienced in handfeeding.

 

Look forward to meeting your new budgie friend. .

are you going with a male or female budgie?

 

Just to point out again do make sure the baby is around 6-8wk mark any breeder that will give you a baby at 2-3wk to handfeed yourself is looking for money and not the best interest of the bird. Many birds are sold before weaned and do die unless they are with a person who is experienced in handfeeding.

 

Look forward to meeting your new budgie friend. .

I fully support Ellys comments and advice above. Its far too risky to take a 2-3 week old that still needs feeding. Too much can go wrong.

Hi I just spoke to the breeder. He said they were 2-3 weeks out of the nest and not 2-3 weeks old so they're about 7-8 weeks old. They're not hand-tamed though.

 

Would it be easy to hand-tame 7-8 week old budgies or would I be better off getting them hand-tamed from birth?

If they have been out of the nest and in an aviary for a few weeks they will become a little "wild" and will take more to tame than a breeders hand tamed budgie of the same age. My babies, once in the aviary, dont want to be caught or held. They go from able to be handled to not wanting to know you. But with either budgie, a hand tamed budgie still needs ongoing training and schooling to keep it tame and for you to bond with it too.

I purchased Pretty at I think he was about 3 months old from the pet store and it took a while for him to really come around because was wild. Having him as the ONLY budgie helped with his taming. Getting 2 is not wise at this age especially if they have not been tamed down at all. Merlin on the other hand was raised with hands and I got him around 7-8 old and I could see the difference. I think if Merlin would have been my first budgie vs the companion to Pretty I would have seen a signficant difference in taming. Merlin also though is of the show variety and has a different disposition as in being calmer, Pretty was very flighty (Laughing out loud).

 

Now that Pretty has passed Merlin has just me now and he has become very tame simply on his own because he always trusted humans before in his younger days. Not that he wasn't tame with Pretty around but he was Pretty's side kick and didn't want anything to do with me.

 

Now he flies to me, sits on my hand, he is starting to talk, and he always flies or come running to the cage bars. I had that with Pretty too but then I got Merlin so that took everything away.

 

There are some budgies such as Bea's Blinks that is extremely tame but she also hand raised him herself from the nest because she does have an aviary of budgies.

 

It is going to be difficult to find hand reared budgies people just don't put the time into it like Kaz on our message boards (to bad she lives so far away) but if you continue searching you will be surprised that you may find a very low end breeder that takes the time or possible look into the "english" show variety where their dispositions tend to be calmer but you may have to pay extra for this type and/or getting a hand reared one.

I have one teil and alot of budgies... my tiel is the quietest of all my birds, but when he does decide to talk he's the loudest... luckily he's usually quiet and not an issue. He's also the most tame of all my birds and spends most of his time out of his cage on our shoulders or on my keyboard etc... while my budgies perfer to be in their cages and are less tame overall. My teil also is the most cuddly, and loves attention and interaction... if you don't have enough time to spend alot of attention on a teil then I'd say a budgie would be best, but both need interaction... just my tiel needs more, but he's the most fun of my birds and thinks of himself as the family's replacent for a dog.