Bird for 7 yr. old?

[froghound]

My stepdaughter is going to be 7 in a couple weeks and I was thinking about maybe getting her a bird. Is this a good idea? If so, what type of bird should we get? Any advice would be appreciated.

[KiWi19]

Will she be the primary care giver? If she is respondsible, and wants a bird then it shoud be fine.

A good bird would be a parakeet or a cockatiel. Maybe a parakeet would be better because they are smaller which implies thay won't bite as hard.

I don't recommend getting it as a surprise present because they are a full-time commitment. She must want to have the respondsibility of taking care of a little life form. They need atleast any hour of attention each day. Also it takes patience at first because they need to gain her trust. I would definitely get one from a breeder.

Food and water need to be changed daily.
If all this is followed, it will be a wonderful friend and companion for her.

[froghound]

Thank you my husband and I appreciate it

[rachelae]

I think a cockatiel or lovebird would be better than a parakeet (maybe its because i am not very fond of them lol) but they don't tend to live for very long.

If she wants that is going to talk a cockatiel would be best. But you also have to remember that there are other larger birds out there to that as long as they were raised correctly don't bite very often and make amazing pets for children. If you want something more exotic for her. There are TONS of birds out there
Quaker Parakeet they are med size bird come in tons a diffrent colors (blue, yellow, green(this is the "normal" color))

Amazons
Indian Ringnecks (males have a colored ring around there neck, also come in various colors.) can talk

Senegals ( i have these they are green med bird with a yellowor orange belly if you want pics i can send you some) can talk

cockatoos there are many diffrent breeds. i would look them up to see if there are any you like (most are on the larger side...but some of the sweetest birds) most have a very good vocab.

Obviously i could go on for days on the LIST of birds But any bird would be fine for a child as LONG as it was raised right. Breeders would be your best bet. Here is a web site i swear by when it comes to selling or buying birds most of these people are professional breeders
www.birdsnway.com

there are also a lot sweet birds for adoption at any amount of humane shelters
you can look at
www.petfinder.com

If you have any questions you can email me at vally_girl_03@yahoo.com
i am more than willing to answer any questions you might have. And if i can't find the answer i can find someone who does.
Rachel

[froghound]

Thank you so much for the help. I'll probably be back once we get the bird to ask many more questions. I'm glad someone is here to help because the people at the pet stores rarely seem to know what they are talking about!

[lovechick]

It depends if the girl can handle the responsobility. Some kids mature faster then others and some dont. Does she want a bird? Before getting any type of pet, you have to explain to her that animal is not a toy, its a living, breathing creature and she would have to take care of it when its sick or if youre moving. It's not like a toy that can be played with for a week and then put away, animals are a lifetime of responsobility. Personally I'm a big animal lover and I got my first hamster when I was 5, but I've been begging my parents for couple years and I've done tons of research before getting my pet. The reason why I'm stressing this so much is because many animals will end up in shelters just because the owners werent responsible enough.
If you think youre ready for commitment , you can start deciding on a pet. A bird might be ok, but many small birds do not like to be handled frequently, especially the kind you get from the store, they are usually terrified of people. Its best to get a bird from a reputable breeder, the young birds are handled since birth, and are very much tame. Still, kids can be very touchy and birds should not be held, squeezed etc. They are quite happy sitting on someones shoulder or playing by themselves.
If you were to chose a pet, I would probably go with a parakeet or cockatiel, lovebirds can be quite vicious despite their name and bite very hard(trust me I have 2). Parakeets are quite easy to look after. especially with one bird, you will need a spacy cage with toys, food, water, mineral block, etc. You can find plenty of info about these birds in the library. I have two parakeets and overall, theyre pretty good birds.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask.
Best of luck~ :)

[Tweezle]

I would reccomend either a cockatiel or lovebird as a first bird. Parakeets are spazzy, and in my experience, they never get as cuddly and friendly as lovebirds or cockatiels.

A cockatiel, because of its long tail, should have a bigger cage than a lovebird. It should have enough room eveywhere in the cage so that it can flap its wings unhindered, and so it's tail won't always be touching other perches, etc. Cockatiels are great at mimicking things, and will sing songs all day and may learn to say a few words and phrases. And the crest in their head is so cute!

I'm going to have to put in some good words on lovebirds, because I got my lovebird when I was about 10 or 11, and he's the best pet bird I've ever had. A lot of people will tell you that lovebirds are mean and will attack and stuff, but that's not true if the bird is given lots of love and attention. If you get two lovebirds, they will bond to each other and not like you. But if you only get one, it will bond to you and will rely on you for comfort, love, and socializing. Zeek is the cuddliest lovebird in the world, and it's so cute when he gets sleepy on my shoulder and fluffs up against my neck and goes to sleep. He's also very, very good with little kids. Ever since my cousin was about a year old, she has always wanted to hold Zeek and when she did, no matter how she handled him, he never bit her, not even a nibble.

Keep in mind that all birds, like people, have temper tantrums sometimes. This is true for even the most well-behaved bird in the world. They're almost too smart for their own good, and if something is going on that they don't like, they will let you know.

Parrots (cockatiels and lovebirds are both considered in the parrot family) get around using their beaks. It's kind of like a third foot. Sometimes, they will test out a potential new perch with their beak first. They'll nibble on it a little bit to make sure it won't fall or anything, and then they'll step up. I say this because a lot of people don't realize it, and when a parrot reaches down with its beak to test their finger as a perch, they thinks it's going to bite and they yank their finger away, which usually results in a startled bird and perhaps a real bite. You should always make sure people know that before you let your bird sit on their finger.

OK I'll shut up now... hehe good luck!

[DangerBird]

I hate to be the bad guy - or gal - but I think that 7 is a bit young for a first bird. I'm sure that you could work something out with your daughter, but it would be much happier if you personally do most of the taming and caregiving. In essence it would need to be your pet that you let your daughter interact with. It is very common for young children to lose interest in their pets - especially birds. You could oversee her on some things like feeding , cage cleaning and playing - but would need to step in if she wasn't doing them properly. If you do get a bird - read up as much as you can on the type you want. It is rarely a good idea to just go to a pet store and pick one out that looks nice. Unfortuately, Pet stores are known for poor conditions and sickly untame animals . There are some exceptions - like family owned specialty bird stores. Also a handraised bird that has been well socialized will be tame to begin with, but will need to be consistantly played with and handled to remain tame.

[rachelae]

Dangerbird it all depends on how responsible the little girl is , i had my first bird at FIVE and he lived up until last year. as long as the parents check on him everyday adn supervise when they have the bird out i dont see a problem with gett ANY kind of bird.

[Revenge]

would a parrakeet be good too?

[Revenge]

Okay yeah but couldn't they have her like take care of another persons pet to see if she is responible enough