#starter birds

[mariposalass]

Expect to see some PokéBirds art reblog spam a little later this afternoon, because I’m in PokéBirds mood now.

[zenaquaria]

Some little things of the three Birbkateers! starter trio birds that will probably see use for my new Pokéblog, @sometimes-bird-starters!

It’ll just be a blog like DailyRowlet or some other Pokéblogs that do art in response to prompts. No story or any real structure; just doodles of these guys and their evo lines! Annnd possibly other bird Pokemon too but we’ll see. xD

[sometimes-bird-starters]

((And here we go! Art and shenanigans of Piplup, Torchic, and Rowlet!

Please excuse style inconsistencies for a while; mod has to get used to everybody’s forms!))

[mariposalass]

Somehow, Torchic decided to be sneaky today and tries to run off with all the fruit she can get with her tiny little wings and beak. Luckily, me and Philip caught her on time before equally distributing them among the PokéBirds, Scooby, and Marie.

Honestly, she doesn’t usually do this: that would be Rowlet behind it all the time, yet it appears that she was trying to replicate Rowlet’s fruit stealing antics for the lulz. Who knows...

[focuspetcare]

How to Bond with a New Bird – Step-by-Step Guide

Learn how to bond with a new bird using proven tips. Discover safe handling, hand-feeding, toys, and routines to build trust and a happy bird relationship.

https://focuspetcare.com/bird-lifestyle/how-to-bond-with-a-new-bird/

[askbirdbloggers]

(1/2) hello! i'd love to be able to own a bird one day, but i'd have to wait a few years seeing as uni accommodation don't usually allow any feathered friends. my questions would be: what would you say is the ideal bird for a first timer who'd want to bond with their bird? and also what is it like working whilst taking care of a bird? i imagine some species require more attention than others, and i'd be more than willing to have my bird out of their cage pretty much whenever i'm home, but

(2/2) i’m wondering if a bird would be alright to be left alone for the average 9-5 work day as long as they were provided with plenty of toys and things for stimulation.

I don’t really like using the term ‘starter bird’ as they are all unique and many individuals from the same species react differently to the same situation. But the most common beginner birds are generally cockatiels, conures, budgerigars, lovebirds, and parrotlets (others may have more to add). There are people that have done extensive research and ended up with a larger bird as their first and everything has worked out which is why I don’t use the term ‘starter bird’.

Really all this will come down to what bird best suits your personality. Parrotlets tend to be more demanding but with the effort put in they are strong bonding, energetic, sassy, do not do well with a second bird and tend to behave more like larger birds. Lovebirds do not do well in pairs, lots of sass a little less work needed than a parrotlet, fun, energetic and full of personality. Conures are full of personality tend to be a bit noisier depending on the subspecies, and so on. Other species tend to be calmer, others noisier despite their size.

I would recommend researching a few key species you are interested in and see which ones really fit you.

Most birds do fine being left alone for long periods of time, I was in school full time with my parrotlets and they were all fine with it. As long as you provide enough toys, a large cage, maybe have cartoons of music on and stick to a schedule most birds will do just fine.

The thing to be careful with here is that some birds get easily stressed out. If you are constantly not here for most of the week then all of a sudden you’re with them for a whole week then disappear again they may get stressed out and develop issues such as plucking. Again, some will do just fine with this.

When you plan on getting a new bird make sure you can afford the vet bills, check ups, large cage, plenty of toys, high quality seeds and pellets, and fresh daily vegetables for your species. I recommend choosing a time where you have spare time to spend with the bird to help it bond with you. If you are gone at work the whole first week it comes home it will take a lot longer for it to bond to you.

You can definitely get a bird while working full time! If you spend the time researching and making sure which species is right for you, you will end up with a fun life-long friend. Just make sure you are ready for a 20+ year commitment. In the end, all the work you put in to this will be well worth it!

Anyone else have anything to add?

-Courtney (thepacificparrotlet)

[flockdynamics]

On the idea of "starter birds"

This was sent to me in fanmail by alec-bings, but I think it's important/relevant so I'm going to post it (and I know they won't mind).

"In response to the “first bird” thing:  It’s so true that you have to look realistically at what you can handle and what you want from your bird. So many people think they want a cockatoo when what they really want is a cockatiel. At the same time, if you’ve done all your research and have realistically taken a good long hard look at your life and your ability to care for these animals, getting a conure to sort of tide you over when what you REALLY want is a big bird might not be fair to either of you. But it takes a really special person to be a “forever home” (barf I hate that term) for an wild animal that can outlive you. You have a toddler that stays a toddler for seventy years. I’d argue that there are less bird people than there are bird owners, and that’s really sad.  Like, this even applies to second birds as well, I think.  I have a green cheek conure and I love her to peices. Recently I felt ready financially and time-management wise to get a second bird and cleared it with my family. So then came the question: what kind of parrot? At first I thought maybe something medium sized but “intermediate” level, because the big guys are a huge commitment, BUT I’ve always wanted an African grey and known I’d cave eventually  Like, I know myself well enough to know I’d eventually get one, AND: I don’t want more than two birds. I mean, maybe that will change, but growing up I’ve been in the position of having more animals than I enjoyed caring for, and I don’t ever want to put myself in that position with animals that live as long as birds (having too many small rodents, while a total pain, is not the same as over doing it with parrots). (I mean I was in middle school then but still. It stuck with me.) So even though I’ve only ever had probably the easiest bird ever (so chill, so qiuet, so cuddly, she’s only bit for real once and my dad was totally asking for it) - a bird whose care will not even compare to that of the African Grey I will be bringing home at the end of April, I chose to get the Grey instead of an easier, smaller bird that I wouldn’t really want, deep down.  (Also, side note: the talking can be as much of a curse as it is a blessing. Oh, the stories I’ve heard. Be careful what you say around these birds. And for the sake of everyone, keep it quiet when your Significant Other comes over to … You know.)  *ahem* ANYWAY  My only regret is that the bird rescue near where I live requires classes I just can’t get to (some of them are in another state), so I was unable to rescue, and the grey parrots I found at other rescues came in bonded pairs or were very nervous in loud places - I have yappy dogs. I probably should have waited and rescued. I’ll probably end up volunteering one day to “pay my dues”, so to speak.  So anyway, that’s my advice: look at your life as it is, not as you want it to be, and rescue if you can, if only because getting a bird that is your age instead of a baby lessens the chance that you’ll be writing a parrot into your will.  THIS WAS REALLY LONG  You don’t have to post this I just have feelings about this?? Sorry about the follower you lost in the ask flood lol."

I agree with pretty much everything they said, and I'm not going to add much. But there is a lot of truth to that, which is what I had sort of started to get at in an earlier post. If you actually understand birds and have experience handling and dealing them, and really know what you're getting into, getting small birds first just to "build up" to your bigger one really isn't fair to you or the smaller birds. Again, obviously that doesn't mean everyone who decides on a whim that they want a grey or a macaw should go out and get one, because "that's what they want." But hopefully everyone gets what I'm saying by now.

Also, I think the bit about knowing how many birds you want/can realistically care for is really really important, and a large part of why I decided to publish this. Birds are a lot of work and they're around for a long long time, even small ones, so accumulating them when you don't really WANT that kind of bird is NOT the move. That was a large part of why I gave Paquito to Laura, actually--I knew I wanted more birds in the future, and I knew there was going to be a limit. And I'm not a parakeet person, so he ALREADY  wasn't getting the attention he deserved. He would do much better, especially in the long run, with someone who really loved parakeets (and already had one) and doesn't have a list of birds she's going to get as soon as physically/financially possible. (Plus it made the "bioload" of my house dramatically more manageable, even though he was just one tiny bird).

Okay that's all, this was long. I'll post more pictures now so you all don't feel like I'm cheating you with all these text posts.