Has your kid been bothering you lately to get him a pet bird? Well, that might be a little problem since birds and kids do not actually get along well together (but sometimes they do). We know that you want to make your kid behave by giving him what he wants – a pet bird, but there are some rules to consider. First of all, never ever get a pet bird for your child if he’s less than 12 years of age. You know, there are responsibilities and such. But before we talk more of this topic, let’s find out the kind of pet birds that would be absolutely a great match for your child.

Canary

This popular tiny yellow melodious bird is definitely one of the best pet birds that you could give your child. We’re sure that your child would love its bright colour and its awesome singing. Your child would be more than happy to feed it inside its bird cage, give some water and do a little bird cage cleaning. Canaries don’t really need to be petted by a human companion because they are not very social to humans, but they are sociable to their kind. When keeping a pet canary, always prepare a wide bird cage because it loves to fly – serves as a good exercise, too. Canaries could live for as long as 15 years and you as the parent, should be willing to take over its care once your child becomes too busy in college.

Cockatiel

Cockatiels are great pet birds. They are playful and very cuddly, especially the female ones. They have wonderful long tail feathers which make them very pretty to look at. Caring for cockatiels is the same as canaries. They like to fly around so a bigger bird cage is needed for them. Compared to canaries, they absolutely enjoy having human companions. However, they have to be tamed first and they become frightened easily. You may have to help your child tame their cockatiel friend because as we all know, children tend to get impatient really fast. When properly cared for, cockatiels could live for as long as 30 years.

Diamond dove

This is not your ordinary dove. It is actually smaller than a regular dove. Around 7 ½ inches. It doesn’t need much human attention. It just loves to go on its own inside its roomy bird cage. However, diamond doves also need the same care as other pet birds do. Here’s a little catch. Modify its bird cage and add lots of perches since it loves to fly and then roost. It is actually a carefree bird. Its life expectancy is ranging from 12 to 15 years.

Finch

A finch is another great pet bird for kids. Like a canary, finches require minimal interaction but they are very easy to care for. Your child would be amazed to see how beautiful a finch is and they are very fascinating. Finches let out soothing soft chirps that seemingly serve as a soft music to your ears. If you’ll be taking care of a finch, be sure to get two, or else your single pet finch would be lonely. And remember, never let your child to cuddle a finch because they don’t actually kinda like it.

Parakeet

If your child is really itching to cuddle a bird, then let him have a parakeet. Like the cockatiel, parakeets are sociable among humans. Yes, they could tolerate us humans. What’s more amazing about this bird is that you could teach them to talk. Your child would absolutely love a talking little bird. He would actually have a lot of fun caring for this colourful and gentle kind of bird.

Now that you have known what pet birds suit your child, let us continue our previous talk – the rules to consider before getting your child a pet bird. Aside from the age of the child, don’t get a pet bird if you are not willing to spend money to take your pet bird to a vet in case it gets sick. Pet birds are not super creatures; they get sick, too. Another factor to consider is the time your child would spend caring for his pet bird. Since the pet bird is for your child, he should be the one responsible taking care of it (with your assistance). However, if he lacks the time to care for it because of too many extracurricular activities, don’t get one.

Though having a pet bird could be awesome, don’t just treat it as a mere hobby. Consider your pet as one of the members of your family. If you couldn’t treat them as one, then perhaps you should have second thoughts of keeping one.

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