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Calling all BIRD owners! :)

Calift

Calift

0.1 addict
Anyone here own or have experience with canaries?

I saw the most beautiful orange american singer today- he was so bright & healthy looking! I don't know much about canaries but have been thinking about getting a pair of finches in the springtime. Now I am considering a canary (or pair) instead. This bird was at Petsmart which is definitely not the ideal place to purchase pets...but I have yet to see one like him online! :)
 
Calift said:
This bird was at Petsmart which is definitely not the ideal place to purchase pets...but I have yet to see one like him online! :)
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Can't speak for canaries as I've never had one, but I will tell you both of our budgies came from Petsmart and are lovely little creatures.
 
canaries are so wonderful. Can you hear him sing?
The orange is due to a dye in his food. You will have to maintain that diet if you want the color to stay. Otherwise he will turn yellow again. :) You can find them online btw. They are called red factor canaries.
 
I usually wouldn't purchase a bird from a chain pet store, but I got my Canary Winged Parakeet from PetSupermarket. I would visit him eveytime I was there teaching dog class. One time, I noticed they had marked him down from $399 to $99 so I decided to "rescue" him and bring him home.
I do not regret this decision.
 
I'm really falling for those owl finches to be honest, so cute.

I've never owned a bird before, so I'm holding out for awhile.
 
I have never had a canary, but my grandparents had a succession of them while I was growing up. I remember them as pretty birds that sang every morning. I have thought of getting one. But I like big birds you can handle. I can't imagine living without a bird. They are messy, but worth it! Very easy to care for. Able to be left for a few days with proper set-up beforehand.
 
Thanks for the advice everyone!

I absolutely love the red factors, but dislike the fact that it's not natural. Within the last 25 hours I have found a breeder in my area who is retiring from exhibiting and selling off all his championship & trophy stock! So I'll keep you all updated...(not getting one anytime before Spring- it's -30 degrees outside now).
 
PS. I scanned a bird board and some people have quite elaborate setups (ie. entire rooms full of bird toys, ropes, etc).

I sense a potential addiction.... :p
 
dogsNdragons said:
I usually wouldn't purchase a bird from a chain pet store, but I got my Canary Winged Parakeet from PetSupermarket. ... I do not regret this decision.
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Would that be a canary wing from the Brotogeris sp? I wouldn't regret that either!! They are awesome looking and supposedly make great pets, but damned if I've ever seen one in person!!
 
I keep macaws, not songbirds, so I don't know much about canaries:

1) Only the males sing, and they sing when they're alone. Apparently (or so I've heard), they won't sing once they have a mate.

2) The orange ones need supplements to keep them orange. At least around here, the supplements are easy to come by. Probably easier to sprinkle that on their food than try to stuff large amounts of carrots down them on a daily basis :).

I could tell you a LOT more about macaws, though, if you ever decide to get one. *grins*
 
Irish Eyes (Mrs.Z) said:
I keep macaws, not songbirds, so I don't know much about canaries:

1) Only the males sing, and they sing when they're alone. Apparently (or so I've heard), they won't sing once they have a mate.

2) The orange ones need supplements to keep them orange. At least around here, the supplements are easy to come by. Probably easier to sprinkle that on their food than try to stuff large amounts of carrots down them on a daily basis :).

I could tell you a LOT more about macaws, though, if you ever decide to get one. *grins*
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Macaws, eh? :sidestep:


JK...they are amazing, beautiful birds but I am not ready to live with a 3-year old child for the next 50 years. Maybe sometime, far, far, far away....but I admire anyone who keeps such an outstanding species!

Do you know about smaller parrots? At one point I really wanted a Parrotlet....then I adopted a dog! lol. But I do love birds and miss having one around. Dog does not fill that need. :)
 
Yep, I know a bit about P'lets and other parrot species. Often known as "Miniature Amazons" because of both their looks and personality. Unlike Amazons, though, you have to handle them pretty much daily to keep them tame. Like Amazons, if they love you, you're good. If they hate you, they'll hate you forever.

Lessee--some conures are extraordinarily beautiful, but they're ALL screechy, noisy li'l things. Jendays seem to be the worst.

Most cockatoos are very complex animals, and very high maintenance because of it. They tend to plucking and mutilating if they aren't getting the mental, emotional and physical stimulation that they need to be happy in captivity.

Macaws are known as the "party animals" of the parrot world. That certainly describes mine!

Lories and other fruit nectar eating parrots and 'keets are MESSY because of their diet.

Congo African Greys are extremely intelligent, and because of it can take on some neurotic behaviors. Females tend to be seasonal pluckers once they're mature. The little Timneh African Greys aren't as colorful, but they tend to be a whole lot more "stable", personality-wise. Both species like to imitate the kind of noises that irritate me: trucks backing up, ringing phones, doorbells, etc.

Cockatiels, if you can get past the fact that they're common and cheap, are some of the best pet parrots out there, imho. I don't keep them because they're dusty birds (like cockatoos and greys), and I'm allergic to that dust. The males tend to be better talkers than the females.

Lovebirds and Budgies are both adorable species, but they never shut up. I rehomed mine because they jabber pretty much 24/7! LOL!

I could go on and on, but I won't. If you're really interested, Google bird or parrot forums. There are tons out there, and many of them can give you great info.
 
Thank you for the info! I just joined the big avian one....and the newest species I have been enjoyed reading about is Cockatiels! :) :)
 
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