I'm thinking about getting myself a bird; never had one before in my life.
I don't know what type of bird to look for, and all that jazz. I definitely want one that's active but, not too noisy (that won't chirp too much especially at night). I need some advice/information from anybody who has and/or had one before that could help me to go about this. I would greatly appreciate a response a.s.a.p. Thank You!!

:wave:

I have 1 cockatiel and 3 parakeets. I definitely like all animals especially birds as you can see lol. Anyway, my cockatiel is pretty loud, but my parakeets are too, just not as loud. Most birds of any breed will stay quiet at night, as long as you cover their cages with a blanket and keep them in a darker setting. I put mine in my walk-in closet and keep the door cracked so they'll stay quiet.

There's two types of birds...the tame ones and the non-tame. Your best bet if you want a bird who won't bite you and will actually act like a pet, is to search for some handfed birds. My cockatiel was handfed, he is a very nice bird and never really bites, he sits on my shoulder, he does tricks and sings songs (from tv shows, phone ringtones). My parakeets on the other hand, were not handfed and 2 of them aren't tame at all. One parakeet is slightly tame, only because my mom knew how to tame him.

You'll need to pay attention to them for at least 1 hour a day though, for them to remain friendly. From my experience, my favorite bird is the cockatiel, as they are friendly but some of them require a lot of attention. But don't plan on getting one if you plan to keep it in a cage. They dont do well with cages. Mine only goes in his cage at night. I think the best way for you to find the bird that'll suit you best is to make a list about what you want/dont want in a bird, and bring it to a pet store and show a bird consultant.

I have one cockatoo and he's a great pal! No matter what type of bird you choose to get, be warned that they are very messy!! When we first got him, our bird would whine alot in the morning, but that was when he was very young so it depends I suppose as far as noise goes. You deffinately want to get a younger bird so it won't be prone to biting.

If you check out your library, you can find some really great books on birds.

I used to have a Quacker Parrot named Bo and he was my baby. :) Sadly, I had to give him away because we thought we were moving to Germany. (those orders got cancelled, odviously.) But he was a great bird, he talked a lot and was really friendly unless he felt threatend.
He didn't chirp at night because we covered his cage up and he went to sleep fairly quickly.

we've got an african grey parrot. he's cute & friendly & can say some words too.
and at night, we cover his cage up, like courtnee's family did, and he doesn't make any noise at all.

we also had a canary who unforunately flew away last week. =( but it was a really cute bird. and when it chirped, it was actually pleasant & cute to listen to.

Haha, yeah, they are pretty messy. But a pro is they do not stink. Cats and dogs smell disgusting. Birds, bird poop, etc, has no smell. Life was easy when i just had one parakeet, now i've got four times the mess. (2 of my parakeets were graduation gifts...i was like wow i have my hands full already, lol) I agree that finches and canaries are more pleasant to listen to, a parakeet can be pleasant but most of the time they scream in an ACK ACK sort of way :lol: But, if you want a tame bird that will sit on your finger, canaries and finches usually aren't tame enough to do that, unless of course they are tame and handfed.

Yeah - for sure don't go cockatiel or cockatoo route if you want quiet! I've had both and loved them but boy - they can really scream. They're also a longterm commitment with even cockatiel's living to 30 years. I got one in 1985 and had to give him away to a girlfriend (because of the noise)in 1992. I know he's still alive and with her today.

Budgies are nice and if you want a nice sound, canaries or finches can be quiet beautiful. You should research each thoroughly on the net though before you make the decision that's right for your faimily and lifestyle. I felt really badly when I had to give Ruffles up. :(