Poultry Talk Ontario (pto.ca)

Still thinking about getting a couple? of budgies, finches etc for the house.
If so what number, sexes, pairs, is best. Don't want the little guys to be lonely but I want to interact with them (I think). They would have a spot where they can see outside to the patio and garden.
Ideas please.

How about a pair of tiny little pheasants???
Sorry, couldn't help myself, I just do not see you as a cage bird person.

No no no!!!!!! You are bad OC!
They won't be in a cage all the time anyway. SO quiet in the house now Muppet is gone.

hey Killerbunny. Love my budgies. prefer them over the finches I had. They love to play with their toys and are much more animated than the finches were. They can be very noisy and a little messy but I love having them here. There are a couple of good facebook groups with a lot of knowledgeable people when you are first getting started. I ended up with two males, but quite by accident. the people at the store where I got them were not sure how to tell them apart...it is tricky when they are young but there is a difference in the colour of the cere for males and females. I was told males make better pets and get along in a group better. Females can get bossy and mean with each other. If you want them to be tame you are better with one, they will bond with you then. I couldn't do it and figured they were happier in the long run in at least pairs. With a dog in the house and lots of large windows I wasn't planning on letting them fly loose anyway. if you REALLY want a hand tamed one, buy from a breeder who hand raises them...they will cost you around 100 bucks as opposed to the 20 the pet stores ask.

I think the budgies will interact much better than finches, plus if you only have one budgie you can teach it to talk.

Thx all!

I had budgies, and found they made a lot of noise and mess when you have more than one. I liked keeping finches. They only chirp and sing some of the time, and make less mess. Right now I have a male lovebird. I've had him for 10 years. He was hand raised and is a bit tame, but I don't take him out of the cage because of the dogs and the picture window. I can put my hand in and he will come on it and visit, but I keep him in the cage. He doesn't make a lot of noise, and the cage I have keeps a lot of the mess inside. He is in the living room where all the activity is. He will take food from my hand and comes over to see me when I go up to the cage.

I would go with a parrotlet they are the same size as a budgie but way smarter plus they talk. I had one for a long time his name was pickle.

I had cockatiels and parrots and came home from a party once with a budgie in highschool somehow. If you have a nice cage with a deep tray it makes all the difference in the world as far as mess goes.
If our house wasn't so cold in the winter, I would buy some finches from the guy at Mt. Forrest. He has an awesome set up with little cages and a heated tent. Thry have the prettiest colours too.
I found a single bird was way friendlier then 2 or more as well.

I had a budgie once - for 10 years. I used to let it out of its cage for a water bath, and other times just for exercise, flying back and forth from its cage to curtain rod, or just a quick turn around back to the cage. I really like all the different sounds they can imitate - a distinct memory is the sound of the squeaky screen door opening. It really fooled me one night when I thought it was my husband coming in the house!
My grandmother used to have one that flipped her playing cards while she played solitaire.