What Birds for our Aviary?

[Angelinalily]

Hi everyone

We will soon be moving to a house that has a built-in Aviary in the backyard. DH wants to keep it, and get some birds as he has always wanted to. I don't know much about keeping birds so i need some help.

Which birds to you recommend for an outdoor aviary? it's probably abour 2m by 2m, and is next to the neighbouring fence. So I want some sort of birds that will be not too noisy. I'm thinking maybe budgies or cockatiels:confused: ? How will they go if we mix different sorts of birds in there, will there be any problems?

What sorts of problems does having an aviary create? I mean along the lines of mess, smell, attracting pests?

Hope there is some bird lovers in here that can help me with my questions :)

Thanks in Advance

[Snuffys Mum]

I'm not sure about mixing them with other birds but I luurrvvee cockatiels. I've owned a few over the years. They are great family pets, easy to train and have great little personalities! They do like to squark and whistle but not, IMO, in a way that would annoy any neighbours. And if you want more than one they generally co exist quite well.

Good luck deciding. :thumbsup:

[Frazzled]

Hi there, my dad has had birds for as long as I can remember and has two aviaries. He has Rainbow Lorikeets, Princess Parrots, Cockateils and some Budgies. Cockateils are very easy maintenence, great friendly pets and they are the version of rabbits when it comes to breeding:yes:

If you want your birds to breed you need to make sure there are nest boxes in there - logs are great (you can buy special ones). Cackateils and budgies are easy if you are a first timer, parrots are a bit more tricky. you also need to be careful what birds you mix toegther, cause they can get quite violent and kill each others babies (budgies are bad for this)

My dad occassionally gets problems with mice, but it is more because of their dodgy neighbours. If you keep it clean, which means a good sweep and scrub etc once a week, then you would be ok.

Search for a breeder in your area, or a good bird store for further advice, they are pretty good!

[Snuffys Mum]

Oh and my advice- if possible, buy directly from a breeder. The pets shops mark the birds up sooooo much it's crazy! :yes:

[Angelinalily]

Thanks for the advice so far :thumbsup:

Yes I was definitely thinking we would deal directly with a breeder, and not a pet shop.

If anyone has contact details for good breeders around brisbane area Please PM me.

Edited to add - was just talking with DH about this aviary, and he is talking about moving it when we get there. Is it alright to sit an aviary directly on grass? Or is it better to have some sort of flooring?

Thanks again

[Shazbutt]

I have 6 cockatiels and 2 budgies co-existing quite happily in our aviary (plus my galah when he goes in there for the day, LOL). They are not too noisy, just enough for you to hear their cute chatter! :) They're really easy to look after, and if you can get them a bit tame (i hand raised a few of mine from babies), they will love you forever! (The tame ones jump on me for kisses when i go to clean them out :D).

Lovebirds/Peachfaces are shocking for attacking other birds, though i did have 2 that kept to themselves, and only got bothered when the 'tiels started breeding. Princess Parrots are gorgeous, wonderful birds, who will co-exist really well with cockatiels, but i don't know how they go with budgies?

I would recommend having some sort of flooring, preferably concrete, so it's easy for you to clean. We put our 2 aviaries onto dirt, and have never ending problems with mice digging up under there for the seed :rolleyes:. If you do put it onto grass (which is quite safe for the birds) maybe put some small netting wire along the floor and up the sides, so mice can't get in? With my dirt floors, i just rake up the seed/feathers every so often and put a fresh layer of dirt over the top. It sounds like a pain, but i only do it every couple of weeks.

[Mum2Tyla]

Hi
Definately better to have something on the ground such as concrete slabs etc as it is much easier to clean, less likely to spread disease and helps reduce pests, mice can be a problem as they are attracted to seed, also some birds can dig really big holes so could escape it the cage is on the ground. some species will live happily together others will not.
Kelly:)