How to choose a bird?

[Malancaiwen]

Hi everyone

Living in China, the thing I miss the most is walking around in the forest and just listening to the birds singing.

I recently walked through a bird market nearby my school and really felt like getting myself a little pet.

My mom used to have Canaries, and I saw lots of them at the market.
My problem is that I have no idea on how to choose a bird!
I would like a singing bird so I think I'll get a couple of canaries, it will bring back memories at the same time ^^ What should I look for?

I'll definitely check their feathers, beaks, eyes and legs but, anything specific?

I saw a few green canaries too. Me loving green I'm tempted. Are they as good singers as yellow canaries?

I'd like to get a couple (or the male won't sing) and a nice big cage for them to be happy
Thank you for your advice!

[Cool.Breeze]

Canaries are very nice pets, that's a very good choice for a pet song bird ^^ an ex of mine also adored and kept canaries, their songs always cheered me up. The only type of bird I've personally bred and owned that I absolutely ADORED the little songs and sounds of were finches (I had zebra finches) they come in so many lovely colour varieties! I myself just have a parrotlet now, the smallest type of parrot in the world. She sure isn't much of a singer, just noisy xD Song birds are so delicate and charming hope you can decide on a new pet for yourself soon birds are lovely companions good luck deciding!

[kaoskat]

I'm never had canaries but they seem lovely. I hope you'll share pics when/if you get them!

[Dawn]

I had a female canary when I was about 12, they make lovely pets. Mine used to chirp pleasantly, and even started to imitate the sound of the telephone after hearing it a few times ^^

My canary really loved playing in water, I'm not sure if they all do, but maybe you could find a shallow water dish to clip onto the side of the cage and see if they like it. She also like eating fresh greens and fruits like cress, lettuce and grapes (although you shouldn't give them too much or they get the runs). It's really easy to take care of them though, all you need is the sandpaper and special canary food, and that's about it.

I think it's okay to get a male and a female, since they don't make little canaries unless you give them nest material, although I'm not sure if the male will sing if it lives with a female? I thought they sang to attract the opposite gender? I don't remember that much about it though, maybe someone else knows more xS

Whatever you decide on, I'm sure you'll be happy with a pet canary, they're really very sweet :-)

[BerryMouse]

Sorry I'm not a help and prolly a "party pooper" but I would prefer my bird outside in nature not in cages... 

[Kiwi]

I've actually found it's not recommended to get multiple male canaries, as it tends to make them not sing as much. We've only ever had one at a time and they always sing happily (especially if they are happy where their cage is).

Finches are neat and you can have a few in a cage together, as they are community birds - but stick to one breed only per cage, as some don't get along with other breeds. I love the little finchy sounds it's annoying to some people, but if you are used to it, it just blends into the background.

[Cool.Breeze]

Sorry I'm not a help and prolly a "party pooper" but I would prefer my bird outside in nature not in cages... 

I too prefer birds to be free deep down, but certain types are bred to be kept as pets and companions, these sort of birds would never survive a day in the wild. I feel terrible for birds raised in pet shop mills and pet stores, but from a really dedicated breeder, you really can't go wrong helping to give a baby a good home. My lil girl has a cage about 1000X bigger than her, plus she's got unclipped wings and is usually out and about with me in the house   This day and age, exotic/foreign types are really just as domesticated as cats and dogs. BUT- if it can be helped, birds should be allowed to stay in the wild. I don't like the idea of people capturing wild birds to keep for pets. Nothing makes my heart soar like a huge flock of birds flying free!!

[kittybethy]

I had a yellow male canary as a child.  I loved him!

 Good luck finding a bird!

[foalpatrol]

A single canary will sing more than a pair, also if you have a single canary and want it to sing, don't put a mirror in the cage.  Males are better singers.

I've had zebra finches in the past, they have a lovely song.

Choose a bird that is bright and alert, clear eyes, no bald patches, well muscled (not thin), and easily moving about its enclosure.  And please, buy the largest cage you can afford.

[Radiance]

A single male canary will sing his little heart out as long as he's happy! If you get a pair of canaries the female may lay eggs even if she does not have  a nest. She'll just pop them out on the cage floor. If you want a pair of birds that are beautiful and sing with gusto, I recommend Java Rice finches, also called Java sparrows. Here's their wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Java_Sparrow
I had a pair of those for many years, and  think the male's song is quite nice. The female also has a very nice chirp! Zebra finches are also nice and very bold. They are hearty and easy to care for and will perch on your hands and arms whenever you reach in to feed them or clean their cage.
Choose your bird's cage with care! Bamboo cages are lovely but can not be sanitized; round cages tend to make birds nervous because they can't back into a corner to feel secure. Horizontal bars are better for birds than vertical bars. Some people say that song birds will sing more in small cages. Hogwash! The bigger the cage, the happier the bird. The happier the bird, the more it will sing! My mom's hobby was keeping finches and canaries so I grew up around them. You will want to look for a bird that is active but not panicky, has smooth legs and neat claws. A smooth shiny beak and clean nares and bright eyes are also signs of a healthy bird. Look at the droppings too, they should look like little pellets with a bit of whitish liquid attached.
My mom used to get "damaged" birds for free from her breeder friends. A missing leg or drooping wing in no way decreases the value of a pet bird as long as the injury healed cleanly. Our best singing canary had only one leg! Remember your new bird or birds will be with you for years, so do lots of research and pick carefully!

[Malancaiwen]

Thank you all for your advice!
My mom always had pairs of Canaries so I thought they were happier like that but if you say that a single male will sing too (if not more!) then I'd be more than happy to take a male only! Will he get lonely though? I'd hate him to feel alone or anything

Finches are definitely beautiful birds but I4ve never seen one here, and learning a little more about them I'd be afraid they might be directly taken from the wild instead of man-bred and raised.

BerryMouse, I totally agree with you, I prefer free birds, perched in trees. At my parent's house, we have a big garden and lots of fruit trees so we get lost of nice birds all day long. You can just get out and sit there and they'll come back. Here, I've been putting feed outside for 3 months now and the only visitors I get are tiny House Sparrows who don't sing I miss birds songs so much I am considering getting a Canary. I'll definitely get the biggest cage I can!

Thank you for the details on the cage renee_chan, I knew bamboo ones were not good but I didn't know round cages were not good!

[Radiance]

You're welcome! Your canary will be a lucky bird to have such a caring owner:). I think a single male canary will be fine as long as he gets lots of attention from you. You can always leave the radio on for company if you have to leave him alone for a while. I'm with you on making sure you don't get a wild caught bird. We got our finches from breeders that we knew, but if you're buying from a pet shop you won't know where they come from. A canary is a safe choice! Wow, thinking back to when my mom and I had birds is making me want a canary again too!

[Kiwi]

Our canary loves looking out the window. We have a pantry in front of the dining room window (best spot it would fit, and saves us buying more curtains) and his cage sits on top of it, so he can see outside. Over time he's picked up bits of wild bird songs too (not sure about all of them, but I do recognize Robin)

The finches seem happy wherever they are - I swear they make noise just to hear themselves make noise but they are so cute!