I always wanted to have a bird (small one) but I always had a big problem with the concept of it.

So I am seeking opinions and experiences of birds owners and lovers.

A do or don't?

Nil

The laws in Spain and Switzerland probably aren't the same but I think it is now forbidden to have only one small bird here.
This is from our Local Tierschutz (Animal Protection Society). In German, Run it through Google if you like.

If you have a cage as big as a room, then maybe. Otherwise how can you feel well imprisoning a bird?

I really don't like the idea of caged birds ... birds are meant to be free, to soar in the sky, dance in the air currents and catch insects on the wing.

How about penguins and ostriches. You could have one of those in an apartment, they don't necessarily fly.

As above. I hurt a little when I see birds in cages.

Well, as for every other pets a bird born in captivity has no idea what being 'free' means, and would actually die very quickly if set free.

I've had canaries and 'perruches' (what's that in English?!) when I was a child. They had a big cage, and as my mum was at home so they had human company most of the time. They didn't seem unhappy at all.

To be honest, I'm not a great fan of birds. A bit like fish in a tank, they're cute and nice to look at, but I like animals that you can cuddle. Some birds will let you pat them once or twice, but that's about it. And except if you get a parrot they won't get very attached to you.

Yes, I see that, and you are right, they would die if set free. I just can't get my head around the concept that they are born in captivity for our amusement.

I had the luck to have a tree just in front of my window, I made a handmade net using wooden sticks and put it there, it stayed 1 whole year without any visitors from birds, I was occasionally putting some small pieces of bread and seeds.

Last summer, I started to put the food more frequent, and now there is a family of birds living over there, they even renovated the net themselves

Also due to the fact that I put rice, seeds and bread on my window's edge, a lot of birds are visiting my window.

So they have their freedom, and I enjoy day to day visitors, and for sure I cannot recognise if every day's visitors are the ones the came the day before - possibly a sight issue, or they are all twins!

What a brilliant idea!

I love to see and hear birds. They put a smile on my face.

Birds in cages always made me cry when I was a child. I love birds but never in a cage for me.

Mélusine, une perruche = a budgerigar in English, often just named 'budgie'.

Get a fighting cock.

Only upsides in my opinion:
1. Money to be earned
2. They most likely won't last many years so after the novelty of owning a bird wears off, you won't have to deal with getting rid of it.
3. Less space required and cheaper to feed than a fighting dog

I thought this was going to be a thread about chicks..

I say no to any animal in any cage.

I appreciate your answers. I feel this way too.

I was thinking to find a way to give install a plate of food to little birds and the parrots we have all around the place but I am affraid I will just get pigeons.

Even baby cows Won't their meat get tough if they are allowed to move around too much?

With my experience here, you will hopefully get a lot of lovely types especially during summer - not sure where they go in winter, but some still visit - you may just need to have some patience until they know the new source of food lying over-there at your home.

hope by this you enjoy having birds around, while they enjoy living their normal life without restrictions

A bit of information about what you should, nor should not, feed the birds in your garden. This is another point of view. Quite a few places say don't feed bread so you can Google to your heart's content and get varying guidelines.

Also, if you place a little birdhouse on your balcony, keep in mind that birds have a tiny digestive track... I placed one on mine one winter, and by the end of the season I had a layer of guano on my balcony floor

And, believe it or not, some landlords forbid birdhouse because the noise and mess can bother the other tenants.

I am a bit concern of the birds getting used to their food provider and if one day we move out, how this would affect their instinct to work hard to get the food.

Nil, I've obviously got no idea what's required in Spain but here certainly finches, canaries and "budgies" / "parakeets" are sold only in pairs (or more), unless they're going to a home with a lonely one.

If you want to try it and see what you think, try the local animal shelters to see if they have any (and are willing to allow you to "test drive"), or if they know of folks looking for a pet-sitter while away on vacation.

Well, except in the US we call them "parakeets".



I like this idea (particularly once I got that you meant nest rather than "net" ) as one of my objections to birds is that they are messy (particularly in groups) and can get lonely.

Attracting birds to a spot that's near enough for you to enjoy them but still allowing for their wild freedom seems ideal to me. I know there are flower seed mixes you can get that are specifically chosen to help increase butterfly (or other desirable insect) visits, perhaps there are also specific flowers or plants you can get which will attract birds. The benefit of this being that (hopefully) the flowers / plants will still be allowed to grow, even if / when you move away.