Читать книгу Birds For Dummies - Gina Spadafori - Страница 46

Birds can be wonderful companions for children, but sometimes the reverse isn’t so true. Children who are too young or unable to understand the importance of gentle, respectful handling can end up with a dead bird pretty quickly — truly a tragedy for all involved.

The look-don’t-touch birds such as canaries and other finches are best for very young children. From the age of 8 or so, a child can begin to understand instructions for correctly handling smaller parrots, making budgies and cockatiels a good match for these older children. When kids enter their teens, almost any bird who fits the family’s lifestyle can be a good match.

In Brian’s experience, children who learn to communicate nonverbally with a bird in a constructive, mutual way often have a great learning experience that stands them in good stead later in life, both with humans and with other animals. Birds can really help to teach us how to be better people, as well as better communicators with other humans and with birds.

Remember, though, that taking proper care of any pet is the parent’s responsibility. Lead by example. Don’t make the pet the focus of a tug-of-war between you and your child. The lesson of responsibility is a good one to draw from a relationship with a pet, but so, too, are the lessons of compassion, caring, and respect for another living being.

As with budgies, you can find plenty of mass-produced cockatiels with price tags that may seem irresistible. If you’re looking for a healthy, long-term companion, however, the hand-raised bird is a much better bet, even if the price is higher.

As interesting as the many variations of cockatiels can be, some health problems have slipped into the mix. Some varieties, such as the white-faced and cinnamon, may develop problems on certain formulated diets. Talk to a veterinarian who is qualified and experienced in avian medicine to determine how to best keep these birds in optimal health and how to detect or avoid early problems.

Males are usually better at vocalizing, with whistling a specialty. Cockatiels are generally not the best talkers, but males can pick up a few words or phrases. Don’t let the lack of verbosity dissuade you, though: The gentle cockatiel is about as fine an avian companion as you can imagine.