I know we've got a lot of bird people here... K and I have never owned a bird, but we like them. I want to get a bird soon, once we finish fixing up our apartment. We have a large window that's mostly shaded but has a nice view of the tree outside, and we were thinking of hanging a birdcage from the ceiling in that spot.
I did some research and it looks like a canary or finches would be best for us. K doesn't want any kind of parrot (no budgies, even) because they squawk too much. I was thinking lovebirds, but they seem to need a lot of attention. We both work really long hours when we work; we have long periods where we're home a lot, and then just as long periods when we're gone 16 hours a day or more. So we don't want a bird that needs tons of cuddle-time or other high maintenance.
We also have a cat, so we don't want a bird that's going to have to fly all over the house all the time. Every once in awhile we can lock the cat in the bedroom if the bird needs some exercise, but I'd be happy with the kind of bird that's happy in a large cage nearly all the time.
So it sounds like a canary, or a pair of finches. I'm interested in the canary, since the stuff I've read indicates that they prefer to live alone and are happiest spending most of the time in their cage.
So if anyone has tips or things I need to know, especially about canaries, please let me know. Do we sound like good candidates for canary ownership? If we go out of town, can we bring the canary or should we have someone pet-sit? What kind of toys do canaries like? Is a mostly-shaded window a good place to keep a canary cage hanging from the ceiling? Is it okay to buy a canary from a pet store or should I be looking elsewhere? About how much would one cost?
And if you know anything about finches, I'd love to hear that too!
Thanks!


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