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    Awesomeness616's Avatar
    Awesomeness616 Posts: 41, Reputation: 1
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    #1

    Sep 26, 2014, 04:34 PM
    Can tawny frogmouths be kept as pets
    I have asked questions about owls and they are illegal to keep as pets but tawny frogmouths are NOT a species of owls but I haven't found anything about keeping them as pets. Also I saw something about a boobook owl but I don't think those can be kept.
    Alty's Avatar
    Alty Posts: 28,317, Reputation: 5972
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    #2

    Sep 26, 2014, 04:56 PM
    Not knowing where you live (I'd need to know your country, and your state/province, general area, not your address, and do not post your address, just your general location) to answer this question.

    From what I found, you can own them in certain countries, like NSW, but you need to have at the very least a class 2 advanced bird license.
    Awesomeness616's Avatar
    Awesomeness616 Posts: 41, Reputation: 1
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    #3

    Sep 26, 2014, 05:26 PM
    I live in the Michigan Sterling Heights, US. And also I'm only 12 and my dad is good at taking care of birds and we only have 2 birds now and we would like another kind of bird. I liked them cause they kind of look like owls and there cute. If u answer my question then I can ask my dad again. My dad has good experience with birds and knows how to take care of them.
    Wondergirl's Avatar
    Wondergirl Posts: 39,354, Reputation: 5431
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    #4

    Sep 26, 2014, 05:33 PM
    Alty is correct. They too are illegal, and as much or more complicated to care for than an owl would be.
    Awesomeness616's Avatar
    Awesomeness616 Posts: 41, Reputation: 1
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    #5

    Sep 26, 2014, 05:35 PM
    Ok I was just wondering cause I'm looking for a bird that looks like an owl. I can just keep looking on the internet. Thanks anyway
    Awesomeness616's Avatar
    Awesomeness616 Posts: 41, Reputation: 1
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    #6

    Sep 26, 2014, 05:41 PM
    One more thing. I saw a YouTube video that said my pet owl dumbo. I'm not sure if that's legal or not but I haven't watched the video
    Wondergirl's Avatar
    Wondergirl Posts: 39,354, Reputation: 5431
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    #7

    Sep 26, 2014, 05:49 PM
    Quote Originally Posted by Awesomeness616 View Post
    One more thing. I saw a YouTube video that said my pet owl dumbo. I'm not sure if that's legal or not but I haven't watched the video
    Definitely not in Michigan! Philippines, maybe. Or somewhere in Asia.
    Awesomeness616's Avatar
    Awesomeness616 Posts: 41, Reputation: 1
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    #8

    Sep 26, 2014, 05:51 PM
    Ok then just answer this. Are there any cute, small birds that can be kept as pets
    Wondergirl's Avatar
    Wondergirl Posts: 39,354, Reputation: 5431
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    #9

    Sep 26, 2014, 05:59 PM
    Quote Originally Posted by Awesomeness616 View Post
    Ok then just answer this. Are there any cute, small birds that can be kept as pets
    Cockatiels? Parakeets? Small conures?
    Alty's Avatar
    Alty Posts: 28,317, Reputation: 5972
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    #10

    Sep 26, 2014, 06:27 PM
    Quote Originally Posted by Awesomeness616 View Post
    Ok then just answer this. Are there any cute, small birds that can be kept as pets
    Sure! Budgies, finches, cockatiels, canaries, and the list goes on. Owls? No. And owls aren't small. Even the smaller breeds are bigger than most small parrots.
    Awesomeness616's Avatar
    Awesomeness616 Posts: 41, Reputation: 1
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    #11

    Sep 26, 2014, 06:29 PM
    Ok there is another bird I like. Finches. But do they make good pets? People say they are easy to take care of and I just want to make sure
    Alty's Avatar
    Alty Posts: 28,317, Reputation: 5972
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    #12

    Sep 26, 2014, 06:58 PM
    They are. I love finches. But, things to know about them, they can't be kept alone. They need another of their kind to be happy.

    I had finches, great birds. They're not tame though, and can't be tamed. In fact, as far as I know, I'm the only one that's ever had a tamed finch in my neck of the woods, story to follow, and I would not recommend even trying to tame one the way I was forced to.

    If you're thinking of finches, they need to be in pairs. Do not get a male and female, they breed like rabbits. Before you know it you'll have 20 plus, and they'll keep breeding until they die because they bred too much. A female will die if she's continuously laying eggs.

    I'd get two males. Females will lay even with no male. Sooner or later they'll lay too much and die. Either the egg will get stuck, or they'll die from lack of nutrients because they're laying.

    Finches need a specific type of cage. Tall, and thin. They like height.

    Now to tell you my story of my tame finch Nemo.

    I got finches, didn't do my research. I was raised in a bird home. My Opa (grandpa) bred budgies and cockatiels, I had birds all my life. I figured I knew it all. Went to a very respected store "Tiffany's bird shop" where I live. I got a male and a female after being told they have to be in pairs I brought them home in my old budgie cage. When they laid eggs, three of them, I went back for advice. I got a new cage because mine was wrong, got new bird feed for the nesting mom, and thought "okay, this is cool, eggs, hatch-lings, one time deal".

    In the span of one year I went from 3 finches to 20 plus that survived (lost many after they hatched, and some that never hatched at all, I'm talking over 50 eggs!)

    One hatchling was Nemo. She hatched, was thrown from the nest at a day old (no feathers, eyes still closed, the size of my pinky fingernail!). I put her back in her nest, and she was tossed again, twice! So I decided to hand raise her. Not easy! Only worked with her, and she wasn't the only one I had to do it with. Only she survived!

    Hand raising a day old finch involved getting up every 3 hours to feed her, with a toothpick (her beak was too small for a syringe or dropper). Feeding took an hour plus. It took 3 months before she could eat on her own. So for 3 months I had to get up every 3 hours to feed her for an hour. Not easy!

    She bonded to me. When I went back to the bird shop and spoke to the bird expert, he told me that he had hand raised hundreds of finches. Not one was ever tame. I invited him over to meet Nemo. She was completely tame, but, as I now know many years later, only because I raised her. I was her mother for all intents and purposes. He was shocked, the bird expert. He didn't think I was telling the truth until he met Nemo.

    So, if you want finches just to watch them, then get them, but don't get a male and female. Also, if you decide to try and hand raise one and tame it, it can only be when they're first hatched, and I was lucky with Nemo. Every other baby that was thrown from the nest that I tried to hand raise, died, and that was over 10 babies! I got lucky with Nemo. Very lucky.

    They are easy to take care of, but they're not tame birds. If you want a bird you can interact with, I'd suggest budgies or cockatiels.
    Awesomeness616's Avatar
    Awesomeness616 Posts: 41, Reputation: 1
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    #13

    Sep 26, 2014, 07:08 PM
    Great story. I'm now deciding between budgies and finches. My mom says that I can get one as long as it's not too hard to take care of. So I have 3 final questions
    1. Which one will cost cheaper to buy the bird and supplies
    2. Which one will be interactive and be able to become friends with people
    3. Which one is easier to take care of
    Alty's Avatar
    Alty Posts: 28,317, Reputation: 5972
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    #14

    Sep 26, 2014, 07:47 PM
    1. Finches are a tiny tiny tiny bit cheaper to buy for one bird, but you can't have just one, they need to be in pairs as I said, so if you buy two, the cost factor is no longer an issue. The supplies are equal in cost, actually, budgies are a bit cheaper, because most any cage with the right width of bars (span between the bars has to be right for the size of the bird) will do. With finches you need a specific type of cage.

    2. Finches, as I posted, can't be tamed, no matter how much time you spend with them. They're for watching only, not for interaction. If you ever decide to let a finch out of the cage, it will panic, fly to the nearest window, smash against it, and likely die or at the very least be brain dead.

    Budgies are very interactive. Many budgies can be taught to talk, and can very easily be tamed. It takes very little effort to tame a budgie. They're great birds.

    3. Budgies are by far much easier to take care of, and they don't need to be in pairs. In fact, I would recommend that you only get one. If you get two they'll bond to each other, like cockatiels. If you get one, and you're the one that spends time with it, daily, hours a day, it will bond to you. Budgies, like cockatiels, only bond to one. In other words, if they have a mate, they'll bond to the mate, and likely be very hard to tame to be with humans. If you have one, and you train it, spend time with it, feed it, give it water, take it out, it will bond to you.

    If you get a budgie, come back and ask for training tips. I grew up with these birds, had many, and every one of them was very tame. I'll give you tips on how to tame yours.

    In short, I wouldn't get finches. In fact, I gave mine away, even Nemo. Way too much work, with really no reward at all. I like birds I can tame, and interact with. Right now I have cockatiels, two of them. The female Marty is very tame, but became less so when I got my male.

    I'd get a budgie if I were you.

    Let me know what you choose and get. I'll want pictures, and if you want advice on how to tame, I'm more than willing to help with that. :)
    Awesomeness616's Avatar
    Awesomeness616 Posts: 41, Reputation: 1
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    #15

    Sep 26, 2014, 07:50 PM
    Thanks. Tomorrow I'm going to the pet store to see what they got. I will post again tomorrow
    Alty's Avatar
    Alty Posts: 28,317, Reputation: 5972
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    #16

    Sep 26, 2014, 08:10 PM
    Quote Originally Posted by Awesomeness616 View Post
    Thanks. Tomorrow I'm going to the pet store to see what they got. I will post again tomorrow
    Hoping you go with a budgie. Seriously, steer clear of the finches if you want a pet.

    Can't wait to hear what you got, and see pictures. Hoping it's a budgie.

    Last tip. The green budgies can be trained to talk. Don't know why color matters, but it does. I've yet to see a blue or other colored budgie that's learned to talk. So if you want a chance at training it to talk (I'm not talking about whistling a song, I'm talking about actual talking, like hello, goodbye, polly wants a cracker) I'd go with a green one.

    Another tip with budgies. You can tell a budgies age by the lines on its forehead. Hard to explain in writing, so if I'm not being clear, ask and I'll try to explain it better.

    The younger the budgie, the closer the black lines on its head are to it's forehead. The further back the black lines on the head are, the older the budgie. Many times pet stores will try to sell their breeding stock off, and those birds are usually older. They deserve a home, but since they're being sold, they should be sold at a discount, since they won't live as long. So look at the lines on the head, black lines horizontal on the head. Budgies start with the lines close to their beak, and as they get older, the black lines recede.
    Alty's Avatar
    Alty Posts: 28,317, Reputation: 5972
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    #17

    Oct 3, 2014, 06:06 PM
    So it's way past September 27, which was tomorrow from when you posted.

    So what did you get?

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