Singing Along with Blue: Why Birds Make Great Pets

My baby brother (actually he just turned 18, but I am 18 years his senior) has gone through a variety of pets.  He has had a lizard, a hedgehog, a hamster, and a bird.  Surprisingly, his favorite was his parakeet bird named Blue; appropriately inspired by his beautiful blue feathers.  Wherever my brother went, Blue went also; enjoying the ride as he perched atop my brother’s shoulder.  Blue even liked to ride along to the shower!

The truth of the matter is–birds make great pets!  I spend most of my day scolding my cat and dog that continually get into all kinds of mischief.  My brother never yelled at Blue.  In fact, they would sing to each other.  Blue even helped my brother settle down at night (this was a blessed relief to mom after dealing with my brother’s ADHD all day).

My brother’s other pets–although fun to look at, rarely made it out of their cages.  The lizard was fast and tiny so letting him loose meant the dog just discovered a new play toy.  The hedgehog seemed to prefer the quiet solitude of his cave to the chaos beyond his home, and the hamster met an unfortunate end after deciding to latch onto my brother’s finger with his teeth!

I love my pets, but I deal with biting, jumping, barking, scratching, licking, and whining all day long. I’m considering trading up and enjoying the serenity and music of a bird.

So if you think birds only make great pets for your grandparents — think again; you may be surprised to discover just how cool a pet bird can be!