Bird Care Guide

Cockatiels are the bird I see most in San Francisco apartments — and for good reason. They’re small, relatively quiet (compared to conures), capable of bonding deeply, and live 15–25 years.

Cage setup

• Minimum cage size: 24" x 24" x 30" for a single bird. Bigger is better. Bar spacing 1/2" to 5/8".
• Perches: vary in diameter and texture. Natural wood (manzanita, java, dragonwood) is much better for foot health than the dowels that come with most cages.
• Toys: chewables, foraging toys, swings, ladders. Rotate weekly so things stay novel.

Diet

• Pellets (60–70% of diet): brands like Harrison’s, Roudybush, or Zupreem are widely available in the Bay Area.
• Fresh chop (20–30%): dark leafy greens, bell peppers, carrots, broccoli, sweet potato, squash. Avoid avocado, onion, garlic, chocolate, and anything from the nightshade family.
• Seeds: less than 10%. Seed-only diets are the single biggest cause of cockatiel illness I saw at the hospital. They’re not a complete diet.
• Fresh water, changed daily. Use a tower if your bird is a bowl-pooper.

Signs of stress

• Feather plucking (especially chest and legs)
• Screaming or excessive vocalization
• Cage bar biting
• Pacing
• Egg-laying in single females (which is exhausting and depletes calcium — needs vet attention)

Signs of illness — call the vet

• Fluffed-up posture for hours at a time

• Tail bobbing while breathing

• Discharge from nostrils

• Changes in droppings (color, consistency, frequency)

• Sitting on the cage floor

• Refusing food for more than 24 hours

Budgies are often a first bird — they’re tiny, cheap, and cute. They’re also flock animals who do dramatically better in pairs than alone, which a lot of new owners don’t realize.

Cage setup

• Minimum cage size: 18" x 18" x 24" for a pair. Wider is more important than taller — budgies fly horizontally, not vertically.
• Bar spacing: 1/2" maximum (smaller heads need narrower bars).
• Perches: same as cockatiels — natural wood beats dowels.
• Toys: budgies love mirrors (controversially), bells, ladders, and shreddable toys.

Diet

• Pellets (60–70%): Roudybush nibbles or Zupreem fine.
• Fresh chop (20–30%): budgies are tiny, so chop small. Same vegetable list as cockatiels.
• Seeds: less than 10%. Same warning as above.
• Cuttlebone for calcium, especially for hens.

Social needs

• A pair of budgies is happier than a single budgie. Two males generally bond well; two females can sometimes have territorial issues.
• Daily out-of-cage time is still important even with a bonded pair.

Signs of illness — call the vet

• Same as cockatiels: fluffed posture, tail bobbing, droppings changes, refusing food.

• Budgies hide illness extremely well. By the time symptoms are obvious, it’s often urgent.

Conures (green-cheeks, suns, jendays, nandays) are the comedians of the parrot world — playful, cuddly, and unapologetically loud. The volume is the thing most new owners aren’t prepared for.

Cage setup

• Minimum cage size: 30" x 30" x 36". Conures need width to fly back and forth.
• Bar spacing: 5/8" to 3/4".
• Toys: lots, and they should include destruction toys. Conures are foragers and need to chew.

Diet

• Pellets (50–60%): Harrison’s High Potency or similar.
• Fresh chop (30–40%): conures love variety. Include sprouts, soaked grains, and a wider range of vegetables than cockatiels need.
• Nuts and seeds: in moderation, often used as training treats.

Social and intellectual needs

• Conures bond hard. They will pick a person.
• They need 3–4 hours of out-of-cage time daily, ideally with active interaction. This is not a cage-bound species.
• They are extraordinarily smart and benefit enormously from training (recall, target, basic tricks). Untrained conures are often unhappy conures.

Signs of illness — call the vet

• Same general list. Watch especially for changes in vocalization patterns. A conure who suddenly stops being noisy is concerning.

Parrotlets are the smallest of the true parrots — under 5 inches and weighing less than 35 grams. They are surprisingly hardy, surprisingly bold, and have a reputation for being nippy that is mostly fair.

Cage setup

• Minimum cage size: 18" x 18" x 24" for a single bird.
• Bar spacing: 1/2" max.
• Toys: parrotlets are mini-parrots in attitude — they want chewing toys, foraging toys, swings.

Diet

• Pellets (60–70%): standard small-bird brands.
• Fresh chop (20–30%): same vegetable list.
• Seeds: less than 10%. Parrotlets are particularly prone to obesity on seed-heavy diets.

Behavioral notes

• Parrotlets often do better as single birds than as pairs — they can become aggressive toward perceived rivals (including their owner) if bonded to another parrotlet.
• Hand-feeding from a young age helps with the nippy reputation.
• They will absolutely pick a favorite person and treat everyone else as an enemy. Set expectations early.

Signs of illness — call the vet

• Same general list. Their tiny size means weight loss is dangerous quickly — a 5-gram drop in a 35-gram bird is significant.

These are species I’d often recommend if someone is bird-curious but not ready for a parrot.

Lovebirds are small but confident, highly social, and need either a bonded mate or significant daily attention. They can be louder than people expect.

Finches (zebra, society, Gouldian) are flock birds — keep them in groups of at least four, and don’t expect them to interact much with humans. They are watch-them-be-themselves birds, not handle-them birds. A long, wide flight cage is more important than vertical space.

Canaries are typically kept as single birds because males will fight. Males also sing — that’s the appeal — but only when settled and in good health.

For all three: pellet base + fresh chop + species-appropriate seed (finches and canaries need seed in their diet in a way parrots don’t).