There are a wide variety of birds kept as pets in North America, the two most common being budgies and cockatiels. Both budgies and cockatiels happen to be native to Australia and have an average life span of 7 years, however they can be a member of your family for as long as 15 years. They are wonderful pets and can be very entertaining and loving but because of their life - span and care required birds should not be adopted on a whim.
Birds enjoy a roomy and interesting enviroment.
You can perk up your avian friend by placing a variety of toys and morrors in his cage, these should be rotted through the cage to alleviate boredom. Perches should be natural wood and a variety of sizes and levels, this decreases the pressure placed on any one point of the foot and encourages exercise. Sandpaper perches should never be used. Erosion of the feet can occur to the point where they bleed and a 35g budgie can lose only 0.35 ml of blood before it goes into shock. The cage placement is important, both drafts and direct sunlight should be avoided.