FAQ
It depends on your definition of 'loud'. Budgies make a constant chatter but are soft voiced in most cases and won't drive your neighbors nuts with volume. Cockatiels - especially the males - will sing fairly loudly, but won't drive your neighbors nuts with volume. Females are a lot quieter. Green Cheek Conures, on the other hand, have a medium volume voice that can be quite shrill. However, they tend to use their voice only in the morning and the evening. All three species are considered good apartment birds because of their low volume.
Are Cockatiels/Budgies/Conures Loud?
Are birds messy?
Lord, yes! You find seed and pellets in the strangest places. I've heard of budgies flinging fresh food down hallways. Plus cockatiels produce a down feather powder when their feathers break down that requires extra dusting. The up side is that one, even two, birds produce less mess than 8. Keep a shower curtain behind the cage to make cleaning walls easier. Vacuum often and if you're sensitive to cockatiel dander like I am, an air purifier with a HEPA filter is a good investment :)
What do you Feed your Birds?
I free feed my birds a mixture of seed, pellets, sprouted seed, chop and spray millet. Despite what a lot of people think, an all seed diet is bad, but so is an all pellet diet. I use a mixture of 40 % seed, 30% pellets and the rest veggies of some sort, depending on whether my birds are breeding or not. If they're breeding, I increase their pellets and veggies and reduce their seed. Spray millet is used as a treat and for training.
What Cage Size do I need?
Ideally cages should be as big as you can afford. At a bare minimum it should be big enough for the bird to spread their wings and turn around when toys are in the cage. Most cages in pet stores are a touch too small, but something that is at least 18 by 24 inches will suffice in a pinch. Something closer to 24 by 30 inches is ideal... or even bigger! Bar space should be at least 1/2" to 5/8" .