by Lara Jackson

Created on: November 08, 2009   Last Updated: November 09, 2009

Popular wisdom seems to have it that birds are inexpensive pets. In fact, birds are easily among the pricier pets to buy, to supply, and to care for over their lifetimes. I can't tell you how often I've had people boggle at the amount of money I've spent on my parrots.

Truly, the purchase price is just the beginning. Yet this alone can be staggering. A budgie or finch from the pet shop may only run $10 or $20. Less common and larger birds, though, quickly go up from there. Pet shop birds will generally be priced higher than those direct from breeders. Sometimes you can save money by buying an older, "second-hand" parrot in need of a home, or by adopting through a rescue agency, but even these birds will cost money. Smaller, more common parrots such as conures will generally cost a couple hundred dollars, into the five hundred dollar range. Larger parrots such as Amazons, cockatoos, macaws and African greys will easily set you back around a grand, and as much as several thousand if you desire one of the less common species or are shopping at a retail pet shop. And if your heart's desire is the spectacular, rare Hyacinth macaw, expect to spend no less than $6,000-$10,000. In general, you can expect a parrot to cost about as much as a dog, ranging from very little for a shelter dog, to several hundred for a purebred, to truly outrageous sums for the best quality show dogs. Just as with dogs, spending more doesn't necessarily mean you'll get a better pet. The important thing is not to save a few dollars, or even a few hundred, but to bring home the bird you truly want. This bird will hopefully be part of your family for the next several decades. His purchase price will seem like a drop in the bucket a few years from now.

Whatever you spend on the bird, expect to spend about that amount again, or even more, for caging and supplies. Don't even look at the tiny $20 cages at the pet shop - they aren't fit for a finch, nor anything else. Finches, in fact, require a good deal of room to stretch their wings, and those tiny "finch" or "parakeet" cages at pet shops are suitable for nothing more than temporary or travel cages. Appropriate cages for the smallest birds will set you back around $50-$100 and, of course, larger cages go up from there. Expect to spend a few hundred on a solid cage for a mid-sized parrot. Caging is one area, though, where some money can be saved if you're willing to shop around. Check online stores for discount prices, or classifieds for used cages,

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