If you have always wanted bird as your pet but felt you didn’t have the time or the space for one, you can think again.  Canaries are the perfect pet bird for the apartment dweller.  They don’t require interaction with their humans and are perfectly happy living alone.  If you work outside the home, you don’t have to feel guilty leaving your pet home alone.  Your canary will be happy to sing up a storm whether you are there or not.

Before you rush out and buy a canary, many breeds of canaries have been developed over time. 

• These birds have been bred in captivity for over 500 years. 
• They’re indigenous to the Canary Islands which is where they obviously get their name. 
• There are still canaries in the wild, but they are not as colorful as the birds you will find for sale as pets. 
• The breeds are classified as song, type, or color canaries. 
• The German Roller or Hartz Mountain is the canary many of us are thinking of when we think of these birds. 
• The color canaries are becoming more popular because of the bright hues of the birds.

Canaries were the most common kept cage birds for a long time.  They are not hard to breed, but……….

they have special requirements in order for them to reproduce, so they are not as fruitful as some other types of birds like parakeet/budgies or some species of finches.  It is for this very reason that a canary is not as inexpensive as other birds you may see for sale.  The male is the singer of the canary world.  It is quite hard to determine the sex of a canary, and this is especially true if the bird is less than a year old.  An experienced breeder may even be fooled because the hen will sometimes sing as well as young birds of both sexes. 

If you are determined to have a songbird, then you should purchase a mature male that comes with a guarantee that the bird will sing within two weeks.  You shouldn’t put any other birds in the cage with him, not even a female canary.  With proper care, your canary may be part of your household for as long as ten years.  Their cheerful songs can bring a ray of sunshine to even the darkest of days.

A pet canary will usually be aloof in their manner and do not usually bond with people, though it is not unheard of for some determined individuals to tame their canary.  This characteristic is sometimes what makes owning a canary easier than any other type of bird or pet.  When you own a canary, you don’t have to feel guilty about leaving it alone all day or worry about spending quality time with them.

If you are planning on buying a canary, you should find a reputable breeder or be sure to check our Canary dedicated classifieds page.