Which parrot breed ?

[Juliette]

hi , so i have no idea where i should post this question .. im kind of new , but that isnt an excuse , anyway
im going to get a parrot pretty soon (i used to take care of my best friends african grey when she traveled , and she travels a lot , and for my grandmas lovebirds )
i fell in love with the chattering lory , and the eclectus parrot , i also like the conures and blue fronted amazons a lot ! i just have no idea which breed to take ...
i like birds the size of the amazon , is the chattering lory around the same size ?
or the eclectus ?
and which breed is "cuddly"
i have lots of time for a parrot , and plan on training it (flighted as well )
what are your experiences with these breeds , and which ones do you recommend ,
you can also recommend other breeds ( i do not mind special diets )
i would like an intelligent parrot , medium to large , cuddly , i know a parrot varies from parrot to parrot , but i would like to hear the experiences you have had with some of the breeds
thanks a lot :x3:

 

[Juliette]

ow and you may add the rainbow lorikeet to one of the parrots im considering

 

[Mizzely]

One main thing (besides talking ability) that you shouldn't base your decision on is cuddling! Cuddling varies so much. For instance, based on @April 's Nala I might think green cheek conures are cuddly. But based on my Koopa, they aren't. It is extremely variable between birds. A lot of it is personality, some of it is how they were raised. A bird who is very human bonded is more likely to be cuddly than a bird who is more bonded to birds or at the least is more independent.

So, if we take cuddling out of the equation, so far you want an intelligent parrot that is medium to large. That's not really narrowing it down

If you truly want a cuddly bird, buy an adult. Then you will already know the personality of the bird and if they are a cuddler. Most, if not all, babies are cuddly. My quaker was cuddly once - now he's an independent little stinker

What other things are you looking for in your companion? That will help us to help you narrow it down.

 

[Juliette]

One main thing (besides talking ability) that you shouldn't base your decision on is cuddling! Cuddling varies so much. For instance, based on @April 's Nala I might think green cheek conures are cuddly. But based on my Koopa, they aren't. It is extremely variable between birds. A lot of it is personality, some of it is how they were raised. A bird who is very human bonded is more likely to be cuddly than a bird who is more bonded to birds or at the least is more independent.

So, if we take cuddling out of the equation, so far you want an intelligent parrot that is medium to large. That's not really narrowing it down

If you truly want a cuddly bird, buy an adult. Then you will already know the personality of the bird and if they are a cuddler. Most, if not all, babies are cuddly. My quaker was cuddly once - now he's an independent little stinker

What other things are you looking for in your companion? That will help us to help you narrow it down.

i am looking for medium to large like i said , i love colorful parrots , but thats not so important i guess , i would love to have a parrot who just likes spending time training and stuff like that
i love parrots who talk , but that im not basing my decision on that , because its not so important for me , i heard a chattering lory and a rainbow lorikeet "talk" once , and i tought the sound they made were so cute , it wasnt clearly speaking , but more mumbling
i love the eclectus and chattering lory , i really have no idea which breed i should take , i love all the breeds i have mentioned before , and i am really scared of making mistakes or anything like that

 

[Juliette]

One main thing (besides talking ability) that you shouldn't base your decision on is cuddling! Cuddling varies so much. For instance, based on @April 's Nala I might think green cheek conures are cuddly. But based on my Koopa, they aren't. It is extremely variable between birds. A lot of it is personality, some of it is how they were raised. A bird who is very human bonded is more likely to be cuddly than a bird who is more bonded to birds or at the least is more independent.

So, if we take cuddling out of the equation, so far you want an intelligent parrot that is medium to large. That's not really narrowing it down

If you truly want a cuddly bird, buy an adult. Then you will already know the personality of the bird and if they are a cuddler. Most, if not all, babies are cuddly. My quaker was cuddly once - now he's an independent little stinker

What other things are you looking for in your companion? That will help us to help you narrow it down.

i would love to find out new things about the chattering lory , i really like them
i met a young one today , the breeder said it seemed to really like me , and it was like he "picked" me
he wasnt fully grown so i dont know the size of this bird, it was hand raised so really "cuddly" but like you said this may change when he grows up
but how big do these become ?

 

[Mizzely]

Baby birds are not very discerning when "picking" - they like everyone I do not know much about lories except that they aren't the bird for me - that liquid diet and liquid poop is not my thing!

Where are you located, also? that will help us narrow down what is a reasonable suggestion

 

[Juliette]

Baby birds are not very discerning when "picking" - they like everyone I do not know much about lories except that they aren't the bird for me - that liquid diet and liquid poop is not my thing!

Where are you located, also? that will help us narrow down what is a reasonable suggestion

haha , im in the country of the parrots ! BRAZIL
why are all parrots so perfect ? they make it difficult for us haha

 

[Despicio]

Of the species that you mention, I think that the conure would be the best bet. Amazons tend to be hormonal (although it does vary between species), eclectus are very complicated to feed and can be prone to problems like toe tapping, they're also not generally cuddly. I don't know much about lorikeets other than they tend to be messy and loud.

Conures, especially species like the jenday are also loud but are easier to feed and I think that they often like attention. I think that they're also intelligent and fairly easy to train but can be nippy like most parrots. Blue-throated conures are in your size range but are quieter because they're Pyrrhura conures. Just avoid patagonian conures, they seem to do very badly as pets.

I don't know if you can get them in Brazil but the Poicephalus parrots (senegals, meyer's, jardine's) are very nice birds. They don't often like to be enclosed in a cuddle but will often spend time sitting on a shoulder or arm and generally love having their head fussed. They're quiet (for parrots), intelligent and normally quite easy to train. They're also less prone to plucking than many other species but some can be 'one person birds' so good training and socialisation is a must.

 

[Juliette]

Of the species that you mention, I think that the conure would be the best bet. Amazons tend to be hormonal (although it does vary between species), eclectus are very complicated to feed and can be prone to problems like toe tapping, they're also not generally cuddly. I don't know much about lorikeets other than they tend to be messy and loud.

Conures, especially species like the jenday are also loud but are easier to feed and I think that they often like attention. I think that they're also intelligent and fairly easy to train but can be nippy like most parrots. Blue-throated conures are in your size range but are quieter because they're Pyrrhura conures. Just avoid patagonian conures, they seem to do very badly as pets.

I don't know if you can get them in Brazil but the Poicephalus parrots (senegals, meyer's, jardine's) are very nice birds. They don't often like to be enclosed in a cuddle but will often spend time sitting on a shoulder or arm and generally love having their head fussed. They're quiet (for parrots), intelligent and normally quite easy to train. They're also less prone to plucking than many other species but some can be 'one person birds' so good training and socialisation is a must.

Thanks ! And i have already decided im going for a conure , i just dont know which one sun and jenday i really like ! But im affraid my parents wont like the noise ... i dont mind it but maybe my parents will ... is it difficult to get them to scream less ?

 

[Mizzely]

Thanks ! And i have already decided im going for a conure , i just dont know which one sun and jenday i really like ! But im affraid my parents wont like the noise ... i dont mind it but maybe my parents will ... is it difficult to get them to scream less ?

Depends on what you mean by less. Birds will always scream as it is part of their nature to do so.

 

[Juliette]

Depends on what you mean by less. Birds will always scream as it is part of their nature to do so.

Morning screams and before sleep , etc ... some screaming is normal , i just heard that sun amd jenday tend to do it more then most parrots ... i dont really mind it , but is there a way to get them to scream less , would placing lots of toys , and hiding treats in their cage help ?

 

[Timmy&Crash]

Thanks ! And i have already decided im going for a conure , i just dont know which one sun and jenday i really like ! But im affraid my parents wont like the noise ... i dont mind it but maybe my parents will ... is it difficult to get them to scream less ?

I don't know about the Jenday but had a GF with a Sun once and it was very loud and screamed a lot.

 

[alcmene]

I have a sun. I love her more then life itself. I would run in to a burning building to save her. But the sounds she is capable of making

She doesn't sound off often. But when she decides to- heaven help you. I have several acres of property, so my house is about a block away from my mailbox. When she is screaming, I can hear her from inside the house with the windows closed all the way at my mailbox.

 

[MissingMango]

I used to have a Sun growing up. He was the most awesome bird ever, but was SOOOOOO LOUD. Like ear drum shattering loud! He didn't scream all day, but morning, if anyone came or left, and night time he would. I would love another one someday, but I know my husband couldn't handle the noise. A Sun Conure is really something everyone in the house would have to be ok with. I would recommend watching YouTube videos of "Screaming Sun Conure" with your parents, and then see if it is something you can all handle. Better yet, maybe try to visit a breeder and see if it something you can all live with. Other than the noise, he was amazing though and I will always have a very special place in my heart for him.

 

[alcmene]

I HIGHLY suggest heading over to the lorikeet board and checking out @JAM's post about her daily cleaning requirements before even thinking about acquiring a lorie or lorikeet. All birds are messy, but lories take it to a whole new level. I think it's the rare person who could deal with that amount of disaster on a daily basis.

 

[alcmene]

Thanks ! And i have already decided im going for a conure , i just dont know which one sun and jenday i really like ! But im affraid my parents wont like the noise ... i dont mind it but maybe my parents will ... is it difficult to get them to scream less ?

Personality-wise, Sun and Jenday conures are virtually identical. They are species whose genetics are so close, that they easily and readily hybridize. The biggest difference is color. There are subtle differences, but the personality characteristics are going to hold true for pretty much all species of aratinga conures (there is no such thing as bird "breeds," only species).

Aratingas are a great size (not too big or too little), and they tend not to be aggressive around other birds. I have a book that describes suns as "stunning plumage, extraordinary disposition, and exceptional quality in a companion," and I completely agree. They are smart and energetic- which makes them great trick birds. They're more forgiving then a lot of other species. If you make one mistake you haven't ruined your relationship with your aratinga forever (which might not be true for, say, a cockatoo or an amazon). They are (in general) very affectionate, cuddly, hands on birds. They're clownish and silly in a completely endearing way. They are very charismatic and just completely charming. I think they have the best most loving, playful, wonderful personality of all parrots. I would never be without one.

On the down side- they are LOUD. Ear splittingly LOUD. If one is on your shoulder and happens to sound off, it's like a bullet to your brain. I am fairly certain that I have some permanent hearing damage from them shrieking directly in to my ear like that (and i don't mean that as a joking exaggeration, I mean it literally). Their vocalizations are horrible in volume, quantity, and quality. The don't have a cute little twitter or a whistle. The most common sound the make is an extremely shrill EEK EEK that you can feel reverberate in the roots of your teeth. A lot of species of birds vocalize frequently (like budgies or lovebirds). They keep up a pretty constant, never ending stream of chatter. But they aren't loud. Other species of birds (like macaws) have a lot of volume, but don't tend to vocalize often beyond the standard morning and evening calls that nearly all birds make. Aratinga conures have both issues- they vocalize frequently and with an absurd amount of volume (with a bonus of their call being unpleasant). Watch all the you tube videos you can of aratingas screaming- be sure to turn your speakers all the way up! But even that won't do it justice to what it sounds like in person.

Pyrrhura conures (like Green Cheeks) have a reputation for being quiet. But I completely disagree. I think they are QUIETER then their aratinga cousins. But that's sort of like saying a bullhorn is quieter then a chain saw. Pyrrhuras also tend to be less cuddly and more nippy then aratingas.

IMO, there is no parrot that has a better personality then an aratinga conure (and I'm especially partial to suns because of their exceptional beauty). They are cuddly and playful- they are just the whole package personality wise. BUT if you (or anyone in your household) is sensitive to noise- an aratinga IS NOT for you. And, truthfully, a pyrrhura probably isn't either.

The number 1 reason conures are rehomed is because their owners couldn't take the noise. But you decide the noise won't bother you and you get a conure. And it doesn't bother you- hurray! A perfect match! But hold on there- when acquiring one, please keep in mind that they live for 30 years. If the noise doesn't bother you NOW, what about 10 years from now when you, for example, decide to start a family. Does it bother you now that you have a baby in the house who's trying to nap?

 

[alcmene]

Upon a little bit of reflection, I think I should probably cut and paste the above post in to the "Good, Bad, and Ugly" thread.

 

[BeakyBird]

Everyone pretty much hit the nail on the head as far as birds go. I think everyone ideally wants a bird to cuddle with them, but it all depends. My Ollie cuddles with me, but my Ducky does not. And I think any bird has the capability to become cuddly or bonded to you, as long as you have the capability to be patient and understanding. Unlike dogs and cats who come home ready to love you and set the AWWWW factor in your heart, birds play hard to get. Sometimes, really hard to get!

 

[SueA555]

My Jardines is a wonderful bird, and cuddles when he is in the mood. When he isn't, he won't. He is fairly quiet, and a little smaller than an Amazon. He is definitely a one person bird.