Help deciding on a new bird!

[Beaky5000]

Hello everybody! My wife and I are trying to decide on a bird and thought people might be able to give us some advice. We had a Rosey Bourke for 3 years who we really loved, but unfortunately he had been sick since we first got him and despite the best medical care, he died a few months ago. We're looking for a new bird and even after doing lots of research, we can't decide what would be best! Some considerations: - We live in an apartment and so don't want something overly loud - My wife works from home and has lots of time to spend with the bird but there is a possibility that she will get a job in the office at some point in the more distant future. - We don't want to get more than one bird, ideally we'd like to just get one and have a very strong bond with them. - We do not have kids but will probably have them within the next 5 years or so We've looked at another Bourke, at Linnies, Cockatiels, and Green-Cheeked Conures. Any advice on from other bird owners?

 

[charlieboy]

Cockatiels would be fitting I believe, though some can be loud. Budgies would be good too! I don't know much about other species unfortunately

 

[FLmom]

How about a Senegal?

 

[Kodigirl210]

Green checks are super active & super loving. We live in an apartment and she does scream occasionally but it is always very low pitched. We also have an African Grey which make good apartment birds. If you are looking for a smaller one as @FLmom suggested poicephalus is a good group. I’ve owned both a Senegal & a Rüppell. They were both fairly quiet & still quite loving. They were easy to train and usually slept on my pillow. The only issue I had with them both is they were super phobic. Things that didn’t bother them one day became the monster in the closet the next. I just prefer larger birds so I got the CAG whole my daughter likes smaller beaks so she got the GCC. I would recommend all 3-for apartments.

 

[Beaky5000]

Thanks, everyone! FLmom and Kodigirl210, we hadn't considered Senegals because we had read that they can be difficult around children, have either of you experienced any of issues along those lines?

 

[Brittany0208]

Have you considered going to a rescue and interacting with a few species? You may find one that you hadn't considered.

 

[sunnysmom]

Welcome! Sorry about your Bourke. If you like Bourkes, cockatiels are very similar in temperament- laid back etc. Generally, not overly loud and quite affectionate.

 

[Kodigirl210]

@Beaky5000 - the Senegal I had was a rescue. She came from a family of 3-girls ages 3,7,10y. All 3-girls could handle Roxie & the 10y actually spent time training her. Unfortunately Roxie had several underlying health issues & passed away. She weighed less than 80g & was only 6” along with missing 3.5 toes. The Rüppells are more rare but also definitely a gentle poi & we also found the Rüppell to be very quiet, calm & interacted with everyone. We got him from a pet store & think he had an illness before we got him. Hard to say. We took him to the vet when we got him but he also passed not too long after. It broke our hearts. After that I was determined not to d o a rescue that hadn’t been thoroughly vetted nor by from a pet store. I spent several months searching & we got our new girls from private breeders. While Sif still has some physical issues, it’s nothing like the prior birds & both girls are thriving. Believe me when I say they got tested for everything. View attachment 294494 View attachment 294498

 

[MnGuy]

I'll also vote for a poicephalus. I had a Meyer's in an apartment, and never had any complaints. She wasn't loud for extended periods of time, but had her moments. I also had a CAG in an apartment for a while, and although she didn't call or screech for extended periods of the day, her sheer size compared to the Meyer's meant that her calls were louder, and my upstairs neighbor was not happy about that.

I like the idea of birds having bird companions, and would like to adopt a bird that got along with my CAG. (My Meyer's has since passed.) However, if you only want one bird, I'd suggest adopting an older bird from a rescue that is know to like being an only bird.

My Meyer's was my first bird, and she hated my CAG. I didn't know that about her. I love my CAG, but in retrospect, had I known that my Meyer's, who I adopted, hated other birds, I would have gladly kept her as an only bird.

Good luck.

 

[Kodigirl210]

@MnGuy - I think it just depends on the CAG. One of the reasons I looked at a Conure was my friend at work has a Conure & CAG. They actually get along so well that they live in the same cage. The breeder we got our Conure from also has a rescue CAG. While Willy doesn’t interact with the resident conures, neither does he bother them. I believe he enjoys their company at a distance lol. Same for Sif. She likes another bird around as long as Isen stays in “her territory.”

 

[Dona]

I have a 1 year old Linnie and she is a joy. To address some of your needs, she is very quiet. We live in a condo and it was a concern for me as well when I choose a bird to live with us here. She occasionally contact calls and I answer, then her immediate answer is soft and then it stops. She chortles and buzzes, does trick whistles and kisses, all pretty quietly. She is very interested in my little grandchildren and spends lots of time on the bottom of the cage to get closer to them when they visit, so I think she's a good fit for a family with kids. Many say that Linnies are best kept in pairs but my Gigi is thriving, so IMHO a single Linnie is fine. We are retired and are around a lot, giving her lots of attention. Her personality is just amazing. She's all parrot, but gentler and quieter than most, with just the right amount of sass.

I'm so sorry you lost your Bourke. Good luck with your decision!

 

[Tiel Feathers]

I’m so sorry about your bourke. I think cockatiels make wonderful little companions. They are usually pretty laid back, not generally nippy, tend not be one person birds, and are often not too loud. The females tend to be more affectionate and quieter than the males, but of course all of this depends on the individual bird.

 

[Beaky5000]

Thanks, everyone for all of your great advice and for our kind words about our wonderful little Bourke. This is definitely giving us a lot to think about! We had previously considered going to a rescue (there seem to be a few not too far from us) but we thought we had too many restrictions to be able to help a bird there. This now makes us think we have a bit more flexibility in the type of bird we could get, so we can check out the rescues! Especially good point to see if there are any birds there who are known to like being only birds. Hearing everyone else's experiences with these different birds is so helpful!

@Kodigirl210 so sorry to hear about your loss of Roxie and your Rüppells. Having a bird with those kinds of underlying health issues and not being able to save them is just so heartbreaking.

 

[BlueDoraBarry]

I've heard that Eclectus parrots are quiet and family-friendly. But every parrot is an individual.

 

[Fergus Mom]

I just wanted to say good luck on your choice, and I hope you find the perfect feathered family member for your family.

 

[Beaky5000]

@BlueDoraBarry Eclectus parrots are so beautiful! I think they're just bigger than we'd be able to handle, sadly. Our current apartment might be big enough, but we're not likely to always have enough space. I've always wanted a big parrot, but I would never bring one home knowing that I might not be able to give it everything it needs to be truly healthy and happy!

Thanks, everyone for all of the advice so far! We're really enjoying hearing other peoples' experiences and ideas!