What Parrot Should I get?

[Ekkieluva]

I am torn between A Hahn's Macaw, Blue Crown Conure, and an African Grey.
I have a son who is 13, and its me and my husband. We want a bird that talks real well, and that is not too demanding. We want one that is more on the quiet side. ( Which talks better Hahn's or BCC) We had an Eclectus so we have experience. It should be playful but less demanding and it should be independent enough that it could spend like2-4 hours by itself.
You can recommend any bird but it would be better if you recommend one of those three.
Thank you so much and all suggestions are appreciated

 

[GlassOnion]

I would say that the Hahn's Macaw is very demanding and from what others have said here, they don't do well caged in comparison to many other species as well as being naturally very nippy.

Macaws and Conures are noted for being *very* loud with their shrill screams. Have you looked into Poicephalus parrots at all? I would recommend a Red Bellied parrot since you're looking for a good talker.

 

[Shade]

Even if a species as a whole is known to be potential good talkers, not all individual birds within the species will talk. Is there anything else you would consider important as to not be disappointed if you get a none-talker?

 

[Karighan]

There's also a red-bellied up for adoption in the Rehome Highway!

 

[IggyPepito]

Well, from those three you've listed I would not consider them to be "quiet." Every bird makes noise. You'd have to personally inquire about the bird you are looking into buying or adopting and ask about it's noise level because it does vary on the bird. Some can be loud all the time because they are chatty or some can just be loud sometimes. Out of the Hahns and BCC I *think* the Hahns talks better from what I have read. Not sure though because I know that BCC's can talk well too. African Greys are sooooo smart and can be taught a wide variety of words and sentences. If it were me I would go for a AG but that's just me. The birds you have listed are loud, but if they are socialized, raised, and trained properly they won't be screamers. I don't really know what you mean by them being quiet though. To me a quiet bird would be a cockatiel or a green cheek conure. Cockatiels like to whistle and chatter but are quiet. Green cheek conures can be a little loud when they want to be but most of the time they are quiet. I have a green cheek conure and I did have a cockatiel.

If you do decide on one of those three make sure you do lots of research and prepare for loud calls from them. =) They each are wonderful birds though and if I could I would own all three! BCC was my first choice but they are very loud so I decided otherwise.

Happy Bird Researching!!

 

[Euphoria]

i think it would be a good idea to visit some of thes birds and see which one likes you and your family. i dont know if u plan on geting a baby or an adult bird but i alw find its great to let the birds pick you, sunni choose me.

 

[Cupcake]

Just FYI - African Greys are not that quiet. I need to video my baby Grey, who is 5 months. She is screeching her fool head off right now. She's quite happy, you can tell. She's flapping away, screeching, squawking, yelling, having a grand old time!

I, too, love the birds that have the ability to talk, but I wouldn't care if she talked or not. She is a wonderful bird. She is a lot of work, though. I won't lie. I cook for her twice a day and clean her cage, which is HUGE by the way.

The initial expense for her breaks down like this:

Bird - $900
Shipping - $130
Cage - $600
Food - around $4-5/lb. I buy 2-5 lbs at a time.
Perches - $50+ (various rope/natural branches)
Toys - $200 (at least - I plan on purchasing more shortly - she loves loves loves to chew/shred)
Bird Scale - $60 (a necessity to maintain an idea of how they're gaining/eating.)

I adore her, though and I would spend a million dollars on her............she's worth every penny.

Good luck with your decision!

~Ann~

 

[Ekkieluva]

Which parrot talks better redbellied or senegal parrot?

 

[Shade]

Which parrot talks better redbellied or senegal parrot?

Again, it depends on the individual parrot.
Red-bellieds have the best reputation for talking within the small Poicephalus but it doesn't mean that all will. I have two - and neither of them is really all that strong in using human words. They mumble a lot in some incomprehensible gibberish which I find cuter to be honest. My Senegal used to say quite a few words and one day decided to stop. She might start again one day but it's up to her.

If really hoping to get a parrot that talks, you might be going on a path leading to you being disappointed.

 

[cosmolove]

If you are wanting a talker I would go around to rescues and meet some birds. Meet some blue crowns, meet some greys, and meet some other birds that you may have not considered. Adopting a bird that can already talk is really the only garuntee that your bird will talk. I know many greys that do not talk.

There is also a huge difference when you go from bird to bird about how well they will talk. For instance my BCC talks very clear.....

but here's what most BCCs sound like....

[video=youtube;k1NnvNFr86E]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1NnvNFr86E&feature=related[/video]

So you can never really gaurentee what you're going to get. It all depends on the bird and you can not tell that in a baby bird. Now although I love BCCs they are certainly not for everyone, but out of the list you mentioned they sound like the best fit IMO. I just think conures are more forgiving/ Although BCCs are known for being screamers. Now mine doesn't scream, but it all depends on the bird. With any bird you will find some are more demanding than others. Ralphie is very clingy of me. He wants to be with me all the time which doesn't bother me but I don't think there is such thing as a non demanding bird.

 

[IggyPepito]

Which parrot talks better redbellied or senegal parrot?

If you are looking for a parrot based on just it's talking ability you are setting yourself up for disappointment. Not all birds talk. Some species have better chances of talking than other but it does not mean that individual bird will talk. I do not think you should go about getting a bird thinking it may talk. Go about getting a bird thinking it will be the best companion animal you've got! Who cares if the bird talks or not. With it's funny antics and loving nature your bird will have your heart no matter what. Just think about it.