-Best Parrot For Me?-

[roxexotics]

Hiya Everyone! I'm wondering what parrot would suit me best. I've made a post already in Lovebird Lane, explaining about my new found love for birds after hand rearing and caring for a black bird who stole my heart. He was my best friend, and baby all in one. I loved him so much..Sadly he passed away in January 2018. I was heartbroken and still am, its taken 7 long months to start looking into another bird I could give my heart too, and now I'm thinking seriously about which birds may be right for me.

My Family and I are willing to put a lot of time and effort in to the bird, and he/she will be part of the family. We will be getting a hand reared, hand tame baby We want a bird that's not too small, that can go around the house and be part of the family, thats got loads of personality and will bond with me in particular but will get along with my family too. Intelligence is another good thing. And they'd need to want to spend a good amount of time with me We can offer a large cage for nightime, good diet and loads of toys and activities.
I'd like a cuddly, playful, funny, affectionate bird. My Mom would prefer medium-large parrot if possible!

Would an Indian Ringneck, Green Cheek Conure, Cockatiel, Love Bird, African Grey, Amazon or Caique Work for us? What other birds would be good? I have done research on most of these birds, but will take at least 6 months of extensive and thorough research once we've picked a bird that's right for us!

Thank you so much!!

 

[aooratrix]

There is no guarantee with whom a bird will bond. You can be the primary caregiver, and the bird may still choose someone else. And that could change again, years down the road. Parrots change as they age, just like people.

All parrots are intelligent, so that's covered. Depending on the age of your kids, I'd recommend against an Amazon, especially a male. In my experience, amazons can get really worked up by the energy of kids. The species you listed are all over the board in terms of size and general temperament. If I were you, I'd lean towards a cockatiel or a greencheek conure. They're good family birds, especially once you get past the juvenile nippy stage greencheeks go through. You need to visit lots of birds and find the species YOU fall in love with, since you're getting a baby. If you're lucky, a baby will choose you.

 

[roxexotics]

Yeah, I have heard of that happening! I wouldn't mind too much though

Ok Thank you for the info! I will look into those two more I'll try meet a few different species, and babies and see who I fall in love with, and who picks me to live with hehe!

 

[hedylarue]

A parrotlet or cockatiel can be great with a lot of people if you all spend time with him/her and you have people over your house regularly so it gets used to variety. With a parrotlet I've found it's best to get them right after weaning and spend a lot of time with them right out of the gate because they can be hard to tame if they are not handled and socialized really early on. I love green cheeks but I think they are more intense than people sometimes expect and mine was a one person bird despite our best efforts which can be hard in a family setting...he attacked everyone else but was my little angel! I know there are going to be people that say...my green cheek is chill and my parrotlet is super aggressive...so you never can be 100%. But everyone loved my first parrotlet...that bird was a gem...he did everything with us. One thing...even though they are tiny, they still need at least a cockatiel sized cage...they are pretty active little guys.

 

[roxexotics]

Yeah I have heard about GCCs being lil monsters sometimes, but I am definitely up for the challenge. I think its between Lovebird, GCC and Cockatiel atm...I do have a feeling that I might end up with them all at some stage..Lol.

Question; What is the best food on amazon uk, For Cockatiel, and for GCC and for lovebirds? Just so i know

 

[sunnysmom]

Welcome to the forum!

 

[roxexotics]

Thank you! I love it here already hehe.

 

[hedylarue]

Yeah I have heard about GCCs being lil monsters sometimes, but I am definitely up for the challenge. I think its between Lovebird, GCC and Cockatiel atm...I do have a feeling that I might end up with them all at some stage..Lol.

Question; What is the best food on amazon uk, For Cockatiel, and for GCC and for lovebirds? Just so i know

I adored my GCC but he literally hunted my husband...lol.

You'll get a lot of opinions on diet probably. Each bird species has different requirements and a lot will depend on what the bird is weaned onto because you'll have to feed them that, at least initially. I love Dr Harvey's mixes. If you want pellets, I like Harrisons and Roudybush but some parrot stores also have some non-dye pellet mixes they make that are great. I like nutriberries too if you have a bird that just won't eat plain pellets and you want to get some in their diet. All birds should have fresh fruits and veggies. I've never had a tiel or a lovebird, but with a GCC, whatever you do don't give them a primary mix that includes sunflower seeds because they will become crazy little addicts for them. Best to save those as treats and training tools...and hide them well b/c my little bugger would search for my stashes and eat them all in one sitting if he found them!

 

[BirdManDan]

Roxi!!!

THE I HOPE YOU ENJOY THE AVENUE!! WE'RE A BUNCH OF ANIMAL LOVERS HERE!! HOPE YOU FIT RIGHT IN!!

 

[BirdManDan]

We are bird lovers of any kind but I'm partial to big birds,r with Macaws being my favorite. Probably not the best choice for a newbie but it can be done, they were my first two birds we rescued. Another fun choice is the Black Headed Caique.

 

[Aviana]

I've never had a tiel or a lovebird, but with a GCC, whatever you do don't give them a primary mix that includes sunflower seeds because they will become crazy little addicts for them. Best to save those as treats and training tools...and hide them well b/c my little bugger would search for my stashes and eat them all in one sitting if he found them!

I have always avoided sunflower seeds at all for that reason. My lovebird never got sunflowers, and my GCC does not get them now. I have been giving my little turkey Harrison's and Nutriberries. He gets veggies and fruit every day, too, though he does not always eat it. I have gotten him to eat bell peppers and sprouts. Other things (carrots, salad greens) he seems to shred without eating. Grains have been rejected (brown rice, couscous, whole grain pasta) for now; I will keep trying. I do sneak him some non-sunflower seeds as treats, and a small piece of walnut every few days. Sweet potato was a no-go, too. I will keep trying to interest him in healthful foods. Sometimes I can trick him by eating it from his plate, but only for a bite or two.

 

[tka]

If you're in Ireland, you're better off ordering from a specialist parrot site - I've found Amazon really dubious in terms of pricing and quality. A lot of the foods are overpriced and listings for toys etc can be inaccurate. The two sites listed below are UK-based and ship to Ireland, although shipping may be higher than for the (mainland) UK. You might have to contact them and clarify shipping costs if you're in Northern Ireland.

Scarletts Parrot Essentials - Toys, Cages, Stands and More! | scarletts parrot
Parrot Supplies | Parrot Shop | Parrot Accessories – Northern Parrots

Scarletts is the only UK stockist of Roudybush, and both sites sell a range of other foods including Harrisons, Nutriberries, TOPS, Zupreem and so on. Smaller birds tend to favour a smaller pellet size, especially if they don't use their feet to hold a pellet. It can be a case of trial and error - I've tried Leia on five types of pellet and she'll eat two kinds. I personally prefer Roudybush because it doesn't have artificial colourings, doesn't have added sugar and it's one of the two she'll eat.

The birds you mention are all very, very different in terms of characteristics. I would recommend checking the species forums for each, especially the "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" pinned threads.

 

[iamwhoiam]

Welcome to AA. So sorry for the loss of your black bird. When looking for a feathered friend best thing to do is go out and actually meet with various types of birds. Also, continue to research and take time to read the Good, Bad and Ugly stickies on the different bird forums here. In addition to the birds you have listed also check out Poicephalus (Senegals, red-bellied parrots, etc).

 

[Garet]

I'm sorry to hear about your lovebird.

I love my tiel, but she isn't exactly the smartest flockmate. Don't get me wrong, she's not dumb, but she has what I like to call her blonde moments.

I really do love her, though. Tiels are absolutely lovely birds.

 

[Cynthia & Percy]

welcome

 

[roxexotics]

Thanks for all the replies! I'll check out those sites, stickies and birds

Thanks for all the help, it means a lot

 

[Macawnutz]

 

[expressmailtome]

Welcome, and enjoy the site!