Finally able to get a parrot! what parrot should i get???

[Lady Jane]

Are you prepared to take on the financial responsibilities of parrot ownership, especially medical?

 

[.........]

I know this is different to what you are asking, but have you considered aviary birds?
From my experience, the hardest things in owning birds come from the birds being human-dependent. Biting, not getting along with all the family, pair-bonding to a human, feather-plucking/self mutilation because of stress/boredom stemming from people, not wanting anything to do with the main caretaker, ect ect, but the point is 99% of bird behaviour problems will come from a bird that is human dependent.
A flock of birds in an aviary/large flight cage are self dependent, meaning that as long as there is somebody to maintain them (food, water, vet care, cleaning) they will keep themselves occupied, they do not require anything else as long as they are taken care of and given adequate space and enrichment. They will get their social needs from the other birds, be able to express natural hormones without being a menace to people, interact with the other birds in a semi-natural flock setting, toys such as shredding and foraging toys will provide enrichment as well as just having many places to go, many perches to fly to, and they will keep fit and healthy by flying as much as they like.
The problem with this to many people is that they do not accept a bird for what they are, but set standards of what they want from a bird, such as not biting, not being nesty, being cuddly, ect. A keeper of aviary birds has to accept them for what they are, and enjoy birds being birds, to me this leads to a better, healthier and more fulfilled life for the bird, because it is allowed to be a bird, and is not expected to be anything else for the sake of the owner, and less behaviour problems also means it is easier for the caretaker.
This would mean the upfront cost of having birds would be higher (more birds = more food eaten, an aviary is more expensive than a cage, ect) but in my experience a much better birdkeeping experience for the person and the birds. This would also mean, as long as you have a back up caretaker/person in your family who is happy to take care of the birds, it doesn't matter if you have to go to college, or don't have time to take care of the birds, because the birds will still be happy and don't need to be rehomed.
As for birds I would recommend in this setup, most birds can work in in an aviary, but budgies, lovebirds, cockatiels are the ones this immediately come to mind.
But, this is just my opinion, so each to their own, you do you.

 

[sophieb821]

Since you're in middle school I don't recommend getting anything bigger than a conure.
Canary-winged parakeets
Canary-winged parakeets are harder to find and could cost up to $900. Canary-winged parakeets could also become one-person birds.
Green Cheek Conure
Green Cheek conures are readily available and cost around $600. Conures can become more "Family Birds".
Indian Ringnecks
@sophieb821
Alexandrine Parakeet
@sophieb821
I can't tell what bird is right for you, but I think the best option for you is a Green Cheek. I hope this helps

@poppy_15 how exiting to get a parrot!!! I’m my opinion I wouldn’t recommend an alexandrine. When I first got an alexandrine it was the first slightly larger parrot I had purchased, they are amazing and affectionate, talk regularly and are good family birds (but they can become bonded with a certain person) however they are not a cuddly bird and are quite noisy, like all parrots are. They also have a break strength as strong as a macaw, I did not look into this before I purchased my alexandrine.

Indian ringneck are very similar to alexandrines. But they have a much smaller beak and is much smaller in general. They are perhaps more noisy. They can be easy to train but you will have to put in work.

i agree with @Kiwi's Dad, a conure would be a lovely companion

 

[Sparkles99]

Personally, I think that if you're open to suggestions, you should consider the so called 'littles': budgies, cockatiels & lovebirds.

 

[Emma&pico]

Personally, I think that if you're open to suggestions, you should consider the so called 'littles': budgies, cockatiels & lovebirds.

I would agree too my budgie Henry was amazing introduction to bird ownership
Gizmo my cockatiel wasn’t though
Lovebirds are a lot more feisty than budgies I would say

 

[Animallover03]

thank you for the tips! i am in middle school do you have any species recommendations?

Honestly no, because even if I recommend a species every bird is an individual. Your best bet really is going to a rescue and getting experience with different species and their care/noise levels, and perhaps there a little birdy will choose you! The advantage of a rescue bird is generally you will know their personality going into it, compared to getting a baby where they change so much as they hit maturity.
It is very difficult for me to ensure my birds have a safe place to be as I currently live in dorms and obviously cannot bring them with. An apartment in this town unfortunately is also not an option as it is a small town and the rent is very expensive as it's a tourist town in the summer and popular for ice fishing/winter activities in the winter. This means that my mom cares for Grumbles, which she is totally okay with, and Levi lives with a friend of mine who was also a volunteer at the Iowa Parrot Rescue and has other large birds. Levi hates my mom for no reason and so it is not fair to her or my mom to be there. Luckily she is in love with my friend (who is more like a second family than a friend, I'm like their kid they never had) and my friend is more than happy to care for her as long as needed. Not everyone is this fortunate however, and if this weren't my circumstances I would have had to either attend a different college or find a new home for my babies (which I refuse to do, I chose them and it is only fair to them to stick with them). In middle school I realized I would have to care for them but my plans were very different from what I actually ended up doing in terms of college. I also spent my junior year of high school in Germany and same thing there, if I didn't have such wonderful resources I could never have experienced the wonderful exchange year I did.
I am not trying to scare you away from parrots I just want you to understand I was once like you and life changes a whole lot more than you'd expect in even a few short years. Not only do you have to consider the financial and care burden of parrots you also have to consider the fact that life is so unpredictable and if you don't have people who support you/your birds it is going to be 10000x harder. Even something as small as having a parent who is willing to drive you to the vet if your bird is acting off or needs a yearly checkup can make a world of difference.

Despite all of that, have you considered cockatiels? The ones I have met are not really loud, kinda just a lot of whistles and if they do bite it is not the end of the world as it is with a bigger beak. They also tend to be more easy going and may be more friendly with more than just one person. My conure was extremely friendly as a baby but now as a 6 year old is super selective and will bite.. HARD. I know a lot more cockatiels who tend to be more chill and they might be not super comfortable with new people but they will be more accepting than an ornery conure may be. The smaller beak also means less potential for destruction (although they still most certainly can destroy) and most conures are crazy playful and want a big space to fly/hop around and destroy stuff and will probably play with every toy you put in their area. Again it is certainly up to the individual bird, 100% but these are the generalizations based on what I've experienced over years of volunteering at a parrot rescue and living with parrots. That is why I highly recommend visiting a rescue if in any way possible. From there you will also learn a lot about living with parrots and what they require which obviously is really important and its hard to know what to expect until you really spend time around these guys.

 

[FeatheredM]

Have you considered adopting a budgie? A budgie deos not have the life expectancy of 50 years. But budgies are so fun, mine are still popping out of their shells and their personalities are so quirky! They have so much energy, and by getting one, he or she will probably bond with you with enough effort. Budgies are very underestimated, but a budgie is a parrot just like a macaw is, they just are different sizes and different personality traits, that make it just depend on how much biting, mess and screaming you can handle. Don't get a bird that will live past the time when you must leave home.

 

[TikiMyn]

I know this is different to what you are asking, but have you considered aviary birds?
From my experience, the hardest things in owning birds come from the birds being human-dependent. Biting, not getting along with all the family, pair-bonding to a human, feather-plucking/self mutilation because of stress/boredom stemming from people, not wanting anything to do with the main caretaker, ect ect, but the point is 99% of bird behaviour problems will come from a bird that is human dependent.
A flock of birds in an aviary/large flight cage are self dependent, meaning that as long as there is somebody to maintain them (food, water, vet care, cleaning) they will keep themselves occupied, they do not require anything else as long as they are taken care of and given adequate space and enrichment. They will get their social needs from the other birds, be able to express natural hormones without being a menace to people, interact with the other birds in a semi-natural flock setting, toys such as shredding and foraging toys will provide enrichment as well as just having many places to go, many perches to fly to, and they will keep fit and healthy by flying as much as they like.
The problem with this to many people is that they do not accept a bird for what they are, but set standards of what they want from a bird, such as not biting, not being nesty, being cuddly, ect. A keeper of aviary birds has to accept them for what they are, and enjoy birds being birds, to me this leads to a better, healthier and more fulfilled life for the bird, because it is allowed to be a bird, and is not expected to be anything else for the sake of the owner, and less behaviour problems also means it is easier for the caretaker.
This would mean the upfront cost of having birds would be higher (more birds = more food eaten, an aviary is more expensive than a cage, ect) but in my experience a much better birdkeeping experience for the person and the birds. This would also mean, as long as you have a back up caretaker/person in your family who is happy to take care of the birds, it doesn't matter if you have to go to college, or don't have time to take care of the birds, because the birds will still be happy and don't need to be rehomed.
As for birds I would recommend in this setup, most birds can work in in an aviary, but budgies, lovebirds, cockatiels are the ones this immediately come to mind.
But, this is just my opinion, so each to their own, you do you.

I can attest to this, I keep my birds mostly in an aviary setting(bird room inside) and they can take me or leave me. Half is very tame, other half I haven’t invested much time in ‘taming’ them. Still all of them come to me and are a joy to have around. But not being able to give them the attention they could require for a couple days, was not a problem for them. In my teenage years that was a relief, I would feel horrible when leaving them by themselves for an evening in the beginning, but they were fine and not even be overly happy when I was back.

I adopted my first cockatiel and shortly after that Henkie(lovie who thankfully is still with me) when I just turned 11, I am now 22 almost 23. It has not been easy, you can’t predict what life will be like when you’re young. Everything turned out well for me and my flock, but it was far from an easy road. I wouldn’t wish it any other way, but keep in mind if the road gets though for you, your birds will pick up on it. Not all of them respond to that in the same way, or handle it well. It is almost sure at one point in your life, you will find the birds fit less in your life then before. That doesn’t mean you should give up, but it may become harder to care well for them and especially in those instances I believe it best they have a same species friend so they don’t rely on you enterily. But two birds is extra work and cost etc, so that is also a consideration.

 

[Tinta]

I recommend:
Budgie - best talker, world record for largest vocab, often overlooked, tons of colors, very manageable size
Cockatiel - pretty cuddly/seems to enjoy handling, lovely whistling, less screamy, a good size (biggest on this list)
Lovebird - Cute, good size, tons of colors
Parrotlet - The chihuahua of birds, small body, big personality, the chirps are not as painful as a lovie
GCC - tons of personality, fun to watch, lots of colors

 

[poppy_15]

thank you for all your input! at this point i am only able to get 1 maybe 2 birds with the space and time we have currently

 

[poppy_15]

any views on Meyers/segnals?

probably leaning to Gc, Irn, love bird, meyers or canary winged?

 

[Sparkles99]

Given these options, I'm on team lovebird.

 

[TikiMyn]

Lovies are not super quiet, although their call is not as loud. One of mine has a call when used close to your ear it makes them ring! Some people have been known to be very sensitive to their calls, I would definitely go and listen to some videos of their call. Mine are usually very active in morning and evening, like most birds, but some days they chatter all day long. One my birds is fairly sensitive to stress and then he screams, for example the day after a vet visit he might scream for a couple hours. I try and distract him with foraging, attention, toys. He wants nothing to do with that and will just be very vocal that day to be back to his normal self the next. These are traits of individuals of course, but might help you prepare
they are amazing little birds, very headstrong and active. Personally I wouldn’t choose to keep one by him/herself, although I have seen lots of lovies on the Avenue who do just fine by themselves.
Ps. I heard a couple meyers call once, and I found it really unpleasant. Senegals weren’t very bad to me in comparison to them. I love the look of Meyers but definitely not a bird for me with that call. If you can go to a rescue or zoo with lots of parrots, it may help you determine what noises you can easily tolerate and which you find annoying

 

[poppy_15]

thanks at a old camp i went to their were lots of parrots including a Meyers which his call was not to bad though every bird is different my cousins and neighbor have love birds and they are not too bad volume

 

[Wally&Eva]

Lovies are not super quiet, although their call is not as loud. One of mine has a call when used close to your ear it makes them ring!

Mine also have no boundary, so when they in my ear and get loud, it definitely damages my hearing.

Personally I wouldn’t choose to keep one by him/herself, although I have seen lots of lovies on the Avenue who do just fine by themselves.

Mine are bonded with each other and I’m glad that i got 2 but I think that if it was just one bird with me, they would both be ok. But that’s just the personality of them. Of course each bird is different.

 

[TikiMyn]

thanks at a old camp i went to their were lots of parrots including a Meyers which his call was not to bad though every bird is different my cousins and neighbor have love birds and they are not too bad volume

Ah very good! I never hear a lovebird in real life when I got my first, he came to me through family so not the best way to go about it, good thing things worked out for us

Out of the lovies I have now, I think Fëanor would do okay by himself but the others not. Henkie developed attachment problems when he was a single bird. I also had a blind lovie she was OK by herself but definitely better with a friend. Again, not saying you should get two, just sharing experiences! @DoubleTake has a single lovie girl who does great and seems a real joy to have around

 

[poppy_15]

thanks

 

[tka]

I don't think anyone has mentioned this, but what species do your parents like?

Getting a bird is a major lifestyle change for everyone in your household: your parents will need to purchase PFTE/PFOA-free pans and kitchen equipment, they may have to change their cleaning products, no one can use air fresheners, candles, wax melts and other scented products, they will need to learn how to be very careful around doors and windows. This is a major change for most people and will almost certainly mean giving up things they like - a favourite pan, a favourite Christmas candle and so on. If your parents are fond of the bird and are invested in their care, it makes it a bit easier.

At your age, you will be relient on your parents for things like vets bills and transport: you MUST be sure that your parents are willing to support you with a bird's specialist and sometimes very expensive veterinary care. We see far too many posts by a distressed child whose bird is sick, their parents won't take them to the vet or pay for treatment, and the bird ends up dying in pain and fear. It's horrible for the bird and horrible for the young person. Don't put yourself in that position. If your parents aren't supportive now, then save yourself a lot of heartache and wait until you are older and earning your own money.

Many species of parrot live for a long time - a cockatiel can live into their late twenties or even thirties. Conures, senegals and meyers can also be very long lived. You may be in your thirties or even forties and still have the bird! There may be periods of your life when your parents will have to care for your bird - for example, if you attend college or have to travel for training or work. Again, it sweetens the deal if the bird is something that your parents want and enjoy living with.

I'd really encourage you to do what you can to make the bird a family pet that everyone cares for and enjoys having.

 

[poppy_15]

thanks for bringing that up! my mom had a lovebirds and my dad has not owned a bird before, i'm not sure his favorite my parents are willing to make changes for the birds safety as well as cover vet costs and i will cover general care we are going to research the species we are considering to find the right bird
also we are planning to get a older bird, from a rescue or someone needing to re-home are their any places you'd recommend?

 

[Kiwi's Dad]

thanks for bringing that up! my mom had a lovebirds and my dad has not owned a bird before, i'm not sure his favorite my parents are willing to make changes for the birds safety as well as cover vet costs and i will cover general care we are going to research the species we are considering to find the right bird
also we are planning to get a older bird, from a rescue or someone needing to re-home are their any places you'd recommend?

Where are you located?