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Hello everyone, looking for insight

bondoron

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Ron
I have been sneaking around the forum and decided to join and post. It seems to be a great place here. I am looking for some advice and will introduce myself as I ask so everyone kind of knows my background. I currently do not have any birds. I have a couple of older dogs and a cat. I also have snakes and a crested gecko. The reptiles have their own room. The dogs are limited to the main level of our house minus the living room which we rarely use unless we have guests over. As I said I currently have no birds. When I was younger my grandma had canaries and my cousin had a budgie. Those little birds are what started my fascination with all birds. My sister got a Cockatiel when she was pretty young and her older brother took care of him. I loved that guy and even though I took care of him he was my sisters bird. I was raised on a farm and took care of horses, cows, pigs, chickens, ducks etc...... Then I went through my party years then child raising years and now at 46 I would like to officially have a bird in my life. I work from home and my wife is a stay at home mom. We have one child left at home who just turned 17. My dream when I was young was to have a Cockatoo. It still is but after researching a lot of different birds they seem awesome but I am worried I some how wouldn't give the bird enough time. From what I have researched they seem to be very needy and I fear I would mess up. I am leaning more towards African grey or Amazon. I might be totally on the wrong path with those and would love to hear some advice. I have a coworker that has 2 Amazons. I also work with her sister and brother who also use to have parrots I think they also had Amazons but I am not 100% on that. I also have another coworker that has an African grey. So I guess my very first dilemma is which one is right for me. Dilemma number 2 is where do I get the bird once I figure it out. I live in northern WI there are no breeders near by that I am aware of. Minneapolis is only a couple hours away though so maybe there? I have looked at rescues and at Craigslist for re homing. The issue there though is that everyone says must have experience so I am forced to look at breeders it appears. I guess that is a quick glimpse into my life. Any advice or insight would be wonderful. Thank you.
 

Zara

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Welcome to the Avenue Ron! :starshower1:

Have you had chance to read these? They are a great starting place;

 

Monaco

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:welcomesign: Can you spend time with your coworkers' birds? I bet that would help a lot. I looked for foster opportunities here, but Oklahoma has more bird watching resources than anything, and the rescues require experience to foster, and I don't have much and live a few hours from them. I worked in a pet store long years ago, so got an introduction to lots of species in that setting.

Have fun on the forum!
 

Ripshod

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:hello::welave:
 

fashionfobie

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Welcome to the forum! :flowgdnc:

Cockatoos are a lot of work and they scream often. Screaming is a happy cockatoo. I would consider the noise you can tolerate. I had a pair of noise cancelling headphones for when my cockatoo was very exuberant. Sometimes she would hop around her play stand and scream for 10 minutes straight! The wild ones scream whilst playing in a group. It is like Jurassic park outside. They just love being happy noisy dinos!

Cockatoos also scream for their contact call, so when you aren't home, there is a high chance the contact calls will be ringing out into the neighborhood :)

There are lots of cockatoos at rescues. It would be awesome if you could find a rescue that would work with you.

I don't have experience with Amazons nor African greys.
 

Shezbug

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Welcome to the Avenue :)
 

Fergus Mom

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Just wanted to say a big :welcome2: here. I have no experience with large birds, so I'm no help there! You will find great resources here though from people who DO know - I see Zara has already posted some great links!
 

bondoron

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Ron
Thank you everyone for the welcomes and advice. I have been reading all the good, bad and ugly info on the different birds. Lots of info to go through yet before a decision will be made. This is like studying for an exam lol
 

finchly

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Thank you everyone for the welcomes and advice. I have been reading all the good, bad and ugly info on the different birds. Lots of info to go through yet before a decision will be made. This is like studying for an exam lol
Yes it is! I recently found a list on my computer where I’d been studying various species — years ago. It was fun to look back. Fortunately my pionus picked me before I made a mistake!

All I can add is take your time. You’ll be with this sweet soul for 10 to 30+ years, it’s worth the wait. If you could hang out with some birds for a few hours on a consistent basis that could give you an idea of what you’re in for. ;)
I say a few hours because if you were to visit my guys, for example they’d clam up until you had been around for awhile.
 

cleo1340

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Diane
I have been sneaking around the forum and decided to join and post. It seems to be a great place here. I am looking for some advice and will introduce myself as I ask so everyone kind of knows my background. I currently do not have any birds. I have a couple of older dogs and a cat. I also have snakes and a crested gecko. The reptiles have their own room. The dogs are limited to the main level of our house minus the living room which we rarely use unless we have guests over. As I said I currently have no birds. When I was younger my grandma had canaries and my cousin had a budgie. Those little birds are what started my fascination with all birds. My sister got a Cockatiel when she was pretty young and her older brother took care of him. I loved that guy and even though I took care of him he was my sisters bird. I was raised on a farm and took care of horses, cows, pigs, chickens, ducks etc...... Then I went through my party years then child raising years and now at 46 I would like to officially have a bird in my life. I work from home and my wife is a stay at home mom. We have one child left at home who just turned 17. My dream when I was young was to have a Cockatoo. It still is but after researching a lot of different birds they seem awesome but I am worried I some how wouldn't give the bird enough time. From what I have researched they seem to be very needy and I fear I would mess up. I am leaning more towards African grey or Amazon. I might be totally on the wrong path with those and would love to hear some advice. I have a coworker that has 2 Amazons. I also work with her sister and brother who also use to have parrots I think they also had Amazons but I am not 100% on that. I also have another coworker that has an African grey. So I guess my very first dilemma is which one is right for me. Dilemma number 2 is where do I get the bird once I figure it out. I live in northern WI there are no breeders near by that I am aware of. Minneapolis is only a couple hours away though so maybe there? I have looked at rescues and at Craigslist for re homing. The issue there though is that everyone says must have experience so I am forced to look at breeders it appears. I guess that is a quick glimpse into my life. Any advice or insight would be wonderful. Thank you.
 

cleo1340

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Diane
Hi! I've had smaller birds my whole life, canaries, parakeets, and cockatiels. All helped me learn allot. When there were all gone and my life had no birds (I'm 56) I started looking to have a parrot. Take your time deciding. The one thing I did learn is how much noise can you take. I landed on African Greys. My girl Talks ALLOT. bur no bird noises, no screeching or loud chirpy it's all beeps whistles and talking. Shes an amazing personality in our home, so interactive with us. Just my 2 cents. good luck finding your new friend :)
 

Hyulia

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yulia
I have been sneaking around the forum and decided to join and post. It seems to be a great place here. I am looking for some advice and will introduce myself as I ask so everyone kind of knows my background. I currently do not have any birds. I have a couple of older dogs and a cat. I also have snakes and a crested gecko. The reptiles have their own room. The dogs are limited to the main level of our house minus the living room which we rarely use unless we have guests over. As I said I currently have no birds. When I was younger my grandma had canaries and my cousin had a budgie. Those little birds are what started my fascination with all birds. My sister got a Cockatiel when she was pretty young and her older brother took care of him. I loved that guy and even though I took care of him he was my sisters bird. I was raised on a farm and took care of horses, cows, pigs, chickens, ducks etc...... Then I went through my party years then child raising years and now at 46 I would like to officially have a bird in my life. I work from home and my wife is a stay at home mom. We have one child left at home who just turned 17. My dream when I was young was to have a Cockatoo. It still is but after researching a lot of different birds they seem awesome but I am worried I some how wouldn't give the bird enough time. From what I have researched they seem to be very needy and I fear I would mess up. I am leaning more towards African grey or Amazon. I might be totally on the wrong path with those and would love to hear some advice. I have a coworker that has 2 Amazons. I also work with her sister and brother who also use to have parrots I think they also had Amazons but I am not 100% on that. I also have another coworker that has an African grey. So I guess my very first dilemma is which one is right for me. Dilemma number 2 is where do I get the bird once I figure it out. I live in northern WI there are no breeders near by that I am aware of. Minneapolis is only a couple hours away though so maybe there? I have looked at rescues and at Craigslist for re homing. The issue there though is that everyone says must have experience so I am forced to look at breeders it appears. I guess that is a quick glimpse into my life. Any advice or insight would be wonderful. Thank you. @bondoron
welcome to the forum :)
 

JaeBae

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Hi OP! Maybe try a medium/small bird first before you get a big bird. Big birds are a lot of time and effort. If you don't give them the correct care and attention, they can get neurotic. I have an Indian Ringneck right now and I'm hoping to get an African Grey in the future. The Ringneck is a handful and he's a medium-sized bird. I recommend a Ringneck, they don't require as much effort as a big bird. Just stating my two cents! If you think a big bird is perfect for you then do LOTS of research and make sure they get adequate care. Good luck OP!
 

Nobirby

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711
Welcome! I too have no experience with larger birds. Please keep in mind your health when deciding. Some birds have dander which is bad for ones who have asthma.
We have 3 conures, all green cheeks. They are not very loud, and are so lovable. If you want a cuddle buddy, a GCC is the way to go. Of course, I am prejudiced!
 

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sunnysmom

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Welcome! Are there any places you can go and meet some birds? I think that's the best way to learn what you like/don't like. I also wouldn't rule out birds on craig's list if you're careful. There are so many birds out there in need of good homes. You can also see if there are bird groups on facebook for your state. I know there are a number for PA, where I live, and frequently people list birds there they need to rehome.

I have minimal experience with Grays or Amazons. I do have a small cockatoo. I previously had a cockatiel. I can't really say anything prepares you for a cockatoo. LOL. (Which is why it annoys me when places say they won't adopt one out unless you have experience). I actually think the smaller cockatoos are more independent than the larger ones for some reason. I work during the day and my cockatoo is fine on his own. (Although he now shares a room with a couple cockatiels and that seems to have mellowed him a bit. But he was fine before that.) He does need lots and lots of toys to keep him busy. He's a goffin. So he's pretty mechanical. Loves to open things and get into things. He can be loud. That's the one thing that drives my fiancé crazy. So with any bird you're interested in, I would suggest going on You Tube and try to find a video of that type of bird screaming. Different people have different sound tolerance.
 

bondoron

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Ron
Thank you everyone for the great advice so far. I am still trying to do as much research as I can. I am not 100% solid on any species yet. I have seen a couple mention seeing the different species first but I have not found a lot of places in my area that have the bigger birds. Lots of parakeets and cockatiels but not much for the bigger ones. I have seen African greys and Amazons before in person but not much as in the way of the others except for zoos and such not on a personal level
 

birbkid

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12/10/19
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Hi! if you don't mind, I would just like to say: DO YOUR RESEARCH!!!! :) You need to figure out what you want in a bird how much you can pay, and how much trouble you can handle! I also suggest starting small. And more quick thing, The smaller the bird, the bigger the mess. The larger the bird the harder it bites.



My birbs: :budgie8: :budgie:
Taiyo and Spring
 

Leih

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Welcome!

Small birds can definitely be more demanding than some may give them credit for. While there certainly are no "starter" birds, some species are just naturally more chill. I have small birds myself, but one thing I haven't seen mentioned here is that the large birds tend to have long lifespans, so if you were to get a baby, have you thought about where s/he would go many many years from now?
 

MauiWendy

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Do you have any bird stores or rescues in your area? Shipping a bird from another state is probably out of the question, especially this time a year. We are very limited here on Maui, so I shipped Keoki from Oahu to Maui. Its only a 20 min. plane ride, I was stressed. I agree with all that has been said here. Do lots and lots of research. I have a red-bellied parrot, and occasionally Gary the parakeet comes for a visit. They are both a a handful and lot of work, even for a smaller species. I agree there are no starter birds but some are easier to handle and more "chill" when you are starting out.
 
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