Help Deciding on Breed

[Ianb262]

Hi! I am new to this forum, so excuse any issues I may have with this post.
I am going to be a new bird owner, but I am really torn on which breed to get! There are so many I like and I don't know which one I want.
I was thinking mostly of a Sun Conure but I also really like the Green Cheeks and Ringneck Parakeets (I know thats a whole different species).

Could you give me the pros and cons of each bird and help me decide? Thanks!

 

[theocnoob]

Pick a bird based on personality, not appearance. Sun conures are 1,000,000,00dB of screaming. It's just their nature. They're very sweet, but they will damage your hearing guaranteed. Don't know much about the other two.

Have you looked at poicephalus like the senegal or meyers? Or lovebirds? Where you live is a consideration as far as noise is concerned. You will be evicted from a rental apartment for your sun conure's transgressions guaranteed. One of the reasons I chose a senegal besides their sweet nature is that they aren't overly loud.

 

[Ianb262]

Pick a bird based on personality, not appearance. Sun conures are 1,000,000,00dB of screaming. It's just their nature. They're very sweet, but they will damage your hearing guaranteed. Don't know much about the other two.

Have you looked at poicephalus like the senegal or meyers? Or lovebirds? Where you live is a consideration as far as noise is concerned. You will be evicted from a rental apartment for your sun conure's transgressions guaranteed. One of the reasons I chose a senegal besides their sweet nature is that they aren't overly loud.

Thanks for replying! I do not care about noise as I live in a house. I had my heart set on one of those three so I'm not sure about the other breeds.

 

[JLcribber]

Dogs have breeds. Birds have species. It sounds like you need to do a lot more research.

Whenever somebody new comes on the board asking about what kind of bird should they get, the first question we ask is what do you bring to the table.

When it comes to parrot ownership it's not about the bird because the bird you ultimately end up with is going to depend on your husbandy skills, the environment you provide and your understanding of behaviour. Do it well and you'll have a lovely bird. Do it badly and you'll have a monster.

There are good bad and ugly stickies in each species category. You should read those to start and tell us about you.

 

[iamwhoiam]

Have you had any direct interactions with any of those types of birds? Good idea to do that. Go and visit some rescues and some bird stores. Sometimes the bird species we think we want is not what we wind up getting because we find a different bird that we make a connection with.

 

[theocnoob]

And remember that much more than a dog or a cat, a bird is like having a human child. They require hours of interaction every day from you. They poo every 5-20 minutes and make huge messes and they can scream and chew up your TV remote etc. You have to be the kind of person who is home most of the time, has a calm personality, doesn't have a house with a lot of commotion, and is in a place in life where moving around, going away to college, changing to a job where youre gone for 10 hours a day, etc, is not going to happen. These smaller birds live 40+ years. Some larger parrots live to 80. There is a record of an amazon parrot that lived to 120 years. This is a lifetime commitment.

You are not getting a parrot, the parrot is getting a human. Your life will be forever changed.

 

[AvianCrew]

Sun conures are 1,000,000,00dB of screaming. It's just their nature. They're very sweet, but they will damage your hearing guaranteed.

That's actually very true. Yukio likes to scream directly in my ear

 

[karen256]

Just some basic species generalizations (but individual personalities can vary widely):

Conures (suns and greencheeks both) tend to be birds that bond closely to a few people and are often pretty cuddly and need lots of attention and affection. They aren't needy like cockatoos, but are needy in comparison to a ringneck. Neither are especially good talkers, though individuals will vary.
Sun conures tend to be very sweet birds, but very, very LOUD. Greencheeks are more nippy and prone to attitude, but are generally not overly loud birds. They are much quieter than Suns, anyway.

Ringneck parakeets are more independent - they are generally birds that don't like to be cuddled or snuggled like many conures do. They are a little less 'needy', but are still, like all parrots, highly social and want to be around people when possible. They fall between suns and greencheeks in volume, and tend to be better talkers than conures, with a very adorable little voice.
One thing with ringnecks is, for some reason, some will be very skittish. Even with a group of babies all raised the same, there will sometimes be one that is very skittish and easily frightened, and it isn't really known why some are like that. Sadly, it's these skittish birds that breeders tend to hold back for breeding, since they don't make good pets, which perpetuates this trait. But normal, non-skittish ringnecks are just as good pets as conures, just a bit more independent, which really can be a good thing.

 

[Valkyria]

That's actually very true. Yukio likes to scream directly in my ear

We call my sun conure Sunny Mr squeak and squawk when we talk to him for this reason. He is so loud you can hear him out to the road and inside your running car. i dont find his noises too bad though, but could see how it would effect you if your sensitive to noice.

 

[aooratrix]

The good, the bad, and the ugly on sun conures | Avian Avenue Parrot Forum

 

[aooratrix]

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly about Green Cheeked Conures | Avian Avenue Parrot Forum

 

[aooratrix]

The good, the bad, and the ugly about Indian Ringnecks. | Avian Avenue Parrot Forum

 

[AvianCrew]

We call my sun conure Sunny Mr squeak and squawk when we talk to him for this reason. He is so loud you can hear him out to the road and inside your running car. i dont find his noises too bad though, but could see how it would effect you if your sensitive to noice.

Oh yeah, adding on to my statement. When I come home, Yukio screams. And, I can hear that screaming from outside.

 

[TWR]

I can see how a Sun Conure's scream could get on some people's nerves, but my Sun's call doesn't bother me at all. He calls out no more and no less than my little Hahns mini macaw and IMO, the mini macaws call is louder. Neither of them are what I'd call screamers anyway. It all comes down to an individual's personal noise & pitch tolerance. Either you're ok with a Sun's call or you're not. If you end up with a Sun, make sure that all those living in your house are also tolerant of his calls. Lots of Suns are rehomed due to noise, so that's really important. For me, there is no better species than a Sun Conure. I love their personality and can't imagine living without a Sun Conure in my life.

 

[SamandWilley]

I third the suggestion about being around the birds before you commit! I fell in love with Indian Ringnecks - until I heard their call in person. It is not super loud, but it cuts right through my head. I couldn't live with it. The person I met that had the Ringneck feels the same way about another species of birds!! I love my lovebirds! But, they like to land on my shoulder and talk to me - at the top of their lungs. If a Ringneck did that, I would probably have to go straight to bed with a migraine!

 

[aooratrix]

It's all relative. My macaws don't bother me at all, unless one happens to holler in my ear. Quakers and aratinga conures would have me looking for earplugs.

 

[DoubleTake]

In have 3 Sun conures... wouldn't trade them for the world. If I had to pick one of the 3 birds you've provided. I would go with the green cheek for a new bird owner. With the right info and care all 3 would make great companions

 

[NandayLover]

Suns are great! Definitely one of my sweetest birds. My quietest Conure, honestly but I guess he's odd that way. Green Cheeks are just about forever ruined for me, it's not fair to them since I've only met one. She's a demon but I love her. She bites all the time, I've grown use to it and have found ways to read when she'd about to bite, she's a rescue too so again it's not fair for me to say overall Green Cheeks aren't nice. Never had a Ringneck but I do love them

 

[Lesley Yeung]

Bird is a gcc. He isn't noisy all the time. Only when someone is trying to talk. Or when he thinks he is being excluded from some fantastic and fun activity, like doing laundry. Or if I leave the room. Or turn on tbe t.v., cook dinner, or a loud car or skytrain goes past. Or if a bird outside chirps. Or if he realizes I am getting ready to leave...

Okay. Bird is pretty noisy. I do not have a mild temper and he does test my limited patience. He does usually have a reason for being loud. (Not that his reasons make his noise less noisey.) I can hear him from the elevator of my apartment, but the neighbors say they don't hear him. I don't know if they are being polite or sincere.

I don't know if Bird id a typical gcc. I have no basis for comparison. But if you want a bird with a lot of spunk, and have time to indulge the constant demands for attention, and don't mind being bit (hard), a green cheek like Bird could fit the bill. But man oh man, they are demanding. Not as much as an infant child. But on par with a 7 year old, in my opinion.

 

[Katanya]

Well I have worked with all those species plus 300 more and all are a great starter bird if you think you're up for it. Green-Cheek Conures are probably the most quite out of that 3 and are very cuddly but like all birds can be a one person bird and do scream for attention if not given the proper mental stimulation. Sun Conures are awesome!! The name Sun Conure comes from South America where flocks of 200+ birds fly freely and sometimes look like "a big sunset flying through the sky" and thus why they are called the Sun Conure and are very attractive! Ringnecks are one of my favourite birds and many other peoples because of their talking ability which also makes them targets for people who just want a bird for its talking ability. If socialised really well they can be quite the friendly, cuddly companion! Ringnecks have a bad reputation because of a bluffing stage they go through which people think their bird hates them and doesn't like them, so the owner becomes fearful of the bird and doesn't spend time with them which then makes it worse....
I hope I've helped you and that I'm not too late to reply!
Good luck with your new bird