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How to have a quiet(er) bird

Birbs4ever

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Matthis Baudouin
If you want to keep a quite bird I would recommend a budgie for starters. They are highly intelligent and one of the quiter bird species. To keep your bird quite make sure your bird is entertained. At least 3 shredding toys. Don’t put in the perches that come with the cage
 

Clueless

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I must admit I love Amazons. Not sure what info you want?
 

Elysian

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Yes, if he is stuck in your mind.. and you are prepared to weather any unexpected pitfalls.. you likely won't regret it.
I don't regret Opie even though he loves my bf and not me. I don't regret Oggie even though he has tried to remove my fingers.
I had the same thing - they were not the birds I "wanted" but they are the ones that caught my eye at the rescue and didn't get out of my head.
Once I found out they came from the same home, I was done for.
 

Clueless

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How do I work with him to get him to a point where he's tame?
Ahhhh. My Amazons were both wild caught.

These aren't "dogs" or "cats". They're not domesticated. They are each individual animals, no two alike. MC wound up being my best buddy but I'd never call him tame. Secret? Far far from tame but I respect the bird. We make our relationship work.

Just like life, you give and take in an Amazon relationship.
 

sunnysmom

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He's really cute!
 

Elysian

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How do I work with him to get him to a point where he's tame?
Clueless is definitely MUCH better at this than I am. And more experienced. But I would think since he already let you pet him you're off to a really good start!
I got Opie and Oggie toward the end of May and I cannot touch Opie. I probably won't be able to for a long time, if at all.

But, I can feed him from my fingers and I can now put my hand up against the bars of his cage right by his face without him threatening to bite me. And we have a working relationship - I open his door, he comes out on his own, we chill. I try to wait for him to go back in on his own, but if I really need him to be put away for some reason I can lure him there with a nut. He won't step on a perch just because I ask him to, but if he happens to get into a spot where he needs help climbing back, he will let me lift him with one.

All I've done is spend time with him. Talking, singing, using treats to condition him to me being close.

While you are visiting the rescue - find out what treats motivate him best and keep those for really important times when you need a response!
 

lisasc63

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I would actually love to know more about Bourkes!!! I've been seeing them more and more, and they seem cool. But when I try to learn more, they come off as "no personality" and "short lifespan". What is their personality like?
I have had a BEAUTIFUL Rosey Bourkes Parakeet for over two years. I adopted her when she was only about 8 weeks old and she had been hand fed. She is perky, funny, adorable sweet and so loving! She has a strong but kind personality and is not boring at all. She is the LIGHT OF MY LIFE. I am slightly disabled and she cheers me up, makes me smile and even laugh every day. They also can live up to 25 years. I hope this helps.
 

The_Mayor

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Hah, I guess I lost track of this thread.

I have a pair of Bourke's, the OG coloring. My experience is pretty much the same as Lisa's - I think they're delightful birds and I consider myself lucky that they were the species I selected. Anyone who thinks they're boring simply isn't watching them. . . well, unless you're watching them when they're having a snoozle, in which case, yeah, not a thrill a minute. But, they don't nap as much as they used to and when they're awake they're fun to watch.

Where my experience differs is that my two almost certainly weren't hand-fed. Between that, the fact that there are two of them, so they don't really need me to have a social life, and that we had a step back when I moved them from living in a cage with carefully monitored out-of-cage time to an aviary that they're in full time, mine aren't hand-tame.

We're working on it - I say "we" because Mustrum is putting a great deal of effort into training me to bring in their seed dish on cue, and I'm teaching them that the clicker means "I just put something tasty in your treat cup." But if someone is looking for a bird that's people-friendly, and Bourke's otherwise meet their preferences, I'd say to make sure to get them from a breeder that socializes them early and, if possible, meet the bird in advance to see how friendly it is with you.

The things I would add about my birds is that they basically don't climb at all. Esmerelda, if she's trying to go from one perch to another one that's close but slightly higher will sometimes use a bar to give her a boost up, but it's not like she'll use the bars (their travel cage has horizontal bars) to actually climb any distance. If Mustrum needs to go from a point A -> B that's too far/high to hop will just push off from wherever he is and fly to where he's going.

Which goes to the other thing that's awesome about them - they're amazing flyers. Just getting around their aviary requires a fair amount of flying during the course of their day (although they do have a mono-rope system which they can also use to move around). But, aside from that, they'll take off and sprint fly around their enclosure for no reason that I can see, just an attack of the "gotta flys" I guess.

One of the particularly cool flying things they've been doing started recently. When they were flying for fun, they used to mostly fly back and forth or in an oval in one plane. Because of how their aviary is set up, a little above head height for me was the plane they were usually flying in. Of course, they regularly used their flying up and down skills to get to perches or their dinner table, but fun flying was usually at one level.

In the last couple of months, they've upped their game. Now (sometimes with a running start from the back) they'll launch themselves off their seagrass hammock, swoop down to within a couple of feet from the floor, and then pull up hard so they're back to around 5-6 feet, before wheeling around to hop on a perch and contemplate how talented they are. Since they accomplish that all in a length of around 5 feet, that's some powerful flapping to make that nearly vertical ascent. It's like a roller coaster for birds.

I don't know if this is common for Bourke's, but mine are adventurous eaters - if I give them something and present it as food they'll usually at least try it. Yes, even pellets.

Anyway, yes, awesome birds for someone who will appreciate them for who they are.
 

Chris1234

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Besides what others have said, I have a small trick that sometimes works. BUT parrots will still be parrots. Mine have their outbursts around supper time for some reason, but overall aren't very loud (considering we have a Rose Breasted Too and a Meyers). I encourage talking and quieter noises and it kinda works a lot of the time. I come up to them throughout the day when they're being quiet and talk to them in a soft voice and click my tongue. Then when they mimic me it's not very loud at all. It's kinda funny how my parrot talks in whispers sometimes. When they start talking to me first, if it's quiet I always answer them back quietly and chat for a few minutes. It usually encourages more of the same behavior. I'd recommend a parakeet or cockatiel since they typically don't get crazy loud.
 

Spearmint

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I work with positive reinforcement! When he's being 'quiet', he gets a treat. When he's loud I locate the issue, but its mostly for fun. Some things my bird screams for, that you could look out for are: Seeing a bug, wanting a bath, wanting attention, scritches, wanting his dinner/breakfast, or just for the fun of it. Birds will always scream, but bear in mind punishment is a no-go. To a bird, loud is fun, giving a reaction to screams such as yelling back "Shh! No" etc will only make them louder and realise they get a reaction from being loud. I would say, a 'quieter' breed would be birds like Pigeons, Doves, Sparrows and other small breeds, as their pitch isn't ear piercing! My bird is typically quieter if he's had quality time out of his cage, flying, foraging, cuddling or watching a movie with me. Good luck! :)
 

Spearmint

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I started my research thinking that I was going to get a senegal. But yeah... The more I research them, the more I see stories of them ending up phobic, screaming, and mean. I do understand how no bird is truly quiet. To me, budgies are quiet birds, as are most cockatiels. I have yet to hear a green cheek scream in person, but I've been watching you tube videos trying to see one screaming, and I'm not sure that "quiet" is necessarily a good word for them.
As a green cheek owner, I can assure you they are not like google says they are! They're bitey, loud and destructive. I actually settled on a green cheek conure after posts online saying they were quiet. Was shocked to hear how loud they really are. :lol:
 
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