New bird?

[Aves]

Why is that?

I don't know.

True that. My vet is five minutes away, luckily!

Lucky!

Yes, I live in San Francisco.

Good!

 

[Aves]

I'm going to tag some people. @finchly @WendyN @Laurie

 

[Adriana_33]

I'm going to tag some people. @finchly @WendyN @Laurie

Thank you!

 

[Ember-Tiel]

You might want to look into budgies or cockatiels as your first pet bird. They are most of the times pretty cuddly and sweet, (at least from my experience with both), and are safe to have around small children. They are overall a great pet bird to start with.

 

[macawpower58]

Adriana, IMO a cockatoo is the worst bird for you.
I think you really need an independent bird that does not need to snuggle.
One that you form a companionable relationship with.
Snuggling (especially with Toos) is the root of many behavior problems later in life.
You need a bird that is there for you, one that can take the ups and downs of life with you.
Since you will be dependent emotionally on your bird, you will need a strong stable temperament. That is not a cockatoo.
Some of the others mentioned might work well for you.
Have you thought of Pionus? Or even a mini macaw? Some of the gentler amazons might even be a good bet for you.
Many parrots also are not 'family' safe. So hoping for a bird that will love everyone is a gamble.
Good luck on your search.

 

[jzarc17]

Many others before me have made some really good points. Do yourself and your future bird a favor a research hormones and how dangerous it can be to give a cockatoo (or others birds) the wrong message. My some day bird is a green wing macaw, that bird a hug and I’ll say that cockatoos scare me that’s saying something. They are intense and from all I have read, they are not suited for most people. Please I beg you to think long and hard about this and please familiarize yourself with hormones and how they affect these birds. Also, these are highly intelligent animals and they will suffer badly if you loose interest, you find out behavior problems scare you and you don’t feel safe handling them anymore, the bird will suffer the consequences and cockatoos can become neurotic. It’s important to set yourself AND the bird up for success. I wish you the very best of luck and PLEASE listen to what all of us are saying, when you have so many people all saying the same thing, logic tells you there must be some truth.

 

[JewellBird]

Hi Adriana, welcome to the avenue! I have read through your posts and I have no doubt that you will be a great bird parent someday, but I wanted to give you my perspective as someone who is a college student who has six birds while going to college, working part time and working on an internship. I am the same as you in the way that I devote every second I can to my pets care and attempt to go above and beyond in making my pets the happiest they can possibly be. However let me tell you, it's A LOT to balance, between work and school and the birds, without even factoring in extra time to spend visiting family and taking time for self care. I NEVER would have expected to become this busy when I first got birds. Nonetheless I make it work and have had to adjust my way of living to accommodate my pets, such as taking as many of my college classes online so that I'm home to have the birds out most of the day until I leave for work in the evenings. Also vet bills are extremely pricey a lot of the time, when I rescued my two conures from the bad situation they were in just around 2 months ago, I have already spent almost $1000 dollars on vet bills for them to get some bacterial infections cleared up, for antibiotics, an xray, probiotics, multiple gram stains and cultures and other things. So with the vet alone taking a ton of money, you have to factor in the cost of food, especially if you're wanting a large bird. The amount of food and cost of pellets, seed, fresh veggies for their chop, treats etc. builds up really quick, so even if you have $60 dollars a week to devote to your bird now, how is that going to be a few years down the road when you move out of your parents house and are having to pay rent, electric bills, car payments, insurance, water bills, college costs and buying your own food and basic necessities. And not to mention, how much time in the future will you have for the demands of a bird? Is it still going to be possible to provide your bird with the best care you can then? I know this probably sounds like a broken record, but I can't stress enough how much life changes and just to really be thinking ahead when making a decision like this. That reason alone is what scares me the most about having pets, not knowing what could happen, or if you might have to rehome them for unseen life changes, is a scary thought. Committing to a bird that is going to live almost as long as you, if not possibly longer is a tough decision to make when you have no idea what will happen in the future, no matter how hard you want to make it work long-term. If you are still set on getting a bird right now I would personally recommend looking for a smaller bird, maybe a conure, or a cockatiel would be a good option? If you still want to get a larger bird that lives into its 50's or 60's+ I would definitely recommend looking to adopt one. There is tons of beautiful macaws, cockatoos, and amazons I see at bird rescues all the time who are a bit older, which might be a great option for you, because you would still have the bigger bird, but without committing to 50+ years or however long. I know that if I was getting a bird that could live well past 50 years, I would be worried about what would happen to the bird when I was possibly no longer there to care for it. Plus there is always tons of great birds out there who need adopted and given a loving home! Whatever you decide I wish you the best of luck in your search!

 

[Ember-Tiel]

I would personally recommend looking for a smaller bird, maybe a conure, or a cockatiel would be a good option?

Maybe a cockatiel or budgie. Conures aren't always friendly towards minors as they can be nippy and have strong bites.

 

[JewellBird]

Maybe a cockatiel or budgie. Conures aren't always friendly towards minors as they can be nippy and have strong bites.

True, but they do tend to have a longer lifespan than some of the other smaller birds like cockatiels or budgies is why I mentioned conures. Since the OP wants a bird with a longer lifespan.

 

[ParrotNuts]

I suggest gcc would be the biggest bird you should get. Cheeku (my gcc) has not yet bitten me hard, but he did bote my father hard enough to cause some bleeding (so @Ember-Tiel's point is very true). I personally would not go with any other conure than a gcc.



Also some one forgot Jojo & Chickie @saroj12

 

[ParrotNuts]

bote

I meant bite

 

[birdy.929]

my gcc is a real biter! hes gotten way better, but he still has his moments frequently. no where near a cockatoo bite though! I also agree that a green cheek is a good choice. They are a lot of work, and they are definitely more bigger and hardier than other small birds. the first time I held Salem, it was like carrying bricks compared to my lovebird and they live a pretty long time (~30 years) i've heard the other pyrrhura (i hope spelled that right) conures are similar to GCCs but I've also heard that they are very different from each other, haven't handled any other type of pyrrhura before though, so I wouldn't know.

 

[Ember-Tiel]

I honestly thing that as your first pet you should start off with a more easier and smaller bird to take care of. such as cockatiels or budgies.

My sister's conure bites a lot and causes bleeding with a lot of his bites. As I've heard someone else say, bird bites from larger birds can be traumatizing, but I think the same could go for a bird that commonly bites hard as you won't know the personality of the bird you will get.

 

[ParrotNuts]

I think this thread hasn't been linked before but I think it is a good (and scary) read Bird bite photos (Warning ~ Graphic)

 

[Maggiebird]

@Adriana_33 your plans may change. I’m not saying they will but they can change over time. At this moment you may be obsessed with animals but it doesn’t mean your going to love them for the rest of your life. Go for a smaller bird not one you will have to live with until they day you or the bird dies.

 

[Maggiebird]

@ParrotNuts I like your new profile pic

 

[saroj12]

I suggest gcc would be the biggest bird you should get. Cheeku (my gcc) has not yet bitten me hard, but he did bote my father hard enough to cause some bleeding (so @Ember-Tiel's point is very true). I personally would not go with any other conure than a gcc.



Also some one forgot Jojo & Chickie @saroj12

Caiques not recommended for beginners. Mine are anomalies and predictable. Many are not.

 

[fluffypoptarts]

Conures can indeed be quite nippy, depending, and GCCs are the only ones really known for being quieter. I lived with a sun conure for a while as a kid because my step-uncle had one. He was the most friendly little guy and I loved him, but lord could that bird scream! I’d never recommend having one in an apartment/dorm, that’s for sure!

From what I’ve read and experienced of caiques, they seem pretty unpredictable and quite a handful. They are also loud and can bite quite hard. I think a bird like a caique would be especially difficult for you if you’re looking for an emotional support animal. You would probably need additional emotional support if you had a caique, lol! My wife really wants one, but I told her NO WAY until we have fewer animals and a calmer life. They can be very demanding birds.

I agree with @Ulis_Beast that birds are generally not good as support animals. They are quite independent and willful. And that dogs are probably the best for that, though I’ve discovered not all breeds are inclined to love a particular person just based on being fed and cared for by them.

 

[Ember-Tiel]

Conures can indeed be quite nippy, depending, and GCCs are the only ones really known for being quieter. I lived with a sun conure for a while as a kid because my step-uncle had one. He was the most friendly little guy and I loved him, but lord could that bird scream! I’d never recommend having one in an apartment/dorm, that’s for sure!

From what I’ve read and experienced of caiques, they seem pretty unpredictable and quite a handful. They are also loud and can bite quite hard. I think a bird like a caique would be especially difficult for you if you’re looking for an emotional support animal. You would probably need additional emotional support if you had a caique, lol! My wife really wants one, but I told her NO WAY until we have fewer animals and a calmer life. They can be very demanding birds.

I agree with @Ulis_Beast that birds are generally not good as support animals. They are quite independent and willful. And that dogs are probably the best for that, though I’ve discovered not all breeds are inclined to love a particular person just based on being fed and cared for by them.

Even Green Cheeks Conures are really loud. I wouldn't recommend them as a bird for a large family.

 

[macawpower58]

@Adriana_33 your plans may change. I’m not saying they will but they can change over time. At this moment you may be obsessed with animals but it doesn’t mean your going to love them for the rest of your life. Go for a smaller bird not one you will have to live with until they day you or the bird dies.

I believe those obsessed with animals when young, keep their fascination.
Most folk like that that I know, were the same as kids and never changed.
Of course we become more realistic of reality, but our love and obsession never changes.