Unsure what bird to get!

[emilyjy]

Hi! Looking for advice on what bird to get.
We are a family of 3 adults and 2 kids (raised around animals and are very respectful toward them). We had a cockatiel as a “starter bird” who sadly died during his supervised outdoor exercise time. We dedicated at least 5-7 hours a day with our cockatiel, really only putting him in the cage to snack, drink water and poop. Only time our house is empty is once a week for around 3 hours. We’re getting a mesh covering for our yard now, and looking for another bird to join our family.
We’ve looked at green cheek conjures and African greys but are open to other suggestions.

- we enjoy a bird that wants to be taken from room to room with us through the day on our shoulder or arm. Maybe chill on the play stands we have in our main hang out rooms
- looking for a bird that is not too bitey. We can and will learn bird behavior, but would love to keep all our fingers during socialization and training process! (Especially the kids!)
- constant noise is okay and even welcome. But we would rather avoid LOUD noise (e.g. sun conure screams)

- we are able to get any size cage
- vet/toy/food costs are not a worry
- mess is not a concern
- attention needs is no problem
- we do have a neighbor who had an African grey for 30+ years who is able to pet sit when needed

 

[Spearmint]

Welcome!!
I recommend you check out the 'The good, the bad, the ugly' posts under each species speedway
Lovely to have you here!

 

[Toy]

In general African Greys are not hands on birds.

 

[Zara]

Welcome to Avian Avenue Emily!

 

[Pickles&Co]

Green cheek conures and a lot of the birds in the conure family tend to being more beaky/nippy birds. I'm not sure the age of your kids, but it's something to keep in mind.

 

[Sparkles99]

I’d start with noise (decibels + duration) & dust level. That will narrow this down a lot!

 

[PeterNPipe]

We are partial to Green Cheek Conures (we have two). They do nip, but they are small so nips are not a major emergency (they can draw blood) Our first Green Cheek was a nippy fella. Now, he nips, but we have learned him and he has learned us so it is more cuddles than bites. Our second is still a baby and just the sweetest thing that just doesn't bite (yet).
If we had children I think we would have looked into Pacific Parolets. They are big bird personalities in the cutest tiny package! They come in all sorts of colors too.
Tiny Birds (as you would know with your late Tiel) are proned to getting squashed) so just something to consider.
Seeing as you seem to have a good amount of time to devote to your feathered friend I would also consider Caiques. I would love to have a Caique, but they NEED a lot of hands on attention, and there are some days we just don't have it. I haven't owned a Caique personally, but befriended one at a petstore I once worked at. Again, they are fairly small so bites wouldn't be as big of a deal when they happen. Definitely do your research if you go with a Caique.

Best wishes on your research and finding a new feathered friend for your family.
There are many bird breed reviews on YouTube. We watched many from multiple sources before deciding on our Green Cheeks.

 

[flwindsurf]

I've only had my 8 month old Congo African Grey (CAG) for four months and she's been an amazing companion pet. I wish I would've had a CAG when my kids were little but I didn't have the re$ource$ so we had budgies, cockatiels, lovebirds, a quacker and now my CAG. My CAG breeder believes, in the U.S., large pet parrots are going to be a thing of the past due to government regulation's, poor breeding practices, import bans, importing across state lines, local zoning laws, your HOA, etc. For example pet Quacker parrots are illegal in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Wyoming, and Maine. The ESA (Endangered Species Act) may also outlaw some parrots to include transporting your pet parrot through another state. You should get the parrot your family wants. Ten or twenty years down the road your only option may be a budgie.

Parrot C4 Kissy X3