Possible New Bird

[greenmonkey51]

I've had atleast one bird around since I can remember, but since our cockatiel died a couple years ago we haven't got any more. Im in a position now where I have the time and funds to get another bird, but don't know exactly what to get. I really like the conures but Im concerned about what I've heard about parrots going insane if you don't give them a ton of attention. Does anyone have any suggestion for a bird or giving them attention.

[joepythons]

I've had atleast one bird around since I can remember, but since our cockatiel died a couple years ago we haven't got any more. Im in a position now where I have the time and funds to get another bird, but don't know exactly what to get. I really like the conures but Im concerned about what I've heard about parrots going insane if you don't give them a ton of attention. Does anyone have any suggestion for a bird or giving them attention.

I would go with a bird you allready know its needs and get a cockatiel .

[Shelby]

Well what do you want out of your pet bird? Talking ability? No screaming? Colors? Handleability?

We have finches, a canary and two doves. All make nice sounds (especially the canary) but only the doves are handleable. My aunt has cockatiels, a love bird, and an eclectus parrot, and all of them make obnoxious noises at times (some more than others) but some of them can talk and all love attention.

[Kara]

Pretty much any species of hookbill is going to need a fair amount of attention. Bigger birds are typically more "needy" than small birds in terms of interaction - you'd be much better off going with a conure than a blue & gold macaw - but regardless, all parrots need a *lot* of attention & people-time in order to really thrive.

If you want a bird that is going to be well-socialized, it's best to start with a hand-raised animal, either from a breeder or reputable store that specializes in hand-feeding/raising. Go with a well-established, weaned youngster that is already on pellets & mixed food (not just seeds), and do a LOT of homework about whatever species you choose before you actually purchase the animal.

For smaller birds:

You're already familiar with cockatiels, which are lovable & sweet.

English Budgies can be a great choice - solid little birds with lots of personality that can also be great talkers if you put the time into teaching them.

Peach-faced lovebirds are fantastic if you have the time to put into making yours a good one. They are *very* smart little birds with BIG personality, and can be very fresh if you let them get away with everything. They're also my hands-down favorite small bird to keep. The FEEK is on my keyboard as I type, making sure he gets a mention in this. Oh yeah, lovebirds know they're hot stuff. Or in The FEEK's case, "The Stuff That Is Hot."

Parrotlets may be another option...fresher than lovebirds & fairly ornery so you really have to spend time bonding with them, but they can also be good talkers.

For "medium small" birds:

There's a variety of conures to choose from...Suns, Nandays & Jendays tend to be among the loudest. Conures can be a lot of fun, but make sure you know what you're getting into...they tend to be one-person birds.

Hahn's macaws are pricey but TONS of fun, again, if you have the time to spend with one to really ensure it is socialized & understands the rules in your birdhouse. Uber talkers, very smart, macaw personality. Can be grumpy, tend to pick a favorite person & can be very "grrrr" with folks they don't know or don't like.

Avoid ring-necked parakeets like the plague. Just do it. You'll thank me.

Those are just some of my favorites (except conures...I know they're popular, but you couldn't pay me to keep one), species you may want to do some homework on.

DO NOT get a bird if you're not going to have the time to spend with it. Once you've established a level of interaction, you can't really bump it down without some negative effects on the bird, and this will almost always manifest as a behavior issue.

Pick up a copy of "The Guide to A Well-Behaved Parrot" and give it a read...has some good info about general parrot behavior & also gets into species-specific stuff.

Also think about some birds that are pretty & fun but don't need tons of interaction. Finches, canaries, red-rumped parakeets (the males are gorgeous)...all birds that you can set up in a nice display cage & will sing & make fun noises, but may be better suited to your situation if you can't provide DAILY one-on-one interaction time.

Hope this helps a bit!

K~

[Wild Bill]

Awesome post Kara!!!

We have been looking into some birds and that will really help with our decision.

[Kara]

More food for thought...

A busy bird is a happy bird. Bird cages should be as big as you can afford. DO NOT scrimp on cage size. Also pay attention to bar spacing & research what is appropriate for the species you choose. All birds are delicate to some extent - some more than others - and you don't want them getting their sweet little necks broken by sticking their heads between cage bars that are too wide.

Back to that busy/happy bird & big cage...the bird cage should have a variety of perches & toys. Only 1 perch needs to go all the way across the cage, so the bird can access food & water dishes if they're both on the same level/front loading in the cage. Otherwise, giving a variety of perch lengths in different textures (sandy, wooden, rope, etc) will help the bird to exercise its feet & reduce pressure on any one part of the foot from sitting in the same position on the same kind of perch, day after day after day.

TOYS! Busy birds have a variety of toys within the cage. Variety is the spice of life, and it is ever true when dealing with entertainment for little featherbutts. I firmly believe that a bird should have no fewer than 8, and preferably more than 10 different toys in the cage as long as size accommodates...those aren't magic numbers, but they do seem to give a lot of variety. My birds are known to have 20+ different "activi-toys" at any time...bells, toys to chew, toys to shred, acrylic, safe plastic, safe rope, (SAFE SAFE SAFE being the operative word here), but the main point of most bird toys is so that active, happy little beaks can destroy them.

...whew...I could go on & on for pages here...birds can bring so much joy to your life if you do them right. They really are just little delicate feathered people that will steal your heart when you aren't looking.

K~

[tropheusfreak]

I'm in Minnesota and we used to breed birds. I would go with a pionus parrot. They are very quiet don't get crazy mean. I would really think twice about conures. We used to raise suns, jendays, nandays, green cheeks, and blue crowned conures, all very noisy and nippy. Always buy a handfed bird when possible. I have one bird left that we are thinking about selling. He is a white capped pionus. He is really sweet and is a cool bird. They are pretty shy birds though. We raised blue headed pionus and white capped pionus's. Parrotlets are cool too. We had pacifics for years. Really sweet little birds. If you weren't so far away we would give you a really good deal on our white cap. He has a huge cage and is very tame and only around a year old.

[greenmonkey51]

I know that a cockatiel is perfect for what I want, I just want something different/more color. I mostly want a pair if I got a cockatiel. What would be the best non sexual option for cockatiel. Also with lovebirds do they need more attention if they're in pairs that a cockatiel needs.

[tropheusfreak]

For lovebirds I always liked our fischer's lovebirds or the bluemasked love birds. Now here is some nice color for ya:


Meet Hector the white cap pionus

[Shelby]

With the little knowledge I have of lovebirds.. keeping them in pairs isn't that easy. If they don't like each other, they may kill each other. This is just what I remember reading (wouldn't put it past the buggers either.)

Keeping parrots with other parrots tends to make them bond with the other bird rather than you.. also they are less likely to talk.