Advice for a soon to be parrot mom?

Question

I want a parrot for a companion. I have done TONS of research on differnt species, both large and small. A family member has kept parrots (green wing macaw) so I have interacted with them. I guess i just want some help in deciding on species. And any advice you have aswell would be appreciated! thanks

Answer 1

Teach which ever talking kind you get to say...

My father worked for a broken phonograph repair company and I was inoculated with a phonograph record needle.

Answer 2

Ask yourself how loud are you willing to put up with. And then know Conures and Cockatoos are REALLY LOUD!! Amazons and Macaws are as well VERY LOUD. African Grey's are not so loud, nor or Rosella. It's all about personality. Go to a bird show and walk around, see what tickles your fancy, Amazons have a strong odor. Factor that in, go give them a smell and see what you think. How much room do you have for a big cage? You may want a Parrolette, very tiny but still an amazon type bird in nature. What kind of life style do you lead? Are you always home, or just a little. Do you want a crazy monkey shine bird? Conures) Or a great talker? (African Grey's) You have to make the big choice, with the hundreds of bird types there are, you need to do what's best for your life style, as a parrot is a lifetime commitment, you shouldn't give them away when you are finished, as they want to be with you for their whole life which is very long lives. They grieve very hard when placed in new homes. So keep this all in mind. Happy Hunting!!

Answer 3

It all depends on how much time that you have to spend with a bird. If you have a busy schedule, then you might want to consider a bird that is more independant, such as a canary, or a finch. They are beautiful birds and love to sing and chirp, but do not like to be handled by humans.
If you have plenty of time, then a parakeet/budgie, cockatiel, conure, parrotlet, quaker, or an amazon would work.
Also take into consideration the lifespan of the species, and the costs to keep the bird healthy(food, cage, toys, vets, grooming, etc.), not to mention the initial cost of the animal.
It can get very pricey and time consuming for a parrot.

Good luck.

Answer 4

Quaker Parrots (or sometimes called Quaker Parakeets, Monk Parrots, or Monk Parakeets) are, without a doubt, my personal favorite. They are reasonably priced (well depending on the color mutation you want), not too big (about the size of a Parrotlet or large Cockatiel), and are amazing little talkers! Now, our "little green chicken" (as they are affectionaly called) is only about 6 months old, but she already knows her name, that she is a pretty bird, and how to tell the dog to stop (yeah that's the most common phrase in our house).

Only one thing more to say.... PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE... if you find a dealer who is willing to sale you an unweaned baby, turn around and run the other way!!!! It may seem simple and easy if nothing goes wrong, but there are so many things that can go wrong if an unexperineced parront tried to handfeed formula. Also, make sure that you have an Avian vet. I know some people are saying things like "well of course, that's the easy part", but every vet that we found that was supposedly an avain vet when we got our lil baby referred us to someone else. It took three full days of calling around to finally find a vet that knows birds.

Answer 5

The bird's personality varies a lot from species to species, but it also varies a lot from bird to bird. We have a very affectionate happy Rose Breasted Cockatoo. She replaced a small parrot who passed away a couple years ago. We have other birds (cocktails and love birds), but "Rosie" is more than a pet, but a member of our family. She is outgoing, likes ALL people, she is affectionate, and has taught herself to talk (she has decided what she wants to say, she hasn't liked anything we've tried to teach her -- lol). Check out several varieties. Talk to several pet stores and bird farms. Make sure you meet the bird in person and see how you get along before you purchase.

Good Luck and best wishes.

Answer 6

My best advice is look for a bird that is most like your personality , and that will fit into your life style. I myself have a Umbrella Cockatoo, which they need alot of attention and can be loud !! Do you live in a apartment , and if so , how will your next door nebores feel about hearing a loud bird. Also a bird has a long life span. These are sum of the things you need to be thinking of.
I have also posted a site , of where I got my bird from. I have been personally to this lady's place. And she is very good , and will help you chose the right bird for you.
Good luck !!!

Answer 7

Handfed baby Quaker parrot all the way!! I am so amazed by this breed and I have a 12 month old Quaker parrot who is an abuse/neglect rescue. I will post a link to a site made specifically for people who are owned by these wonderful feathered companions. This site is loaded with information and many peoples personal experience as well as home videos of quakers and of other breeds from time to time.
Quakers are at the lower end of the price range.
They are wonderful talkers.( you can watch talking videos of them on this site also ) Loaded with personality as well as attitude haha This breed is guarenteed to steal your heart for sure. I just cant say enough about them. Please do follow this link and soak up info and watch some of the videos and look at some pictures of some of the members babies before making your decision.
Quakers come in two colors...green which is the most comon and blue. The blue one's are gonna run ya a good chunk of change more then a green. but either way youll have a companion for life. The average lifespan is 25-35 years for Quakers. Here is a link to my photo album on the site so you can peek at my guy

http://www.quakerparrots.com/forum/index.php?s=&act=module&module=gallery&cmd=user&user=4540&op=view_album&album=505


You can register for this site ( its free) and ask any questions you may have
Photo page You can scroll to the bottom of this page and click on the "parrot movies" link to get to the videos. http://www.quakerparrots.com/forum/index.php?act=module&module=gallery

Message board forum page which includes every tpic you could need to ask questions about your feathered kiddo. http://www.quakerparrots.com/forum/

here is the home page to the site where you can find links to articles and other related info
http://www.quakerparrots.com/index.htm

good luck in making your decision. Im stuck on Quakers for life!!

Answer 8

I would try to get something that has been hand fed.They are usually a lot tamer. Some pet shops have it where they have incubaters of baby hand fed parrots and McCall's. Which ever one you choose they allow you to go and handle it and feed it just so you and the parrot get used to each other. Once the parrot is old enough to stand his ground then you are allowed to take him home. Of course you have to pay for the birdie so bring lots of cash!

Answer 9

Try to look on different websites like www.birds.com, going to PetValu or Petsmart or simply going to Chapters or a local bookstore and buying a book on and about Parrots.

Answer 10

You should consider how much money you want to spend and how much noise you can tolerate.
It may be better to start with a smaller bird like a green cheeked conure

Answer 11

i started out with a sunconure bad choice for some they are loud very loud but i love him dearly. i would start out small like a tiel just so you can see what the responsibility is your self and then work your self up to a bigger one remember the bigger the bird the bigger the mess bigger the noise bigger the responsibilityt ive got 7 now my largest are a blue front amazon and a african grey please and i cant stress it enough dont start out to big and then find out you need to rehome it its not fair to u or the bird.