Thinking of Getting a parrot. What should I get?

[Kristinerm]

I am a stay at home mom of three kids and we have no pets and are looking into adding a parrot to our family, I obviously would want a parrot that isn't too aggressive. I was looking into conures because they seem to be loving, but I've been reading that they are very loud? I know birds are birds and are going to be loud. My husband wants one that has a better vocabulary but I've been reading and they seem to be more aggressive. I've had small birds before but when it comes to parrots I'm new. So what I'm asking is can anyone point me in the right direction, I'm obviously going to do my research before I invest in a new buddy. Should I go with conures or Senegals? Or is there any other parrot you would recommend? I've always been interested in parrots:)

[pennyandrocky]

I would start by visiting a rescue they will let you and your family hang out with their birds. reading and asking people who care for parrots is a great start but nothing prepares you like in person. all parrots are loud, they can all talk but many choose not to so if that's what you're after you would want an older bird who already talks. parrots bite and having children you have to make sure they know how to behave with a bird who's beak is designed to crack nuts. my 8 year old was born with birds in the house but I've still had to remind him how much damage they can do if not handled properly. full flight is best for both children's and birds safety. they are messy and destructive if you have furniture that you love it will get chewed/pooped on. I would recommend an older bird from a rescue. a baby bird is sweet but they become aggressive when they reach maturity and want to mate. the youngest bird I have is my when he reached maturity he became a hormonal monster biting anyone who dared come near me my son, his father, the kids I take care of for work, my friends no one was safe from him.

[Uniqu3Ros3]

Hi! I see you want to get more of a talker? well I know some with time can be talkers. They are not the cuddliest though (if you buy them from a pet store). I know Quaker Parrots can be good talkers. My male is a sweet heart but can be a bit on the louder side but hes starting to talk words now. I would love to recommend an eclectus to you (because I find the males are super great and not dusty) but their diet can be a very expensive and hard thing to manage. Again all parrots are different just because you buy/adopt a sweet parrot doesnt mean he or she will stay that way BUT that goes the other way too, just because you buy/adopt a mean parrot doesnt mean he or she will stay that way. All parrots take a lot of work and most (especially eclectus and bigger like macaws) will be a life time commitment (their lifetime). If you think you can handle another kid for your whole like then i think You will love being a new parent but if you dont think you could handle that then I would just not purchase one that may end up needing a new home. Im not trying to sway you into not getting a parrot, I just want you to know the bundle of care your going to have to give to another child

It is not only fine feathers that make fine birds.
- Aesop

Peter pan --->
Ariel --->

[Pajarita]

With children, I would not go with a conure, and I include quakers in there (VERY nippy as well as VERY loud), or a Senegal (they tend to be one-person birds and bite everybody else). Budgies can learn how to talk but they need to be hand-fed males (not females) and separated from all other birds for them to learn (something quite cruel to do to a little social bird) -they are also extremely fragile so they are not recommended for kids. Tiels are very mild-mannered and hardly ever bite but they very rarely learn to talk and they are not what you would call cuddly. For good talkers, you have your Yellow Headed amazons (yellow nape, yellow front, double yellow head) but they can be VERY aggressive when hormonal. Greys are also excellent talkers but they tend to be high-strung and don't do well in an active household (and with 3 kids, I bet yours is quite active). Caiques are the cutest things but they hardly ever learn to talk well...

To tell you the truth, parrots are not good pets for children, they are too wild, they don't 'listen' at all and would always do whatever they want to do, they are destructive, dirty, noisy and need to be kept to a strict solar schedule or you end up with hormonal surges that will make your sweet little birdie go from a Dr. Jekyll to a Mr. Hyde in the blink of an eye. We, long term owners, have all learned (the hard way) that parrots simply cannot adjust to a normal human lifestyle and that we need to adjust to them... it's not that it's not doable, it's that it adds a BIG load to our shoulders and a mother of three already has a big load to carry...

Personally, I would go with a medium size dog.

[KC Cameron]

I imagine I will make a few people mad with this post, but it is from my heart.

Getting a parrot is a much bigger decision than the VAST MAJORITY of potential parrot owners realize. Besides being smart loud and messy, long lived, expensive to keep, and take a ton of work, parrots are prey animals and they think VERY differently than we do. Parrots are not naturally good pets, they have to be constantly worked with to maintain their "good pet" behaviors after they reach adulthood.

That being said, if you are willing to become a student of parrot behavior and diet, willing to smile while you are training it not to bite (and the small parrots bite more, and IMO it hurts more) and the take the immense time it takes to substitute the socialization they would get in nature, perhaps a parrot is for you. Of course it takes a firm commitment of 30-70 years, and you probably will be committing your children to take care of them too.

50% of marriages end up in failure after a supposed lifetime commitment . . . and parrots are dependent on their owners, it is no surprise that parrots are getting the short end of their relationships with people. Do you really want the equivalent of a 4 y/o for the rest of your life, and then your children to be committed too when you pass?

IMHO you would have to be crazy to get a parrot as a pet. Dogs and cats make much better pets, they have ben bred for thousands of years to be good pets. Most parrots are not even 50 years removed from the wild. On top of all this, dogs and cats are mammals and preditors, and so we think in similar ways.

MOST parrots either die too soon, go crazy, or are re-homed since the vast majority of people had no idea what they were getting involved in before acquiring one.

Parrots would be MUCH better off if people did not want them as pets. Most "pet" parrots are not happy parrots.

[Pajarita]

Well said. I agree 100%!!!

[Wayne361]

Generally parrots and kids dont mesh well. Dont know the ages of your kids but parrots get nervous/threatened and are more likely to bite (aggresive) while in their presence.
Birds are wild animals and are a product of the environment YOU provide. I think the majority of new parrot owners believe parrots are domesticated pets such as dogs, cats which simply isnt true. You could get a "tame" non-aggressive bird from someone and after a few months that bird is not the same tame bird you aquired. Lots of factors in play. It all depends on how much effort YOU put into the equation. From socialization, training etc to keep bird "tame".
I could go on but will limit response by saying, do as much research as possible before aquiring a parrot. As mentioned the commitment required is huge in terms of upkeep, vet bills, training, time spent with bird etc etc. Dont get your information from a prospective seller as they are biased the vast majority of the time.

Hope this helps,

Wayne

[GreenWing]

I agree with KC Cameron (OMG - I love your avatar ♥) and Pajarita... my own addendum:

ALL PARROTS ARE NOISY and will scream and can be loud. They're parrots. This is what they do in the wilds of the rainforests and this is what they'll do in your home. They also bite. A lot of the biting can be controlled through training but there are still happenings. Michael wrote in his blog about getting a bite from Kili while he had Truman in his lap (parrots, including Senegals, can be very jealous, for instance). My own personal experience: I had a stuffed animal that my husband bought for me, my Senegal Tiki saw me cuddle it and you know what Tiki would do, every chance she had? Seek OUT that damn stuffed animal and BITE it! Another example: Chance and I snuggle and kiss but she gets in her "leave me the f&^% alone" mood and when she's been in that mood she's nipped me, too. So, to be a "parront" this is the reality. Not to mention, parrots are messy. You'll have a LOT of cleaning up to do: cage scrubbing, changing papers, cleaning shredded toys, food that's been tossed, etc. And if you don't keep it really clean, you can get ants...

You cannot expect a parrot to talk -- not all do and not all will. And while male budgies "can" be excellent talkers, this is no guarantee, so ask yourself this: would you dump the budgie if he doesn't talk? Please don't misunderstand my intentions, I'm as sensitive as the Grey I own so I am not trying to discourage you or even be unkind, but many people DO buy parrots and end up dumping them; this kind of shit happens all the time which is why there's so many GREAT birds in need of rehomes, because too many people have unrealistic expectations for parrots. Parrots are not dogs, they didn't evolve among living with us like dogs have in the last, what at least 10,000 years?

SO, before even considering a parrot, you HAVE to research and read up A LOT. But, with kids in the home, potential birds that COULD work could be a cockatiel or budgie. I don't recommend Senegals for children, especially young Senegals that will go through sexual maturity and when THAT happens, you might as well invite Satan into your house, lol. So read up, study, and really take everything in to consideration before making the true commitment of welcoming a parrot into your flock.

[KC Cameron]

Thanks for the complement GreenWing!

I too am contemplating a new bird. It is a huge decision. How old are your kids? What are you looking for in a parrot? Talking, snuggling, tricks, beauty, bonding, flying...?

[conurelover]

Totally up to you in what you want. Do your research as much you can...get a parrot that you want otherwise you will regret it later on. I suggest your whole family chime in. I am not going to judge...I am a stay at home mother myself with kids ranging from 1-5 and I went back to college myself but I make it all work out for everyone. My bird free roams but is locked up when I am not home. She flies freely to the children, basically whoever she feels like perching on. She nips at the kids to let them know when to leave her alone and GUESS WHAT? IT WORKS! =D
I tell them constantly to not bother but of course they do not listen LOL so I let them learn the hard way. If I had a macaw or larger parrot then def wouldn't do this (so for those that are quick to judge/assume...there ya have it ;O))
The only thing I can say is when kids yell outta nowhere or scream (my son is CRAZY) and sometimes I see it freaks the bird out and when he plays with certain things like one day he decided it'd be funny to shake a jar of coins and the bird flipped out! YAH! I get upset on days like that but honestly, the bird has gotten used to alot! She doesn't react or freak out much so they can adapt to any situation! Now I am going to say...you cannot leave a bird in the cage and expect them to be happy. ESPECIALLY A PARROT! So with that being said....you need to at least spend ALL your time with them. The diet plays a major factor as well so if you are already eating healthy then Kudos to you since it will not be hard =D
We always have fresh fruits and veggies and I have every kind possible at all times so my bird is VERY happy. I spend ALL my time and days with her along with my kids and I do homework around them...ALL of them -_-
The only time she is in her cage is 3hrs at the most...she sleeps with me as well (I also know those that are against this too...BUT AGAIN, to each their own) I know alot say it's better to be safe than sorry...guess what? there are alot who feed their kids processed foods....i can def say some things about that but, again, not my place and everyone has their own opinions and ways of doing things. Whatever works for you and your family! The bird is mainly mine and noone takes care of her but she freely flies to whomever she feels and she eats from whoever she wants. I could see where she'd be mad if she was cooped up in a cage all day and another thing. She is fully flighted! I believe she wouldn't be this happy if her wings were clipped so there are alot of factors that play in all this. Good luck to you and hope you find a bird you will all enjoy. Just because you have kids and certain things in life doesn't mean you cannot balance and obtain your goals and hobbies! Might be more on your plate but it's your choice and noone can say anything otherwise. Just make the best decisions for you and your fams. Not everything works out for you or your family...For instance, some do impulse purchases and then realize it's not what they want but at least we are all matured enough to make the best decisions for ourselves and those around us if need be. If the bird doesn't work out for you then I'm sure you would make the best decision you see fit. Gluck!