Choosing a parrot species using rescue stats

[k9shrink]

Hi Michael,

I live just outside Madison, Wisconsin.

The things I'm looking for are:

Lifespan - Because I'm a 49 year old cancer survivor (almost 7 years ago) and have no relatives that could take a bird after my death, I'm looking for a bird that will live about 10-15 years as a best guess. I would consider adopting a longer-lived species that has another 10-15 years left. (For a parrot longevity table, see: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1 ... .x/full#t2)

Size - My budget will allow only for birds up to about Senegal-sized, and maybe not even that.

Noise - I'd prefer a parrot that is noisy a few times a day, but quiet in between so I can work. (I'm a technical writer in the biotech field). I have my own house and live alone, so there are no issues with neighbors or landlords. Talking ability not necessary--been there, done that, won the Kaytee International Best Talking Parrot contest (2011).

Temperament - I'm holding out for a parrot that is great about being handled. A bird that can be flipped over to lie on its back or have a harness put on with only a small amount of training. I know it's possible, because I see numerous videos of first-time owners picking up parrots from behind or cuddling them upside down with no training, and no aggression on the part of the bird. I believe that some species and some individuals are just more "in to" being handled than others. I want a bird that can self-entertain while I work nearby, but I don't want a total perch potato, as I plan to train the bird for performances.

My Budget - About $500 for initial costs (adoption, used cage, toys) and $300/year after that, with occasional splurges for an avian vet. My CAG cost 3x more than this annually, which is why I'm now looking at smaller birds.

The top 3 on my list are currently: Brotogeris sp., parrotlet, IRN. Some people have suggested cockatiels, but I just have a "thing" against them for some reason. Otherwise, I have no preference for looks, color, or talking ability.

[Michael]

Dunno but after having a Grey and going such a path, I'm not sure you'll be content with the smaller species. Especially cause you've done so much with your Grey. $300 a year is very restrictive too. That's only $25 a month. I couldn't picture keeping a Senegal on that much. Let's say produce doesn't count as it's coming out of the human budget... you're still talking at least $10 a month in pellets if you're portioning them out a pellet at a time. If you freefeed, figure closer to $20 a month. With no other costs, that's barely enough for a perch and a toy per month.

Cockatiel and most species of parakeets will definitely work on that kinda budget but I just have a hard time seeing you content. Also more parakeets tend to be shrill and hyper. Again not what you're used to or looking for. It's good that you're thinking this through and not rushing into anything though. Good luck.

[k9shrink]

You're right that it's a restrictive budget. Luckily, it's restrictive "by choice," because I have other hobbies like gardening and showing my dogs. (I intend to have my future bird out gardening with me in harness, and it will also come to dog shows in a travel cage). I can always move things around financially to accommodate the bird's needs, but I want to aim for a lower-cost bird than my CAG was. But it certainly won't go hungry or go without vet care, etc. on my watch. And you're right that since I mainly cooked my CAG's food, I was not counting that in the budget.

Also, I love carpentry and have a forest behind my house, so had planned to construct play-things, chew toys, etc. using safe species of wood and stainless screws. I also use a lot of found material to make toys, including things like coffee filters, toilet-paper tubes, cardboard boxes, etc. I had to get creative with that living in Turkey, because anything I bought had to be painstakingly imported from the U.S.

About the downsizing, the older I've gotten, the smaller my dogs have gotten. I now LOVE the tiny dogs--all the obedience/agility ability of a big dog, but with less expense and trouble. Now, even a 20 lb. dog seems like too much superfluous weight to take on an airplane compared to my 8 pounder! I was hoping the same might be true of parrots--all the fun, but in a smaller/cheaper package and with "smaller screeching". However, I'm taking seriously what you said about the likelihood of more constant chatter from the little guys.

Thanks for all of your great feedback--I really appreciate it!

[Michael]

Keep in mind that the smaller the bird, the less harnessable it is. Not that I think it's impossible, but I know that it's much less likely that a small bird will be easily accepting of a harness and even more likely that it will be difficult training. The fact is that the smaller harnesses are disproportionately bigger/heavier relative to the bird and thus more uncomfortable. Also it's harder to manipulate the body of a smaller bird into the harness than a medium sized one. When you get small enough they don't even have harnesses for them.

If you are entirely self-sufficient and really will spend the time making all toys/perches/food, then there's not particularly much left too budget. You can have a huge cockatoo if you're ready to chop half the forest down!

I think you need to focus in the "small parrot" range and away from parakeets. This doesn't mean not to look or consider them at all but I do think where you're coming from the smaller size short tailed parrots such as poicephalus, pionus, small amazons, etc are more likely to float your boat than quakers, ringnecks, gcc, conures, etc. The speed, noise, and temperament are entirely different. Lovebird/parrotlet are probably just too small for you.

When it comes to cats/dogs, I hope you are prepared for 100% physical separation? So many small birds get killed by cats/dogs in households all the time. Just say you don't believe me and I'll make you sick with pictures. I figure with your level of experience with the 3 you'll know that but I just want to make sure. Many parrots have been snatched before the owners very eyes. It's not because the cat/dog wants to eat the parrot and it's not something training can solve, it all comes down to the parrot's flee reflex and the cat/dog's catch reflex.