What's your opinions on these species?

[LittleMissPetPerson]

Hi!! I'm looking into getting a parrot in the (probably distant) future! I probably won't get one for a long time but I still want to do as much research and knowing what I'll be getting into as much as I can! Anyway I'll describe myself a bit before listing the birds that I like. I'm a young teen. The animals that live in my house are 2 dogs, 1 indoor cat(we have one outdoor too), a rabbit and a fish. My outdoor animals that wouldn't come in contact with the bird are 2 horses, about 20 chickens and 1 cat. I do dance 5 hours a week but my mom stays at home all day so she could make sure the bird doesn't get lonely. My family understand that a pet is a commitment that everyone will take part in. I live with my parents and my older brother. Now on to the species ~ I'm deciding between
Lineolated Parakeets
English budgie
Parrotlet
Ringneck parakeet
Cockatiel
Lovebird

I have space for a large cage and can deal with some mess, noise and some nips (I have scars from my bratty bunny lol) if anyone could give me some info on these species it would be greatly appreciated!

[RenLynn]

Hello, Lineolated parakeets are sweet temperd little birds and they dont get stressed out very easy. Budgies can also be sweet and they great talkers(Males) but you should ALWAYS get a hand fed bird if you can. Parrotlets are fun little guys, just like having a big parrot. Same for Lovebirds except I think Lovebirds are more agressive and messy.Now Cockateils are really messy, its their dander but they are good natured birds but dont like to be man handeld. They would rather sit on your shoulder and watch TV. Ok so do you mean Indian Ringnecks? Because Dont get one, they are very hard to keep, more so for new bird owners, a lot of people say they are bad pets but they can GREAT. Hope that helps

Remember hand fed.

[LittleMissPetPerson]

[quote="RenLynn"]Hello, Lineolated parakeets are sweet temperd little birds and they dont get stressed out very easy. Budgies can also be sweet and they great talkers(Males) but you should ALWAYS get a hand fed bird if you can. Parrotlets are fun little guys, just like having a big parrot. Same for Lovebirds except I think Lovebirds are more agressive and messy.Now Cockateils are really messy, its their dander but they are good natured birds but dont like to be man handeld. They would rather sit on your shoulder and watch TV. Ok so do you mean Indian Ringnecks? Because Dont get one, they are very hard to keep, more so for new bird owners, a lot of people say they are bad pets but they can GREAT. Hope that helps

Remember hand fed.[/quote/]

Hi thank for replying! I know hand fed is better but what about rescue birds? Because there are some great birds at my local rescue. What's wrong with s? I've heard great things about them! Thanks for the input!!

[RenLynn]

Rescued birds can be great pets, but you always have to wonder what their origanal life was like. But I say go for it, if that is what you have time for . s CAN BE tricky, and not always for new bird owners.

[pennyandrocky]

littlemisspetperson please look up the problems with hand feeding. when I was trying to find a cause for my s plucking/chewing habit one of the causes was hanfeeding. breeders invented hand feeding as a way to get rid of babies quicker saving money on food and encouraging the parents to produce more to replace their lost babies. if you really want a parrot you should find a rescue to volunteer at that way you get experience with different birds and know exactly what you're getting into before making a lifetime commitment.

[LittleMissPetPerson]

littlemisspetperson please look up the problems with hand feeding. when I was trying to find a cause for my s plucking/chewing habit one of the causes was hanfeeding. breeders invented hand feeding as a way to get rid of babies quicker saving money on food and encouraging the parents to produce more to replace their lost babies. if you really want a parrot you should find a rescue to volunteer at that way you get experience with different birds and know exactly what you're getting into before making a lifetime commitment.

Thanks for replying! I have a rescue very close to my house and I'm going to contact them is I can get and idea of the birds personalities and what it takes to care for one! Thank you

[LittleMissPetPerson]

Rescued birds can be great pets, but you always have to wonder what their origanal life was like. But I say go for it, if that is what you have time for . s CAN BE tricky, and not always for new bird owners.

Thank you I'm going to volunteer at my local rescue!

[Pajarita]

Breeders did not invent hand-feeding as a way of getting rid of babies sooner, they invented it so the bird imprints to humans and is not deadly afraid of it. Wild birds don't want anything to do with humans because they learned from their parents that humans are predators.

Linnies, budgies and tiels are good. Lovies and plets are more difficult and, if I were you, I would not consider ringnecks at all. As to rescue versus babies, I think that rescue birds always turn out better for first time owners than babies because they don't have to be weaned, they left puberty behind and, what you see is what you get in terms of temperament which makes them much easier and predictable for somebody who doesn't have a whole lot of experience in parrots.

[deshud]

I think linnies, budgies and cockatiels are good birds to start with. As with babies vrs. older birds. I have both. I have a hand fed baby, ( 100% weaned from breeder) and a nine year old retired breeder.
Never get a baby still being hand fed. (unless you are experienced with hand feeding and know what you are doing). My baby is more hands on, needs a lot more attention and training. Expect to spend a lot of time with your baby. With my older boy, he's less hands on because that's who he is. He's had a hard life and it's taking time for him to trust me. Right now, I just sit and talk with him, getting him to take food from my hands, etc… Both birds are great.

You just have to decide what you want. I agree with volunteering. Gives you experience handling and caring for birds. Plus you'll get a lot of help from the workers, and it's always great to have experienced "bird" friends when you get a bird for the first time. I know there are several people out there that sure helped me.

[danny]

Why not Ringnecks? I am not arguing against your advice, just merely asking why, based on my limited experience with them. My mom had one as her last bird after she had to give up her breeders due to lung problems, and eventually her death. It seemed like most other nice smaller birds. Educate me on them a bit further.

I have reservations about recommending a Lovebird. I raised Masked Lovebirds, but it was many years ago, so my memory is a bit fuzzy. I also did not have as much experience then as I do now. My memory of them is that they were never quite the same or as handleable as your typical Cockatiel, Conure and other species, even as handfed babies. They also seemed to require a lot of constant handling to remain at their best.

Danny

Breeders did not invent hand-feeding as a way of getting rid of babies sooner, they invented it so the bird imprints to humans and is not deadly afraid of it. Wild birds don't want anything to do with humans because they learned from their parents that humans are predators.

Linnies, budgies and tiels are good. Lovies and plets are more difficult and, if I were you, I would not consider ringnecks at all. As to rescue versus babies, I think that rescue birds always turn out better for first time owners than babies because they don't have to be weaned, they left puberty behind and, what you see is what you get in terms of temperament which makes them much easier and predictable for somebody who doesn't have a whole lot of experience in parrots.