What bird is best for me?

[Roonil Wazlib]

Hey guys, i’m very new to this wonderful world of parrothood and I’m wondering what kind of parrot might be best suited to me before I research all the species and end up wanting all da birdies in da whole wide world

I’ve been researching for quite a few days, but everywhere says something different, so I’m just coming straight here to ask actual mummies and daddies their opinion

Now, I won’t be getting my little critter for at least a year yet. So I’ve got plenty of time to get books and conduct research and such - so if you guys have any good material, i’m keen for a look.

I’m gonna give as much information as I can about my lifestyle and what I can hope to achieve with my feathered kid.

Yes, my family and I had a budgie about seven years ago, when I was 14 (I will be close to 24 when I get my baby). He was a darling little thing, but flew away when I was at school. Cried about it for two days. So...i’m not a complete nubie, but I’d hardly call that as having ‘experience.’ Esp not the correct experience - doubt we did too much right - he was pretty much only on seed as far as I can remember and there was no routine or tricks and training with him either.

As far as size - the bigger the better, apart from the macaws, of cause, I know i’m not ready for those beauties. Id love to have one one day if I'm lucky enough - when I’m more equipped to handle rehabilitating a rescue perhaps. Not looking to adopt the first time round. Because I’m not so experienced, id rather like to form a friendship with someone who hasn’t formed an opinion of humans yet...or me if I mess up a little.

I live in a medium size house and have a nice sized backyard that I believe would be able to comfortably house larger birds such as Amazons and African Grays, etc…

Partner and I haven't got children yet, but plan on it in about three years. So, ideally hoping for a bird that won’t terribly mind being big brother/sister to human babies and maybe not getting as much attention (still will get a lot though )

We have got cats however, two of them. And over time I’d like to be able to slowly introduce them to the bird and have out of cage interaction. (I don’t know whats the rule on this, whether people refuse to do this, or not, but id rather, under supervision let them out, teaching my cats that the bird isn’t a toy or food, but off limits, just in case something unforeseeable were to happen)

My fur babies will be four years old by the time we get the bird and couldn’t be more different to each other - one is a scardy cat, and will most likely be afraid of the bird, no matter the size. So i’m hoping to introduce her first and let my other cat follow by example, but he is a little hunter :/ So a larger bird that can pack a punch would be handy if a possible mishap happens. As far as im aware they haven't caught a bird yet, and we have several nesting in an open pipe along the roof of our carport. (Though my budgie did happen to outwit my *now passed on * cat one night) any info you have on integrating these guys together would be fantastic, it’s one of the main things I am going to focus on, weather it takes two years or five, etc...)

My bf is allergic to our cats, but I have no idea if this will be the case with the powder birds or not, but he does have asthma, so the powered birds, depending on how much they powder might not be ideal.

Currently I’m working through some issues and am unfit to work. I may pick up a part time job sometime next year. But won’t be away from the house too often, especially when we do have kids as I am going to be a sahm.

The bird will have plenty of time outside his cage. At the beginning it will be primarily through the middle of the day (5 - 8 hours) when the cats are outside, and probably for an hour or two at night if and when the cats are locked in another room. However, as I said, this time will extend when we begin the process of integrating.

Its practically a requirement that I can put a harness on the bird, as I hope to take him/her outside lots, and get lots of socialization from other people. Having a “one-person” bird doesn’t necessarily worry me, as I do plan of having heaps of socialization, so though I may become his/her ‘mate’ hoping to still have him/her interact on a fair level with others.

I don’t think the mess will worry me too much - cage will be on tiles or floorboards so its an easy clean. Having a bird that I can ‘potty train’ is a must, because I do plan on having him/her out most of the day I don’t want him/her pooping over me and the lounge, haha.

Cost is not something I’m looking at currently. Especially the fact the prices are different overseas ( i’m in Australia, and will be paying in a years time, so the price will be different from now anyway. )

As far as food goes, I’m planing on all the good stuff meat, veg, fruit. If anyone has good food plans for their baby I’d love a look at it. Want to make sure I get all the right nutrition in.

I like to think I’m a resilient person when it comes to animals ($2,000 vet bill for one of my cats last year :/ and he'd been spraying since three months old. Was a long road to that recovery after his snip ) and I will never, ever, ever hand off my animals because i’m about to have a baby, or move, or going thou difficult crap. They will pretty much be apart of the family from second one. They are my first kids and I will never give them up. I can only see me surrendering the bird if its extremely misbehaved and bites so hard its unsafe for my family, and I can do absolutely nothing to help it, no point both of us being miserable - I’m hoping this won’t happen as I feel I’ll be dedicated enough to keep his/her intelligence satisfied, so he/she won’t have to resort to screeching and biting.

I’ve been watching all of Michaels Videos over the last couple of days, and will probably buy his book too, very impressed at the wonderful friendship he has with his babies.

Noise and talkativeness. Noise I can handle. Screaming, not so much. So if the bird will scream at the drop of a hat, not gonna lie, I won’t be able to handle that. Bring on the talkativeness! I love that! Teaching tricks is something i would love to do as well.

Would also like a cuddly bird. And by cuddly I mean doesn’t mind a few pats and scratches, and loves to be with me. I want a companionship, and a friend. I want a bond.

The least aggressive species is obviously best, like I have to mention, lol. I know they will get aggressive for a year or so when they hit sexual maturity, and through breeding season, and I’m prepared for that, through thick and thin. As long as the aggressiveness doesn’t continue all year round, for ever!

Um, don't go on many vacations, so that's not something I'm too worried about. At most, it would be for a week or two every two to three years. Going to my parents or going somewhere in Aus, I'm prepared to bring my baby with us if he/she isn't an usually terrified sweet pea.

Sorry about my life story Thanks for reading this far if you did. I'm just terrified I'll bring home the wrong bird for my lifestyle and not be able to care for his or her needs properly and then have both of us be miserable. And it will be heartbreaking for both of us if i have to go down that path.

Thnaks Guys,
Shan

[Wolf]

Hi and welcome to the forum. I did read your introduction but decided to wait to reply til I could read this. I don't make it a habit to recommend any species of parrot to any person and although I am not going to do that this time either, I do have some thoughts that you may find useful in your quest.
Right at first, I want to say do not discount your experience with a budgie as they are true parrots and are extremely intelligent, although they are definitely not the bird you want as per your description of what you want. Even though it sounds like most of what you remember about your experience was wrong, it is experience and knowing what was done and that it was wrong is also beneficial if you earned that it was wrong.
Most species of parakeets are not going to work out for you just because of the harness, so there is no need for me to cover anything there at this time, although in general the basics for caring for them is the same as for any other parrot. Beyond the basics there are thing particular to whatever species you end up getting and those can mostly be addressed when you have chosen.
I have four different species of parrots and they range in size from a little Parrotlet to an Amazon, and except for needing to make the size of the food offered to them small enough for the Parrotlet they all eat basically the same foods. They do not get meat or eggs in their diet as they don't need them, they get plenty of protein from their seed ration which they only get for dinner. I do not use pellets or crumbles as they are basically just ground up and processed seeds with a bunch of additives and not enough moisture, although some people like the convenience of them. My birds all eat cooked beans, cooked whole grains and vegetables for breakfast and they also get more fresh veggies and some fruit for all day nibbling. Their seed mix is removed from their cage after they go to sleep.
Cages are often too small for the bird, and mine are out of theirs a lot, however the size of the cage is still very important. Basically a birds wingspan is twice their length from tip of their beak to the tip of their tail and their cage at a minimum needs to be twice their wingspan. If you don't know the wingspan of the bird just go with the length of the bird and get one that is four times the birds length. Also the cage should be at least as tall as you are as this helps the bird feel more secure when you are near the cage that it is in.
I have both dogs and cats and even though the birds are out a lot, I keep a close watch on them as they are food in the eyes of dogs and cats and my dogs and cats are not allowed to bother my birds, ever. No matter how much you trust your dog or cat, they are predators and birds are prey so never trust a dog or cat in proximity to your bird as that is an accident waiting to happen. Also since you have cats, make certain that your bird is not clipped as flight is their only means of escape from a predator, and don't listen to anyone who says to clip your bird.
A bird from a breeder or from a rescue is imprinted on humans and this takes place shortly after they hatch and insures that the bird will accept a human. Bonding is a different process and occurs later and takes longer. A baby bird will bond to a human or perhaps more than one human, but it is a baby and is dependent on the human for everything. This is because the human takes the place of the parent birds who must teach the baby everything that it needs to know from hoe to drink water and eat food to what to eat and how to find it all the way to social interaction with the rest of the flock. When the young bird goes through puberty it will drop the bond with its parent and seek out and bond with its mate and if you are the parent bird for it then it may choose a different human than you to bond with as a mate. This is the bonding that you are looking for. Most parrots will only bond to one person although it may accept other humans as part of the flock. In most cases, this is why a bird ends up in a rescue situation. It refused to bond to the human that wanted it and so they don't get along and the bird pays the price for this. A rescue bird is in most cases the best way to find the right bird for you and if you don't close the door on this option then you will know if the bird you like wants you as it will let you know and the personality of this bird will for the most part remain the same for the remainder of its life. None of my birds came to me as babies and all needed a home as they were neglected or in some cases outright abused. They have all bonded to me and will all go out of their way to protect me from any perceived threat. They are wonderful birds, and they will always be loved and cared for as long as I draw a single breath.
I know that where you are that avian rescues sort of operate under the radar and are difficult to find, but please consider finding one in your area and volunteer to work their for a spell. It will give you valuable hands on experience that you need and who knows the right bird for you may be found there.
Good luck in your quest and I hope that you find this useful.

[Pajarita]

In truth, one can learn all there is to learn about a species and, when you get an individual belonging to it, it turns out your bird is different from everybody else's... Now, there are a few points you made I would like to address.

All parrots scream. All of them. The larger the species, the louder they are. When people say that this or that species is 'quiet' they don't mean that they are really quiet, they mean it in comparison to other species which might scream all the time. And there are individuals of 'quiet' species that are screamers. Senegals, grays and amazons are considered 'quiet' but I took in a female sennie that was given up because the lady was afraid of getting evicted as all her neighbors complained about her constant screaming (she did not scream here but, once the lady moved, she asked me to return the bird to her, which I did - but she was back in 48 hours because she screamed non-stop all the time she was with her). There is a member of this forum that has a pair of grays and the male is driving them crazy because he screams all the time. And I have a male BlueFront amazon that screams loud and long.

Wolf is correct in that, when you get a baby, you really do not know what you are getting. It will bond with you but it might not stay bonded to you (it depends on the species) and getting over that hurdle is very hard for most people because they feel betrayed by the bird and, as the re-bonding process is actually quite long and hard, a lot of them end up rehoming them.

Cats and birds don't mix. Even when the cat is not a hunter, a playful swat can kill a bird (you ever heard of 'cat scratch' fever?). I have 7 cats but I never allow them to mix, the birds have their own room and the cats have another one and, when the birds are out, the cats are all safely locked in their room.

Don't expect the parrot to be a 'family' pet. A few of them work out but most don't. Parrots are naturally one-person animals and the most that one can aspire to is that the bird ignores the rest of the family because the alternative is a bird that would bite anybody/birdie that they consider a threat to their relationship with their chosen human (and that might include your boyfriend and future children). Socialization only goes so far and it doesn't really work for all parrots because it's something that goes against nature as, in the wild, parrots don't usually accept strange birds into their flock.

Now, patience, persistence, consistency, love, respect and the ability to look at things from the bird's perspective go a LOOOOOOOONG way toward achieving a good relationship with a relatively well-adjusted parrot but it might take years of work. Parrots are not domesticated and nature never gave them a trait that would make them desirous to please us (or anybody else) so keeping them requires a completely different mind set than having a dog or even a cat and one of the main differences about the 'mind set' is that you can't really have any expectations... you have to roll with the punches and make lemonade out of the lemons.

[Roonil Wazlib]

Wolf, thank you for your information, you've helped big time and made me want to rescue xx

Yeah, that is about the only experience with my budgie - what not to do, haha. About the only thing we did right was to not to clip wings and give lots of attention and love. But since i like to know what I'm getting into (apparently, unlike my parents) I am making sure I'm doing all my homework. But, your right, at least i have some experience.

I've got two spots that I'm thinking will be a good fit for the bird, depending on its size. One is further away from the 'main action' of the house by about three meters (the living room - open plan though, so I'll still be able to see the bird and he/she me), its right on a big window and is large enough for a meter and a half cage, plenty of space. On tiles so easy to clean. however, the cons are its in the dining room, right next to the kitchen :/ I still need to research whats safe to use in the kitchen. But yeah.

The other space is right next to my seat, away from the kitchen and dining, in a corner, so birdie will feel safer, be next to me, but the space is much, much smaller. Maybe only 70-80 centimeters. so not even a meter Will be harder to clean as its got the lounge right next to it, but away from kitchen and dining.

Oh yeah, the cats will be supervised at all times if and when they do get to the point where they can co-exist. For me, being able to have them in the same room together will be great so i won't be neglecting one over the other, and just the simple insurance that if something were to happen while i was gone (the cats would be locked in another room, but you never know) The cats will be less likely to hunt my feathered kid.

Not clipping the birds wings. Never will. talking to a breeder about weather or not he sells harnesses at his shop and he said, "I don't believe in harness, because they can mess up the birds feathers a little, and if it tries to fly away, there will be too much force on its chest." which is fair enough, but when i said, "what would be better for a bird, flight in the home, or being able to go out and explore the world with me" he said, and i quote with a mad face "clip the wings, if they are clipped before they learn to fly, they won't ever try to fly because they wont know they can." I was like. "Wow, that's cruel"

So yeah, flying and a harness life is the life I choose
Ah, ok. That is an excellent idea. I will have to find and check out some rescues places in my area. *yey, i get to see birds again today *



Pajarita, thanks for your words
I think I've been worried over the personality of the bird because i know, even through a certain species, they are unpredictable and unless you know for certain what they are like, you can never be sure. One of the reasons why wolf and you have convinced me to adopt an adult

Ok, so I'm looking for a bird big enough to be able to harness and take outside lots, but, not the big ones, unless i've spent time getting to know them at the adoption center rescues places, and can tolerate their noise.

So i'll need a bird that wont cause too much damage if it does decide to bite. Would one of the "quieter" birds that you've mentioned be able to tolerate a new human sibling? I'm not worried about myself, but like i said, i don't want to give him/her up, so i'll need one that can adapt to not being the only thing i give attention to.

Not looking for a family pet, but trying to still be mindful of the family

Now, patience, persistence, consistency, love, respect and the ability to look at things from the bird's perspective go a LOOOOOOOONG way toward achieving a good relationship with a relatively well-adjusted parrot but it might take years of work.

Now this, is something that i am defiantly willing to do 100%

Thank you so much for you help, you guys have already shaped a large part of what will fit me best (like adopting and adult) and i can't thank you enough xx

[Roonil Wazlib]

What kind of species would most likely stay bonded with the same person? That is large enough for a harness? I'm finding lots of greys and macaws up for adoption - 2 years and under though (would that age mean they would still try to bond with a different person after sexual maturity?) but not any amazons or Senegal's.

If any Australian knows of any good bird rescue sanctuaries here, I'd love some information about them.

Thanks

[Pajarita]

A gray should be 3 years old or more and a macaw 4 years old or more. I know of a guy who takes in unwanted birds but it's mostly cockatoos -although he does have ekkies and either still has or used to have IRNs, too. He is in Adelaide.

[Harpmaker]

Aviator Harnesses are rated to fit parrots as small as 75 grams, which is supposed to fit a cockatiel.

However, in general small children and parrots don't mix. All parrots bite. And parrot bites don't count unless they draw blood. Think about your children scarred from parrot bites, and consider putting off getting a parrot until your eventual children are old enough to not stick fingers in parrot cages.

[Navre]

One of the hardest things I ever had to do was rehome my CAG after my son was born and started to walk. The bird was very aggressive toward my son, and with him walking and another baby on the way, I felt the best thing to do was to give the bird to my brother-in-law. (The bird LOVED my brother-in-law for some reason and his wife had experience with birds)

The other options, keeping the bird caged up, or in another room; keeping the kids caged up (hey, that doesn't sound too bad), didn't seem realistic. Also, there is no margin for error. The amount of damage that an adult(ish) Congo African Grey can do to a small child is pretty significant. I had nightmares about missing fingers, eyes, and prematurely pierced ears.

It took me 20 years to finally accept another bird. Our little GCC seems to like my son the best. My son is 22 now, so I figure he can handle the bites he occasionally gets.

I'd offer the same advice about birds and small children that I'd offer about dogs and small children. Get a pet that is small enough that it cannot seriously injure a small child. Pythons, pitbulls, and hyacinth macaws seem to be too much risk. I know that pitbulls can be sweet, and I've never encountered a Hyacinth that wasn't, but it only takes one time, one bad incident, to really mess up your kid. I wouldn't risk it.

[NICrosis]

You want an honest answer? Sounds to me like a mini-macaw would be great. Caiques and pionus breeds are often overlooked and I'd recommend doing a bit of studying there. I don't recommend Amazons, buuuuuuuut, a Jenday conure might also fit your bill.

[MightyMidget]

a good rescue here in australia Parrot Rescue Center
they also sell toys, decent seed mixes and have great info on their website