Should I get a Senegal, Meyers or Red Bellied Parrot

[cuddlybirds98]

Hello all!! I am so glad I found this forum as I am brand new. I am a huge animal lover and am all about giving my pets the best care. I am trying to learn as much as I can about parrots bc they are very different from hamsters and dogs which are the pets I'm used to.


I've done my research on breeds and have narrowed it down to three.

Since it is my first bird, I would like him to be able to do okay in the day on his own. I work from 9 - 6 but will play with him for 2 - 3 hours when I get home and A LOT during the weekends when I'm off. I would love a cuddly bird, one who would love to just sleep in my lap while I pet him. I do understand that my bird will be moody sometimes and I do not expect him to be perfect.


I'd also love a bird who can make me laugh. I'm leaning towards a Meyers or RB judge bc I've heard Senegals can be quite territorial. And I do live in an apartment with a roommate. But I would love a bird who I can bond extremely close with. I am truly looking for a companion. However, I know I need to put the bird first so if you think my work schedule would not give me the proper time for a bird, please let me know. I need to be his wellbeing first. Thank you.

[Michael]

Welcome. You've come to the right place. I would say overall they are more similar than not and you can't go wrong with any of the three if you like pois. Availability will play a big role because you just may not be able to get certain species or there may be a very long wait. Where abouts do you live?

I've done my research on breeds and have narrowed it down to three.

Since it is my first bird, I would like him to be able to do okay in the day on his own. I work from 9 - 6 but will play with him for 2 - 3 hours when I get home and A LOT during the weekends when I'm off. I would love a cuddly bird, one who would love to just sleep in my lap while I pet him. I do understand that my bird will be moody sometimes and I do not expect him to be perfect.

I would say that the biggest impact on how the bird is with you is the training, trust, and relationship you build. Secondly is the bird's personality. With such similar birds this may end up mattering more than the species. Pick the individual from those that best suits you rather than getting too hung up on the generalizations. Make sure you learn how to properly keep, train, and care for a parrot. It's a lot harder than it looks so don't underestimate it.

[Pajarita]

As Michael stated, all three species are actually very similar and how they behave is directly related to the care and attention you give them. But all of them can become overly hormonal [read aggressive] if not kept at a strict solar schedule so, if you are planning on interacting with the bird after sunset, you will have a problem. Also, make sure that your expectations are feasible because, for one thing, I don't have a single bird that would sleep on my lap [they do it on my shoulder and not very often] and you can't 'pet' them [you can only touch their heads in the form of light scratches -parrot people call them 'scritches']. Last but not least, if you live with somebody else, you need to take into consideration the fact that the bird might like your roommate better than you. Parrots are all one-person pets and they choose the one they like best and have no regards whatsoever for our feelings, the ingrates

[cuddlybirds98]

As Michael stated, all three species are actually very similar and how they behave is directly related to the care and attention you give them. But all of them can become overly hormonal [read aggressive] if not kept at a strict solar schedule so, if you are planning on interacting with the bird after sunset, you will have a problem. Also, make sure that your expectations are feasible because, for one thing, I don't have a single bird that would sleep on my lap [they do it on my shoulder and not very often] and you can't 'pet' them [you can only touch their heads in the form of light scratches -parrot people call them 'scritches']. Last but not least, if you live with somebody else, you need to take into consideration the fact that the bird might like your roommate better than you. Parrots are all one-person pets and they choose the one they like best and have no regards whatsoever for our feelings, the ingrates

Thank you both for the advice!! I am not planning to add a bird to my home until around October bc I want to do plenty of research (:

[Pajarita]

The best research you can do is to volunteer at a parrot rescue and not only because you get hands-on training on how to deal with them but also because there might be a bird in there that falls in love with you and you with him/her at first sight!