What Bird is right for me?

[Nathaniel]

-I have a $500-$700 price budget
-I have 1-3 hours of free a day
-I need a bird that is quiet
-Must like to be handled and trained
Please don't start an arguement "O, I hate when people ask to decide which is better, do some research, look for yourself"... Well I just want to see if anyone has a suggestion that I have not thought about.
So far I like the idea of:
-Budgerigar
-Red-Bellied Parrot
-Senegal Parrot(not sure about noise level though)
Any other information on these or on your suggestion will be a help to add to my growing knowledge of birds and parrots.

[lainmai]

If you are overly concerned on noise levels and don't mind a smaller bird I'd look into a Parrotlet as an option as well. If your looking at a small-mid sized bird then a Senegal would be a good choice (I had pretty much the same list as you when looking into different parrot species about 4 months ago)

I don't know from experience how loud or quiet a Senegal is but I do know from word of mouth they tend to be much quieter than most Conures as well as Cockatiels (depending in each individual bird of course)

Is the $500-700 budget just how much you can afford for the bird, or does that include your budget for the cage, toys, food, and other supplies?

[Natacha]

Is the $500-700 budget just how much you can afford for the bird, or does that include your budget for the cage, toys, food, and other supplies?

This is really the key question. If this is what you have for total spending, then it will narrow down what you can get, since initial cost will include a bird, a decent cage, a travel cage, some toys, some food (and this should be good quality food which will be more expensive), a few toys, perches, a vet check, etc.

Senegals and Red-bellies will cost you anywhere between $400 and $900 alone depending on where you get them (breeder vs pet store, area in which you will buy it as well). This will end up being most, if not more, than the budget you have there.

[skeetersunconure]

if the noise factor was not an issue i would reccomend a sunconure

[lzver]

From my experience a Red Belly or Senegal will cost anywhere from $500 (breeder) to $900 (pet store). I would budget $200 - $300 for a good sized cage, $200 for perches, toys, food, etc and here in Canada a basic vet check will cost around $100 - but will be more if tests are requried. Also keep in mind that you'll need to budget for food, toys, perches, etc on an ongoing monthly basis. I rotate toys and make new toys out of older toy parts to try and reduce the cost a bit, but for both birds I probably spend $100 - $120 a month on food and toys.

I have both a Red Belly and a Senegal and my step-daughter has a Cockatiel. Both my birds are significantly quieter than the Cockatiel. I find the Cockatiel pretty much makes noise all day long and my birds have their noisier times of the day, but aren't noisy all day long.

[Rue]

Have you considered a Pionus? The white-caps and maxis are in your price range. The birds are beautiful - photos don't do them justice...they are reasonably quiet and not quite as active as the Pois...

[MandyG]

First, please check out this article on the Cost of Owning a Parrot. With a tight budget it's important to have a really good idea at the total cost of owning a bird. For a first time bird owner it's extremely easy to underestemate not only the initial cost but also the on-going cost. It can be easy to save up $500 - $700 for the initial cost but you also have to consider the monthly budget you can afford. Also, depending on the type of bird you should be prepared to have a large food and toy budget, some birds tend to destroy and go through toys faster than others and it can get quite costly.

I don't have any experience with smaller birds so I unfortunately can't offer any advice there. I just wish I found this information on the actual cost of owning a parrot before I got one so I could have been more prepared! Good luck with your search!

[notscaredtodance]

is this 1-3 hours of free time a day specifically for the bird? or is it 1-3 hours, excluding other chores, laundry, having to run errands, homework, etc. If you only have 1-3 hours total, a bird probably isn't the right pet for you. Or if you're dead set, get two budgies. I recommend budgies because they are the least expensive, and you can dedicate more to providing them plenty of enrichment. I think if you've got 1-3 hours of JUST bird time, something like a senegal or green cheek conure would be good.

Senegals are supposed to be quiet, but mine is actually very chattery. She wakes me up in the morning and sings for about an hour, and from like, 2-3 pm she also is very loud. But that's just my senegal.

My cage was 150 and i'm very happy with it, but toys and perches alone added another 150.

[Marnie]

senegals and red bellies are nice and fairly quiet for the most part. some of the other suggestions are good too.
my keets were little chatter boxes most of the day, not loud though, just constant. the more noise they hear the more noise they make. they are just the cutest little things! but they make it hard to watch TV or have a conversation in the same room with them.
my sennie is pretty quiet except when she is calling for me, so i just take her along when i leave the room and she is happy. she is not much into toys but you can find great stuff at yard sales and flea markets. i pick up small baby toys, plastic figurines, cat toys etc, even a toilet paper roll can be made into a toy. there are websites to show you how to make your own toys, so toys do not have to be a big expense.
cages can be had very reasonably if you buy used ones. there are a lot of them out there, and check Ebay too. i found mine on Craigslist. cages are one of those things you pay an arm and a leg for new, but are very cheap if you go second hand.
my sennie was $500 at a pet store, her cage was $50 (used) and she has a nice second cage i got on line from foster&smith for $70. she has all the room she needs and she is out most of the day.
you should be ok with the $$ you have.
good luck in your quest and let us know what you find

[Rue]

I agree...if you know you're getting a 'mid-sized' parrot...you do have time to check out (and disinfect) a good used cage. That would save you a lot of money.

I'd avoid used toys for the most part, but the cage is fairly straightforward to clean.