Lovies...

[Kim S]

I used to have linnies in my aviary but it didnt work out. They are very shy creatures by nature and tend to just sit in a corner all day long. With my energizer-budgies that wasnt a succes.
I kept them in the livingroom for two weeks before the new owner could pick them up, and I noticed they have very wet and stinky poop. Even more stinky than my bonzai chickens and that is saying something

They do however make the sweetest noise and are very quiet easy going birds.

[Azure Hanyo]

I used to have linnies in my aviary but it didnt work out. They are very shy creatures by nature and tend to just sit in a corner all day long. With my energizer-budgies that wasnt a succes. They do however make the sweetest noise and are very quiet easy going birds.

Well this wouldn't be an issue since we would just have one (or maybe two) in its own cage if my husband were to decide he likes the species, A quiet, shy, easy-going bird almost mirrors his own personality, minus the "bird" part! Me...I am loud, obnoxious, and get into trouble all the time... Must be why me and my caique get along so well.

[thegreatkatsby]

My experience with lovebirds has been mixed. I have seen sweet lovebirds, and I have seen nasty lovebirds. I used to work in a pet store that would no longer carry/sell lovebirds because of a bad experience. Apparently there was one murderous lovebird in the cage, and it murdered all of the other ones. That story really stuck with me.

On the contrary, I have met very few cockatiels that are aggressive--just a few males. I have known several females though that bonded exclusively with men. You might be able to find a sweet little sensitive cockatiel that your husband would love! There are so many that need good homes.

I think the temperament of any bird is going to be more or less unique to the individual. There are sweet amazons, and monster amazons. With a baby, you have more control over the behavior early on, but there's no guarantee that the bird isn't just naturally a jerk! Adopting a bird can go either way as well--but sometimes it's nice to find a special bird who is very sweet in nature and just needs a good home.

As a final note, I can't say enough nice things about my recently adopted pionus. She is quiet, subdued, and smart--AND her bites are few and far between and don't hurt AT ALL. Most of the documentation I've seen on the pionus species confirms that this is typical pionus behavior. One site called them the "apartment parrot" for being so easy-going (www.pionusparrot.com). I have a feeling she may not end up being the "cuddly" type, but that's nothing new to me (the amazon isn't cuddly either). She may just be a great pal to sit with me while I'm writing papers or reading assignments.

[drif]

I do not know much about Lovies but have had three conures. The aritingas that I've had (mitred and red-capped) were both loud but never once bit as adults. My current gcc is a jerk. It doesn't matter who you are, if you're not me, he will bite repeatedly until your hand is not near him. He even jumped down from my knee, walked across the room and bit a friend in the toe- twice. If I put anything other than my hand in his cage he thinks he is under attack and will rapid-fire bite whatever it is (normally a brush to clean the cage).

As for noise... I can understand why people say that the smaller conures are not loud. In comparison, my eclectus can rattle the windows but does it rarely. The gcc is not as loud but if he starts screaming you can hear him a few hundred yards away through walls, and he does this at least three or four times a day.

If you can deal with the nips and the noise though gcc's are great. He makes me laugh multiple times a day spinning upside down on his toys or yelling at a toy that didn't do what he thought it should. He also says good morning, nite nite, hello, and bye-bye all at appropriate times.