Possibly aquiring a parrot... Reccomendations?

[Saerphe]

I have had a fascination for parrots for quite some time and I'm thinking about getting one after I finish university... which isn't for another four years minimum, so I still have lots of time to decide! I've been doing a lot of research and while Eclectus appeal the most to me, I've also heard that green cheek conures or Senegals could be good fits too. Thus far I've done the most research on Ekkies, but I'm open to other suggestions.

My past bird-owning experiences were with a budgie named Budgie-Boy (though I was quite young when we had him, so I didn't really handle him) and a cockatiel named Howie (she was a birthday present). I did have some time to teach Howie to step up and she even potty-trained herself! But because my dad was very allergic, we couldn't keep her.

Basically I would like a parrot that's relatively quiet, and non-dusty. Those are my main requirements in case I have to visit home for an extended period or if my family comes to visit me for a while, to accomodate my dad's asthma. Also, friendly with people would be good too, though I know a well-socialized bird can at least tolerate other people.

Small-to-medium would be good size, and as for price, well I can start saving up when I get a steady job and a place to live. Any suggestions on which would be a good fit?

[kaylayuh]

I have a Green Cheek Conure and he's great. He's relatively quiet, not dusty, and is a complete love bug. From what I've read, they also don't tend to be a one person bird either. My Green Cheek Conure's scream was a bit shocking at first, but he screams maybe two or three times a day. And it lasts about five seconds each time, so it's not a problem. My budgies are infinitely more noisy!

Eclectus have a really piercing scream when they do make noise, so try to find one you can hang out with for a while to see if you can tolerate it.

[Saerphe]

Thanks! I'll definitely keep GCCs in consideration! It helps that they're utterly adorable, and pretty readily available. I'm happy to hear about the low dust level too, since that's my biggest concern.

What I'd love to do if I can, is teach it some tricks and do some little shows to help educate people about parrots. It wouldn't be hard for me to find a place to do shows, since my parents own a pretty popular campground with some indoor facilities. Families bring their kids all the time and one couple even brings their Congo Grey camping. It'd be a great oppurtunity for socialization.

[kaylayuh]

I don't trick train my birds, but I've seen a lot of GCCs do tricks. There's a ton of YouTube videos for it. I just like to see his natural play and that's hilarious by itself.

With GCCs, though, be prepared for a mess. My guy likes to throw his food around and I have seeds everywhere. It's nothing unmanagable, but a lot of people don't take it into consideration. He also likes to dip his food in his water which leaves me changing his water 3 or 4 times daily. Again, nothing unmanagable, but it is a consideration.

[GlassOnion]

I suggest you look into the poicephalus, such as the Senegal, meyers, red belied etc. They are comparable to the gcc's I believe, and are relatively quiet. Many pois learn tons of tricks, and can be potty trained easily. The biggest reason for why I would suggestion to you is that they are quite independent, and can keep themselves occupied all day long without needing a companion- as long as you give them attention in the evening. I hear they really are perfect for the working person.

[Saerphe]

Kaylayuh - My cockatiel used to throw food around too. My mom hated it, but I didn't really mind that much. Our biggest concern was the dust, since it gave my dad difficulty breathing. I could always put up a food guard to help catch it, and having separate perches for water and food should help prevent dunking. Thanks though!

GlassOnion - Originally I wasn't considering Pois, but I had an encounter with a Senegal at PetSmart yesterday... I was reading the little info plaque under his cage and I felt like I was being watched. I looked up and it was staring right at me, just so intensely! I felt compelled to put my fingers up to the glass cage front and it tried to preen my fingers. Needless to say, I melted. Sooo cute!

Not to mention I stumbled upon the videos of Kili and was incredibly impressed. What a talented bird, and dedicated trainer.

[entrancedbymyGCC]

Green cheeks are a lot of fun and I love my Scooter to pieces, but they are busy birds! In some ways Scotty, our Cape, is easier. Scooter needs a lot of play time and a lot of attention and he goes through chew up toys a mile a minute. But he's a ton of fun and very affectionate, and although he's going through a bit of a phase of being ambivalent towards my husband, it seems as if that's starting to sort out again. He's just turned two and I think he's not entirely sure what to do with himself. At night he reminds me a bit of a kitten I once met who got brought up with a litter two weeks older than he was --- he'd just play and play until he fell asleep in the middle of whatever he was doing, exhausted. While Scotty will tuck himself up on his roost perch and get ready to sleep, when I put the birds to bed at night, Scooter will often still be calling and soliciting attention... right until I turn the light out and shut the door, then it's dead silent. And I know if I got him out at that time, he'd just be all antsy and nippy, but he just doesn't want to admit it is time to go to sleep! Green-cheeks aren't known for talking, but Scooter spends a lot of time with a few phrases, and has a surprising number that come out once in a while, although not all are easy to understand. They are great birds, but I'm not sure they are the easiest bird, although I gather they are no where near as hard to keep happy as a Grey, for example. Scooter does seem content to amuse himself during the day when I'm at work, but woe betide me if I'm home and in the same room and trying to concentrate on something else!

[Saerphe]

Oh yes, at this point Greys, Macaws, Cockatoos and Amazons are all species that I'm running the other way from, haha! They're all super cool birds but at this point I don't have the confidence level or experience to deal with them. In the future I might like to add maybe a Timneh grey to my flock (from what I've read, they're a bit less sensitive than Congo greys), but that won't be for quite a while!

[sidech]

All these species I believe have powder. Cockatiels are the worst ! Poicephalus also have it. I believe most birds do, the ones who don't produce dust are the exception. I know Eclectus parrots don't, that is one of the reason I chose them (I have asthma too, and allergic reactions to birds, MEGA reaction to cockatiels, but none to Jazz, my Ecckie).

[entrancedbymyGCC]

Neither Scooter nor Scotty produce copious powder down, not like a cockatoo! I wouldn't have considered either dusty.