NEW BIRD

[GlassOnion]

Besides the pois, I would suggest a Quaker or a Caique.
Quakers are extremely good talkers for a small bird and many owners love them.
Caiques are absolute clowns and play and roll around like puppies. They can speak a few words but are most known for being incredibly playful and fun. Owners say they don't need a tv when they can watch their Caique.

[brian73]

i checked that link out its very good indeed
it seems that the red belly is the sort of bird im looking for,it says they love to show off and are not shy about doing it in front of strangers too.
be interesting to see if i can get one over here in northern ireland, the males are beautiful in colour

[RudysMom]

how about a Quaker , they are smart , cuddly and are great talkers and easy to take care of

[Vicki5280]

If you're looking for a smaller bird that talks, a Quaker is high on the list. If you're looking for cuddly, maybe not so much! I can only speak for my own, but Bucky is NOT cuddly. He's friendly, and he absolutely wants to be around us, but cuddly isn't the word I'd use to describe him. Cuddly is what I'd use to describe JJ. She's like a dog. I'm certain it drives her crazy that she can't fly better than she can because she is only able to follow us in 10 ft. increments. If it were up to her, she's be curled up behind my ear every minute.

Bucky though, is quite happy hanging out on a perch in the same room. As long as he can see someone, he's happy. He loves shoulder time, loves going in the car, and loves to talk when the kitchen sink goes on. He can get loud when he's giving his flocking call and when he's "practicing" his talking (seems to be about twice a day for about 30 minutes each), but overall, he's not too bad.

Between the two of them, they satisfy all my needs as well. I get my cuddles and my talker.

[brian73]

im now really confused

i have just read up on the quaker and watched some youtube videos and they are great also...

and should i buy a baby or should i buy 1 about a year old???? i really need to make sure it bonds with me, and i would be better getting a hen bird wouldnt i ??????

[kaylayuh]

im now really confused

i have just read up on the quaker and watched some youtube videos and they are great also...

and should i buy a baby or should i buy 1 about a year old???? i really need to make sure it bonds with me, and i would be better getting a hen bird wouldnt i ??????

I've found no correlation between the gender of the owner and the gender of the bird in making a better relationship. I personally don't think it really matters whether you get a male or female, but someone may have better information regarding that than I do.

If you want a pet that you're going to be able to have a good relationship with right away, I'd get a newly weaned chick from a breeder. Hand raised birds are often better pets because they are used to people and see them as their flock. Even a young year old bird may have behavioral problems if it hasn't been handled regularly.

All in all, I suggest you find a good breeder in your area and check them out. Most breeders will let you come and interact with the baby you're purchasing. That way, the bird is familiar with you and you can guage whether there is a bond between you or not.

[patdbunny]

My preference is to start with a well socialized, newly weaned baby. (Duh, yeah! Because that's what I have.) But an older bird is ok too. I've gotten older birds for pets that were just loves. You just have to be careful in choosing one. Some people are good at the taming and bonding thing. I've never been. For me what's worked is choosing a bird that takes to me, is tame towards me from the get go, appears to be overall friendly.

I specifically wrote a post about this on my blog:
http://staringatbirdsandgoats.blogspot. ... e-and.html

[patdbunny]

i really need to make sure it bonds with me

I really wish you'd get this out of your head. If you choose well, you will have a very high chance that you will get a bird that will love you and you will be its favorite person. But that will also depend on how you treat it once it's home with you, and the "chemistry" between the two of you. The preference can switch in a heartbeat.

They can be fickle little fluff balls. My conure that was my buddy for 5 years, switched to my boyfriend the very first 10 minutes of meeting him. My feelings weren't hurt. She wasn't "doing" this to me. She's a bird. Afterwards I could still play with her, pet her, cuddle her, but she did not prefer to be with me whenever the three of us were together. Sometimes she even lunged at me, but we did not allow that behavior so it never escalated to biting.

Think of it this way - There's a girl you like, and she likes you back. You two start dating, getting to know each other. You have very specific expectations from the beginning - you're going to marry her and live happily ever after. While you're dating, you're too clingy, drive by her house several times a day, call her 10xs a day, basically start creeping her out; OR you never call her, you never compliment her nice shiny hair, you never bring her flowers. . . you get the picture. One day you propose marriage and she says "no".

There's a third scenario here - It's a perfect courtship and she still says no to your marriage proposal. Who the heck knows why other than the crazy girl? That's a parrot for you.

[GlassOnion]

I agree with Pat here, you really don't know if the bird will bond to you strongly or to another family member. Depends on the bird. Also, I don't find genders matter in bonding.

[brian73]

great advice here u guys, im learning....
ive been watching hours and hours of youtube videos to see what sort of bird i like and there are so many that i do like, 1 thing i have made my mind up on is that im going to get a baby that has just been weaned.
in truth if we had bird rescue places over here i would take a tame rescue bird but we dont have that option so the baby is my decision.
am starting tomorrow to look in the online adds