First Bird Trouble Deciding?

[jaimmorr]

Hello! I am new here and trying to decide on what kind of bird I want. It will be my first bird, but I grew up around my friend's birds. They have a Cockatoo, an African Grey (Not sure if it was a Congo or Timneh), and lots of little ones like Parakeets. I want a bigg-ish bird, probably more medium sized, one that doesn't need to be out ALL day long, but of course I plan on spending time with it in the mornings and in the evenings. (I'm planning for about 4-5 hours of out of cage time total a day) I want one that is friendly, would prefer one that can talk or learn tunes but that's not a deciding factor, etc.

I do not want a small bird that I can't spend quality time with, like a Parakeet or a Finch. I want one that I can talk to, sing to, and spend time with by holding it, it sitting on my lap or shoulder (with my permission, of course), training it (clicker), and all around loving it. I am prepared to do as much research as needed before even attempting to purchase one.

Space (for the cage and play stands) is not an issue. Money for the cage, toys, food, other supplies, etc, and the actual bird is not really an issue. Granted, I do not want to pay 2000 dollars for the bird. My price range for the actual bird probably goes up to around 700-800. I'm not the richest person, but if I have to wait longer to get the bird that I want, no big deal, I'll just save up!

Some that I am interested in:

Senegals
Hahns Macaws
Indian Ringnecks
African Greys
Blue Crowned Conures
Amazon Parrots** They are lovely birds and very neat, but I haven't done much research on them just yet to establish if I really would want one as a pet and what exact kind I would want.


I need some guidance! If someone could please just point me in a direction, that would be awesome. Really, the two I am most interested in are the Senegals and the Indian Ringnecks. I would LOVE to have a Ringneck, but some places say that they are aggressive if they aren't out all day with their person.

Thank you to anyone who replies! Any and all comments are welcome, I like constructive criticism! :]

[GlassOnion]

It sounds like you have a good idea of what you want, which is great!!

As for birds that you can handle... Budgies (a type of Parakeet) are very interactive that you can hold and hang out with, just as you would with large birds. I know a lady whose male Budgie has a FANTASTIC vocabulary and speaks 4 different languages. My little girl is an absolute joy, so much personality and energy. They make wonderful companions who bond to you strongly, when raised correctly

But since you wanted a large bird, I would actually recommend a female Cape parrot. Capes are Poicephalus parrots, very similar to Senegals, Meyer's, etc. I plan on acquiring one myself in the next year or so.

This is a blog entry that belongs to someone I know, who is in LOVE with her Cape parrot:
http://cocosflock.wordpress.com/2011/04 ... e-parrots/

More links:
http://www.oldworldaviaries.com/text/lewis/capes.htm
http://www.proaviculture.com/aboutcapes.htm
http://www.wingscentral.org/aps/faqcapes.aspx

[Mr.Darcy]

The cape is a good choice, I have a Hahn's...he is awesome.He talks alot and does tricks too. He is loudish in the morning or if alot of people are over and talking, he feels he should join in!! The Cape seems like a very gentle bird...but do make sure you understand the longevity factor too, a bird that lives 60-80 years is hard to concieve at this stage.....
The Hahns live around 25ish. That said I am getting a second bird......next week! She is a Meyer's. Same family as the Cape, senegal etc. Very sweet natured birds, not know for great talking abilty but really sweet.....I'll let you know how she turns out!!

My Hahns is on youtube, Mr Darcy the Hahn's Macaw...you can check him out!

Oh the other thing about the Cape is that they are hard to come by and cost around $2000.00 Canadian plus cage, toys etc....

[parrotlover]

Sorry to say but most of those birds are hard to keep. I would suggest a Cockatiel (highly suggest since you want a medium sized bird), Parakeet , Parrotlet, or Conures .

[parrotlover]

It sounds like you have a good idea of what you want, which is great!!

As for birds that you can handle... Budgies (a type of Parakeet) are very interactive that you can hold and hang out with, just as you would with large birds. I know a lady whose male Budgie has a FANTASTIC vocabulary and speaks 4 different languages. My little girl is an absolute joy, so much personality and energy. They make wonderful companions who bond to you strongly, when raised correctly

But since you wanted a large bird, I would actually recommend a female Cape parrot. Capes are Poicephalus parrots, very similar to Senegals, Meyer's, etc. I plan on acquiring one myself in the next year or so.

This is a blog entry that belongs to someone I know, who is in LOVE with her Cape parrot:
http://cocosflock.wordpress.com/2011/04 ... e-parrots/

More links:
http://www.oldworldaviaries.com/text/lewis/capes.htm
http://www.proaviculture.com/aboutcapes.htm
http://www.wingscentral.org/aps/faqcapes.aspx

You can't really cuddle with Parakeets. You can cuddle with a Cockatiel though.

[jaimmorr]

Thanks to everyone who posted! Cockatiels are a little too "small" of a bird for me. (Not small as in size, small as in I want more of a companion out of it) Capes seem way out of my price range, if I wanted to spend that much I would get an African Grey lol. I am really leaning towards a Senegal. Does anyone have much experience with these?

[GlassOnion]

Pois/other African parrots in general, are cautious, thinking birds from my interactions with them. Conures on the other hand, are the exact opposite. To me, Pois are more like cats than dogs, and Conures more like dogs than cats.

I know of a Senegal who is 42 years old. That is JUST as long as many African Greys, Capes, other medium sized parrots will live.

The initial several hundred dollar difference is nothing, if you see it that long term. I would rather spend more time researching and saving up money for the perfect parrot, rather than settling for the initial price save. You will end up spending thousands and thousands of dollars on the bird over its lifetime anyway, and I find it is very important to really get the one you want from the beginning.

Just my two cents.

[GlassOnion]

I strongly urge you to read this article on African Parrots, including Poicephalus (including Senegals)
The Meyer's, Senegal, Red Bellied, Rupell's, Jardine's, Cape, generally have similar temperaments, but some of the characteristics that belong to the other smaller Pois such as the Red Belled, Meyer's, may suit you more.

http://africanqueenaviaries.com/african ... erview.htm

[Mr.Darcy]

like all of us, you need to research the breed, understand what your wants and needs are......and be honest with yourself. If you want a bright flashy bird, great, if you want one that talks well, look at those breeds..... but read between the lines....The conures can be very loud screechy birds, the Hahns are fun, but nippy, the quaker great talker good size but can be demanding, and the greys, toos and macaws etc live a long time......the POIs are very popular for a good reason, they are cute, good size bird (good size cage) live not too long (you should not have to will then away) they can talk are cuddly and fair price. The tiels are great too and have a sweet sound....good luck!

And no disrepect meant Glass onion but $2000.oo for the bird plus another 1000 or more for the cage etc is alot of money upfront for some people, no matter how many years you amortize it....

[parrotlover]

A Cockatiel can be very cuddling. But I'm not sure what you meen by size? A Cockatiel is a good size for a beginner like you. And a Cockatiel can be a Very good Companion! They will sit on your shoulder or by you and can just love on you all day if they could or wanted to. So I would highly consider getting a Cockatiel if you're looking for a bird that is big and very companion asociated. Ask my friend LudaCockatiel; he's on the forums as well. Although your friend has parrots does that meen you helped take care of it or does that meen you've seen one and have seen what they act like. Because looking and seeing what they act and look like is totally different things from Haveing parrot and actually takeing care of it. Do you know what I meen? I would definetly try a Cockatiel, Indian Ringneck, Mustache Parakeet *they're not small*, Monk Parakeet *they're not small either*, or a Red Belly. The ones you are wanting like a Hahns Macaw, African Grey, and 'maybe Senegals might be a bit hard to keep since it's your first parrot. I'm not sur eon the Senegals though. They seem OK but I htin kthey can be a bit nippy. Well I hope you find the right parrot for you! And remember don't rush into it. And YES you can some-what let your Parakeet (if you get one) out and play with him they're Very enegetic and most have a atention spand of a squirel, which makes them so cute! And really $700-$800 is quite enough! I bought this cage on ebay for $119.00 and it's very roomy! Here's the link I bought it from and the lady should have 10 or more of those cages still! http://cgi.ebay.com/Large-New-Bird-Cage-Parrot-Cages-Cockatiel-32-x20-x53-/380115175617?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5880a148c1 So I recomend go ahead and buy taht cage if you want. Here's the picture of the cage as well. It's very roomy and truly would not take up that much space! Also for this size cage you only really need about 4-6 toys and 4-5 perches. And to save some money (if you want) I recommend makeing your own perchs. It's quite easy and you can feel that you've acomplished something lol! Here's the link on how to fo it and what woods are safe to use safe woods -> http://www.mdvaden.com/bird_page.shtml and here's there website for the How To Make -> http://www.mdvaden.com/bird_perches.shtml It's actually quite simple, and the supplies you need can be bought at almost any hardware store and are cheap to buy.Also do EVERY amount of information you can get. To their origan from where they came from to maybe viewing one in person. I'm actually getting a Cockatiel (as a first time parrot owner some time next week) and trust me you need ALOT of information to make the right choice. Well I hope this helps and good luck on choosing the right parrot that is good for you.