Which parrot is best?? Help me!

[teacuppig]

HI everyone! I am looking into getting a parrot and could really use some honest and helpful opinions. I appreciate your responses SO much. I added some colour to the post to keep you engaged because it is lengthy, hehe.

Here are the most important qualities:

*Cuddly (loves to be pet and handled)
*Suitable for a couple
*Intelligent enough to desire human interaction
*Doesn't scream incessantly (apartment bird)
*Somewhat adaptable (we are likely to move in the future, might have a baby in 5 years, etc.) I realize that any pet requires ongoing attention, and I would provide this. But I know some birds are very sensitive to change.

Bonus qualities:

*Can learn tricks
*Ability to talk/whistle
*Somewhat less bitey

My personal options so far:

Green cheeked conure,
Quaker Parakeet
Senegal
Cockatiel
Lovebird

At this point, I am leaning towards a cockatiel. If it was just me, I would get a quaker parrot, a green-cheeked conure or a senegal, but I am aware that these birds are very one-person oriented. My biggest issue is that I want my partner and I to both enjoy the pet...

We visit a senegal at the pet store (I would get one from a breeder, though) and the bird seems to be very friendly and enjoys being held and pet by anyone. Is this some sort of misleading illusion? If we raise a senegal, green-cheek or quaker from a baby and both give it equal attention, is it still liable to dislike one of us anyway, or can any of these parrots bond to two people? Are there any people here who have a senegal, green-cheek or quaker who loves two people?

Is a cockatiel a smart enough bird to be affectionate and enjoy human interaction? My only experience was around large parrots (cockatoos, senegals, conures and a lovebird) which my aunt had growing up, and I always assumed birds like cockatiels weren't very smart. I see them in the pet store and they seem fearful and non-engaging with humans. Am I wrong?

A lovebird is another option, but I wonder if the lovebird would scream too much. The lovebird my aunt had made a horrible screeching sound when it wanted attention, and I can imagine regretting that at 5am in a small apartment...

Please help if you have advice or suggestions. I want to make sure that I choose the right bird as this is a huge and long-term pet commitment to make. <3

[marie83]

Cockatiels and green cheeks are definitely cuddly birds when hand reared and I've heard the quakers are too. I'm told the senegals are less cuddly but still enjoy alot of attention. I have no idea about the lovebird.

I Have no personal experience with quakers or lovebirds so I cannot comment but I've heard senegals can definitely be one person birds but with good socialisation and training they will allow others to handle them but you may have an issue with jealousy. With the cockatiels and green cheek I have/had they have all been trained and handled by different people and will spend a fairly even split of time between me and my partner. When I didnt live with my partner he used to spend 90% his time with me when we visited but now its about 55% with my partner and 45% with me, Ollie will also quite happily go to guests or my partners children but generally doesn't stay long. Again its about socialisation , training and acting when one person starts becoming too favoured before it becomes a problem. Any bird will always have a person it favours the most though no matter what you do.

Hand reared birds will desire human attention but how much will depend on the bird and species, parent reared birds will bond to people too and crave their attention but they are much more likely to be independant at the same time and not clingy. My gcc wanted way way too much so we had to teach him to be more independant so he didn't become stressed when we couldn't give it to him. From what I've read most green cheeks are the same. My cockatiels have been much less demanding, they loved a good fuss but were not constantly demanding it. Again I don't know about the other species.

Noise levels depend on the bird and how you react to their noise. quiet birds can accidently be taught to be screamers. In general both cockatiels and green cheeks are fairly quiet with the odd loud moment. Quakers I've read mixed reports on, some say they are good for apartments and other have alot of trouble with the noise. I've heard mixed reports on senegals but they tend to lean more towards being quiet with only a few saying they are really noisy.

All birds can be adaptable but that depends very much on their past and on you as an owner. If you think your going to need to move furniture etc about then move stuff about before you actually need to. Introduce them to new objects and people often, vary their routines so it isn't the exact same each day. You need to teach a bird that change is ok because sooner or later change will happen, no doubt about it.

Tricks- I believe all birds can learn tricks to some extent. Certainly the species you've listed can. My green cheek is the first bird I've trained and he picks things up incredibly quickly. Everything I've taught him so far he has picked up in one session. Every bird will of course be different and it will depend on many things like what motivates them, method of training and individual personality.

Quakers are said to be the best talkers out of what you've listed but no birds guarenteed to talk. Senegals are said to be fairly good too. Green cheeks will often pick up a few things but they are generally not very clear, cockatiels can learn a few words too and can be slightly clearer than green cheeks. Cockatiels are amazing whistlers if you teach them.

I've never been bitten by a cockatiel, Green cheeks are almost guarenteed to go through a nippy stage and I've heard quakers can too. Dealt with correctly it won't become a problem for long, I rarely get bitten by my green cheek now and when I do its because I'm not paying attention to his body language or because I've accidently caught a pin feather and hurt him. In both cases I deserve it. My partner gets bitten at least once a day but he doesn't listen to Ollie and he always reacts to the bites.

[teacuppig]

Wow marie83. Thank you so much for the very detailed reply. I seriously appreciate the effort you put into helping me with information.

I am visiting an aviary/breeder tomorrow morning, because I feel that handling the babies and meeting birds will help me decide. I was actually on her wait-list for a pineapple conure from before, and your story about the green-cheek being so able to bond with both of you is making me lean towards them again.

[liz]

If you have a parrot rescue not far away it would be well worth visiting. Some birds were in dire need of help but others lost their loving families by death or illness and need new homes. It would not only give you a chance to meet the species but you just might find one perfect for you.

[Michael]

I don't have much time to dive into this discussion and I don't want to be too unwelcome but I would like to point out that analyzing any potential species "flaws" is as, if not more important than the pros. The "good things" like being colorful, playful, good talker, etc get old quickly once you're used to it but the cons like screaming, biting, etc only get more frustrating. So without getting into specific species, I would like you to strongly consider which of these "undesirable traits" are acceptable to you vs not when considering species or whether to get a parrot at all:

-Flying
-Screaming
-Biting
-Jealousy
-Fighting with other birds/pets
-Hates people
-Messy
-Smelly
-Dusty
-Allergenic
-Boring
-Costly
-Demanding
-Destructive
-Fearful
-Cunning/manipulative
-Territorial
-Big (needs a lot of space, difficult to transport)
-Small (hard to find, can't harness)
-Long living

[pennyandrocky]

or my penny is very cuddly but do go through a nippy stage.they are very easy to train he stopped being nippy within days of training and was potty trained in about a week.he says "hey baby" "i love you" and "mommy".

[christie]

I have to say Micheal Has a point, there are "cons" to living with a bird of any type. You need to make sure you're Happy enough with the "pros" to out weigh the "cons". It does sound like you have been doing your research so hopefully you are aware of the cons already, but it is worth pointing out.

Now, as for your bird search, I had the same issue when looking for my new bird. I currently have a pineapple gcc named Phoenix. Now, I will admit he is only 8 weeks old now, but so far he is VERY quiet, cuddly and smart. I have been making a point with him to very his routine as much as I can so he isn't set in his ways, and seems to be ok with that. I've been leaving him in his cage for periods while home so he can learn to play with his own toys and be happy when I have to leave him home. His first choice of course is to be cuddled up with me, but knows he can have fun in the cage as well. He basically potty trianed himself the first week. So I'm partial and think they are the best right now! however, he IS very demanding of time and we have to have our cuddle sessions a few times a day. And as most birds are, messy. He throws his fruits and veggies all over his cage, so I am cleaning up after him several times a day to keep bugs and any unwanted visitors away.

I very seriously considered a Senegal. Truthfully, the only thing that really stopped me was my apartment complex. They considered him a "larger" bird and said no. Which is silly, because size doesn't necissarily mean more screaming or more distructive behavior, but they have policies to follow and I'm sure there have been others in the past to abuse the bird issue. The senegals I've met have all been very sweet, smart and quiet. I think with most any bird it's the training of what is or is not acceptable behavior.

Quakers, the ones I've met are loud. Granted, they were in an aviary, so they would scream at each other all te time. I have heard though that they can be trained to be quieter and to be a cuddler.

Good luck with your choice!

[teacuppig]

I just wanted to thank all of you for your input. And Michael for your buyer-beware parrot warnings, also. Before coming here, I had already read a LOT about parrots, and purchased a book on behavior so I was well aware of the potential downsides to getting a parrot. However, I think it's helpful to tell any potential owner about the less appealing aspects of owning such a pet so that they are prepared.

*UPDATE* I got a love bird! I am going to post again in the forums about my love bird because I'm already encountering issues and it's so nice having contact with people who know what they are talking about first-hand.

Anyway, thanks again!

[cmaygar]

I had a wonderful Quaker for 24 years who recently passed away. I missed her so much that I acquired 3 hand fed babies since she died in the past 2 months (1 Green Cheek Amazon and 2 Green Cheek Conures (turquoise and pineapple). The Green Cheek Conures are the sweetest and most quiet little guys that I've ever seen! They are lovable and truly are the best acrobats and dancers. All that I've heard them do is chirp a little bit. Their loudest volume is less than what you'd hear from a cockatiel. The Green Cheeks are noted as acceptable for apartment living because of the low volume. They also are very entertaining and will keep you entertained with their adorable antics.

My Quaker was a great bird. She was very LOUD though and Quakers are noted for noise. I would not recommend a Quaker for an apartment. My Quaker had a noise level that is similar to Amazons.

I wish you luck in your quest for a new pet. I would definitely look at the Green Cheek Conures. There are so many beautiful color mutations and they have made big fans of me in a very short period of time.

[Elizebird]

I am on my third cockatiel currently, and he/she (it's untested, but we're calling him a he for now! ) is a great little bird. Very cuddly, and I mean very, extremely quiet besides these tiny little chirps. Then again, I believe we got this one early and he's very young.He picked up targeting in one 10-minute session though,

The other two I've had were also amazing - the male I had whistled, talked a little, was extremely intelligent and could whistle whole songs. Well...one song. The bites of a cockatiel, in my experience, are pretty painless and infrequent. None of mine have been loud so far, but the whistling male could get a little noisy. Not very loud at all though.

These are great birds, through and through. And every one of my cockatiels has not favored a single person and loves strangers. Maybe its a miracle...but as long as yours is socialized I think you'd be set.

Any other questions, feel free to drop a PM.