Help choosing a future companion!

[keelind]

Hey guys, just wanted to start by saying how much awesome respect I have for you guys here, I've been researching parrots like crazy for the past few months and this forum kept popping up with some of the best info out there on the web I'm not an owner yet, but hope to be eventually, and I wondered if you could all help me with that! Here's (lots of) info:

I immigrated to Sweden about a year ago now with my partner and currently we have no pets. I'm used to living in a home surrounded by them and I've been feeling the loss pretty hard, especially since I work from home in our apartment and I'm alone during the day. The prior experience I have with parrots is our awesome cuddly cockatiel Chi we had when I was growing up (sadly passed on now!) and my grandfathers's african grey (also passed on ).

I've been looking at cockatiels, pionus, the poicephalus family, pyrrhura conures and lovebirds and so far come up with different conclusions

I'm home all day so the bird will probably have more company than it even wants or desires

We're hoping for a bird that is naturally less inclined to attach itself obsessively to one person and become aggressive toward other members of the family. Every so often I travel back home to see my family and my partner will be alone with the bird, so it'd be a massive plus to have something that won't make his life hell when I'm gone for a week. On the other hand I'd be kinda sad if the bird bound itself to my partner and didn't want anything at all to do with me, so a bird that's known for loving a family rather than that one special person would be ideal.

Space is an issue, so we're looking at the smaller types We have pretty much one spot for a cage to stand in our living room, which could fit a cage around 90cm by 90cm max. I'd rather the bird had more than enough space rather than just enough

Whilst we live in an apartment it does have thick concrete walls so the day-to-day noisemaking of a bird won't disturb our neighbours. What I worry most about is my partner, who isn't used to having pets of any kind around. I think constant low-level cheeping would disturb him more than a loud shrieking fit several times a day. My cockatiel Chi was actually the silent cuddly type, but I've met enough other cockatiels since her to know that luck and personality plays a big part in the noise issue My partner has said he'd take sporadic loud noise over more or less constant quiet vocalising any day, so I'd love some first hand experience of what type of noise different parrots make during the day.

The Pionus seems a good match from everything I've read, but I've heard as they grow out of the baby phase and reach full adulthood they can become standoffish and start to dislike cuddles except for the odd head tickle, and I'd love something to cuddle with!

I've been looking this up for so long now my head is whirling and I keep going around in circles! Any info would be appreciated, I'm hoping for something to help me nail down that choice that'll make my partner's first experience of owning a pet a great one

[pennyandrocky]

my loves everyone. he's pretty quiet but does get into moods where he'll just start flying around in circles screeching.they do tend to go through a bully stage where they get nippy but it passes with time and training.

[Michael]

Sounds like a Cockatiel from the criteria you describe.

[keelind]

Thanks guys Penny your gcc sounds lovely! How old is he now?

[pennyandrocky]

he is,thank you. he's about 6 now my cousin bought him from a man who kept him locked up with a for a year and a half and she kept him for 6 months so i'm guessing about his age since i've had him for almost 4 years.

[friend2parrots]

hello - just read this post and wanted to offer my experience with my Green Cheek Conure and my Bourke parakeet. I got them both at the same time, five years ago, and this is what I can say about their overall personalities:

my Green Cheek:
- mine is really quiet as far as birds go. compared to the budgies of my youth he is FAR quieter than them. i think maybe the fact that his best friend is a Bourke parakeet (who is also very quiet and peaceful) has kept him generally quiet over the years, and i don;t have any other louder birds. if GCCs live with louder birds they tend to be louder as they try compete with their companions. some GCCs do develop screaming behaviors for various reasons, but this can be corrected with training. their natural voice is very cute, quiet and a little raspy, and sometimes they like to talk quietly to attract your attention and make you come closer.
- EXTREMELY affectionate, to the point of being clingy. I'm working on helping mine play on his own.
- EXTREMELY intelligent - learns tricks and commands almost instantly, even well into adulthood. knows how to let himself out of his cage, so i need to use a lock. only has to experience something once to remember it for a very long time. Excellent at remembering different people, objects, situations, places.
- very emotionally sensitive. GCC is basically a LARGE parrot in a tiny body. unfortunately because of their size, they are frequently marketed by petshops and breeders as a children's pet. nothing could be further from the truth. getting a GCC is as much an undertaking as getting a Moluccan Cockatoo. they can also have emotional problems like plucking and screaming like the big birds.
- very cuddly. can be overcuddled, which can lead to behavioral problems. its up to the owner not to over cuddle them cuz they'll just sit there and take the cuddles.
- they are extremely active and LOVE to fly. must be allowed lots of full flight everyday all over the house to prevent behavior problems.
-VERY MOODY. important to watch their body language or else you will get nipped/bitten.
-although some say they are "nippy" or "bitey" birds, this has not been the case with mine for the past 5 years, cuz I dont push his limits and i watch his body language. mine recently started biting as a stress reaction to a traumatic episode he experienced six months ago. (which highlights their emotional sensitivity) I am working on correcting his behavior, and he has improved a lot. I have faith that he will return to being sweet, even if it may take a couple of years. i'm also workig on desensitizing him to things that might traumatize him in the future.
- they do well with a birdie companion, to prevent loneliness during the day if youre out. my Bourke parakeet is his companion. I will describe the Bourke below.

My Bourke parakeet
- my Bourke has got to be the most reliably sweet and friendly bird on the planet nothing ever fazes him, always well adjusted and goodnatured, always loves a kiss on the tummy.
- he is outgoing and daring (he's a handfed) but will maintain his distance from more dominant birds. hence, great at avoiding my GCC when the latter is in one of his "moods".
- also VERY intelligent, great at tricks, esp target training and flight related tricks.
- perfect shoulder bird, when he's not being chased off my shoulder by the GCC.
- also LOVES to fly. needs full flight everyday.
- about as quiet as the GCC, but sings beautiful songs, about 5 min long in the morning and night, very softly. much quieter than a budgie.

both of my birds are pretty much silent all day unless they see something that startles them through the windows. im not sure why exactly theyre so quiet, maybe its because they have huge cages that they fly around in, helping to dispel the excess energy of being cooped up. my GCC's cage is about 7 feet long and 22 inch wide and 4 feet high. my bourke's cage is 6 feet by 18 inch by 2.5 feet high. i live in a pretty small house and these cages take up a ton of space, not to mention their various playgyms and play areas and what not. but i don't mind, and my husband puts up with it!

hope i didn't bore you or anyone else with this long description! hope this helps you make your decision.

*** EDITED from what I had before: I would recommend either species, in a species-similar set up - i.e. two GCCs or two Bourkes. I WOULD NOT recommend getting a GCC and Bourke like I did - SEE my post below about this --

best of luck in choosing your companion!

[keelind]

Awwww I bet he can't believe his luck Penny we thought about rehoming but in all the time I've been looking only one bird has come up in the ads in our region and that was a macaw! Way too much bird for us

And thankyou thankyou friend2parrots! Of course you're not boring, we couldn't be more grateful! I think I just found the little bit of info I was looking for, or the lightbulb just went on in my head or something. BUT If I went home for a week and came back to find my bird had started to pluck itself in distress I don't think I'd forgive myself

I think I've read somewhere that cockatiels aren't especially prone to becoming pluckers? Is it the same with Bourke's too?

[friend2parrots]

keelind, you are asking great questions, and your concern about future week-long travel even before you've brought your bird/s home shows that you are going to be a great "parront".

it seems your keen on making sure that the species you choose will not be prone to stress-related plucking during your week long absences. in my opinion it is not so much the species (as all birds are individuals and its hard to predict things on just a species basis) but how you raise them and desensitize them to the stress of being apart from you for a week. no matter what bird species you get, if you handle it all day everyday nonstop cuddles and petting, and then disappear for a week, it is likely to pluck. however, the good news is you can get the bird used to being on its own over a period of time, and very gradually build up to a week long absence, and work up to a couple of practice absences (e.g, stay at a local friends house for a couple of days). this will help it be comfortable when you are not there. its all about getting your bird used to doing what you need it to do gradually, over a long period of time, in a positively reinforcing way. what also really helps is if the bird is flighted (keeps them more confident and emotionally resilient), and if possible, has a birdie companion to distract him from your absence.

having said that, you are right, the bourkes are not known for plucking, but I personally think this is because they generally tend to enjoy a high quality of life as a bird. because they are gentle, sweet, and so well mannered, most owners like to keep them flighted around the house and this helps keep them emotionally stable enough to withstand a separation period from their owners. they also get along well with other birds so they tend to be part of multibird households, which also helps. but perhaps even a bourke parakeet thats deprived of flight, is lonely, has bad housing, and is unaccustomed to being apart from its owner may pluck, who knows?

but overall, yes, the bourkes in my opinion are just overall perfect little birds! many people say their personalities are a lot like cockatiels. all the cockatiels ive met have also been adorable little sweetie pies, so yes perhaps they are quite alike. both are from australia, same habitat.

[friend2parrots]

***VERY IMPORTANT ADDENDUM to my earlier post describing my birds: (also see EDITED portion of previous post)

I always think to myself that the fact that my GCC tolerates my Bourke is a happy accident, largely due to the fact that they have known and flown with each other since fledgling-hood at 6 weeks. They are only half a week apart in age. I actually have never heard of these two species getting along elsewhere outside of my household.

Over the years, I have seen my GCC's aggressive displays increase toward the Bourke as he has matured. Now, after his spook-out six months ago, those displays have increased, and I need to keep a very close watch on the two birds when they are out together. I'm working on behavior modification with the GCC to help with the aggression issue, because I don't want to endanger the Bourke. I may not be able to let them out at the same time anymore if I don't succeed.

So basically, I would not recommend GCCs and Bourkes as a pair: GCCs are a naturally aggressive species and the Bourkes are a naturally passive species.

I think the ideal pair would be two GCCs or two Bourkes!!!!

[keelind]

A pair of two the same does sound really good I had a pm from a very kind person suggesting the same thing so it looks like we'll be acquiring not one but two new family members! The desensitising idea is a go-go too. We have a family cabin in the forest I can stay in from time to time to see how the birds react to me being away and get them used to the idea I'm still not 100% settled on which, but I have a feeling that now it's been narrowed down to either GCCs, cockatiels or Bourke's we can go spend time with each in person and get a feel for which might be the best fit.

Thankyou again for all the help