Advice on choosing a smaller bird

[kmmark87]

Hello everyone!

I am new to the forum and was hoping I could get advice on some of the smaller birds.

As a graduation and "congrats for getting a job" present for myself I am finally planning on getting a bird. I've been thinking about it off and on for a few years and am about ready to jump in.

Ultimately my goal is to one day acquire an eclectus parrot. I fell in love with one a few years ago and have wanted one since. I know I'm not ready for one now though, for various reasons, but am saying that in case it alters the original response.

I was once the part time caretaker and admirer of my mother's gccs and part time caretaker for her cantankerous sun conure (he was adopted and grew to accept her, but never anyone else). So I am not completely new to birds, but I wouldn't call myself an expert.

What I'd like to see in the bird (I know that each bird is different, and training plays a part, but I was hoping for some general species guidelines):
1. Noise: Apartment friendly. Occasional loud noise acceptable, but it's basic daily chatter should generally not heard through the walls.
2. Size: Smaller bird. The sun conure's bite hurt enough that I'd prefer to stick with birds that are not much bigger than that.
3. Temperament: Something that would like to spend time with me and play with me. My understanding is some species just tend to be more standoff-ish.

All that being said I've been looking most at parrotlets, lovebirds, and various parakeets. I have considered cockatiels, pois, and pionuses, but while I haven't written them off, I haven't considered them as heavily.

I've got some strange attraction to IRNs, but I keep finding conflicting data:
"So sweet, loves to hang out, great apartment pet" vs "sooooo loud and prefers his own company to mine".

I'd appreciate any advice you have on the subject,
kmm

[Michael]

As a graduation and "congrats for getting a job" present for myself I am finally planning on getting a bird. I've been thinking about it off and on for a few years and am about ready to jump in.

This is quite responsible. Many people don't wait until they are in a position to get a bird and selfishly get one before they should.

Ultimately my goal is to one day acquire an eclectus parrot. I fell in love with one a few years ago and have wanted one since. I know I'm not ready for one now though, for various reasons, but am saying that in case it alters the original response.

If you are certain that eclectus is right for you and it's the one and only parrot you want to get, then get it. Don't get a "beginner bird" to learn on and then abandon or not appreciate in favor of your dream bird. Only get a "smaller bird" if you genuinely want one for life. Also realize that they are a fair bit different and consider if this is something you want or not.

2. Size: Smaller bird. The sun conure's bite hurt enough that I'd prefer to stick with birds that are not much bigger than that.

Pain isn't necessarily directly correlated to the size of the bird. Although a larger parrots bite can cause more damage, they tend to bite less and not be as bloody. The little birds have sharper beaks and cause superficial cuts but they bleed and hurt like hell. Furthermore they go at it over and over again so in a second you have 3 separate gashes. Reconsider size on the basis of bites. Better yet go to a bird store or rescue and get yourself bit to find out what you're up against. This is kind of important. And if you realize it's not so bad, you'll be less scared later on and do better. On the other hand if it's more than you can bear, then stay away from birds.

From your descriptions it is hard to say what exactly is appropriate. I'm not super familiar with Eclectus and I would suspect the biggest reason not to get one would be noise level in an apartment. From your list and descriptions, it is still too vague and really most of those species would be fine. I'd also consider Poicephalus, but don't forget to weigh the difficulties into your considerations.

[pionus]

Hello Kimmark87!

I too have a deadline of when I am moved out and have a job and all that to get a parrot, but I am 11, so much longer a wait.

I would suggest looking into the pionus a bit more. although they are about the size of a small amazon over all, their beaks are softer than most due to their diet of small seeds.

There are five sub species i believe that can be owned as pets, at least in the U.S. They are:


White capped. they are i think the smallest of the pionus. there is some controversy whether they are the same as the white crowned, I couldn't find out.




Dusky. I don't know much about them, but their size is I think similar to white capped?




Blue headed. These guys are one of the most common sub species of pionus owned, due to their availability.




Maximilian. These big boys are the largest of the pionus, Being described as "gentle giants".




Bronze wing. This is the bird that I am currently researching the most. The are not as big as the blue heads, but bigger than the white capped (crowned?).

All pionus (most) seem to have relatively the similar personality traits: gentle, loyal, quiet, almost refined, calm.

they can however, if not provided with the right amount of stimulation like toys and out time interaction, become "perch potatoes".

when buying toys, it is best to choose ones that don't have too hard of woods, as their beaks aren't strong enough to chew it.

some other things to keep in mind when considering a pionus is that they can live 25 to 30 years in a good home (as with most "larger birds"), so you must be sure that you can provide adequate and excelling nourishment, love, care, and commitment.

I hope I helped you in your search for the right bird, and I wish you good luck!

P.S sorry the images are so big, they were the only ones I could find, I wanted you to know what they looked like if you have not seen.

[pennyandrocky]

micheal's right don't get a smaller bird if that's not what you really want. are definately not an apartment bird though unless your neighbors won't mind the noise.i was lucky enough to handle one at mya's foster home and he was loud.you could try visiting rescues to experiance many different types of birds and maybe find the bird of your dreams.the benifits of a rescue is you already know exactly what you are in for with noise and personality.i always wanted a cockatoo but was told i couldn't handle it until i contacted the rescue i adopted mya from spoke to me. the woman has a passion for toos and has turned many people away but her confidence in me made me feel up to taking on the challlenge and i couldn't be happier with my decision.good luck with your search.

[kmmark87]

Don't get me wrong, I like smaller birds too. But if someone said "hey, you can only have one bird" I'd hold out for the eclectus.

Lucky me no one is saying that . I figure my eclectus can wait until my neighbors are a little further away. And in the meantime I can get a smaller bird that fits into my life as it is now.

However, if I show up at a rescue and they have an eclectus that appears to be a viable option.....I may well bring him/her home. As it is I've only seen one rescue in my area and it had more smaller birds anyways.

I don't know where I'll be getting my new buddy, yet, and I guess that will determine what I ultimately get.

[cmaygar]

You may seriously consider the GCCs. I have two and neither one is loud at all (although I've read a few posts indicating that some folks have loud ones, but they are generally accepted as recommended for apartments). Mine like to chatter a lot and aren't any louder than a budgie or cockatiel. I find them to be great pets, social, inquisistive, acrobatic and able to adjust to a variety of situations. For example, I had a house load of 20 people at my house for Thanksgiving and the GCCs were not disturbed by the noise at all and continued on with their daily routine very nicely.

The GCCs are great birds for beginners or for experienced parrot owners. Even if you eventually wish to get an eclectus, you won't lose interest in a GCC. They are a lot of bird trapped in small bodies!

[Pricey_boy]

i think if you want to get an eclectus you should i think larger birds are more calm and relaxed and even easier to take care of. i have 8 birds and ive noticed that the smaller the bird than the more the bit will hurt and the bigger the bird the less bites occur.it doesnt matter what bird you choose because once they bond with you they will become your best buddy

[pionus]

I agree with you Pricey_Boy. i found that my budgie was almost twitchy, much like the small wild birds that are in abundance here, while larger birds have more weight and bigger feet, and with absolutely no disrespect to the smaller species, they seem to be more like human children in their personality.

[Khaiqha]

One pro I like about larger birds is that their claws aren't anywhere as sharp as a smaller bird's. Since small birds mean small claws, more pressure is applied to less surface area. I constantly have minor cuts on my arm from my alexandrine, which is ironically a large bird but with small claws. I use a mix of perches, some concrete, some coarse wood, and his claws don't overgrow, but they do stay sharp.

I've handled many pionus, amazons, and greys and their claws feel like butter knives to me.

I also agree with the biting. My alex has only bit me once when he was tangled in his harness. It broke the skin and felt like someone squeezed my finger too hard with a blunt object. My roommate's budgie bit me once and that was like a papercut times four. It hurt so much more than my alex's bite lol.

I was scared of big beaks at first too, but after having my alex and seeing how gentle he is, I'm not intimidated by amazons/greys/small cockatoos anymore. Now macaws and large cockatoos...I still feel nervous around them, but I've been able to handle them now.

[Pricey_boy]

if you have a small bird with sharp claws you give them natural perches from trees not man made natural perches and give them natural shape calcium perches my lorikeets has those things and his nails have never gone sharp