Why are bigger parrots "harder to keep"?

[felix11]

So my question is, when people say some parrot species are 'hard to keep', what do they mean? They are almost always referring to larger parrots. Do they mean they need more attention, are more susceptible to behavioral problems, make more mess, etc, than smaller species?

I admit my parrot experience is limited to green cheek conures, eclectus parrots and one lorikeet. But (with the exception of the eclectus' diet), no one species has ever seemed 'harder to keep' than another - all seem to have comparable needs. What have I missed?

[pennyandrocky]

hi, the hardest bird i ever had was a lorikeet, she hated me and attacked every chance she got which was daily since i can't stand seeing a bird in a cage. i went through this for 5 years, tried everything to get her to love me new toys,treats,talking to her. after 5 years my aunt and cousin came over she took to them right away. i packed up her toys,and cage and sent her right over. whenever iwould visit she would hop on me and give me kisses and play with me.

[GlassOnion]

Bigger birds, bigger for everything. The little ones aren't as smart as the bigger guys, that's why it's easier. The big macs and toos are a whole another story with their huge beaks and deafening screams..

[liz]

A chihuahua is easier to keep than a labridor. Both are intelligent beings and need the same care though. It is a lot easier to have a chahuahua on your lap.

[Michael]

So my question is, when people say some parrot species are 'hard to keep', what do they mean? They are almost always referring to larger parrots. Do they mean they need more attention, are more susceptible to behavioral problems, make more mess, etc, than smaller species?

Yes, all these reasons and more. First you have the obvious things:

-Big bird, big bite
-Loud
-Bigger mess
-Requires more space
-More surface area to clean
-More expensive (bird and everything else)
-Longer lifespan
-Require greater enrichment

Then there are some less obvious things that may be a byproduct of being larger or smarter:

-Bolder
-Fearful
-Plucking
-Slower to Train
-Outwit owner

Things that owners would get away with on smaller birds, can't on bigger ones. For example you can easily get away with using flooding on a little budgie. Hold it until it gives up fighting/biting. You can "ignore the bites" and just "show it who's boss." You try that on a macaw! You'll be lucky to keep your fingers. So more primitive/poor training techniques that may work on smaller/dumber animals fail on the larger parrots. A more refined training technique is required. But since many people do train them wrong, they end up with a large aggressive parrot with "behavioral problems." A bigger parrot is more likely to ignore the owner and do what it wants cause it knows it can get away with it and can just bite if the owner tries to stop it. So they can often outwit even an experienced owner/trainer. Then there's the plucking, screaming, and biting. Owners will often give in to those and give attention while with smaller birds they may just be able to tolerate/ignore it.

[Zanizaila]

* Bigger beak = More powerful bites (Although the worst bites I've ever gotten are without a doubt from my Meyers ).
* Bigger beak = Greater rate of destruction on your belongings.
* More mess to clean up.
* More expensive toys (that are also ruined much faster).
* (Often) louder voices.
* More food, more expensive.
* Larger wingspan, the bird can't get enough exercise just flying around indoors = frustrated bird.
* Bigger bird = MUCH bigger cages, which are hard to find, very expensive and takes up a LOT of room.
* Bigger (and heavier) transport cage you have to carry around if you go somewhere. (To find a good macaw carrier is near nightmare.)
* Harder to find a bird sitter if you have to go somewhere and can't bring your bird...
* ...and bringing your bird IS harder the bigger it is.
* An aggressive bird is much more intimidating the bigger it is, and if you fear the bird, it can only be destructive to your relationship with the bird.
* Bigger claws - bigger scratch marks on your hands and arms. If I have my little Meyers on my hand or arm, I can barely feel it, or at most get a few thin scratches.
When I had my Eleonora Cockatoo (or now, my Macaw) on my arms... gawd. A short walk, and my arm is red and swollen from all the scratches. To have the Macaw with his gigantic claws on (or rather "in") my hands HURTS LIKE HELL. And no, they don't need clipping. Birds claws are supposed to be longer than those of dogs for example, since they need them for grabbing branches.