New from New Zealand, seeking advice on a new bird!

[Kiwifeathers]

Hi all, just joined this forum as I am in need of some knowledgeable advice! First a bit about my situation:
I am a 20 year old student who spends most the day at home. I have recently moved into my new accommodation and have discovered I am allowed a pet here (thank goodness, I am missing my pets back home and am getting pretty lonely) but there are some restrictions. I am in a private boarding house type situation so the pet can't be super smelly, really noisy or anything really massive. Originally I wanted to get rats but we have many Asian students here and unfortunately they just won't be able to handle rats in the house. I can't have fish because I have only one electrical socket available in my room and the tropical tanks that are an okay size need two. This leaves me with lizards or birds. I do like lizards but really want something more interactive. Something that enjoys sitting with me or playing with me, you know? Something as affectionate as possible. Plus the house manager LOVES birds, so he's much more open to having them. He feeds the pigeons that nest outside his window. The bird will come with me during holidays also.
I have kept a canary and budgies both caged and aviary before, so I have the general gist of basic care, but would obviously be doing more species specific research once I have decided what suits.

So basically my question is what's a friendly, more quiet, less messy and preferably less expensive bird species? I have been doing a lot of research but am getting so many conflicting answers. I have to get this right because if the bird is stinking the room out or screeching all the time and I get complaints it will have to go. The very occasional squawk during the day should be okay though and general, more quiet singing or "talk" will be fine too.

For an idea of what I've been looking at so far; Cockatiel, Lovebird, Maroon-Bellied Conure (Greencheeks don't appear to be available in New Zealand) and Bourkes.

Any advice appreciated thanks!

[Cockatielsongs]

Hi and welcome to the forum! Let me just say it straight, all birds will be noisy at one point during the day, mainly in the morning or at night. They will all make a mess, smaller birds make more managble mess then larger birds though. Its not really about the price of the bird its more about the things you must purchase for it. Cage, food, toys, perches etc Depending on whether you buy the bird already tame it will be friendly, however probably will cost more. If you buy one not tame, the taming process can be long depending on the bird, it can be difficult and painful. Never the less, birds make wonderful pets and will be worth all the trouble. There so much important things to learn prior to getting a bird such as taming, training, flight stuff, socializing etc definately including bird body language.

Also if you decide to get a bird go look up Parrot/Bird rescues and see if you can adopt one, some parrots up for adoption are pretty tame, much better to get one from a rescue!

All the best! And dont worry, we're all here to help!

[janetafloat]

Hmmmm.......what about a guinea pig? They're adorable, friendly, interactive, clean & not noisy.

Sorry, I'm not trying to be funny but really, birds are noisy. Whichever breed you might get, individuals within that breed vary enormously and there's no guarantee that you'll get an individual that's quiet. My cockatiel, for example, is incredibly noisy. If you search on this website you'll find threads about most if not all the birds you've listed being noisy to the point that their owners might need to rehome them. I'm not wanting to be negative but I'm just saying....

[Kiwifeathers]

Thanks for that guys, probably should clear up that I do know all birds make noise, and so does the house manager. Chatter is fine, more quiet or melodious chirping is fine. The problem would be constant screeching or loud contact calls. The occasional screech or contact call during the day is fine.

Thanks for the Guinea Pig suggestion too but honestly not a fan of them at all.

[Eurycerus]

So I'm a huge worrier, I can't stop thinking about things that could go wrong. I was really worried when I got Nika that my neighbors would be upset but I've gotten no complaints. The biggest issue was actually when my roommate was unemployed because Nika would scream a lot when I was gone and it was driving my roommate crazy. Now that we both work it's not a problem.

She also is pretty loud when I'm gone, screaming and such. I live in a three story, multi-unit apartment complex and I can hear her outside downstairs, so she's not quiet, but somehow it doesn't bug people in their units. When I got Diggy I was even more worried, because two parrots! Again, everything's been okay. :] So I understand being worried. To me that means I will probably never get one of the incredibly loud parrots like amazons, cockatoos, macaws, or conures. However neat they are I don't think I'll ever live someplace where it'll be okay to have a bird you can year so far away.

Edit: Words

[cml]

Thanks for that guys, probably should clear up that I do know all birds make noise, and so does the house manager. Chatter is fine, more quiet or melodious chirping is fine. The problem would be constant screeching or loud contact calls. The occasional screech or contact call during the day is fine.

Thanks for the Guinea Pig suggestion too but honestly not a fan of them at all.

I think you might be able to handle a parrot, but I do think you should reconsider.
Why? Your original post said that the parrot would have to go if it became loud or smelly etc. Parrots don't smell, but fact is they make noise, and not just what you are describing in the quote above. Its also likely, or at least possible that they develop screaming issues, and it would be terribly unfair of you to get rid of it in such a situation. Parrots also go through a hormonal phase when they hit puberty in which they will likely scream, be aggressive etc. Are you sure a parrot is the right match for you?
If you are getting rid of it when shit hits the fan, then I don't think it is.

I am very glad that you joined this formum to ask questions, and we re all here to help so keep asking !

[janetafloat]

You don't like guinea pigs, Kiwi feathers? Sorry, I was being a bit facetious but for the record I love guinea pigs. I hear that you understand about birds & noise but my point was simply that you can't tell whether a particular bird is going to do more than 'the occasional contact call' or be prone to screaming. Having said that, my sennie is tons quieter than my 'tiel, and neither bother my neighbours. Hope you find the right bird for you

[CSLFiero]

Don't let forum goers troll you, while I'm sure they're all bird fans, sometimes I think when you're an enthusiast you get to feeling no one can be as good of an owner as you and shouldn't bother trying. To put it plainly, it's where enthusiasm becomes elitism and drives people away from your hobby/interest/passion. Some of us do this instinctively not knowing we're being turn-offs to the joy of bird ownership, others do it with the full intention of deterring you from becoming involved with parrots. While it's done with good wills and intentions, I categorically disagree with the tactic. I think there is a feathered pet that can fit into anyone's life (my wife owned a budgie throughout college and lived in a tiny dorm room with lots of neighbors), that any mature and ethical pet owner (as important a prerequisite for owning a goldfish as it is to owning parrot) can be introduced to the scene.

It's good that you're asking around first. You'll find that you can't go too wrong with budgies and tiels as a first bird. Here's where I think your major concern should be..

You're going off to uni and you're going to have roomates (a dorm setting, yes?). Your bird needs to be conveniently sized to fit into they space you have, but perhaps the most important thing is that your bird will have to be tolerate of your changing lifestyle. Many birds require much time, and I remember time was something I didn't have much of in my schooling. So your bird has to be able to get along without you to some amount. And remember, birds are long lived pets so that when your time at uni is done, you're going to pack up your now adult bird and move him/her to wherever it is you end up going. This change can be stressful to many sensitive species, so be on the lookout for that sort of info.

I realize that budgies seem like a hands-offish sort of too-delicate-to-play pet lacking the sort of thrill and specialness of a bigger bird, but ask anyone here about them, they are just darlings. If it weren't for belligerent children/cats/larger birds, budgies would likely never leave our repertoire. they're playful, full of character, cheap, loving (just don't get to heavy handed), intelligent, beautiful (some really great mutations are out there), the list goes on. I'd render to guess they were most of uses first bird and there's a good reason for that.

[janetafloat]

+1
Good advice

[cml]

Don't let forum goers troll you, while I'm sure they're all bird fans, sometimes I think when you're an enthusiast you get to feeling no one can be as good of an owner as you and shouldn't bother trying. To put it plainly, it's where enthusiasm becomes elitism and drives people away from your hobby/interest/passion. Some of us do this instinctively not knowing we're being turn-offs to the joy of bird ownership, others do it with the full intention of deterring you from becoming involved with parrots. While it's done with good wills and intentions, I categorically disagree with the tactic. I think there is a feathered pet that can fit into anyone's life (my wife owned a budgie throughout college and lived in a tiny dorm room with lots of neighbors), that any mature and ethical pet owner (as important a prerequisite for owning a goldfish as it is to owning parrot) can be introduced to the scene.

I, as you put it, cathegorically disagree with some of your statement here.
First off, are you aware that you give off the air of being one of those elitistic people by opening your reply the way you did? I am not sure you are aware of the meaning of a forum troll.

I dont believe Ive seen any trolling in this thread at all (edit: actually, you managed to troll me ^^), but just advice and offers of help. I think that its very important to help newcommers to the forum, and people new to birds, but its very important that people think through their decisions.

This forum is relatively free from discussions getting out of hand, with the possible exception of two things I think; flight and cat/bird interaction. Flight is very debated here, and most members are pro-flight, myself included, but I believe educating is better than jumping down someone's throat.

If someone states that the bird will have to go at the first sight of trouble, then that prospective owner of a parrot needs to be told that problems are likely to occur sometime during a parrots life, and what kind of problems that those may be. If not, that parrot is likely to end up a rescue bird,
as it was made clear from the beginning it would be disposed of if it started screaming etc.
This is why I said that Kiwi might want to reconsider parrot as a pet. I do believe, which I wrote that she is more than capable of handling a parrot a pet, its the attitude towards what a parrot and ownership of a parrot means that needs changing for it to be successful.

I do agree with you that most people can find a parrot that fits their lifestyle if they are comitted enough, and I dont believe in the concept of starter birds either, as that just gives more rescues to some owners "upgrading".

Also, believing yourself fully learned is a way to sure stagnation, if not decline. This applies to everything in life and only ignorant fools think they have nothing to learn. Noone here is fully learned, and isnt that kind of the purpose of a forum; to share experiences and ideas? This community has been invaluable to me during the last couple of years by helping me to understand how to handle, train and understand my birds.

Edit: see above

It's good that you're asking around first.

I totally agree, because by asking questions people show interest in research which is very important. Some people around here are very experienced and there's great advice to be had, I know Ive been helped numerous times.

BTW, welcome to the forum .