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

[CSLFiero]

Good points.

I joined for just the sorta reason you mentioned, further learning and sharing, completely agree with that stuff.. But I'm pretty sure I want to stay out of the species forum.

When I started off looking into which parrot I'd like to adopt I found a lot of people asking the same question. Some of them seemed new, others seemed experienced, but all of them only just "seemed". I couldn't tell anything about their readiness or ability in any regard from their short forum posts. All I could tell was that they were looking into a new bird.

But very often these questions were met with routinely dissatisfying answers (as much to my dismay as the original poster). Often instead of talking about species in question or referring to a more knowledgeable source, they carried on about how they were making a mistake in their choices, suggesting any number of alternative choices ranging from "get a budgie" to "drive into a ditch". Posts would then follow, often pages of posts, in complete neglect to the question, all offering their own clever way of saying the same thing; "you're not worthy".

This was often exasperated by the OP when they discovered just how fruitless it's all been and emotionally ravaged they are when a group of formerly respected pseudo-experts tears into them. So they make the mistake of posting something else, anything else, but usually something said in anger, giving the trolls a second go around. They could care less, they're entrenched in the forum, but the newbie, without fail, leaves the forum forever to do God only knows. abandon bird ownership, never take a shade of advice from anyone about birds, or maybe they do fine.

I'm sorry to bring it up when, I myself, am a newbie.. but I didn't register as a first source of information. I'm registered now, long after deciding on cage, toys, diet, species, training, and so many other things because I have the benefit of having people come and ask those questions before me and Google to find those questions. And so I've seen quite a lot of what I described in forums, on CL, blogs, you name it.

in any case, sorry to have evoked a feeling of being trolled. I could be completely off base/biased based on having been put off a few times and neglecting all the times such questions ended well.

[cml]

I think you are right, its important that everyone on the forum keeps a nice tone towards one and other, but especially so towards new members =)!

[CSLFiero]

The concept of "is there such a thing as starter birds" is very interesting. I always took for granted that there was, but I can see how the concept of "upgrading" can make it seem awfully unpalatable. Not the right thread for it though.

[Andromeda]

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.

Okay, please understand I mean no disrespect whatsoever but I just have to respond to this. I am pretty friendly and always polite on the forums but at the same time I am very straightforward and no-nonsense when it comes to answering people's questions about birds because I don't see the point in sugar-coating things.

I am an experienced bird owner who has had birds for the past ~24 years. In that time I have learned a lot and I am still learning things all of the time. However, I know enough about bird ownership in general that I can give advice on many aspects of bird behavior, etc. although I am not experienced with certain species or larger birds such as macaws and cockatoos and will not contribute to a thread if I feel like I'm not experienced enough to do so.

When I see someone new on the forum saying something along the lines of, "I've never had a bird, what do you suggest?" I inevitably tell them that birds are very difficult pets because that is the reality and so many people just buy a bird on a whim because birds are beautiful or "neat" because they talk and then as soon as they realize how difficult bird ownership is, they either surrender the bird to a rescue or they just keep the bird locked up in its cage all the time.

The reason why I respond this way is because I know for a fact that many newbies don't understand the reality of owning a bird and have not done much research. If they reply and say that they have done research then I stand corrected. I respond the way I do not because "you can't be as good as me so don't even try" but rather because I don't want another bird to end up in a shelter. The gist is "please educate yourself because you really need to understand the type of commitment you're making."

Did you know that the average pet parrot will go through seven homes in the first 10 years of its life? I have been to several rescues and they were flooded with unwanted birds They all said they routinely and constantly had to turn down people looking to surrender their birds because they were already so overcrowded. Some of the birds were in a very sorry state and had no feathers due to plucking.

Yes, birds are awesome but they are not for everyone due to many reasons, such as their long life span, the expense of keeping them healthy, the mess they make, their potential for behavioral problems such as biting, screaming, plucking, and so many other things.

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.

Let me say I think it's great that you are educating yourself and asking questions. Please read this: An Open Letter to Anyone Who's Ever Thought About Getting a Parrot.

In regards to a few of the issues you raised:

A bird is a wild animal and its friendliness will be determined by how it is handled by its owner. They require frequent and correct handling in order to prevent problems such as biting and aggression.

Budgies and cockatiels and lovebirds in general are pretty quiet. I don't know about Bourkes. Pyrrhura conures (such as a maroon-bellied conure) are also relatively quiet but they are capable of a very loud scream and while it may not be a problem there is also the potential they will scream like that for minutes or hours. Click here to listen.

All birds are messy. They are very messy eaters and their droppings are messy (although it is possible to "potty train" a bird over time to fly to a designated location when it has to "go").

Birds are expensive. They need lots of toys but moreover vet treatment is very, very costly for an exotic (such as a bird) and if you are not in the position to pay for treatment should the bird become ill it's not really a good choice for a pet.

You say you live in a boarding house so something else to consider is that birds should not be kept in an environment where non-stick cookware (cookware coated with PTFE or Teflon) is used as it is deadly to birds. If you live with birds you need to be using something else such as stainless steel, etc.

[Utoomom]

The thing is CSL, are you willing to totally re-arrange your life? Cause thats what it takes, believe it or not. Take it from one who has learned by trial & error..ok..check this out...
No incense
No perfumes
No candles
NO CIG SMOKE/OR OTHER
No non stick utensils
No hairspray
No airfreshners (of any type)
No plug ins
No, no, no no.....if you live with others, others must adhere to these rules as well, whether you get a budgie or any other bird. We are NOT trying to discourage you, as a matter of fact all of these opinions are by experience bird owners. NOW>>>if all of this is fine with you, by all means please adopt one..& I TRULY wish you all the best !!

Us bird people are perhaps a tad to passionate

[Kiwifeathers]

Thanks all for you thoughts and experience. I don't think anyone is "trolling" me at all. I understand you are all very passionate about your birds, and hate seeing them end up in rescue. I get it. Which is why I am not going to get a bird, obviously there are no tamable birds that don't shriek loudly on a regular basis and this sort of noise would be a deal breaker for the house management because it would disturb others in the house.
Thanks anyway.