New to the forum need some help.

[nsj241]

Hi,

I'm not new to birds but new to the forum. My family is currently looking for a new bird to add to our family and need a little help from those who are familiar with more breeds than I.
I'm looking at a parrotlet, cockatiel, and Senegal and open to others.

I've had parakeets, a Sun Conure, Parrotlet and cockatiels. I handfed both the sun conure and parrotlet and dearly loved them but when I went through a horrible divorce after being a stay at home mom for 3years and left with nothing and no help I had to rehome my 2 dogs and my birds. Luckily my father took my Sun Conure and Parakeet (who live happily together) and the parrotlet went to a wonderful home who still sends me updates and pictures of him.
Anyway, its been almost 3years now and I'm in a much more stable place in my life and would like to add a bird to our family. I work part time and I have a 5year old who loves animals and a boston terrier who is simply amazing with all animals. He has been there every step of the way with my chickens from the time they were in the incubator to them now free ranging in the yard, he is the 'big brother' and protector we joke lol he at least likes to think that anyway.

Would really appreciate some help choosing breeds? I have plenty of time to spend with a bird and it will mostly just have his cage open to do as he pleases besides when we are cooking or going in and out of the house a lot. With my sun conure I trained him to use the bathroom on his cage and we kept some perches in a couple different places in the house so he could land on those or just stay on me most of the day. I really enjoy having a bird and miss the 'connection'.

[Pajarita]

Well, first of all, it's not 'breeds' but species. Breeds are variations of the same species, like with dogs, sheep, cats, cows (you can have a German Shepherd or you can have a Papillon but they are both dogs) but there are no breeds in birds, if anything, there are subspecies (which are usually geographical variations of the same bird -like a Congo Grey and a Timneh Grey) or you have mutations (like a lutino cockatiel versus a natural coloration -aka 'wild type'- which is the usual grey and white bird).

Now, as to which species... it depends on what you want out of it because the ones you mentioned: plet, tiel and sennie are completely different in their temperaments and needs.