Newbie help

[Trueeast]

Hello everyone my name is Ray and I'm slowly getting sucked into the world of birds. I keep and breed a few species of reptiles but lately I started looking into an animal that is more of a companion. I never thought I would consider getting a bird because they were never really my thing. However I saw a cute conure while I was picking up some dog food at petco and the research began. After doing a lot of reading I think I've narrowed down my selection. We are looking for a medium sized parrot that is on the quieter side(live in a condo), intelligence/ tricks is huge for me I really look forward to teaching my pet parrot new things. Talking potential is a plus but is not a deal breaker and of course I would like my bird to be cuddly and affectionate. Also I understand that there always exceptions and that these animals are individuals so there are no guarantees. So onto the choices, my gf really likes the size of conures while I like animals slightly larger(I fell in love with a goffins 2 but after some reading they might be too needy/ loud for my current conditions). I've ruled out African Greys, I personally think they are the most attractive but their potential habits make me nervous. So I've been looking at senegals, white capped pionus, caiques and a few types of amazons( love the size and shape but their aggressive maturing makes me a little worried). So I would love some input on these selections or possibly different species that I have over looked.

[Pajarita]

I realize that people who post on this forum are mostly attracted to Michael's training methods and his results but, to be 100% honest with you, I would NEVER consider smarts or the ability to do tricks as a consideration for a companion animal. I love animals, all animals, for what each species is and not what they can do. I adore my female Senegal but she doesn't talk or do any tricks whatsoever (well, except for the laying on her back in my hand). My male Senegal is one of my best talkers (and we are talking cognitive speech, not just repetition or imitation) and I personally think the bird is a genius but he was the Senegal from hell, attacking me relentlessly for years and years and, although he is now tame, he doesn't do any tricks either...

One can't really pinpoint a species as more able to fulfill the 'perfect pet bird' requirements, they are so very individual in their temperaments and the ranges of behaviors are so wide that it's impossible to fairly recommend one species over another. I have a cockatoo that never, ever, ever screams. He doesn't destroy anything but pieces of wood, is a great eater, never bites, flies well and is the absolute perfect pet bird but most of them are terrible including my other one which is adorable, talks, does tricks, is the cuddliest thing ever, never ever bites, etc. My neighbors actually knock on my door to see him because he is such a ham and loves attention (he waves at them and says "Hello! How u doing?" but he screams for a good long time in the evenings. Conures: I have the sweetest and most beautiful boy Flaming Jenday, never screams, never even nips, eats well, etc but I have a sun conure boy which happens to be one of the most beautiful birds I've ever seen but he is also the nastiest thing! Same with amazons, I happen to have two that are perfect, no bites, no screams, no issues whatsoever! But then, I have three that are very difficult... See what I mean?

[Harpmaker]

Welcome Ray!

Pajarita is right (as usual) in that the differences between two birds of the same species can be much greater than the differences between species. You have to look at the individual birds. A particular species will give you a size and color approximation, and set the center point for intelligence and talking ability, but that's all.

I find that all of my animals are limited in their training more by my ability as a trainer than by their own intelligence. They can learn anything that I can figure out how to teach them.

This is my admittedly biased commercial for my parrot's closest relatives. My current fid is a Meyer's parrot . I am constantly surprised by the fact that they are not more common. Corsair mostly fits the Meyer's stereotype of being affectionate, quieter and less territorial/possessive than a stereotypical Senegal (so easier to socialize), slightly smaller (100g), great whistler, but less interested in talking(although she has recently learned "hello" and a mechanical version of my laugh that sounds EVIL ); and, as mentioned, is able to learn anything I can teach, and somethings I didn't intend to .

All parrots seem to be characters, so you need to check out the one you want to provide a home for. Rescues have adults that are less likely to change as they mature, so that's a good place to look if you can find one.

Good luck!