Learning to be a Bird Mom

[BirdbrainJan]

Hi all!

I'm very new to the world of birds, and do not have one yet...but I'm researching all I can! It's been fascinating reading through all of your posts and learning even more about the different species, and what you like about them.

I'm excited about adding an avian member to my family, but since I don't have any previous bird experience, I'm wondering if I really should start with something like a budgie. I've read a few opinions on here about "starter birds", but after doing lots of research and reading, I'm leaning towards possibly a green-cheeked conure...

I'm interested to hear more from those of you who have conures, green-cheeked in particular. Do they really tend to be quieter than some of the other conures, like the Jendays? How bossy/nippy are they, and does this really decrease with proper trick training and interaction? Those of you that love Senegals, would you ever recommend them to someone with no bird experience, but who is willing to learn all they can?

I'd definitely be open to some other suggestions or feedback on starting out in the world of birds! I've e-mailed the owner of a local parrot rescue group too, to see if I can chat with him and go out there to spend some time with different types of birds.

Thanks!

~Janice

[pchela]

My first bird was a Senegal and I knew nothing about birds. He inspired me to learn as much as I could and I love him! I would say a Senegal would be a good bird for somebody who has researched and knows what they are getting into.

[BirdbrainJan]

Thanks for your response! There are actually two Senegals in my city who are looking for new homes, so I could at least visit them and see what they're like. How did you decide to get a Senegal as your first bird when you knew nothing?

[pchela]

I went about it the wrong way. I wanted a bird and I found out what birds my local breeders had available and then researched those. Of those, the Senegal seemed like the best fit. I liked that they have big bird personalities in small bird bodies and are supposed to be quiet as I am in an apartment. That was it. Once I got him home I realized that I had no idea what I was doing and have learned a whole lot since then.

[BirdbrainJan]

That's what's drawing me in too, the idea of a big bird personality in a little bird. I'm also looking for one who won't be too loud...I own my own house, but have a roommate and a brother living here too. Actually, that's a good question for you, since I've read on here that Senegals can tend to be more likely to be one-person birds, where GCCs are less so. Would it be possible to minimize the one-person effect with training and exposure to the different people in the house?

[pchela]

Well, my Senegal is extremely social. He will go to anybody. Sometimes unwilling house guests end up with a parrot on their shoulder unexpectedly. He has been that way since I got him but I also make sure to socialize him because he does like me the best and I don't want him to decide that he will only go to me. So, yes, I believe if you socialize them from an early age you will be able to avoid some of the one person bird behavior. The bird will still bond with one person over others because that's what they naturally do, but with dedication you can have a bird who will go to other people.

As for the noise, Senegals are supposed to be quiet, but mine can be quite loud so don't count on a quiet bird. It's all down to the individual bird.

Green Cheek Conures are also very sweet little birds and are fairly quiet. They have big personalities and are extremely cute. I hand raised several of them and they are a lot of fun. I'd recommend going to a pet store or someplace where you can play with both types of bird before you make your final decision. A nice thing about a smaller bird is that you can get a smaller cage which may be a factor if you have roommates.

[lzver]

Welcome and kudos for doing research. Once you get a bird ... you'll be hooked. They are the best pets as far as I'm concerned.

When my husband and I first got a bird, we did a little bit of research, but honestly did not know what we were getting ourselves in for. We got a Red-Bellied parrot first .... she was a sweet bird in the store and had been there for quite sometime and the guy at the store said all he heard about her was she was a sweet bird, but she wasn't colorful enough. So that sealed the deal for us. We have never regretted it from day one. She may only be grey/green, but her colorful personality makes up for it.

Then we got a Senegal a few months later. And as pchela said, they have BIG personalities in little bodies. My Jessie is the funniest bird. He has the perfect combination ... he loves to cuddle and he's so goofy.

I think if you realize getting into it that parrots are very social birds and are not meant to be left in cages 24/7 that is a good start. I think a lot of people are surprised with the bad habits they can pick up. If you take the time to train them and set the boundaries, you should be good. The other aspect that is very important is their diet. I think most people on here would recommend you choose a good quality parrot pellet food and provide them with lots of fresh vegetables, fruit, sprouted beans/legumes, ww rice, pasta, etc.

Good luck with your research and once you decide we'd love to here what you decided and don't forget pictures

[skeetersunconure]

oh i know they are great pets <3 i have a sun conure but they scream sometimes but actually he is not as loud as other people say that their sunconures are but personality wise they are great hyper cute birdies

[entrancedbymyGCC]

I have a green cheeked conure and he's a great bird! I totally forget how tiny he is, he definitely seems like a "big bird personality". There are a lot of senegal owners on this forum, so you'll find a lot of support for them as well, but I'll put in a plug for GCCs.

Scooter was a little nippy when we first got him, but we were able to almost completely eliminate that within a very short period of time. He's my first bird, but my husband had had several birds before. He describes green cheeks as the "clown princes" of the parrot world and I do find Scooter to be very playful and funny. Also quite cuddly and affectionate. He's not what I'd call very loud at all, and much to my delight, he's happy to sleep in in the morning as late as we do! As soon as the alarm goes off, he sends out a contact call, but he seems to wait patiently until that happens.

So don't let the Senegal folks convince you they are the only smaller parrot worth having, LOL!

[BirdbrainJan]

Thanks for the plug on the GCCs! How did you discourage him from nipping? The one at the store that I've kind of fallen in love with is a total clown too...his favourite thing to do when he sees me come in now is grab a pellet from the bottom of the cage, climb up to the top, hang upside down, and then drop it...just like "see what I can do!". His price including cage would be pretty prohibitive though, so I'm going to see if there are maybe some GCCs at the sanctuary that need a home.

I'm still waiting to hear back from the guy from the bird sanctuary, but I contacted one of the ladies in town who is selling her Senegal today...she was very happy to chat, and invited me out to visit her bird...she said even if I didn't decide to adopt him, at least then I could see what a Senegal is like. I think bird people are great! Everyone's so friendly.

Is that really the best thing then, and the only way to know...just keep visiting birds until one clicks? I feel like the more I read and learn, the better, but I still feel a bit lost in the whole thing.