Eep!

[EmberSanja]

I will keep you informed on this, no worries! I'll also be finding avian vet numbers to ask about their pricing so I can make sure we have enough money for the initial bird cost. I hope this helps show you how serious I am about making sure everything is ready and in the best interest of the bird.

[Wolf]

I will keep you informed on this, no worries! I'll also be finding avian vet numbers to ask about their pricing so I can make sure we have enough money for the initial bird cost. I hope this helps show you how serious I am about making sure everything is ready and in the best interest of the bird.

This was never a question in my mind.

[Pajarita]

According to the attachment (they are the minutes of a session), pet quakers are allowed if obtained legally even though they list the species as 'prohibited' and not 'restricted' but, if I were you, I would just call and ask a simple question: "Is it OK for me to buy a baby quaker parrot for my own personal pet?" The answer is either yes or no but, going by that attachment, it should be yes.

[EmberSanja]

Okay, awesome! I'm going to call regardless of course - "better safe than sorry" - but it makes me fairly optimistic that I have something to bring to attention of the people if they say no (so they can either reconsider or take down/change the PDF)

Thank you

[GMV]

I have several different species and have had from budgies to macaws but, personally, I think that cockatiels are fabulous birds. They are beautiful, smart, hardy, the sweetest-tempered of all parrots and easy to care for... what more can you ask from a bird?!

i could not agree more,wonderful starter birds! i have never met a mean cockatiel.

[EmberSanja]

i could not agree more,wonderful starter birds! i have never met a mean cockatiel.

I still would really like a cockatiel (I've met and played with a few and they're wonderful!) but after my father and mother threw in their priorities, cockatiels weren't exactly at the top of the list. My father wants a bird with a high chance of talking, and my mother wants a quieter and flashy/"pretty" bird. I would prefer a smaller bird to accommodate for my family's lack of education, so there aren't too many options. This led us to quakers (most likely the blue mutation, though I really don't want to encourage mutation breeding after all the horror stories I've read as to the breeding of mutation babies) or indian Ringnecks (though my mother wouldn't consider them aesthetically pleasing). Mother really liked the idea of the cockatiels also, but my father didn't, and he's a very demanding man who has a power struggle problem and I wouldn't trust him with my bird knowing he didn't like it. So, as you can hopefully see, I would love any kind of bird but compromise with the rest of the family is a bit of an issue.

Speaking of this, would it be okay to get a cockatiel after having the quaker or Indian ringneck for a while (many months or even years)?

And for a seed guard, could I use sheet metal with bent over and filed down edges so it won't cut and can be safely perched on? The apple tree branches aren't big enough to cut into seed guards, so my father and I decided either sheet metal made safe or a plastic should be a safe alternative

[Wolf]

As to the seed guards and given a choice between sheet metal and plastic, I think that I would opt for the plastic. The reason is that you can't just use any metal and most definitely not galvanized metal, stainless steel can be a good choice of metal as can aluminum, but the rest are pretty much not a good option.

[EmberSanja]

Ah, yes, I forgot about that. I read about the dangers of metals when cage hunting. Someone mentioned aluminum might be shady too but I've realized that everything is going to be controversial if not scientifically tested, and I'm not sure if aluminum ever was

[Pajarita]

If your mother wants a 'quiet' and 'pretty' bird, I am afraid that quakers are neither. I love quakers, they are one of my favorite species because they are so spunky but they are also one of the loudest and most vocal species (as bad as sun conures) and they have no colors to speak of... even the mutations are basically all one color (and yes, they are VERY unhealthy because they are so very 'new' -we went from just green to something like 20 different mutations in a matter of a few years and turquoise is a mutation with a partially activated gene so it takes more than just a defective gene to get it - meaning double jeopardy). They are also quite bitey and difficult to keep from becoming hormonal because they are not tropical birds.

[EmberSanja]

Ah! Compromise seems impossible, hehheh. From what I've seen, quakers are quite attractive, even the greens, but i can never be sure about noise levels because I haven't been around all the different types of birds and websites are all giving different stories and rarely "telling it like it is".

Noise level isn't the biggest thing, especially since my mother is rarely home due to her work, but I will definitely be considering this new information and sharing it with the family (especially the hormonal and bitey part - that is very valuable knowledge). Thank you for informing me!

Do you have any experience with Indian Ringnecks? I've heard they can be quite nippy, but many people say they're getting an undeserved reputation, and I of course have no way to tell on my own.

Edit;; what about poicephalus birds like Senegals Meyers or red bellies? Or smaller conures like green cheek? Or alexandrine or pionus.. Lots of options!