Birdies...what should I get???

[Jerenet]

I am torn on what kind of parrot to get that fits my needs best (and that would match up so I can fit their needs). I am in LOVE with parrotlets, and want one very badly, but my boyfriend doesn't particularly like how high pitched their voices are. He said He can deal with it, but would prefer not to The other parrot I really like is the Senegal parrot. However, if there is another bird that you think fits my wants/needs better, please let me know!

Basically, here is what I want: I am unable to work due to medical problems, meaning I am home all day/night by myself whenever Alex is working or otherwise occupied. I am also bipolar (mild form), but when I get really lonely, my mental state gets a lot worse and harder to handle. We are wanting to get me a pet to keep me company, and also to give me some responsibilities and things I can do, rather than sitting home all day being bored. I am looking for a pet that I can play with, but also likes to snuggle and maybe watch a movie. If the birdie I get can learn to talk, great! But this is not a huge deciding factor for me. Also, we would be in an apartment, so I cannot have extremely loud birds or ones that need a lot of space.

The other thing with that is monthly expenses. Im not worried about initial expense, as Alex told me to pick what I wanted, and figure out all the expenses, and we would save however long we needed to get me what I really wanted and make sure it was all set up properly. However, the monthly expenses from there on out can also not be outrageous, if I want to be able to give them the care they deserve.

I have been doing a lot of research, but there is so much contradicting articles out there, so I was hoping that by asking people here, where I could ask for elaborations, may help me better prepare to be a new birdie mommy.

Thank you so much for any insight you can provide!

[marie83]

First off, welcome to the forums.

From personal experience Budgies, cockatiels and green cheek conures are all fairly quiet birds for an apartment, but with anything they are all individual and some are a bit noiser than others.
Budgies are very clever but not very cuddly but they can make good companions, they still require alot of care though but generally make good first birds to owners who are learning as they are more easy going and suffer less psychological problems than some of their parroty counterparts.
The same can be said for cockatiels but they can be very sweet and cuddly pets, the drawback to 'tiel is they can be more nervous than other species and prone to night frights but a well socialised birds introduced to new experiences reguarly are pretty well balanced, friendly and entertaining pets. They do produce powder though so may not be a good choice if your prone to allergies or have asthma, you may find you have to dust the flat slightly more often.

Green cheek conures are very sweet cuddly birds (mine and most others I've heard about love nothing better than to be with people which can be a nucience at times so they need to be taught independance too), highly intelligent but a bit more demanding than the budgies and 'tiels as most will go through a nippy stage, they are generally pretty fearless so can get themselves into trouble but that shouldn't be an issue if your around supervising. They will quickly learn to ''train'' you if your not on the ball.

As for expenses, they need lots of toys, so new ones every so often, this can get expensive but you can make some of your own which works out cheaper. Food for a single 'tiel, budgie or green cheek works out pretty cheap per month, I feed two for less than £4 a month for the pellets and thats for the expensive pellets, they also need lots of fresh foods but mine have a bit of whatever we have in so we don't buy it in specially. Vet bills will be you main expense and insurance if you choose to have it. Treating birds can get pretty costly as they need a specialist avian vet, the cost of a yearly check up and basic tests probably won't break the bank but if your bird gets sick it might. My two are currently under vet care and so far it has cost me around £500 for basic tests and antibiotics, we haven't had a diagnosis from the tests so I imagine the vet bills are going to get alot higher as we go more in depth.

[Eurycerus]

Although the person above might have had experience with green cheeks that were quiet they can be extremely loud so don't be fooled! My Senegal is pretty quiet with some jabbering when I'm around (anywhere in the house) but when I leave and my roommate's there she screams quite a bit apparently. She probably thinks she's being ignored. I've had her do one or two screams when I'm there and it's ear splitting.

My point is Senegal's are considered quiet birds but if they want to be loud they will. Birds are loud! Don't be fooled. :] But they are wonderful critters.