First time owner, senegal vs. bh, looking for final opinions

[codyf]

Yay! Another “Which parrot should I buy!?” thread! Well, yes, more or less.. (my apologies ahead of time for creating another thread like a dozen others....).

Anyways... I've been spending the last 6-8 months doing research on parrots. I think I've pretty much made my decision as to which species I want, but I thought I'd throw it by here first for final opinions from owners. More info never hurt.

The common wisdom on this forum seems to be “If you think you want a parrot, you really don't.” Well, I ignored it and did research into one anyway

To give a bit of background, I'm 25, single, and I've been looking for a pet I can interact with. I work full time non-shift work and have a pretty consistent schedule. I hadn't even considered parrots until I was visiting a friend with a Quaker. I didn't know a lot about them before that and this little guy was full of character. That's what attracted me to parrots -not their colours or talking ability.

I live in an apartment now but come the end of September I'll be moving into a house with a friend of mine (he's familiar with parrots and is well aware of the noise and mess they can make, and doesn't have an issue with me owning one) and will have a lot more room for a bird.

Here's basically my list of priorities for a parrot:
-I want a parrot I can interact with. This is really my #1 thing.

-I had budgies a long time ago but otherwise I'm a dog person and have never owned a parrot before (I currently have no other pets), so while all parrots are high maintenance, one that is a bit more “forgiving” of the kind of mistakes an inexperienced owner would make is preferable.

-A parrot that, given proper toys, can occasionally entertain itself. While I have no intention whatsoever of just putting the bird in a cage and leaving it at that there are times where I'm away from the house for 10-12 hours a day (or more) and a parrot that requires 100% human contact to provide all of its entertainment wouldn't be a good idea. It's not fair to the bird since I won't be able to provide complete contact all the time.

-Occasionally I travel to a different location on the weekends. When practical I'd want to take the parrot with me so it wasn't by itself (if my roommate is home he has no issue 'checking in' to make sure food/water is fine, but the parrot would be in its cage the whole time). I saw Michael's video on making a travel box from a cat carrier -seems like an excellent idea that I'll probably do. Point is a parrot that gets very stressed easily with changes of environment (or if ignored for a weekend, as per my point above) would be less ideal.

-I don't want an overly noisy parrot. I know all birds make a degree of noise (and what people consider “noisy” varies greatly). Normal chattering, chirping, beeping, etc. doesn't bother me in the slightest. An animated bird that chitters is far preferable to one that sits on a perch and doesn't . Even squawking I can live with so long as it's done while I'm awake. Going off on a screaming fit in the middle of the night... that would be sub-optimal, though from what I've read this is fairly rare and usually happens for a reason when it does. The parrot species that are known to create a high degree of noise do not fit the bill.

-Talking ability. It doesn't even factor into my decision. If the parrot never said a word its entire multi-decade life it wouldn't bother me in the slightest. Like I said I want a pet I can interact with and from what I've seen and read parrots are more than capable of expressing themselves without words. I'll be getting a parrot to have my own friend and feathered companion and have no desire for a pet to “show off” to friends and family.

Now, what I realize about owning a parrot and am willing to live with:
-They poop on everything.
-They can, and at times will, be noisy in the mornings, evenings, and whenever else they feel like it. With effort and training this can be managed to an agreeable state.
-I will get bit/nipped/chunks taken out/ from the parrot's beak. I've dealt with puppies teething... bleeding from animal teeth is not unknown to me! While I certainly don't *want* to get bit (who does?) I'm willing to live with it when it eventually happens.
-I may very well get a parrot that “on paper” fits all of my requirements above, but is in fact completely opposite and will require a lot of time, effort, and patience on my part.
-I realize this is a multi-decade commitment, and could cause issues later down the road with life. This is something that will have to be filed in the “I'll have to deal with it when I come to it” category, but I'm aware there could be issues in the future.

I had considered adopting a parrot since I very much prefer giving a home to an animal that needs one (every pet my family has ever owned has come from a shelter or another family). Upon more research I think it would be much wiser to get a young parrot from a breeder rather than one that may have health and/or behavioural issues when I've never owned a parrot before. I don't think it would be fair to either myself or the bird to try and deal with one that has issues when I have no experience doing so. I flat out refuse to get one from a pet shop.

So, after all that and up until two days ago, I had thought I'd narrowed it down to a Senegal parrot. However I then stumbled across Soltia Aviary's website and discovered the Brown-Headed parrot. I'd heard about them before but there is so little information on them that I hadn't given them much thought. I'm still trying to find more information on them but from the limited information I've found they seem to fit with my lifestyle even more than a Senegal will. I'll be ready to get a parrot in about 2 months so I'm in the final stage of research here. I've read a bunch of the “good” things about BH parrots but I haven't heard of any of the negatives (as oppose to the senni, which has some well documented, lets call them 'personality traits'.)

Does anyone have any additional thoughts/opinions to add here?

BTW, thanks for taking the time to read this post. I really want to go into this with both eyes open knowing exactly what I'm getting into so I can have the best experience for both myself and the parrot.

~Cody

[GlassOnion]

Firstly, you have owned parrots before. Budgies are scientifically parrots, as the term, 'parakeet' means any 'small parrot with a long tail'. Just like how Quakers are Parakeets.

You should know that ANY bird should be in his cage alone for several hours during the day, as independence and the ability to entertain himself is something every quality breeder works to achieve with his baby birds. A bird that doesn't know what to do by himself becomes a needy, screamy bird.

I see that you have looked into the Poicephalus parrots, they are a good choice because of their relatively quiet noise level, but can give you nasty bites.

I suggest you take a look at this article!! :
http://africanqueenaviaries.com/african ... erview.htm

[Natacha]

There is lots of common elements to the small Poicephalus.
There isn't much out there on Brown heads as they haven't really been popular but are gaining momentum.

One thing - not all rehome parrotrs have behavioral and/or heath issues. Some perfectly fine parrots often end up in need of a new home, just need to be wise as to what the reason is and possibly visit the bird a few times before making a decision. In fact, with older birds you'll get what you see which can be a good thing. For babies, YOU will be responsible of it's upbringing and the nice baby can become a monster later on

If you are going with a baby and do consider to get one of Barb's bird then it's a good choice. I wanted to get a baby female Red-bellied from her last year but it turned out the clutch was all males so I passed and then an adult in need of a home found her way to me. But I wouldn't have hesistated to buy one of her babies.

[Boman]

I'm actually getting a BH from Barbara @ Soltia Aviary and she's been a TON of help. I'd highly recommend contacting her.

[codyf]

One thing - not all rehome parrotrs have behavioral and/or heath issues. Some perfectly fine parrots often end up in need of a new home, just need to be wise as to what the reason is and possibly visit the bird a few times before making a decision. In fact, with older birds you'll get what you see which can be a good thing. For babies, YOU will be responsible of it's upbringing and the nice baby can become a monster later on

Good point, I hadn't considered that.

[Mum2rory]

Congrats on doing your "homework" on parrots. I think all people wishing to get an animal should do so. From what I read above, you are well aware of the committment required to have a bird in your care. There will be, and always will be, questions in regards to your little friend, thats why you are here. So ask away and an expert (not me) will help you out. i cant help with your decision as I have neither of the 2 species you are looking at. All I can say is "good in with an open mind and heart", cos these little guys have a habit of picking us and not the other way round LOL
Good luck and welcome to the forum.

[Lovebird Lady]

I'm actually getting a BH from Barbara @ Soltia Aviary and she's been a TON of help. I'd highly recommend contacting her.

OK now. Another year, another generation (of parrots and human parents). I am now on the list for a Brown Headed parrot from Barbara, and am still waiting for the nesting to begin. Would like to hear from Boman and Cody how they made out with their Brown Heads from last Fall, and the differences between males and females. I had my heart set on a male but not not so sure now, as I am also considering a female, also from Barbara. Any feedback on behaviour differences and cage selection is appreciated. Thanks.

Sylvia

[Andromeda]

Cody, I'm so glad you did your research. Most people who buy a bird have absolutely no clue how messy and high-maintenance they are.

I have a brown-headed parrot. His name is Jimmy. He was a rescue bird (I found him on Petfinder) and when we adopted him the couple who ran the bird rescue organization said they thought he was about a year old.

He's been with us for 3 1/2 years now. He is beautiful and incredibly smart. He says about 30 words and phrases and his voice is very clear.

He is a voracious chewer. I always give him multiple toys specifically for the purpose of shredding. I buy wooden toys that are marketed as Amazon and Macaw toys because he'll reduce the "conure"-sized toys to a pile of toothpicks in a few hours.

Point is a parrot that gets very stressed easily with changes of environment (or if ignored for a weekend, as per my point above) would be less ideal.

Jimmy is an extremely cautious (borderline nervous) bird. Amazingly he's never afraid of new toys but he is very observant and is always watching what's going on around him and I have to be careful with him when I walk around the house holding him because he can frighten easily.

He's not afraid of riding in the car, though; we drove from FL to MA with him and he was a brave bird.

Jimmy may be a special case because I don't think his first owner interacted with him very much when he was young and as a result he has a few behavioral issues. That being said, it's nothing time and clicker training can't fix.

I have a book called "Guide to the Senegal Parrot and Its Family" and here's a small excerpt of what is says about brown-headed parrots: "Although they have a well-deserved reputation for calmness, brown-heads are still a member of the Poicephalus family, and individual birds may retain and exhibit all common types of Poicephalus behavior including coyness, clownishness, defensiveness, and a well-developed fight-or-flight response."

I had considered adopting a parrot since I very much prefer giving a home to an animal that needs one (every pet my family has ever owned has come from a shelter or another family). Upon more research I think it would be much wiser to get a young parrot from a breeder rather than one that may have health and/or behavioural issues when I've never owned a parrot before. I don't think it would be fair to either myself or the bird to try and deal with one that has issues when I have no experience doing so. I flat out refuse to get one from a pet shop.

Jimmy was a rescue and my other bird, a green cheek conure named Bubba, was a re-home. It's just my two cents but the reason why I wanted to adopt is because I would never buy a bird from a pet shop or a breeder when there are birds out there in need of a home. The average pet parrot goes through up to 5 homes in its lifetime. That's very sad.

Yes, Jimmy has a few behavioral problems but I visited him a few times before I adopted him and I was well aware that he was shy and skittish. He used to be afraid of everything but compared to how he was when we first adopted him he's very brave now.

Bubba was a re-home and was 2 when we adopted him. He had almost no behavioral problems. He was very prone to biting when we first had him but I think part of it was that he was in his "terrible 2s" because he rarely bites now. He craves human interaction and would spend all day cuddling with me or my husband if he could.