GC Conure or Jardine?

[PiccoloSauce]

Hey, I’m new to this forum and have been online looking for the right first bird for me for a while now, and I’ve narrowed down the options to either...

-A Green Cheeked conure

-A Jardine parrot


Firstly a green cheeked conure looks to be great as they’re regarded as very playful with big personalities, their loudness or their mess will not be a problem as I can handle both those things.. however as of right now I’m a student at secondary (high) school finishing up my end of year exams (I’ll not get a bird till after probably), however most days I’m gone for about 6-7 and a half hours and I’d be worried about the bird getting lonely, plucking, etc, however I love these birds and would love to get one. I can spend a relatively good amount on cages, vet fees, regular toy changes, food and treats etc, as I have a part time job, however that may be adding to the bird getting lonely, which I would hate to happen

Second, a jardine parrot looks good as well and I’ve heard they can occupy themselves most the time, which covers my main problem, however I’ve heard they also have less lively personalities and are not as playful as a conure is. Loundness and mess is something I can again handle and I can spend time around the bird after school is finished for 4-5 hours with around 1-2 hours of personal time from that. These birds are very nice looking and tick almost all the boxes it seems, however I’d really like a bird with personality and playfulness as well as being slightly clowny, but I’d settle for the bird being happy over being playful. Also, please let me know if a parrot like a jardine would be a bad option for a first bird, however please also consider I’m willing to put my heart and soul into caring for a bird to the best of my ability

If there’s another species which you think would be better suited to me please let me know..

Please let me know if I should reconsider my choices due to it not being right for me, or if these birds are not abundant in the UK. I’ve looked over some stores that sell birds but many are not easy to find here in the UK and most people go off recommendations from others, so if any of you live in the UK a recommended breeder or pet store would be much appreciated. If you’ve read this till the end thank you for listening to me ramble on

 

[noodles123]

I just read your other post and I think it is VERY wise to wait until you are done with uni etc. Thank you for considering this--many people don't and it often ends badly for the bird. I am glad you came to the conclusion that waiting is best.

 

[PiccoloSauce]

I just read your other post and I think it is VERY wise to wait until you are done with uni etc. Thank you for considering this--many people don't and it often ends badly for the bird. I am glad you came to the conclusion that waiting is best.

Thanks for the praise noodle.

Whilst it’s true I want to wait until done with uni (5 years from now) to get a bird. I do also want to continue my research and narrow down what is the best bird for me, whilst also using any experience i may gain from volunteering at my local bird sanctuary (which you will have seen me talk about) to help others with their problems or queries. So any recommendations or thoughts on my first thread above would be much appreciated, but I’ve got plenty of time to think about it!

 

[noodles123]

My uncle has a jardines---he is a bit of a rascal. All birds are...but, it's hard to say how much of the current behavior is owner-based. I do know they are currently struggling with his biting and they had an African Grey previously for like 30+ years (so they do have parrot experience). I haven't owned a conure though and neither have they, so it's hard to say. Most birds do go through a "nippy" phase. Dive-bombing is their current complaint, but that is something you could experience with any species. He says a few small words and makes a lot of squeaking noises--- hes about 3 at this point. There are lots of threads on conure behavior here, but jardines are not as common, so it's hard to say.

 

[PiccoloSauce]

Yes, they’re quite rare I think, I’d be lucky to find one in the first place although we’ll see what happens!