Hi ! Some parrots questions for everyone :)

[Kayd55]

Hi ! I’m new to the parrot community ! I don’t have any birds at the moment but I have been doing my research on a few breeds and that has taken me about three months so far ! ( I want to be very educated the bird I pick ) I’m stuck between a green cheek conure , pionus, Meyer or maybe a cockatiel. I have been switching between all of them but my heart is going toward the conure . Now I am not my research but I was wondering if anyone had some information for me with experience !
Some of my questions are:
I have two dogs and two cats . I trust my animals with a new animal coming in . I have two Doberman’s which are a family dogs and they both have a gentle soul towards animals . I am just a little concerned on how to get the bird use to it’s surroundings and introducing them and making them a pack . I am a little concern about my cat but I know in time she would love it . I’m just confused on where to start .
I also have a one year old and planning on another baby in the future . I do work full time but my boyfriend will be home during the morning and I am home in the afternoon . I’m thinking an hour in the morning with the bird and a few hours at night just letting them be with me and my family and training . I have a love for animals and can’t shake a bird off my mind !
I’m wondering for honest opinions if a bird is right for my house hold and if i can make it happen because I really want to.
Also I’m not to concerned about the noise I know these birds are on the quieter side but do they like be very loud in the morning ?? That’s my only concern because when they make noise I know you’re suppose to ignore them but i would want to them him/her out .
Thanks guys !

 

[itzjbean]

Hello and welcome!!

We have members here with decades of experience with these birds. I personally LOVE cockatiels and am in the midst of breeding my pair.

I also have a Doberman (they're the best dogs!!) and two cats, who have learned to adjust to living with a parrot but of course you must always take precautions. I would never trust my birds out alone with any of them -- the cats WILL go after the birds if left alone and the dog has a potential to step on them as he is so huge. The key is to find a cage that sits on a stand and big enough so that the cats can't jump on it. If you're wanting to have parrots out while you are with the baby, cats likely need to get put into their own room for safety. You will likely have divided attention with your baby so its' best to minimize risk this way.

It's best the get a parrot when it's weaned from a breeder -- they'll likely be more tame and will adjust easier to new situations when they are well socialized and handled by people from a young age. Be sure to find a reputable breeder in your area. If you can't decide on one, go into your local pet store (or bird rescue) and spend some time around all the birds you are interested in to see their personalities, size and temperament differences.

YOu may be surprised when you go in wanting one bird, and another ends up choosing you as its owner. It happens!

All birds make some noise. It would be ideal if you lived in a single family home rather than an apartment but these smaller species should be okay for apartment living also. My cockatiels normally sing and make some noise in the morning (6am-7) then are pretty quiet throughout the day with some occasional chirping. Then at night they are singing again but then settle down for the night when lights get turned off.

YOu will be busy with your job, baby and another possible baby in the future, but if you are committed to owning a bird and dedicating a few hours every day to interaction, training and playing, it should work out fine.

 

[ChocolateChipCookiez]

Welcome to the forum!

itzjbean has made some good points above. Other members will be able to give a little bit more insight on your questiones.​

 

[jousze]

I would say that pionus are quiet birds, not so difficult. And it’s a bigger bird than a cockatiel or conure, I suppose you prefer something not do little.
They are not as cuddly as a conure though. But they are GORGEOUS. Regarding the time, I would tell you to spend MINIMUM MINIMUM 4-5h with them. I’m sure you’ll do great with whatever you choose.
Meyers are funny btw !


Jose

 

[Scott]

Welcome to the forums, thanks for researching and reaching out before choosing a bird!

If you live near an avian rescue or diverse breeder, might have an opportunity to be exposed to and handle species of interest.

Superb advice from itzjbean! Many of us enjoy life with birds and dogs, provided strict separation and foolproof protections are devised.

 

[Kayd55]

Thanks everyone so much !! This positive and helpful information will make my bird dreams continue ! Probably have about four more months of intense research before I make my decision - I need to be fully prepared lol . !!

 

[noodles123]

Welcome and I am so glad that your are planning and researching ahead of time. You obviously know what a huge commitment birds are, and that is commendable!
I am not telling you not to get a bird, but I am telling you that I would strongly advise waiting until you have older kids (and, ideally, no cats). I am not saying that having young kids and birds (+cats) cannot be done- but it can get super complicated in the blink of an eye, plus, it is risky...Especially since owning a bird for the first time is full of learning curves and mistakes without the presence of complicating factors. Thanks again for being so conscientious and for seeking information!

Here are some things to consider based on your current situation (young child, future child, cats, dogs, 2 working adults):

Your bird may or may not get along with other members of your family (and it may decide to bond with your husband or something instead of you and vice-versa). Often times, they will tolerate some people, and love one or two...just in general...That means that if you are relying on your ability to handle the bird easily (or your husband's ability to do so when you are not around) you cannot be certain that things will be equally easy/painless for both of you, or that you will be the bird's preferred person.

With such young kids and so many pets, it seems like a giant risk to take on a bird (for both the bird and potentially, for your other pets/kid)
Although birds can be socialized, it is no guarantee that they won't bite you or your kids- you will all get bitten from time-to-time, and you cannot react or you will increase the problematic behavior. The same is true for your kids-- if bitten, they cannot react, but young kids and adults struggle with this-- it is natural to yell and flail and scold, and that is the opposite of what will need to happen (for everyone, across the board). Even a small beak can do nasty damage to a teeny-tiny finger or ear...Also, cats carry bacteria in their claws/saliva that is very deadly to birds (even if the scratch is small/not deadly on its own).

Sometimes, birds can get especially jealous and some will actively seek out family members or family pets to bite/harass (flying at them etc)... For instance, my bird likes my family, but when I visit them, there are only 2 of us who avoid getting bitten most of the time when handling her (me and my dad). She will step up onto others (but about half of the time, she will bite at some point during their handling session--sometimes to test them, sometimes to avoid being put back on her cage, sometimes because she wants them to put her down and can't communicate it---and mine is pretty nice as birds go). If my dad walks into the room, so will act like she needs to defend him from other people and bite who she is on-even though she was content and gentle 2 seconds prior (because she is obsessed with him)--He only ever pets her on he head and never has done anything to stimulate mating behavior. She also screams when she hears his voice elsewhere in the house.

Since you haven't had a bird before and you have dogs, cats + young kids, I would seriously wait to get a bird- at least until your kids were closer to 9 years old or so--- with thicker fingers, better impulse control, and done with naps. The bird may scream during nap-times and you will not be able to stop the screaming by running over to the bird, because (while this will stop the screaming) it will create a problem behavior and increase the likelihood of screaming in the future. In an attention seeking screamer, every single person has to ignore the screaming and that is very hard for adults (let alone kids).

For many people, if their kid gets bitten and has to have stitches (and then cries every time the bird is in the same room), it would be very easy to get protective/emotional and fatalistic (e.g.,"this bird is a danger to my child and he is terrorizing him- we must now re-home him"--which would not fair to the bird but it happens all the time)..Birds often annoy non-preferred people already, so the pressure to "fix" the situation (after a bad bite) could be very contentious if others in the household are already sick of the screaming and mess.

Since parrots also have to get 10-14 hours of dark, uninterrupted sleep each night, you will want to make sure that the time you schedule with your bird isn't late at night/ too early in the morning---time doesn't matter so much as the hours of sleep. Also, someone will have to be around nightly and each morning to uncover the bird and re-cover the bird. This gets tricky when work runs late or the kids have a soccer game etc.

I always say this to potential bird owners because it's one of the most annoying realities of owning a bird---it's surprisingly easy to kill them with scented stuff and Teflon/PTFE/PFOA (which is hidden all over the place---impossible to identify visually due to its many forms).

Make sure you research all about the dangers of Teflon/PTFE/PFOA (which can off-gas when heated and kill birds through doors and on different floors of the home). It's all over in kitchen stuff, but also in curling irons, irons, blow dryers, space-heaters etc. Once you have a bird, you will have to call the company before trusting anything you own that heats.

Similarly, all scented products (including standard household cleaners), candles, carpet shampoos, flea baths, bug sprays, aerosols, smoke, burning food, polishes/paints/glues, perfumes and air fresheners will have to become a thing of the past..the list goes on...they have super sensitive respiratory systems.

 

[Kayd55]

Wow that is amazing information you shared with me !! We will defiantly be waiting a while and considering everything you mentioned . Everything you wrote has helped us make the decision we do have to wait for sure . I must google all of that stuff as well you mentioned with the different chemicals for sure . Thank you so much for all of your information I appreciate it so much !!

 

[Kayd55]

Wow that is amazing information you shared with me !! We will defiantly be waiting a while and considering everything you mentioned . Everything you wrote has helped us make the decision we do have to wait for sure . I must google all of that stuff as well you mentioned with the different chemicals for sure . Thank you so much for all of your information I appreciate it so much !!

 

[noodles123]

Here are some good links. The 1st one cross-references all of its stories, so none of it is anecdotal--please note, according to DuPont (Teflon manufacturer), the dangerous off-gassing temperatures are, supposedly, quite high, but birds die when these coatings are used within supposedly "safe" temp ranges--birds have died without food burning with teflon/ptfe/pfoa was heated within the low 300s (F):

https://www.ewg.org/research/canaries-kitchen/teflon-kills-birds <--must read.

https://healthypets.mercola.com/sit...n=20181018Z2&et_cid=DM240590&et_rid=447110288 <---this link summarizes most of what I said about Teflon and chemicals/scents in general (including the dangers of cleaning products, smoke, fumes etc).

https://www.wltx.com/article/news/local/verify-is-teflon-deadly-for-pet-birds/101-531052330

 

[CallumConure]

Hey, I'm new as well, and I have a green cheek conure. His name is Callum and he's two years old. While GCCs are labeled the "quietest" of conures, mine is not quiet. He enjoys vocalizing, whether it be him and I having a conversation, me singing along to a song and he has to join in, or just general "pay attention to me" stuff, and just for fun.
He is nippy and he really is independent half the time, but wants my cuddles too. He loves giving kisses and sitting on my shoulder. As I type, he is sitting on my shoulder, grooming my hair. It's a pretty constant thing for him to be pressed against my neck and grooming me.
Mine grew up in an at-home daycare and very regularly interacted with a little boy (on his own free will), but I would never recommend having a bird with small children 24/7. I know, that's not what anyone ever wants to hear, but birds have strong beaks and children have prying, curious fingers. My GCC, if he really wanted to, could put a hole in my finger. And he has, when he got scared by a new sound. Birds are very flighty and the flapping wings and frantic "need to get away" can be very scary for kids. My adult friends even get scared when Callum spooks and flutters off.
Kids are also loud and their screaming, running around, and just general energetic selves can be scary for birds. A stressed bird is not fun to be around.

As for other animals, please be cautious. Previously, due to my ignorance, a dog had snuck into a room and when I set down my bird, the dog grabbed my bird in his mouth. Thank GOODNESS that my bird was unharmed, just scared out of his mind. I never thought that dog in a million years would have grabbed my bird, but she did and my bird seemed shellshocked for weeks after. This is something you have to constantly be aware of with cats and dogs in the house, even if they're animal savvy. My current dog is scared of my bird (simply because Callum snuck in and bit his butt once) but I never let them interact aside from that one time.

I spend at least ten hours a day with him. He is allowed out of his cage and is allowed to fly all over the house. If he's not let out, he's loud. He'll call for me if I'm not there. I have to ask people to watch him and say hello when I'm gone. Leaving for weekends is stressful because I don't like leaving my Callum alone.


If you really want to have birds in the house with small children, I'd suggest a pair or trio of budgies or a little flock of finches. They're small, not super noisy, and if they do bite you, it's not like getting bitten by a conure or bigger. Having these little guys can also help the children learn how to behave around birds.

 

[noodles123]

If you really want to have birds in the house with small children, I'd suggest a pair or trio of budgies or a little flock of finches. They're small, not super noisy, and if they do bite you, it's not like getting bitten by a conure or bigger. Having these little guys can also help the children learn how to behave around birds.

Welcome CallumConure- I just want to add to this,

If you do go the budgie route, keep in mind that, despite their size and availability, they are just as intelligent as many of the larger parrot species. Really, the only difference between a budgie and a large parrot is going to be the bite force (and to a minor extent, noise and cost), but budgies can still shake down the house with their screeching ...and they tend to chirp a lot...
All of the other precautions still apply and they still need lots of time out of their cage etc.

Note: depending on OP's goals, a pair of budgies will make your ability to bond with the birds more difficult (as the human is often like the 3rd wheel). Although having 2 can sometimes help fill the void left by working humans, it can also totally change your relationship with the birds and it can come with its own set of complications (including egg-laying/ egg-binding/ aggression etc).

 

[Flboy]

Welcome to you!

 

[CallumConure]

If you really want to have birds in the house with small children, I'd suggest a pair or trio of budgies or a little flock of finches. They're small, not super noisy, and if they do bite you, it's not like getting bitten by a conure or bigger. Having these little guys can also help the children learn how to behave around birds.

Welcome CallumConure- I just want to add to this,

If you do go the budgie route, keep in mind that, despite their size and availability, they are just as intelligent as many of the larger parrot species. Really, the only difference between a budgie and a large parrot is going to be the bite force (and to a minor extent, noise and cost), but budgies can still shake down the house with their screeching ...and they tend to chirp a lot...
All of the other precautions still apply and they still need lots of time out of their cage etc.

Note: depending on OP's goals, a pair of budgies will make your ability to bond with the birds more difficult (as the human is often like the 3rd wheel). Although having 2 can sometimes help fill the void left by working humans, it can also totally change your relationship with the birds and it can come with its own set of complications (including egg-laying/ egg-binding/ aggression etc).

I have a pair of male budgies and they chirp all day! I have them sitting near a window, so they chirp depending on the amount of sunlight. If it's cloudy or stormy, they're quiet, if it's sunny, they'll be chirping up a storm. I've never heard mine really screech or let out louder noises.
When I got my first budgie, I wasn't quite aware of how intelligent they were and, eventually, my availability changed. I got a buddy for my older budgie so he didn't feel so lonely since I started attending college (I quarantined and ensured that they would become friends before just dropping a new budgie in).
I have an older budgie (he's about eight or nine years old) and he's very friendly. He's smart too (obviously). He'll find a human to climb onto their hand if he's ended up on the floor. The other budgie is not friendly, but still gets time out of the cage. I definitely third wheel now, but I'd rather they be happy and healthy than have a super close relationship with them. I can still work and handle both, but it's not quite like the bond Callum and I share.

I used to live in an at-home daycare and I would introduce the kids to my budgie before my conure. Mine isn't one-person orientated and isn't nippy like my conure, so that's partly why I recommended budgies over a conure, especially with children in the home. My budgies had their cage away from the kids at all times too.
I got lucky in the sense that Callum tolerated one of the toddlers and was friendly with him, but I can't guarantee that for all GCCs.
I don't mean for any of this to sound condescending or rude, so I apologize if it came off that way (I struggle a bit with tone). Thank you for the added information!

 

[noodles123]

If you really want to have birds in the house with small children, I'd suggest a pair or trio of budgies or a little flock of finches. They're small, not super noisy, and if they do bite you, it's not like getting bitten by a conure or bigger. Having these little guys can also help the children learn how to behave around birds.

Welcome CallumConure- I just want to add to this,

If you do go the budgie route, keep in mind that, despite their size and availability, they are just as intelligent as many of the larger parrot species. Really, the only difference between a budgie and a large parrot is going to be the bite force (and to a minor extent, noise and cost), but budgies can still shake down the house with their screeching ...and they tend to chirp a lot...
All of the other precautions still apply and they still need lots of time out of their cage etc.

Note: depending on OP's goals, a pair of budgies will make your ability to bond with the birds more difficult (as the human is often like the 3rd wheel). Although having 2 can sometimes help fill the void left by working humans, it can also totally change your relationship with the birds and it can come with its own set of complications (including egg-laying/ egg-binding/ aggression etc).

I have a pair of male budgies and they chirp all day! I have them sitting near a window, so they chirp depending on the amount of sunlight. If it's cloudy or stormy, they're quiet, if it's sunny, they'll be chirping up a storm. I've never heard mine really screech or let out louder noises.
When I got my first budgie, I wasn't quite aware of how intelligent they were and, eventually, my availability changed. I got a buddy for my older budgie so he didn't feel so lonely since I started attending college (I quarantined and ensured that they would become friends before just dropping a new budgie in).
I have an older budgie (he's about eight or nine years old) and he's very friendly. He's smart too (obviously). He'll find a human to climb onto their hand if he's ended up on the floor. The other budgie is not friendly, but still gets time out of the cage. I definitely third wheel now, but I'd rather they be happy and healthy than have a super close relationship with them. I can still work and handle both, but it's not quite like the bond Callum and I share.

I used to live in an at-home daycare and I would introduce the kids to my budgie before my conure. Mine isn't one-person orientated and isn't nippy like my conure, so that's partly why I recommended budgies over a conure, especially with children in the home. My budgies had their cage away from the kids at all times too.
I got lucky in the sense that Callum tolerated one of the toddlers and was friendly with him, but I can't guarantee that for all GCCs.
I don't mean for any of this to sound condescending or rude, so I apologize if it came off that way (I struggle a bit with tone). Thank you for the added information!

You didn't sound rude at all! My statement wasn't a criticism of what you said- you made many good points- I just said what I said because many people (not necessarily you or the OP, but people in general) just assume that budgies aren't as smart as other birds (because they are cheaper, smaller, and widely sold at pet shops in groups). Their low prices and size lead people to downplay them as a species, so I wanted to clarify that, while many people have, historically,neglected them, they should require as much attention and mental stimulation as a larger parrot....Everyone hears a talking Grey and they just know how smart that bird must be, but budgies are some of the smarter parrots, despite their small-size and varied vocalizations. It doesn't help that the ones sold at Petsmart are kept with other birds and handled very little, which means that they are unaccustomed to humans when they get adopted, and therefore, even more resistant to showcase their intelligence in ways that humans would recognize...Unless, of course, that human is EXTREMELY patient and understands bird behavior.

As a kid, my sister had a parakeet who was cage-bound and we didn't really understand how intelligent they were at the time..BUT she screamed a few times a day and it was enough to put your nerves on edge. She had to have been miserable, but again, my parents didn't know what they were doing and she always had a clean cage, fresh veg, water and food---but that is like the very bare minimum... Thankfully, our house was very lively, so she always got to see and hear a lot of craziness, but her cage was small and her life was sad....Even though, so many friends had parakeets and treated them worse...This video is a quieter version of the sounds we heard daily (due to the fact that it is a recording)- I am not saying that the cage is ideal or anything---just posting to show the sounds (to a lesser extent) but this is similar to what I heard as a kid--- [ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usFfQ4mKuxA"]How parakeets command your attention - LOUD SCREAMING - YouTube[/ame] I am getting off track..

If the OP is wanting a bird so that she can bond with it, then pairs make that tricky (so in that case, I would say wait until you have the time for one)...but either way, they are going to require time out of the cage etc.

Does that make sense?

 

[ChristaNL]

Adopt, dont shop!

I know, I know "everybody" always wants the brandnew shiny babybird and they end up in the trash sooo many times.


I always had hand-me-down parrots, never regretted it (much) - it may come as a bit of a shock to hear a naugthy word coming out of the beak that you know he/she never learned at your place or maybe they have some healthdamage thanks to previous messing-it-up owners that may be reversible or might not, but most of the time you just end up with superloving, settled stabile minded birds that are just happy te be with you.