I'm Back! What bird?

[Jez]

I'm Back! Suggestions please!

Hey,
I'm not sure if any of you remember me, probably not, but I signed up a while ago and was fairly active while I had my Lovebird. Unfortunately it died, which I probably mentioned. We still don't know why but life goes on. Anyway as of now I've got a dog and reptiles, currently breeding African Fat Tail geckos which should be available next year if anyone is interested.

[Summary: (too long to read?)
What bird would you recommend? I want to try to stay away from birds especially prone to personality issues, but I could definitely give them an hour a day at least (home at 4 with some days being exceptions having to stay after to do some more work or doctors or whatever). I'd like to keep the max price at $500. I have a thing for bright exotic colors, but that's a plus. Also, I hate being bit. Obviously all animals go through these stages but the minimal nippiness/aggressiveness would be the best, unless I got a more mature bird and avoided that adolescent stage]

Long Version
To get to the point I've been looking back into parrots. My reptiles are very nice and simple to care for but I sorta miss the personality the parrots have. Basically my question is what would you recommend? I've done my research and it seems Senegals are a nice way to start, but I want more direct opinions. I'm at work/school during the day but once I'm home attention won't be an issue. That being said, I know some parrots are more demanding in this way, and as far as my research went Sennies seem the most adaptable. My reptile partner has a Macaw and a Sennie, he got me the idea. He said I can have his Blue & Gold Macaw but that's a little much for me right now. I can easily get at least an hour of out of cage time interaction and probably much more just out of the cage (obviously supervised and everything) - would a species like a Conure be too demanding in my case? I've been around many birds and I'm good with them but I've never really spent long periods of time observing their needs.
I just want a general idea of what species would be recommended with my schedule (school / work, etc), or what species you have and what kind of schedules you operate on as far as home/out and time out of the cage.

Sorry for the wall of text, my birthdays coming up so I might buy myself a new addition to the family

 

[Remy]

I have a caique and he's great! He's not clingy, and can entertain himself pretty well, but is also very social.

 

[Jez]

I have a caique and he's great! He's not clingy, and can entertain himself pretty well, but is also very social.

I was looking at Caiques and they're very nice but as far as I remember over my budget ($1000 range?).

Thanks for the response though, maybe one day I can afford one.

Anyone else?

 

[Jez]

Other opinions anyone? Tell me why your bird is the right type

 

[IcyWolf]

How many hours a day are you home after school and work? I would suggest you check into cockatiels, lineolated parakeets, budgies, black capped conures
and green cheek conures.

 

[cockatielfan17]

sun conure only consider this if u can put u with there loud sounds and screams other than that they are good birds

 

[Mitchell]

If you like colors, a sun conure is beautiful. At the same time, they make a little noise. Conures are good at entertaining themselves while your away too. I would go check out their different personalities though, because that will trump color any day of the week. I like clownish talkers that are cuddly, but my wife likes quiet ones that talk (thats why we have an Eclectus) I'd rather be cuddling a huge Macaw but she hates the ear piercing contact calls! lol!

 

[Jez]

How many hours a day are you home after school and work? I would suggest you check into cockatiels, lineolated parakeets, budgies, black capped conures
and green cheek conures.

From 4pm till night, with exceptions such as doctors appointments, staying after school later some days, etc.
I'd like to step it up a little from budgies and cockatiels so Conures are definitely on my list. Do different species of Conure have different temperament? I've read they can be quite the biters?

 

[Jez]

If you like colors, a sun conure is beautiful. At the same time, they make a little noise. Conures are good at entertaining themselves while your away too. I would go check out their different personalities though, because that will trump color any day of the week. I like clownish talkers that are cuddly, but my wife likes quiet ones that talk (thats why we have an Eclectus) I'd rather be cuddling a huge Macaw but she hates the ear piercing contact calls! lol!

Yeah Sun Conures are high on my list but that arises the temperament problems I see so much, are they really that bad with biting? I know all birds will go through this stage but it seems like it hits them especially hard.
I'd LOVE an Eclectus but $700 plus a cage and toys is a little to far over my budget ):

My best friend has a B & G Macaw, it's LOUD but it's beautiful. It'd be too much for my house though - I could have it for free if I want but that's a bit too far I think, I'd like to stay in the medium range.

 

[mnkeastman]

I have been preparing for my first parrot for a little bit now and I just have to say that the bird price is nothing compared to everything else! I am so overwhelming with it all.

Between toys, perches, all kinds of foods (organic which is more anyway), the cage (cause I am told bigger is better so I am spending more on one than I planned) then the playtree stand or playgym.

Oh yeah and the 200 for the initial exam by our local Avian Vet to make sure birdie is ok when I get him and of course if there is anything actually wrong with him it will be additional monies for meds or whatever.

I am already trying to figure out when and how much I can sock away for emergency vet bills and things because from what I understand once a bird gets sick enough for me to notice he may be almost out of time and certainly won't be able to wait until payday for a visit.

I would honestly rethink your plan. I know I had to if your on a fixed budget.

I think if I hadn't gotten my heart set on a Parrot by the time I found this forum I would have looked more seriously at Budgies, Lovebirds and 'tiels simply cause of the lower financial investment in all of the things mentioned above.

Good luck to you

 

[IcyWolf]

I think you might want to look into the crimson bellied conures, they are slightly bigger than a green cheek and way more colorful. The babies don't have as much color but the adults are just stunning. I've seen them sell for anywhere between $300-$550. As far as biting goes, I get bit by our little black cap conure quite often, usually daily or at least every other day, but I should say that he bites me more than anyone else and absolutely loves my boyfriend Even though you can generalize a bit and say that certain species tend to be nippier than others, if you can a hand fed baby and raise it right, you shouldn't have too much problem, although I can guarantee you that you will get bit. It's just a part of bird ownership you have to accept, unless you plan on never touching your bird. You can minimize how often you get bit, teach your bird early on that biting is not acceptable and learn how to avoid a bite but that's really the best you can do. I have had birds that literally never bit me after a certain point(my goffin for example) but she still bit plenty of other people :54: We are the second home for our conure and I have a feeling that he was allowed to be big bird on campus at his old home. He was the only bird and didn't seem to have too many boundaries set, but it is something we are working on. Starting from scratch with a baby is always easier, just make sure you plan out exactly how you are going to train him/her and stick to it. It's much easier to unteach them something than it is to teach them something.

 

[Jez]

I have been preparing for my first parrot for a little bit now and I just have to say that the bird price is nothing compared to everything else! I am so overwhelming with it all.

Between toys, perches, all kinds of foods (organic which is more anyway), the cage (cause I am told bigger is better so I am spending more on one than I planned) then the playtree stand or playgym.

Oh yeah and the 200 for the initial exam by our local Avian Vet to make sure birdie is ok when I get him and of course if there is anything actually wrong with him it will be additional monies for meds or whatever.

I am already trying to figure out when and how much I can sock away for emergency vet bills and things because from what I understand once a bird gets sick enough for me to notice he may be almost out of time and certainly won't be able to wait until payday for a visit.

I would honestly rethink your plan. I know I had to if your on a fixed budget.

I think if I hadn't gotten my heart set on a Parrot by the time I found this forum I would have looked more seriously at Budgies, Lovebirds and 'tiels simply cause of the lower financial investment in all of the things mentioned above.

Good luck to you

I was referring to $500 as the price of the bird alone, not the supplies. I found this forum three years ago and simply came back to ask for some advice, I already have my opinions but I wasn't saying them because I don't want any biased opinions. I've had a Lovebird but smaller birds don't appeal to me, so why get something I won't enjoy and love as much, you know? Maybe it's just me but when something appeals me, I give it all, and when it doesn't, well not so much (school subjects I dont like especially ).

Your vet charges $200 for an initial exam? too bad pets aren't included in insurance haha

Anyway now that I've got many opinions I'm pretty set on a Conure and also considering a Quaker though I'm not thrilled with the color (but again, that's always a plus). Eclectus' would be great too but I wouldn't be able to afford thousands if the bird alone is $700 on the lower range.

Also, I could probably get a lot of the supplies very cheap but yes I've thought it out about all the expenses combined, thanks for warning though.

 

[Jez]

I think you might want to look into the crimson bellied conures, they are slightly bigger than a green cheek and way more colorful. The babies don't have as much color but the adults are just stunning. I've seen them sell for anywhere between $300-$550. As far as biting goes, I get bit by our little black cap conure quite often, usually daily or at least every other day, but I should say that he bites me more than anyone else and absolutely loves my boyfriend Even though you can generalize a bit and say that certain species tend to be nippier than others, if you can a hand fed baby and raise it right, you shouldn't have too much problem, although I can guarantee you that you will get bit. It's just a part of bird ownership you have to accept, unless you plan on never touching your bird. You can minimize how often you get bit, teach your bird early on that biting is not acceptable and learn how to avoid a bite but that's really the best you can do. I have had birds that literally never bit me after a certain point(my goffin for example) but she still bit plenty of other people :54: We are the second home for our conure and I have a feeling that he was allowed to be big bird on campus at his old home. He was the only bird and didn't seem to have too many boundaries set, but it is something we are working on. Starting from scratch with a baby is always easier, just make sure you plan out exactly how you are going to train him/her and stick to it. It's much easier to unteach them something than it is to teach them something.

Thanks for the help, very much appreciated. I definitely understand the biting; I don't mean avoiding it totally but I've just heard some stories about them really ripping up hands so I got a little worried. When I say biting I'm talking about serious bites, not just little droplets of blood. I'm used to getting bitten anyway (tree boas can bite through heavy duty gloves! :0) haha. I'm going to read a lot on training and behavioral techniques as well.

 

[IcyWolf]

Haha, yea I know what you mean about the tree boas, I started off as a reptile junkie, I did private rescue and educational shows(look up third dimension reptiles if you're ever bored, that was me ), and I also spent some time working for a vendor at the Hamburg reptile expo, we had a lot of wc amazon tree boas come through and those suckers can be downright nasty!

If you're considering a conure, you probably don't have to worry about getting your hands actually ripped up. When our black cap bites me he does almost always draw blood but he really needs to have his beak trimmed. His previous owner gave him toys but they were all kind of soft, no hard wood or anything that he could really wear his beak down with so he has this obnoxiously sharp point on the tip of his upper beak and it just cuts into me. Even when he bites hard though it's usually just a little piece of skin that ends up getting removed, I'm not going to lie, it still hurts pretty bad, but nothing compared to some of the bites I've taken from the larger birds. I got nailed on the chin by a 4+ foot iguana already too, herbivore or not, that hurt worse than any conure bite I've ever had!

 

[Jez]

Haha, yea I know what you mean about the tree boas, I started off as a reptile junkie, I did private rescue and educational shows(look up third dimension reptiles if you're ever bored, that was me ), and I also spent some time working for a vendor at the Hamburg reptile expo, we had a lot of wc amazon tree boas come through and those suckers can be downright nasty!

If you're considering a conure, you probably don't have to worry about getting your hands actually ripped up. When our black cap bites me he does almost always draw blood but he really needs to have his beak trimmed. His previous owner gave him toys but they were all kind of soft, no hard wood or anything that he could really wear his beak down with so he has this obnoxiously sharp point on the tip of his upper beak and it just cuts into me. Even when he bites hard though it's usually just a little piece of skin that ends up getting removed, I'm not going to lie, it still hurts pretty bad, but nothing compared to some of the bites I've taken from the larger birds. I got nailed on the chin by a 4+ foot iguana already too, herbivore or not, that hurt worse than any conure bite I've ever had!

Oh wow nice! I'm planning to go to the next one, my friend is big with boas and we get a table at the local show. He just got this beautiful Amazon Basin as well, it's awesome. Currently I'm doing an African Fat Tail project, I got a het patternless and 66% het patternless so if all goes well in two years I hope to have a Patternless Whiteout or some nice double maybe triple gene morph (not sure if you know much about geckos but I thought I'd let you know anyway ).

Anyway back to the topic, there's a guy near by me selling a Jenday baby about 3 months old for $250. Super affordable, hand-fed (still being hand-fed) and beautiful, do you have any experience with them? I know they're loud but it's a bird so it's not something I'm worrying about. I'm very tempted to send this guy a message soon. ARe the GCC that much better tempered that I should worry?

Also, I'm not sure if there even is any requirement but do these birds need a certain temperature? My house is fairly cold, usually around 65 (if it were up to me it'd be 75 haha). I'm thinking about getting a small heater for my room .

 

[roxynoodle]

Oh, when my Nanday decided she didn't want her medicine, she bit me so hard she opened an artery in my finger. I had blood spraying everywhere and the cat was locked in the bathroom where my bandages were! They can bite hard!

I also have to say getting bitten can just be part of bird ownership. I don't get bitten often, but it happens. Sometimes it's accidental, but that's what you get if you give your bird kisses. They can and do sometimes get your lip.

 

[Jez]

Oh, when my Nanday decided she didn't want her medicine, she bit me so hard she opened an artery in my finger. I had blood spraying everywhere and the cat was locked in the bathroom where my bandages were! They can bite hard!

I also have to say getting bitten can just be part of bird ownership. I don't get bitten often, but it happens. Sometimes it's accidental, but that's what you get if you give your bird kisses. They can and do sometimes get your lip.

Ouch! That must've been ugly, but yeah I know it can't be avoided. That's one reason I'm not taking my friends Macaw, he can probably bite my finger off all together if he wanted haha.

Do you have any experience with Jendays? There's one up for a great price around me, I'm considering. I also like the sound of BCC's, seems like they're great talkers.

This is the link if you guys would like to check it out : http://pets.oodle.com/view/baby-jenday-conure-last-one/2892498342-forest-hills-ny/

 

[roxynoodle]

I had a BCC and she was just such a total sweetie! And yes, a great talker! My new Grey reminds me of her personality wise. I would definitely recommend them.

My Nanday is more of a playful clown. She goes from activity to activity constantly all day. She is also bossy and will try to dominate someone if she can. I haven't had a Jenday but understand personality wise they are similar to Nandays.

But each bird is unique so you can't always assume it will be one way or another. And perhaps if I had gotten Rowdy before she was 8 months old she would be more of a cuddle bunny. You do have to love them each for who they are.

 

[IcyWolf]

I used to breed leopard geckos Right now, aside from the birds we just have a few snakes and are breeding some balls, nothing too spectacular right now we've had a huge normal female locking up with a male pastel, so we'll see what happens.

I actually don't have any experience with the aratinga conures outside of the ones I cared for at the pet store I worked at. I don't think the reason GCC's are recommended more is because they are friendlier, but because they aren't as noisy. If the noise from the jenday doesn't bother you, then by all means you shouldn't have any problem, personally, I just can't stand stand that crazy squeal they do so I stick to the pyrrhura species.

 

[Jez]

I used to breed leopard geckos Right now, aside from the birds we just have a few snakes and are breeding some balls, nothing too spectacular right now we've had a huge normal female locking up with a male pastel, so we'll see what happens.

I actually don't have any experience with the aratinga conures outside of the ones I cared for at the pet store I worked at. I don't think the reason GCC's are recommended more is because they are friendlier, but because they aren't as noisy. If the noise from the jenday doesn't bother you, then by all means you shouldn't have any problem, personally, I just can't stand stand that crazy squeal they do so I stick to the pyrrhura species.

Did you see this? https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions/!/petition/overturn-python-ban/4wGFbc4Y#thank-you=p

Crazy... they're banning everything! ):
Leopard Geckos are cool, the market for them is very flooded right now though so I decided on Fat Tails, hopefully it turns out good.

Thanks, I thought it was about temperament too, good thing I know. Anyway, is there any real reason BCCs talk more or is that just a myth?