Pionus or Caique, adopt or get a chick and some more questions

[Mook]

Hello.
I am hoping to get a parrot next year when I graduate and I've been doing some research about what kind of parrot would be suitable. I would appreciate any advice about choosing a parrot that anyone can give me because I have a lot of questions.


1. Which breed would be most compatible with my lifestyle? I have done some research and I especially like Pionus and Caique but I would be willing to consider other breeds too if they would be more suitable. Factors which I think are relevant:

- This is my first parrot (I have had pets before though - horses, alpacas, chickens, ducks, dogs and bees at my parents house)
- It will be an "only pet" and I live alone therefore I want to find a breed which is not predisposed to loneliness.
- I plan on getting one parrot for the time being, but I might like to get another in a few years - which breed is more likely to be frendly to a newcomer joining their flock? Would a baby Pionus copy the loud behaviour of an adult Caique? Would a baby Caique make an adult Pionus louder?
- The bird will be home alone for several hours per day
- I will be moving house (but staying in the EU so papers are not an issue) relativly regurally for the next few years therefore I need to find a parrot who will not be too unsettled by moving house and travelling.
- I go home to my parents house for a weekend every few months - the parrot would need to come with me therefore it needs to be fairly calm and confident about travelling. I don't drive so all travelling, including to the vets, will be by bus or train so s/he also needs to be fairly confident to cope with the strangers and noises at a train station.
- I live in an apartment so s/he needs to be quiet-ish
- I am vegan and don't want to cook meat for my pet. I am happy to cook eggs for a parrot but I have heard that Pionus' like to eat chicken and I don't want to have to cook meat. Do they need meat or do they just like it as a treat?
- I am quite creative and I am looking forward to being able to make toys for a parrot (I know they will get destroyed) therefore I would like a parrot who wants to play with them.
- I would like a parrot who is at least a bit affectionate and who is trainable. Talking isn't really very important to me


2. Is adoption a option?
Almost all of my childhood pets were adopted by my family from a rescue centre. I would like to adopt if possible but I'm not sure if that will be a realistic option given my circumstances. I am assuming that adoptees are typically less settled or more prone to stress and I have no experience of taking care of a parrot, let alone one with more complex needs.

3. I live in a city. For a city it doesn't have abnormally high crime rates but there are quite a lot of break-ins to houses so I am trying to find out about anti-theft precautions. Does anyone have any tips?

4. At some point I will be inheriting a tortoise. I hope it's not going to be for quite a few years, but as parrots also live for a long time I think it's important to consider how well they can live together. I don't imagine that they could possibly not be "friends" so I'm not worried about behavioural issues, but I am concerned that they might spread bacteria to each other and get ill. Does anyone know if tortoise carry bacteria which are dangerous to parrots or the other way around?

Thank you for reading though all of that! I really appreciate any advice

 

[BarkleyLoves]

I'm rather new to birds so I'm sure someone will chime in soon. My tortiose did have a bacterial infection, but we brought her to the vet as soon as we got her, and it cleared up with some medication, and we go back every year with her, sometimes twice and so far no more infections. I don't know about whether it is contagious to birds. But all animals you have should have a vet check-up at least once a year, and a stool analysis to make sure there are no diseases.

 

[wenz2712]

Welcome to the forum A Pionus would be a good choice for an apartment as they are not quite so loud as others

 

[AllAboutQOL]

I don't have experience of the two that you suggested, and even though you may hear certain species can adjust better than others, here is my general advice for you:

1. a) Your first parrot: make sure you don't fall into the 'beginner bird' way of thinking. People have taken on the Hyacinth as a first bird and hit it off! Really all it has to do with is your confidence/attitude towards animals (in general) and your ability to research and find help (i.e. places like this forum and/or a local species-specific vet). In summary, go with a species you feel you can love! (Much like choosing a husband/wife!)

b) The bird will be the only pet, will stay alone hours a day: The most important advice I could give is: birds need company, please consider getting two right now. Others may not agree with this, but animals are no less social than humans, and Parrots are one the most social of all species! Whether you have guinea pigs, cats or parrots my personal view is that what you spend on another you will more than make up for in personal enjoyment and saved vet bills! If you bring two birds together at the beginning you also minimise issues of adjustment later on.

c) Your lifestyle/possibility of moving: two birds (that have bonded) will also feel more secure regarding changes to their environment. I would also suggest getting the birds young, so that they have a chance to readily adjust to whatever lifestyle you have, depending on how you raise them.

d) Thinking of adopting: I think this is great to think about but not for you right now. If you manage to tame, train, teach, clean and care for parrots from babies through adolescence and into adulthood, then the experience will make you an ideal candidate for adequately caring for a rescued bird.

e) Live in apartment: small parrots = frequent but quieter noise, larger = less frequent but louder noise. Unfortunately, there is huge variations between individuals so just make sure your neighbours are ok/prepared for your partner (i.e. movie tickets or gift cards work great to win them over if needed!)

f) Play and training: this is where choosing a species may be most important, all parrots can be raised to play and train, but they may do so is their own way/at their own pace. You need advice from actual owners of the species you're interested in, so I'll stop here!

P.S. I am also very interested in anti-theft precautions! Looking forward to suggestions.

QoL

 

[Featheredsamurai]

I agree with a pionus, they are much more forgiving compared to a amazon and would make a excellent first bird for someone who does a lot of research. Amazons are fantastic birds but one severe bite sending you to get stitches can falter your spirit, next time the bird mock bites your more likely to pull away because you know the damage that beak can cause which shows the zon it can manipulate and loose respect in you.

Pionus are such fantastic birds, you'll never regret including one in your life and maybe in a few years you'll decide to get a amazon as well once you have more hands on bird experience under your belt.

 

[Pookamama]

My husband had a pionus and I've talked with a few pionus and caique owners. These are all generalizations-each bird has a unique personality. But there are some traits...

It seems in general that pionus are very laid back and calm birds. They are not very nippy in general. They are very quiet. They have a musky smell that most people find pleasant. They LOVE showers. They are recommended as a great family bird. They come in a few different sizes, the maximillian and the bronze wing being the biggest, followed by the blue head and then the dusky and white-cap. White caps are a bit more fiesty, apparently.

Caiques are the opposite of pionus. They are energetic and playful and exuberant. They are, at least the males (all the people I've talked to have had males) have stubborn streaks and sometimes nippy with people. I know there are exceptions to this, but you are much more likely to run into nippiness with a caique than a pionus. Also, caiques are punks towards other birds. You could keep two caiques (and many people do because they have a reputation for remaining friendly with people even with another bird of their species around) but in general, caiques will attack almost any other bird. If you had a caique with another species of bird, you could probably only let the caique out of its cage alone. They are fearless and will attack bigger birds, getting themselves hurt or killed when the bigger bird responds.

As for the chicken, I am sure no bird would really care if it got chicken or not, unless you got a rehome that was very used to chicken! There are a huge variety of treats that birds enjoy and lots of various types of proteins. I've heard of lots of birds totally digging scrambled eggs.

As for rehome vs. baby-rehomes are kinda a 'it depends on the situation' type of bird. There may be bird rescue agencies near you and those are a terrific place to check out. In general, craigslist birdies who have a minumum of information on there: ie: here is my cockatoo its 3 yrs old male can talk comes with cage $800 ) are going to be people who didn't research a bird, found out it's a huge amout of work, didn't socialize the bird well enough, are dealing with tremendous issues like noise, biting, etc. BUT not all of them. You can contact people and talk with them and get a vibe for if they are just trying to make some money off of their noisy problem, or if they are really just trying to find a home for their dear feathered friend because something hard has come up in their lives and they want the best for the bird. Anybody rehoming their bird should ask you a lot of questions, and make sure you know how to care for their parrot. People who have experience with larger birds will often take on the bad cases like I listed above, and work with the bird with lots of patience and gentleness to bring the bird back to trusting the human race again, but it can be a years-long process and should be done with lots of knowledge.
That's why I recommened rescue organizations. Find out 1) how they treat their birds 2) how much they educate the people they are adopting out to and 3) what kind of support they are.

That being said, depending on where you live, there seems to be a lot of pionuses and caiques available right now from breeders. So check out breeders thouroughly, ask them lots of questions, and see where you get the best vibe. There's lots of birds out there, and you will find yours if you be patient and don't just snap up the first thing with feathers because it's pretty. You've got a head start on the game researching the personalities of your birds so you will do great. There are some great articles by Sally Blanchard on lots of parrot issues. It's been the most useful parrot site I've found on the internet!https://companionparrotonline.com/