Time for my first large parrot! What should I Get?

[Zacksterismyname]

I am getting a large parrot soon example-macaws, amazons, or a African Grey!
But have no clue what to get. We are a family of 9, 4 kids ages 7, 9, 11, and 16 that's me! 2 adults mom and dad, ad last but not least our 3 budgies. We bought 2 budgies 5 years back, we tamed the male and were unable to tame the female she got to stressed and sometimes would not eat for a entire day! last year the female started to lay eggs on the cage floor so we got her a nest box, 2 months ago a chick hatched, their first the chick was fully weaned by the parents, they successfully raised their first chick, what great parents! We didn't handle the male (J) while they where raising the chick and now he gets way more stressed out buy just sitting on top of the cage. But the baby is fully tame and gets human attention form me for 1+ hours and then my sibling too for hours and hours!

We want a large parrot now and here is our lifestyle:

All 4 kids go to school from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm but it summer right now

Mom has had allot of experience with parrots or should i say parrot she only had 1 for 21 years it was a Ring neck.

Dad is sleeping all day he works night shift.

We live in a house where noise is nothing more than a tiny factor. Its also very cold in WINTER we live in Toronto Canada.

We can provide lots of play time for the parrot, Also lots of outside free flight on a bird leash, and train it to free flight without a leash, we trained our baby budgie.

Price range is about $2000, on the parrot cage and toys. My cousin was a Cockatoo breeder, he has been closed down for 3 months now, but he still has very good large cages and he said if I do get a larger bird he can give me a large cage like this on in the link below for very cheap price so the cage money can go towards play stands that look like wild branches that they would sit on in the wild.

A20 Pearl White - Canada Cages

Food? I have no clue how much food will cost monthly! Please tell me for the parrot you think is right for me. For our budgies we spend like $10 a month, Seed Mix, Spray Millet, and Cuttle-Bone, when every we eat fruits it like a habit to slip a piece into the budgies fruit dishes HA HA! So it will prob be the same for the larger parrot.

So what larger parrot is for me?

I would like 1 that talks well.

I Want a Macaw,Amazon Or a Grey Congo. If amazon what type?

 

[Ratzy]

Hi there!
I don't really think you should get a large parrot at all right now ( sorry, going to get told off for that, aren't I? ). Now, 16 is not the best age to get one. You have big lifestyle changes happening in a few years. I'm 13 and wouldn't dream of ( well, maybe I do dream like that ) getting a large parrot.
And I wouldn't give your budgies a nest box again. They are too old now and your female is at a higher risk of egg binding, which is often fatal. I had a female almost die from that recently. Had to syringe feed her for three days under a heat lamp but it wasn't looking good for a while there. They also need more than just the occasional bit of fruit. They need a mix of veggies, fruit and cereals daily, as well as the seed mix.

 

[suebee]

all birds make noise the bigger the bird the bigger the noise! even with my sene i don't consider her loud, but when she is ready for up i hear her little squeeks

heres an idea for food cost

my little nut will go through 1 bag of harrisons adult fine every 2 months
2 bags of nutri berries

but its the variety of fresh fruit an veggies that are the biggest costs per week:11: you cannot just slip bits of fruit/veg for the parrots as they really need lots and a variety

and as said by ratzy, you will have alot of changes in your life an life style from now on, and probably for the next 5/6 yrs with schooling/work and social life

you live in a large family setting, so it will be best to get a young bird, that way it will get use to your family routine, unless you are lucky enough to come across a bird that needs a new home, from a big family setting, but you might find that it will have behaviour issues, these birds never go to plan and when behavior issues spring up, its a really shock for the whole family! behaviour issues can spring up even if you get a baby bird! nut was my brothers baby bird, but when she hit 2, from loving an cuddling she was on mating mode, all beak an anger!!! nut is fully flighted an will fly an attack you! and even though she is all of 9inches, it hurts an is bloody scary, hurts as in fetches blood. and could you cope if your bird took a dislike to you! as it can and will feel very personal/spiteful

then there are vet fee's! and here in the uk its about £100 plus and thats a basic check up!
LAST but not least toys! i have toys that i thought nut will like but she has never played with, and toys she loves but have needed replacing as she destroys them, some within 1 day!

and not forgetting the daily clean, this is my normal cleaning day just for nut!

instant wipe up of accidents, wash down accidents from carpeted floor, doors an walls! i nearly banned pomegranet one day as i was left with blue-ish stains on everything that day! and basic cage cleaning, washing down all food dishes, nut has 2 cages so double the cage cleaning lol

weekly clean, perches, whole cage and toys, also curtain when accidents happen, and wipe clean anywhere she likes to perch

and finally replacing furniture!! nut has currently, chewed corner of my computer table, peeled leather facing of my last office chair, has punchered new office chair, ruined 1 set of curtains (she likes to take them down and god help any1 who tries to stop her) replacing flooring in the room, as my loverly biege carpet is stained by pomegranet poops!
chewed holes in the wall, picking out the plaster but has stopped since we re-filled an smoothed, chewed the joins where the walls are papered and i am sure she will find something else to destroy soon

its never just the food, with these birds i realised a little too late with the nut what an expensive bird she is! lol


so other then the financial commitment, there is also the commitment with time an effort in the care, the whole family will need training on how to care/handle/comunicate with the bird (not including play or training) as they would have to be involved, as part of so******ing the bird.
and personally i feel i need commiting at times for agreeing to take the nut on, but i type this, in my new cheap office chair, with a smile as its all worth the effort, nut is currently all content as she has brought down her 1st curtain an is having a rest before starting on other curtain!

 

[mtdoramike]

If this is going to be a family pet, which it sounds like it is and your mother has Ring Neck experience then I say GO FOR IT! I would consider a Macaw either a Blue & Gold or Greenwing, my second choice would be an African Grey, my third choice would be either a Blue Front Amazon or Yellow Naped. I would stay away from Cockatoo's, which are loudest of the birds, next to loudest would be a Macaw. In my opinion, Greys are quieter of all of them. But all birds have their noisey times during the day. It's usually in the morning and evening. But don't think for a minute that they still won't sound off during the day as well.

My only concern is your father sleeping habits. I used to work night shift for years and had to sleep during the day. If I had a large bird in the house squawking while I was trying to sleep, guess what would happen to that bird and I'm a bird lover as well. But when you work night shift, a guy has to have his sleep time as well.

What will help you make up your parents mind is, go to You Tube and type in screaming parrots, or just check out videos of macaws, cockatoo's, Grey's & Amazons. But make very sure your parents are present so they can hear them as well. Now once they have heard the screaming birds and decides on one then the heat is off of you and onto them.