What bird is best for me?

[Aikoiscute]

Hi, I'm new here and don't yet have a bird, in fact I've never owned a bird in my life! I have interacted with friends birds and pet store birds but never had one of my own. I'm finally going to scratch this itch I've had for years and I want to adopt one. I have owned rabbits, cats, dogs, fish, hamsters, you name it! I have had quiet pets for a long time and I am looking for something different. I want a bird, but I don't know which one I want! I know what kind of bird I would like, so let's get to that right now. I want a bird that shows affection back, like when I say "I love you" I want to know if it loves me back. I want a bird with a big personality, and can handle a loud environment. My other pets were too quiet for me, and didn't like me because I was too loud and outgoing, so I want a pet that's as outgoing as I am. I do however want a bird that will let me sleep a while and not wake me up at the crack of dawn! I live in an apartment with my boyfriend and we have both agreed on keeping a bird as long as we do this together. I'm also very clingy when it comes to my pets, and you know that rabbits hate being snuggled and picked up all the time, so I want a great handling bird. Any birds that fit into my needs? Or am I asking for too much and need to look at a different pet? I've taken care of rabbits so I am use to taking care of high maintenance animals, so maintenance isn't a problem for me. Things I do not want in a pet: too quiet or introverted, doesn't want to interact with me at all, poops everywhere and pees on everything I have, biting is a big no no since I need my hands for work, loud at night or at dawn, excessively loud and unruly for more than a few hours. Hopefully I'm in the right place! :red:

 

[Flboy]

Hi, you may be expecting too much! All birds bite, poop, wake up early!

 

[Aikoiscute]

Hi, you may be expecting too much! All birds bite, poop, wake up early!

Okay but how early do they wanna wake up? I wake up at 7:30 am for work. Do they want to make noise before this? The biting can be trained right? Like can they be trained to not bite all the time? The pooping is okay if they don't poop all over the house and if their poop is dry like my rabbits I can just sweep it up I guess.

 

[itzjbean]

Hello and welcome to the forums! You'll find a lot of great information here from people from all over who have had every single type of parrot imaginable. As a potential bird owner, there are several things that you need to realize.

1. ALL birds make noise.
2. ALL birds poop and throw their food everywhere and generally just make a MESS.
3. At some point in time, you WILL get bitten by your bird.
4. Your bird may start out as a baby all cuddly and loving, but when they hit sexual maturity, be ready for a change in their personality.

I'm not trying to deter you from owning a bird, but your expectations of a cuddly, loving, clean, non-biting bird are very naiive. You have to remember, first and foremost, that all parrots are WILD ANIMALS. They are NOT like dogs, cats, or even rabbits that will cuddle with you when you want them to. They will have days where they don't want to be held or even touched, and that is just something you have to live with as a bird owner.

Now, assuming that you are okay with compromising your expectations of a companion parrot....

I am a firm believer of 'beginner birds' like cockatiels or budgies. They are known to be more forgiving when it comes to making mistakes and are more predictable, are less expensive to take care of, and generally easier to handle and train than some parrots like Amazons, Cockatoos and Macaws. You can easily find hand-fed cockatiels or budgies from breeders around your area. Get the biggest cage you can afford, do your research about the species you are thinking, and go from there.

Birds can make excellent, loving companions if they are trained properly, fed a proper diet, and socialized well. Good luck and let us know what you decide!!


PS. You also MUST take into consideration how much time you can spend with them. If you are working all day and don't have much time to train/play/let them out of their cage, then a companion parrot may not be the right choice for you. They need a lot of attention, some more than others, but generally you should be able to let the bird spend 3-4 hours a day outside the cage at the least.

 

[itzjbean]

Okay but how early do they wanna wake up? I wake up at 7:30 am for work. Do they want to make noise before this? The biting can be trained right? Like can they be trained to not bite all the time? The pooping is okay if they don't poop all over the house and if their poop is dry like my rabbits I can just sweep it up I guess.

It really depends on the bird. I have two cockatiels, a mated pair. I cover their cage at night and they don't make a peep until morning. Me and my husband both work, so I generally uncover their cage at 6:30am, and they will chirp if I walk by, but they generally are very quiet birds. They have their moments where they call out if I leave the room or if someone opens the front door, but generally do NOT make much noise in the morning. On weekends, we usually sleep in until at least 9:00am, and by that time I usually hear the birds start to chirp and want to start the day and be uncovered. I lilve in a duplex with people above us and they have never said anything about hearing them. As far as pooping, if I let them out and allow them to fly around, they WILL poop on furniture, the curtains, anything. They are wild animals and don't usually care where they defecate, but it is pretty easy to clean. There are ways to train the bird to only poop over its cage or playstand though.

 

[Aikoiscute]

Hello and welcome to the forums! You'll find a lot of great information here from people from all over who have had every single type of parrot imaginable. As a potential bird owner, there are several things that you need to realize.

1. ALL birds make noise.
2. ALL birds poop and throw their food everywhere and generally just make a MESS.
3. At some point in time, you WILL get bitten by your bird.
4. Your bird may start out as a baby all cuddly and loving, but when they hit sexual maturity, be ready for a change in their personality.

I'm not trying to deter you from owning a bird, but your expectations of a cuddly, loving, clean, non-biting bird are very naiive. You have to remember, first and foremost, that all parrots are WILD ANIMALS. They are NOT like dogs, cats, or even rabbits that will cuddle with you when you want them to. They will have days where they don't want to be held or even touched, and that is just something you have to live with as a bird owner.

Now, assuming that you are okay with compromising your expectations of a companion parrot....

I am a firm believer of 'beginner birds' like cockatiels or budgies. They are known to be more forgiving when it comes to making mistakes and are more predictable, are less expensive to take care of, and generally easier to handle and train than some parrots like Amazons, Cockatoos and Macaws. You can easily find hand-fed cockatiels or budgies from breeders around your area. Get the biggest cage you can afford, do your research about the species you are thinking, and go from there.

Birds can make excellent, loving companions if they are trained properly, fed a proper diet, and socialized well. Good luck and let us know what you decide!!


PS. You also MUST take into consideration how much time you can spend with them. If you are working all day and don't have much time to train/play/let them out of their cage, then a companion parrot may not be the right choice for you. They need a lot of attention, some more than others, but generally you should be able to let the bird spend 3-4 hours a day outside the cage at the least.

I am at work all day but I do have enough time to play with my animals when I come home. I am used to not getting affection as much as I want with my animals my rabbit hates me and won't let me near him ever since he hit puberty, and my cat doesn't like anyone to pet him, so I really want a pet that will be very interactive and not suddenly stray away from me. I have been looking at budgies and cockatiels, but they look just as introverted as many of the other pets I have looked at. I want something that tells me what he's thinking and what it wants out of me. Please I REALLY don't want another introverted pet that only wants food from me and won't let me touch them and hates me with every look they give. I have seen cockatoo tantrums and how long they can last, and I'm okay with them, but my neighbors wouldn't be. Honestly if I lived in my own house I wouldn't mind how loud the bird is, but I live in a small apartment and people are mean and angry all the time here.

 

[itzjbean]

I am at work all day but I do have enough time to play with my animals when I come home. I am used to not getting affection as much as I want with my animals my rabbit hates me and won't let me near him ever since he hit puberty, and my cat doesn't like anyone to pet him, so I really want a pet that will be very interactive and not suddenly stray away from me. I have been looking at budgies and cockatiels, but they look just as introverted as many of the other pets I have looked at. I want something that tells me what he's thinking and what it wants out of me. Please I REALLY don't want another introverted pet that only wants food from me and won't let me touch them and hates me with every look they give. I have seen cockatoo tantrums and how long they can last, and I'm okay with them, but my neighbors wouldn't be. Honestly if I lived in my own house I wouldn't mind how loud the bird is, but I live in a small apartment and people are mean and angry all the time here.

All the reasons I've bolded are reasons you should NOT consider a cockatoo. First, a cockatoo demands way more attention than a cockatiel. So if you're working, that's out. They NEED more than a couple hours after work to be with you, otherwise, I promise you, you will have an absolute terror of a bird. The bigger the bird gets, the worse it is when they hit puberty. Cockatoos have been known to kill their mates when breeding, and you can sure bet that they may act similar when they hit puberty, or at the very least, become very aggressive towards you. It just happens. Also, as you've mentioned you live in an apartment, no large parrot of any kind is recommended for this type of living situation. Expect to get evicted because of the noise it will presumably be making since you are at work all day.

 

[Aikoiscute]

Okay so maybe a bird isn't for me since they aren't as what I thought they were? Are there ANY pets that fit my neediness and loud personality? I'm putting my rabbit up for adoption because he hates me and only me for some reason, so I need a pet that wants to be with me as soon as I get home, won't hurt me or be mean to me, something that LOVES to be handled since I would be handling it all the time (I have anxiety and need constant interaction, I'm annoying my boyfriend over it so he wants me to get something else to bug all day) but isn't too loud?? (Doesn't scream for hours at a time)

 

[Sunnyclover]

Guinea pig's maybe? Very very affectionate and don't run away from you...They run to you. I used to have 10 of them and they were always willing to be held and cuddle when I wanted to. They make cute little noises too and if they hear a bag or something with food they go crazy with excitement. They return love in my option.

 

[GaleriaGila]

As you're discovering... IT's COMPLICATED!!!!!!!!!!!!

But hang in there. Good for YOU for researching and reaching out.

I'm glad you found us.

 

[Aikoiscute]

Guinea pig's maybe? Very very affectionate and don't run away from you...They run to you. I used to have 10 of them and they were always willing to be held and cuddle when I wanted to. They make cute little noises too and if they hear a bag or something with food they go crazy with excitement. They return love in my option.

Guinea pigs are cute but they bite me constantly! My friend had 2 before they died from the health problems they regularly get and they were very nice and affectionate but they have a BAD biting problem and I have a bleeding problem where if I have the smallest cut I will bleed for an hour from a paper cut and I bleed a lot too so it's not fun for me :/. My rabbit once thought it would be funny to bite my bum while I was cleaning his cage, he bit me as hard as he could and went through my jeans and went pretty deep in my skin. He made me look like I had a very bad menstruation and it bled badly for days but luckily it wasn't enough to send me to the hospital. He was happy about it and even binkied out of joy that he tried to harm me lol. I definitely need a pet different from him.

 

[DRB]

Just from skimming over this thread my advice would be that you NOT get an African Grey. Way too much of your lifestyle and expectations do not match the possible reality of what a typical African Grey would need or how it would react with those schedules and needs of yours.

Not sure if this has been said, but IMHO, one area in which parrots are SO different from dogs and cats is if things don't work out and you have to rehome the animal dogs and cats are fairly easy to do that with, that is NOT the case with birds.

 

[chris-md]

Why don't you get a dog? It sounds more your speed.

Glib but honest. You are wanting interactive, affectionate, predictable, quiet. That's generally a dog to a T.

Btw I totally feel you on the cat. My whole family has a horrible history of choosing cats who become complete recluses, preferring to run and hide. We always treat our animals like family, never mistreated. Of all the cats we've had (and my mom bred them for a while), maybe three were anything approaching friendly.

 

[Aikoiscute]

Why don't you get a dog? It sounds more your speed.

Glib but honest. You are wanting interactive, affectionate, predictable, quiet. That's generally a dog to a T.

Btw I totally feel you on the cat. My whole family has a horrible history of choosing cats who become complete recluses, preferring to run and hide. We always treat our animals like family, never mistreated. Of all the cats we've had (and my mom bred them for a while), maybe three were anything approaching friendly.

My boyfriend HATES dogs, and I'm not too fond of them either. They stink, they shed hair that you can't just sweep up, they actually are really loud and most apartments don't allow dogs. Plus it would be cruel of me to keep a dog in a tiny apartment even if it was a small one. I need something that I can hold in my hand, and dogs get way too big for me and they are also too expensive when you factor obedience school and ridiculous vet costs that vary even with your breed of dog. Maybe I should just get a budgie but the thing with budgies is they don't look interactive or interested in anything at the pet stores, they just so there and puff up their feathers and get angry when the pet store worker opens the cage to get you one.

 

[chris-md]

you think DOGS stink????? Wooo child, you have no business owning a parrot then. I promise you they smell ten times worse. Even budgies.

We have a yorkie in an apartment, it works out really well. No shedding to worry about, don't siink, very affectionate to the point of being codependent.

 

[Sunnyclover]

My Guinea piggies never bit me even once and I had 10 of them! Just get one from a reputable breeder and not Petco or whatever because they are mean from there and usually sick. Also a rat would be fun. You can teach them tricks...Not sure they cuddle or not though.

 

[Scoza]

Consider a rat or a ferret both make great pets.


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[adz1984]

Green cheek conure sound's like the kind of bird you want, generally cuddly, affectionate and recommended for apartments noise wise.
Only problem I see is you wont have a lot of time to spend with it, maybe some members who work and own a green cheek can comment.

 

[DRB]

you think DOGS stink????? Wooo child, you have no business owning a parrot then. I promise you they smell ten times worse. Even budgies.

We have a yorkie in an apartment, it works out really well. No shedding to worry about, don't siink, very affectionate to the point of being codependent.

I have not experienced this with my 15 mo CAG, if I sniff her up close I can pick up the odor od dander and the general odor that is different than a human, but all in all I do not think she or my home stink at all b/c of her.

If anything makes my home stink it's the stench the Cleveland Browns leave behind after they have been on my TV.

 

[Aikoiscute]

you think DOGS stink????? Wooo child, you have no business owning a parrot then. I promise you they smell ten times worse. Even budgies.

We have a yorkie in an apartment, it works out really well. No shedding to worry about, don't siink, very affectionate to the point of being codependent.

Dog stink is different from other animal stinks and it never gets out of your furniture or carpet. and no parrot shouldn't stink as long as he is healthy and you clean his cage often. If you want an animal that smells like a skunk no matter how clean you keep it, get a rabbit! Phewee!