What kind of parrot should I choose?

[eyva]

Hello again!

I am not exactly sure if I am posting in the right section... I am sorry in advance. Maybe me being new here isn‘t a good excuse, but please bear with me

My problem is: for a quite long period of time I am thinking about buying a parrot. But there are so many types of them that I don't completely know which one should I take. I don't have any experience with them, so I need your help. For now I am thinking about Red-crowned Parakeet and Cockatiel. I would like to have some energetic and sociable parrot. Like I said I don't have much experience with birds, so I am looking for some parrot good for ‘newbies‘

It doesn't have to have a talent in speaking. Clutter doesn't bother me also. The most important things: it must be really sociable and ‘easy to handle'

Thank you for your answer in advance!

 

[drlisaort]

Welcome Eyva! I started with a Cockatiel as my first bird (not counting the pigeon I had as a kid) and it was a great experience. He lived for 23 years and brought me tons of joy. I have since graduated to an Eclectus after the passing of my Cockatiel. They are completely different species but both brought (and bring) tons of joy into my life. Good luck to you! I look forward to hearing more from you...

 

[Lovie]

Hi, eyva.
I know cockatiels are very social, and, like drlisaort said, they're a lot of fun. I've never had one, but I know they are.
Budgies, lovebirds, and cockatiels are generally considered "beginner" birds, although there really isn't an easy bird. It also depends on the bird itself. Budgies are pretty quiet, generally. They can talk, they can be sociable, and they're quite docile.
Lovebirds can be pretty nippy sometimes, but they're total clowns. They're usually very social and are easily attached to a person. I only have one bird, and it's my peachfaced lovebird. It's a little loud, but it's super energetic.
Do you have any more specifications? Loudness? Frequency of biting? Size?

 

[eyva]

Thank you for your Answers!

drlisaort, yes, Cockatiels are cute I think I like them the most!

Lovie, loudness and biting is not important for me that much, I will deal with it But I think I should choose some small parrot. I have a cage (width 0,7m, length 0,3m and height about 0,5 m) - is it enough for a Cockatiel? I was thinking about Lovebirds, but I would prefer having only one parrot at once... I have always though that Lovebirds cannot be kept alone. I have a big family and someone is always home, so one parrot would not be bored

 

[Lovie]

Actually, lovebirds don't need to be kept in pairs. In fact, they often make better companions when they're kept alone. That way, the bird bonds to you and not to its cagemate.

 

[Lovie]

And, about the cage, cockatiels would generally need a 20x20x20 inch cage (a little over 0.5 meters). At the VERY least, an 18x18x18 inch cage (almost 0.5 meters) could work.

 

[eyva]

Really? I gave up with Lovebirds when someone told me that they need a companion. But wouldn't it be sad alone without other bird? And doesn't it attach only to one person? If so, that would be my dad, not me

And is this cage enough for a Lovebird? It is smaller that a Cockatiel... But I can buy new cage, no problem (this cage is designed for parrots, but I bought it for my rats).

Well, Cockatiels are beautiful, but I think there are much to calm for me... I love live wire and peeping pets.

 

[Lovie]

I think sometimes, lovebirds might get a little lonely. My bird had a cagemate, and at first, it really missed the company. After a few days, my bird was okay because it was happy in its new home.

They don't necessarily only attach to one person. It depends on how much exposure you have to your bird. If you only do a few things and it's mostly your dad who feeds and plays with it, it probably *will* bond to your dad. That doesn't mean it'll only love your dad. Just make sure you spend time with it and you take care of it.

The minimum cage size for lovebirds is probably 18x18x18 or maybe a little less, so the cage is a little small. It might be able to do, but it also depends on whether the bird will be flighted or not. The cage might get a little crowded, even with a small bird like a lovie.

Some cockatiels have a lot of personality, but lovebirds are generally more energetic and clowny.

 

[eyva]

I didn't mean that my dad would care for it by himself only - of course no! A parrot was my idea, so I would feed it, play with it, clean its cage... But my dad is self-employed and he works at home, so he definetely would be with it most of the time.

The bird will be let out of the cage - that‘s that! ^^ I was even thinking about putting a bird there only at night. Like I said, there is always someone at home, so that‘s not a problem.

You really made me interested in Lovebirds! I'll consider it. I am planning buying a parrot in June or July, after my finals. I would have planty of time to tame it. Thanks

 

[veimar]

I "accidentally" got a green cheek conure about 4 mo ago, and he is the biggest joy in my life! I highly recommend this breed to everyone - he is very social, active and loving bird.

 

[Runnergirl]

I didn't mean that my dad would care for it by himself only - of course no! A parrot was my idea, so I would feed it, play with it, clean its cage... But my dad is self-employed and he works at home, so he definetely would be with it most of the time.

The bird will be let out of the cage - that‘s that! ^^ I was even thinking about putting a bird there only at night. Like I said, there is always someone at home, so that‘s not a problem.

You really made me interested in Lovebirds! I'll consider it. I am planning buying a parrot in June or July, after my finals. I would have planty of time to tame it. Thanks

I have had all kinds of small birds, budgies are super fun to watch, but unless you work with it quite a lot, it won't be very tame and would be lonely without another budgie. Tiels are wonderful, cuddly birds, but are somewhat less entertaining to watch. Don't get me wrong, they have great personalities, but some like my cinnamon tiel Scurvy, want to be cuddled so much that when he is interacting with me sometimes he isn't interested in anything else. Their version of play is somewhat stoic. I don't have experience with lovies, personally I originally opted against them because I don't like the look of them quite as much, as well as the bad rap they have for biting. A lot of people speak very highly of lineolated parakeets and parrotlets also, I would recommend researching some behavior of each of these and going from there. We could all make cases for all birds, but in the end its up to you and if you are a bird person you'll probably love whatever you end up with.
The cage is small but if it truly is just a night cage, you could easily get away with it. Generally the more time a bird spends in its cage the larger cage you need so it doesn't get bored. Basically equate it to living in a room the size of a bathroom. You'd get a little nutty too.

 

[veimar]

I just got a lovebird this Monday, and she was not tame according to her owner. She never even tries to bite me when I handle her, and she snuggles under my robe and cuddles even though she is still a bit scared. She is super cute! Every bird is different - I didn't plan on getting any of my 4 birds, and they are all precious. If you never had a parrot before a smaller or medium-small parrot would be probably the best. Just follow your guts.

 

[eyva]

I "accidentally" got a green cheek conure about 4 mo ago, and he is the biggest joy in my life!

I would really like to know more about them, but conures don't even have its own Polish name, so I think I cannot get them here

I really like Cockatiels, but I would like to make my home more 'alive' There are quiet and calm... And I would love to hear a lot of tweets, see happy and lively bird flying around my house ^^

But like you said, I think I will love every bird I get

 

[GW.Joe]

Hi Eyva!

Keep in mind that YouTube is a wealth of information!!

Watch video of all the breeds you are interested in, so if you're interested in a lovebird in the search type "lovebird playing" then try "lovebird screaming" then try "lovebird talking"

Don't write off a Cockatiel thinking that it just sits around and does nothing, you only get out of a parrot what you put into him/her, for example look at this Cockatiel video

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nwCroHZNb0"]Cockatiels doing Gangnam Style - YouTube[/ame]

Here is a video of my Parrotlet, her name is "Itsy-bitsy" (Parrotlet also abbreviated to "Plett", the smallest parrot in the world)

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_IfyyTX8Es"]Can You Train a Parrotlet? YES ! Starting to Teach Her To "Roll Over", Off to a GREAT Start - YouTube[/ame]

Let us know what you decide !!

Joe

 

[eyva]

Hello again

I finally decided to buy a Cockatiel. I found a breeder who sells whitefaced Cockatiels, and I think they are so lovely! I bought a male from him about 2 weeks ago and I call him Dante (because of his white head) or Coco (because he sometimes makes noises like chickens .

Pobierz plik 20140603 082746 jpg | TinyPic.pl - Najlepszy darmowy hosting zdj??, obrazków, fotek <- that is the photo of him. I am sorry for the bad quality :-(

But there comes another problem - you see, I have him for 2 weeks now, I talk to him every day, I sometimes even sing songs for him. But he still trembles when he sees me. I tried to get him out of the cage so I opened it, but he didn't want to come out. He shouts when he is alone in the room, but when someone comes he hides in the corner of the cage. Is it normal? I mean isn't it too long? I know from his breeder that he wasn't hand-feed. He didn't have a lot of contact with people before. But the breeder said that this bird is going to be tamę for sure. What do you say?

I forgot to add - he was born in February this year, so he's about 3 months old.

 

[Lovie]

Congratulations on your beautiful cockatiel! I've actually wanted one for a while now.

It seems like you've been around him a lot, and he still hasn't really been friendly. If he will let you, open the cage and put your hand in. Don't make the move to grab him. Just let him see your hand. Maybe offer some treats. As he gets more friendly (or if he eats the treat), start taking him out.

He shouts either because he wants attention or as a contact call. That is, he wants to know where everyone in his "flock" is. Hiding in the cage can be pretty normal, especially for new birds, and *most* especially for your non-handfed bird.

Pretty much all birds have the potential to be tame, so I agree with the breeder.

Again, congratulations.