What Parrot Should I Get?

[kcowmoo]

Hi,
I am new here, and and thinking about getting a parrot. I am 12 years old and my sister is 9. I do not know what type of parrot and cage to get. There is a Umbrella Cockatoo at the local pet store that is very cute. Could someone reccomend to me what kind of parrot for me to get, where a good place to get one is, and what kind of cage I will need?

Thanks,
Kcow

 

[TexDot33]

If you have never had a parrot before I WOULD HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommend that you DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT get a Cockatoo. These are one of the most demanding parrots that are out there.

What about a budgie (a.k.a. Parakeet), or a cocatiel these are great birds with great personalities and are easier to handle. Also, please before you commit to any parrot, completely understand what it takes to properly care for a parrot.

:50:

 

[Auggie's Dad]

Could you tell us more about what characteristics you are looking for and what (if any) experience you have.

I strongly agree with tex, if you need to ask then a 'too is not for you.

Also to be quite frank, parrots are long term comitment. You will likely get some feedback from some based on your age, I hope not to descriminate as I have known some 12 year olds who are more mature than some adults; none the less your life will face many changes in the life of a parrot. The choice of a parrot must be a whole family comitment as it should live past when you may be ready to move out or go to college.

So again to offer any input beyond tex's general recomendation we'd need to know more about your situation.

 

[Redballoon]

Its crappy being 12.
Everybody tells you to wait till your older.
This young man wants a bird now, not later.
If you think your ready then you might be.
Who will look after the bird when your at school? Mum? does she know yet? is she ok with that?
Who will pay for the bird? they can cost hundreds of dollars.Again, is it mum and dad? do they know? 800 bux for a cage, 1000 bux for a cool bird. Who will clip its wings so you can walk around with it? The vet? about 100 bux every time the vet comes out, mum and dad paying? better let them know. Ok where are you going to keep him? Your room will get stinky with a bird in it. It has to be a place where he can talk to people and see them walking about. bright and airy and not too cold. You gotta a place in mind, right?
Ok
so you got the money, the cage, the cool parents who says its ok, a place to keep him. What kind of bird shall we get? A talker? a bird that's huge and makes you look cool? or a bird that's really loving and wants to cuddle you? Do you have any cats and dogs? is the bird coming out of his cage onto your shoulder? or in the cage all the time?
Answer some of these questions and we can work out what bird is for you.
I have lots of ideas. Give us as much info as you can and let us know your folks are also on board, and we will find the PERFECT bird for YOU.

PS: Did you ask how much is the Umbrella Cockatoo at the shop? What did they say?
Where are you?
How much have you got to spend?
How long do you plan on living, coz some of these birds can make it to 80 or more.
What if your 1st Boy/girl friend is afraid of birds?

 

[kcowmoo]

Q: Who will pay for the bird?

A: I will pay for it with money I have earned

Q: Do you have any cats and dogs?

A: I do not have any other pets (besides 2 guinea pigs)

I would like these 2 traits:

a bird that's really loving and wants to cuddle you
a bird coming out of his cage onto your shoulder

My parents are okay with the idea, as long as I clean it's cage and play with it.

I am new to the hobby but very enthusiastic about getting abird and taking care of it

Q: How much is the Umbrella Cockatoo at the shop?

A: The Umbrella Cockatoo is $400, but is a rescue bird. I didn't ask how old it was, but it was not a baby

What about a budgie (a.k.a. Parakeet), or a cocatiel these are great birds with great personalities and are easier to handle

These sound interesting from my reasearch. Could you tell me a little more? (ex average cost, cage size needed, price of cage, good breeder near pittsburgh or should I get one from the local pet store)

should I build an aviary for my bird?

Thanks for responding!

kcow

 

[TexDot33]

I
What about a budgie (a.k.a. Parakeet), or a cocatiel these are great birds with great personalities and are easier to handle. Also, please before you commit to any parrot, completely understand what it takes to properly care for a parrot.

These sound interesting from my reasearch. Could you tell me a little more? (ex average cost, cage size needed, price of cage, good breeder near pittsburgh or should I get one from the local pet store)

Budgies and Cockatiels are great bird for the first time parrot owner. They are smaller and easier to learn to handle properly but they have the best little personalities (budgies are also known to be great little talkers) The average cost of a budgie is about $20 and you can get a great cage and a lot of toys for around $100. A cockatiel will run you anywhere between $75 - $100 and would need a slightly larger cage and different toys than a budgie so about $150 here for toys and cages.

I would always suggest that you go through a good breeder or a reputable pet shop. At 12 years old you will have a hard time figuring out what constitutes a "reputable" pet shop - at, almost, 32 I still have a hard time figuring it out. I have found a shop that I love, and bring my guys to when I go, but others might not like the shop at all ...

I have talked to many bird people, and they have all said the same thing, the worst bite they have even gotten was from a cockatoo. The reason being is that a cockatoo has control of both their upper and lower mandible (beak). All other parrots only have control of their lower mandibles. One of the most important factors in learning to train a parrot correctly is to not fear the beak, and not allow a parrot to use their beaks to get their way, or to bully you around. The first time you get, even nipped, from a cockatoo they have you under your control (because you are afraid of the beak), and that is not the right way to train any bird, ESPICALLY a too.

I really hate this website because the birds that are shown on here aren't properly handled, but it does show you what COULD happen with any too that isn't raised correctly. Think you want a too check out, www.mytoos.com

Stick with the smaller ones for now kiddo (and learn, and learn correctly how to handle them, work up to the bigger ones), it's better for both YOU and the birds.

:50:

 

[Redballoon]

2 good posts.
You answered all those questions very well.
I agree that Budgies are a good start.
They have amazing personalities and will love you like you wouldn't believe.
Go to a breeder and ask for a male baby budgie. Ask the breeder to clip his wings so you 2 can get to know each other. You can decide later if you want his to fly about or not. His wing feathers will grow back and you can clip them again or leave him flighted.
While your enjoying your budgie, you can decide what bird to get next.
I have 3 different cockatoos, so the people here will help you all the way with questions and advice.
Your posts make you sound to me like you are mature enough to look after a bird.I hope you do.

 

[Chewy]

I have 2 cockatiels, and one cockatoo.
I have a rose breasted cockatoo, who I love to death. I can understand why you would want one ( a cockatoo I mean)
but here are somethings I have learned from even being owned by Chewy ( my rose breasted) They are very cuddly at fi8rst and can start not being so cuddly.
Also if they think you are spending less time then the4y want you to be, they can and will pull their feathers out. They will self mutilate.
I know one Umbrella Cockatoo, who is extremely nice to most people and just recently decided that it didn't like me. Bit me in the nose. Not only can they deliver painful bites, but they can be extremely loud.
Kramer(the umbrella cockatoo) will scream at the top of his lungs if he thinks he should be out of the cage. And they are extremely loud.
Cockatiels are loud too, but not nearly as loud as a cockatoo that got mad. They have got to be3 the friendliest birdst hat I have.
I don't want to discourage you from getting one later in life but a cockatoo is not the right bird for a first timer. Because what happens the first time your sister puts her finger in the cage and gets bit? who's going to be blamed you yiur sis or the bird/

 

[kcowmoo]

Thanks for all the info!

My mom is concerned about smell, noise, and mess.

How loud are budgies? Compared to large parrots?

Are budgies very smelly if you clean out their cage? How often will I have to clean my budgie's cage?

Do you reccomend gettin 2 budgies?

What can I do to stop the mess (if any) from going all over the floor

Thanks,
Kcow

 

[kcowmoo]

Could you also direct me to a good website to find out more about parrots?

Thanks,
Kcow

 

[Chewy]

parakeets, you can either keep one or two of them. But I recommend just getting one if yu plan on taming it. About the mess what I have are those things that you have for your chair under your computer. But if you get keets you probably won't need those. Get doggy potty pads to put underneath the cage. That way you can just scoop up the mess. They make less mess then cockatoos or cockatiels even. I clean my cages about once a week some do it every day.
Budgies or keets (same thing) aren't too loud.
A place that you can go is parrottimes.com.
I don't remembe3r my mom's being smelly. But then I am so used to it. Just like anything else though if you leav eit it will start to stink.

 

[kcowmoo]

Thanks for the info. I've now convinced my mom I can get a budgie. I am having a "trial period" where I have to take care of a fake bird for 1 month to see if I can get a real one. Meanwhile, I will save my $ and look at cages and birds at pet shops. I will inform you when I can get a real one!

Thanks,
Kcow

 

[Chewy]

Awesome decision!!!!!!And I think that the trial period is a wonderful thing, I wish I had that opportunity when I first got my birds. I don't regret getting them, but they are alot of work too.
Now remember the real bird will be alot more fun then the fake bird.

 

[TexDot33]

How loud are budgies? Compared to large parrots?

About the difference between a kitten and a Lion. Budgies chip and whistle when they are happy, but I don't know if they actually scream like the larger parrots do.

Are budgies very smelly if you clean out their cage? How often will I have to clean my budgie's cage?

My very soon-to-be wife has a nose that can smell the most insignificant smell, and she can't smell the birds cages. I don't believe there to be any smell associated with birdy poo ... and if there is, that's a birdy that needs to be seen by a vet ASAP.

What can I do to stop the mess (if any) from going all over the floor

Um, some cages will come with seed guards that will help to catch some of the mess, but these help very little. To help protect your carpets it's a good idea to put something between the carpet and cage. I have a $1 plastic shower curtain under both Ham and Mac's cage and it helps save the carpet.

I will post my thoughts on 2 vs. 1 bird later, it's too late right now.

 

[Lori]

I will start on this one...
If you get 2 they will more than likely bond with each other and not you. If you want to be able to hold it and work with it I would just get 1. Clip his wings that way you can handle it easily. Remember clipped wings dose NOT mean it wont fly so use caution with windows and doors... I would also recommend a male so you dont have to worry about eggs..
Best of luck

 

[Redballoon]

So in short, you want;
1 male clipped young budgie.
1 cage with skirt to stop seed falling out on the floor.
Toys.
Food.
a book on bird trix?
I think you are going to do very well coz you researched things and you now know what your in for.
Good luck.
Keep us informed.

 

[rockinseattle]

Your 12 and I'm some old person you have never met so you probably won't believe me but DON'T GET A BIRD..
I can say this with about 80% certainty that within a year

Your parents will say the bird is too loud, your not cleaning the mess up enough you have to get rid of the bird.

OR

You will get tired of taking care of this bird and as time goes by the bird will be played with less and less, the cage will get cleaned less and less, the water will get changed less often and so on.

Taking care of birds is cool but it is also like having a baby which is not so cool if you want to have a life, such as dating, school, hanging out etc..

Birds need to be fed veggies, fruit, pellets.$$$$
Birds have to be worked with EVERY DAY not just when ya feel like it.
Birds need to have blood work and seen by a special vet every year or two. $$$$$

BIRDS
Bite
Destroy personal things like books, clothes, furniture and so on
Messy
Loud
Not all of them talk
Do not stay super snuggly
Moody

Yes they do have their good sides but hey your young enjoy your life right now, don't bog yourself down. You will have plenty of time to get a bird later in life if you want.

If this isn't what you want to here well it's the truth.

BUT if you are still thinking about it then look online for some local bird rescues and call them up see if you can volunteer, then you will get A REALLY good idea of what birds and parrots are like..

 

[Redballoon]

Helping out at a bird rescue place is a great idea.
You get to hang out and clean up after birds and if you still love it, when that special bird comes in, your Johnny on the spot to take him home.
Go prove to yourself that your a bird person.
Even if you dont have a bird rescue close by, ask at your local pet store if you can help out with the birds for free. Clean out some cages and handle some birds and see how you feel.
Let us know how you go.

 

[kcowmoo]

I do have this rescue center near me and a couple of pet stores

http://pittsburghparrotrescue.org/

I looked under Volenteer and there is a couple of things I think I could do

Thanks,

Kcow

 

[Auggie's Dad]

Rockin makes some clear points to note. A bird is certainly not for the average 12 year old. But nobody thinks they're average... Based on your research and responses here it seems that you may very well be more mature and responsible than the average 12 year old; the question is should you want to be that responsible.

Rocking gives two possibilities, either your parents will have enough of it or the bird will be neglected. There is another possibility: you WILL take care of the bird, you WILL clean up after him, etc. But in exchange you will be sacrificing other things in life. Your friends will be going out, or planning a trip but your responsibility to the bird can really limit what you can do.

I love my conure Auggie, but there have been a lot of great opportunities I've had to pass on. Traveling is much harder if possible at all. Currently I'm moving across the country for school; I've had to pass on a lot of great and affordable housing close to school so I can get a home where I can have space for Auggie.

Having a parrot is like having a two year old that NEVER grows up... Except that there are far more qualified baby sitters than there are bird sitters.

Slightly in contrast to Rockin, I suspect that you could be a good parrot owner, but just because you can doesnt mean you should; you need to be ready for the long term comitment.