Which bird and cage to buy?

[jmillar]

Hey guys,

I used to have tame birds when I was much younger and I'd like to get another tame bird now. Just wondering:

1) What bird should I buy? My wish list:
- Something around the size of a cockatiel - ring neck
- Not too loud (going to keep it inside)
- Is okay by itself
- Not too messy (I've always loved rainbow lorikeets but their wattery poos is a dealbreaker)
- Looking to spend anywhere up to say $600 or so

2) What cage should I buy? My wish list:
- Something which gives the bird plenty of room to play in
- Something where they won't flick seeds etc onto the floor, and is easy to clean!
- Preferably something where the top opens up and they can sit on top. Or alternatively, an add-on or separate playground they can sit on?

I have nieces and nephews (2 - 5 years old) which often stay over so I need to train the bird to be extra friendly with kids. I assume the secret to this is to get the bird as young as possible and just get it used to people form a young age?

I'm in Sydney NSW, if that makes any difference to availability of birds and/or products...

Much appreciated!

 

[thekarens]

Why not go with a tiel? They met all the requirements except the messy part. I've never met a parrot that wasn't messy.

 

[Dinosrawr]

There's a wide variety of options you could go with! But honestly I can't say I can definitely say any bird you go with will hit all of those requirements without being trained. Being loud or not depends on if that bird has been taught to scream, reinforced screaming, or is simply a line of sight screamer. If it's outside, it may scream every time it sees any bird fly overhead or sees movement if it's afraid. Over time it may adjust, but there's no guarantee unfortunately

I think female cockatiels are a wonderful choice overall, but I'm incredibly partial to IRNs and conures. However, both my birds are extreme line of sight screamers. Ironically my ringneck screams for me more than my conure does, and my conure views me as her soulmate for the most part. I've also had her much longer, so that's likely why - I've worked a lot with her on her screaming habits. You'll have to work with whatever you choose.

The Pionus and Poicephalus species are great birds, though I don't know if they fit your budget for where you're located. They're larger, very quiet, independent, and generally quite tame - especially the Pi's. I haven't met a Pi I didn't think was a sweetheart! They're not so loud either, and I don't think they're much of line-of-sight screamers either. I think I would recommend a Pi over a Poi though, if you have young children near them, simply because Poi's can become pretty extreme one person birds if not socialized properly. Pi's are a bit more shy, but have a gentler disposition in my opinion. We have many members who have some, so hopefully they chime in.

If I were to choose a bird overall, though, I would go with something like a blue crowned conure because they're larger and conures generally have a great disposition to be handled and loved by many if socialized well at an early age. They're hands on, though can be very loud. If I had known about them earlier, I likely would have went with one first. They're lovely birds.

As for a cage, remember that your bird will need LOTS of room if it's in its cage most of the day. Minimum is generally 18x20x22, but personally I think that's tiny if the bird is doing any more than sleeping and eating in it. I really love my Prevue Hendryx cages - they have seed guards, have appropriate bar spacing, and are easy to clean with a great size for my birds. Basically whatever is available to you, assess bar spacing, width (height isn't as important as width is). The cage should be very long and respectably deep. I think a HQ Double Flight cage is a great option, if available to you:

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Birdscomfort-Double-Flight-Bird-64x21/dp/B005ZDR2GM"]Amazon.com : Birdscomfort Hq Double Flight Bird Cage 64x21 - Black : Birdcages : Pet Supplies[/ame]


Hope this info helps!

 

[RavensGryf]

I have 2 Poi's, and have had experience with 2 different Pionus.

I'll post to this thread later in response to what Chantal (dinosrawr) said and to elaborate, but I don't have time right now...

 

[RavensGryf]

Having 2 Poi's, and having experience with 2 different Pi's.... I'd say that generally speaking... Pionus are inclined to be naturally a little more reserved and shy of hands, unless someone has really worked with them from a young age. They typically observe first, then do carefully. In other words they're aren't hyper extroverts. Pionus are like their close cousins the Amazons, in that there is usually a marked difference in male and female behavior, and once sexually mature Pionus males can be fierce during hormonal periods. They can be sweet and funny though, and vary greatly with individual personalities.

Poicephalus are my all time favorites! Although I've heard that not all Poi's are cuddly, my 2 boys are! If socialized to be handled from a young age, one should accept and even enjoy full body cuddles. Many will lay on their backs in your hand. Although they have a reputation of being one person birds, they don't have to be. If socialized from a young age to be handled by more than one person, they can easily maintain that into adulthood. Poi's are generally more outgoing than the Pionus. They are EXTREMELY independent too. This is unusual in species who can also be very cuddly. They're the best of both worlds! If you're very busy, or life throws you for a loop, don't worry... Your well socialized Poicephalus will RARELY turn into a screamer, plucker, or hold a grudge like many other species are inclined to do. They're pretty easy going, and seem to enjoy life in a carefree way. One potential down side of Poicephalus is that bite pressure training is a must for these birds who have a natural tendency to "feel" a lot with their beaks and seem to communicate with beaks more than some birds. The hormonal (especially males) and especially the Senegal and Red Bellied, can have a nasty reputation of the hardest bite you can get from any bird of their comparable body size, and once these birds are mature, you will get bit hard at times regardless of training. Their beaks, and especially males are large and very strong for the size of their bodies. Poicephalus means "made of head". Overall, pros and cons... IMO they're the best! Oh, and quiet too! Their loudest voice comes out in a whistle or chirp, not a screech. That's my take on Poi's generally speaking...

 

[jmillar]

Hey guys,

I was hoping to buy a bird this week but it seems like I need to do a lot more research before I do so! I'm going to visit a couple pet shops this week to see them in person, learn more about them, and I'm going to do some more research before buying one.

Keep the advice coming!

Cheers

 

[Allee]

Doing more research before choosing your bird is always beneficial to you and your future companion. Nothing like visiting a few birds to help you decide. Good luck in your quest and please keep is posted!

 

[jmillar]

Thanks so much for all the advice, guys.

At this stage I'm leaning towards either a crimson bellied conure or green cheek conure (yellow sided). From the research I've done and from speaking to Berkshire Park Bird Farm, Kellyville Pets etc today, they seem to be quiet and pretty smart.

They're very hard to find this time of year though. Birdsville has some around 14 weeks, and I've found a breeder who has a crimson bellied one at 14 weeks as well.

I'm not sure if I should go with the one from the breeder (more attention given to it as he and his kids play with it) or go to Birdsville (more to choose from, but probably not as friendly). I'm thinking the breeder is the way to go - I'm going to go look at it tomorrow. The only problem is he said it bites a little bit - I'm hoping it's just a phase and it may be because there are about 7 people playing with it...

Is the biting thing just a phase usually?

Cheers again for all the help thus far!

 

[yann]

biting could be a phase as the fella is still young, but speaking from my experience i would say that there is usually a reason behind biting that cannot be explained simply by it being a 'phase'. perhaps the person handling has been doing something the parrot does not like? Mine don't bite unless provoked or to tell me that they don't like what i'm doing.

 

[jmillar]

Guys, thanks so much for all the advice.

UNFORTUNATELY, my parents won't let me have a bird in the house (I've had 2 birds before, when I was much younger). They will let me keep a bird outside, but I know that conures aren't the sort of bird you can just keep outside and play with an hour a day, they need human interaction as much as possible. I wouldn't want to buy one if I couldn't keep it inside and give it the detention it deserves...

Also I have 2 dogs and a cat outside so it wouldn't be a great spot for the bird.

I'll keep trying to convince them to let me keep it inside but it doesn't look like it's going to happen, which is a real shame!

Thanks anyway for all the help

Cheers

 

[Phlox]

Probably best to wait until you have your own place then.

However, you can keep pigeons and some dove species outside. They aren't parrots, but I have an 18 year old dove and he's really my buddy. If you are able to build a nice secure aviary...pigeons actually make awesome pets and can be trained.

It's something to consider if you really have your heart set on a bird friend. They are also unable to really "bite" and super easy to feed, since they actually are seed and insect eaters as their natural diet.

 

[meldug]

I would definitely go with a green cheek conure. Calm, relatively quiet. 30 year lifespan, so you don't have to deal with it dying in 10- 15 years, like with some birds. They're also very acrobatic and learn tricks easily, which can be fun for the kids. Also, I've never really met that many unfriendly conures. Buying it young is not necessarily that important. It will be cheaper as an adult, and if you just look for one that is friendly to you when you meet it, it will be a lot less hassle for you, since it is already somewhat trained.

As far as cages, just make sure it is big enough for the bird to spread its wings in. Make sure the bars are close enough together that the bird cannot fit through. Usually a good distance between the bars is the width of the bird that will be residing in it. Get one with a pullout tray on bottom, which you can line with newspaper. Line the frills at the bottom of the cage with paper towels, so you don't have to scrape the bars. Get some plastic sheeting and tape it around the sides of the cage, just at the lower area, so it catches seed.

 

[Nickilucas]

When my kids were young I said when my kids are older I want an African grey. Some years later I ended up first with a 6 year old quaker, which I still have and then my family surprised me with a year old grey. If you want an excellent talker and can get past cage aggressive, a quaker is the way To go. I loved my grey but when was hateful she was bad. She passed away earlier this year, and although I miss her like crazy, I don't want another. My quaker was my library bird in a k-4th grade school. Hula learned quickly and loved most of the kids, who help with feeding keeping his cage cleaned. I hope that helps you.