Bird people, give me some insight on small breed birds please

[Carolyn R]

So, looking at MAYBE adding a bird to the family come summer. I have had parakeets, finches, and lovebirds in the distant past. I was thinking more along the lines of a conure or African grey. Lorikeets are lovely but their almost all liquid diet leading to an all liquid bm is a major messy turnoff.

I was looking for some insight on smaller birds, no cockatoos or amazons, way too big. My daughter has been asking for one for her sixteenth bday, no worries, she doesn't know I have considered getting a bird for sometime. Ultimately, I am completely willing to take on all the responsability if she loses interest, that will be our secret on the forum. So the requirements on our end....under $1000, not including cage, that will be expensed out separately, I will probably modify the lower half to be enclosed with plexiglass like the pet shop cages to minimize mess while it is enclosed, next, must be of the smaller variety, social.....some talking would be nice, not a necessity, but must be interactive, affectionate and social, i am aware that much has to do with its upbringing prior to getting it.

Please share your knowledge and experience, I am still in the weighing out the pros and cons phase, but have considered bird ownership (again) for some time. ( no more love birds either, not lovie, not very interactive, and not affectionate IMHO).thank you!

 

[MountainWoman]

Many decades ago, I had an African gray. He was a wonderful bird and very friendly. I also had cockateils and I think you might want to consider them. They are smaller but easily trained and very friendly and interactive without getting into the larger size. You can even teach cockateils words. Not sure what they are selling for these days but a cockateil will definitely be less costly than an African gray.

If I were ever to get another parrot, I'd personally buy a cockatoo. I know they aren't on your list but they are very friendly and social and seem to enjoy interacting with their people and I wouldn't necessarily let their size deter me if you're searching for a friendly bird.

 

[Boss Mare]

Research the Nanday Conure.

Here is a good link:

http://birds.about.com/od/conures/p/nanday.htm

 

[chandab]

FYI - African greys are similar in size to Amazons.

I've only ever had cockatiels, and thought they were fun and entertaining; although mine seemed somewhat messy. I've heard good things about the Nanday Concure that Michelle mentioned.

 

[shorthorsemom]

Hand tamed cockatiel. Gotten as a baby are awesome and very friendly and good company. Loved my cockatiels. Parakeets were not my cup of tea and they are very dirty and difficult to train. Even with cage guards they threw seed and feathers everywhere especially when they did flying practice in the cage. One English budgie we had was awesome and talked. My brothers family had every bird imaginable before his wife became disabled. His African grey never talked but could do many noises. It could do an ear splitting imitation of his car alarm and could imitate the sound of a flushing toilet since his cage was near the bathroom. Loved their family..hated strangers. The conure was awesome but when his daughter decided to trade it for two peached faced love birds that never tamed and had ear splitting sounds. My brother wished she had kept the conure which was hand tamed and super sweet. They got a severe maccal (I cant spell) bird and an orange wing. The mccal was alweirdbuttheorange wingamazon was really cool. If I think of any others I will write.. they had so manybirds. My personal favorite low investment bird was the cockatiel. Best wished. Ps kind of glad I am out of birds now. Goats are easier. Lol

 

[shorthorsemom]

Just checked bossmare link that was the conure my brothers daughter had that he wished she had kept. Nice bird.

 

[Carolyn R]

Thanks guys! I have to admit, there was a conure at a pet smart ( Prefer small breeders though) but this sun conure was so sweet and playful. Curious on the differences in the conures. Please keep your comments coming!

 

[jayne]

I don't have any input on other breeds, Carolyn, but I totally agree with you on your lovebird comments. I have one now and he is a terror. I swear he'd kill us in our sleep if he could. My guess is some marketing people decided they had to do SOMETHING to get them to sell. Hahaha! Actually, I do think they get the name lovebird because they are so affectionate with their mates, but truly, if you don't introduce them correctly, they'll kill another lovebird put into their cage. I wanted to get ours a friend and the bird store talked us out of it for that reason. Ours seems happy enough in his cage, and we got him a big one because he popped the welds and kept getting out of a big parakeet type cage, but it's HIS and you better not mess with it. I do like him for his quirky personality, but he's definitely not friendly or cuddly!

 

[Riverrose28]

don't buy a cuckatoo unless you like to hear screaming, especially when you are on the phone, or trying to have a conversation, they are very jealous and needy. I have a grey and he talks, but will bite when in his cage as it is his territory, he also doesn't like strangers or small children. I had a red lory that yes was messy and on a liquid diet but he was the best friend ever. He would help me eat dinner, ride on my dogs backs and entertain me for hours. I do agree with the other on the fact that cockatiels are very friendly, loving and entertaining.

 

[shorthorsemom]

I highly recommend getting a bird from a breeder and avoiding pet smart and places like that. We did have a local bird connection pet shop that bought directly from breeders locally and handled the birds daily and they were awesome and healthy. I think that is where my sister in law got most of her birds. She was kind of bird obsessive for awhile and had many many birds. My brother found a bird rescue to take the birds after she became disabled. On the big birds they poop ALOT. Big poop splatters everywhere and they shake and have tons of bird "dust" that puts white powder all over everything and their cages are very expensive. From the top of their perches on their cages they chewed curtains, wood door frames, picture frames and anything wood they could get their beaks on. A friend of mine had a moulocan cockatoo (forgive my horrible spelling). this was an enormous bird. It was really friendly to one person and loathed everybody else.

Conures have a piercing shreek too, just in case you have neighbors that might be thinking pigs were being slaughtered in your home. haha. Just kidding, not as bad as those darn love birds. My sister in law was carrying the cage and taking her birds from the house to the car when they were moving, and the bottom of the cage fell off and they flew away. My brother said that was the best day ever.

Just putting some humor in here. sorry, not trying to offend anybody.

Many pet shops and breeders will let you come in and handle the birds.

Prepare yourself for many house of training if you do not get a baby right off the nest, and even the babies need much time.

Still love my cockatiels and miss having them. I swore they were potty trained. They would hang out with me on the sofa, fly back to the cage to poop and fly back and hang out some more. Their little feathers rising on their head and the way they look at you and love your company. Not noisy either, fun chuckles and chatter and they love their people. I would suggest start small and see if you are a bird person or not. I do love those conures too, but I think my niece traded hers because it was too noisy. We had one parrot once that took great exception to the vacuum cleaner and the combination of the two noises were horrific. I would see if you can visit someones house with birds. The feather dust, seed hulls and poop and mess can get to some people. If you don't mind, they sure can be terrific little companions.

 

[Carolyn R]

Shorthorsemom, I have had birds in the past. The smaller variety, usually several at a time. So I am familiar with the dust and seeds thrown about.

Jayne, Totally understand the lovebird thing. When one of the pair I had passed, the other became very loud. Screeching all the time, but it was nasty and it was impossible to try to offer it attention. The other that passed away, was very mellow and enjoyed human interaction. The "mean" lovebird was the same as you described. I gave it away to someone that had birds, thinking it just disliked human interaction and preferred that of the avian variety. It literally wanted to kill the other lovebirds it was around, and needed to be housed separately the remaining years of its life. Never will I reccomend a lovebird for someone wanting a social bird, LoL, bond to each other, even the one that didn't mind humans was not overly affectionate. The other that was in the pair was mean from day one, maybe it resented me bonding with its mate, not really sure.

Thank you all for your input. My husband has given my daughter some guidelines she must fulfill before he even considers this for her bday. So she has from now until summer to work towards this goal.

In the meantime, please keep the info coming! Any experiences with the blue crowned conures?

 

[Margo_C-T]

Some years back, I did a lot of research with the thought of perhaps getting a hookbill that was larger than a parakeet(my dad had raised parakeets for a time way back when). I eventually did get a Parrotlet, which I loved...but she was killed when I had to go out of town for several days, got a good friend to come and stay with all the critters, and she innocently got the (quite tame)little bird out, had her 'on her knee'...and my daughter's mini dachshund leaped at the bird, bit her, and killed her! My friend, who had several hookbills, was SO upset...it was just a terrible accident; she paid for me to get another parrotlet, but she was never very friendly and died after several years.

Sorry...I got 'off course'! A parrotlet is very small, but very 'parrot-like'; I would recommend one, but only if you know it has been handled and tamed properly.

My real point is...I had decided that I wanted a Caique, and would still recommend one, based on my research. They can be very friendly, clownish, and can be taught to talk. Worth checking out, anyway!

Margo

 

[misty'smom]

I have a Quaker Parrot named Mollie! We got her from a breeder at 5 months old and have had her for 7 years. She is considered a small parrot and defiantly is one of the quieter parrots. Mollie does talk and she laughs too, it is so funny!! She is easy to care for, she gets pellets 24/7 and once a day I give her fresh foods. She loves to take a shower sitting on our kitchen double sink. I did tons of research on parrots before we decided on a Quaker. There are a few colors, most common the green/gray, a beautiful blue/gray, yellow and I have even read about white ones. However as with other types of parrots some are against the law to own in certain states. You can find all the info to read up on them on the Internet. Mollie has her moments but is mostly tame and can be handled without a problem. Since I am the one who has cared for and spent the most time with her she dosen't like to be handled by others in the family. They do make great family pets when everyone takes part and when you get them as babies. Also they are easiest to find in the spring as with most parrots. If you want I could post a picture of her so you can see her size and her cage.

 

[madmax]

At one time my daughter and I raised pearl and cinnamon pied cockatiels, they are the most beautiful we thought. we hand raised and tamed the babies, and I would reccomend buying from a small breeder that does the same, not from a store. Ours were people friendly, sit on a book while we read, snuggle up under our chins happily, or the back of necks. We could walk around the house with one on a shoulder. Learned to mimic certain whistles, and we swore we could hear horsey sounds. Our customers were always pleased, especially when buying for a child and not wanting one that bites. They also live many years. Its always best to buy a pair from the same environment to health reasons.

 

[Carolyn R]

While researching and researching, I revisited the macaw's to find the smaller of the variety, the Hahns macaws and the yellow Collared macaws. I was surprised to see that they are quite social and interactive, the smaller size is a plus, the talking is a plus. And these two varieties, overall, rate on average, to do well with older kids.

Any experience from forum members, sorry guys, I am just trying to explore the possibilities, since it will be with us for a very long time. I figured if we get a young one, I better start looking now, since deposits are often required.

Any input on what is better, male or females is also appreciated.

 

[mickeymoto]

I have done bird rescue for over 25 years and currently have several smaller birds and parrots (finches, cockatiels, budgies, lovebirds, conures, african greys and amazons). Lovebirds are little vampires and I have gotten my worst bites from them. I would seriously recommend a cockatiel. They are quiet, the males can be taught simple words, and they are a loyal and fun bird. Do well with older kids. They also go readily to almost anyone. With the larger parrots, they will choose their person and once they mature, spring comes, or on a whim they can change that person at will. Conures are extremely noisy, with a loud almost honking sound. They have wonderful personalities, but again with a few exceptions, they are very noisy. African Greys are very very intelligent birds that absolutely must be kept challenged on a daily basis or they will pluck. They are incredible talkers. My Greys have a vocabulary of hundreds of words and speak in different voices also. That comes with plus's and minus's. On the plus side, very entertaining and fun. On the minus side, they will pick up on particular sounds and words and repeat them non-stop. For hours, days and months on end. One of my Greys has been imitating the beeping of the microwave for years sometimes for hours on end. Amazons, are wonderful birds with big personalities. I have blue front amazons and the females are easier going than the males. They are not for the amateur bird person, so would not suggest them. Cockatoos, especially some of the smaller ones are delightful, but are what I like to call velcro birds. They really need to be with someone almost 24/7 and if not, they can become excessive screamers and pluckers. I have limited experience with Macaws, but from the experience I do have, they are great birds and the smaller ones are delightful. Again, I would suggest cockatiels. Wonderful birds that are easy to care for. Make sure that you get a large cage that has appropriate bar spacing and fill it with lots of toys and rotate on a regular basis. They do well on a good pellet or nutriberries, rather than seed. They love millet also. I give all my birds fresh veggies everyday and also share table food with them. Do not feed avocado or chocolate, as it is toxic to birds. No onion either. They love most fruits (no seeds), and I have not met a single cockatiel that did not love corn and scrambled eggs. A great way to tame your bird is to eat with it. Set it down with you and give it a plate of the same food (if appropriate) and eat with them. Mine love mashed potatoes and gravy and pancakes with peanut butter. Make sure that if you choose to leave your bird flighted that they are kept in a safe area, where they cannot get out. Birds have long lives, so be prepared for this. Cockatiels can live up to 15-20 years and parrots can exceed 50 years or more. All of my birds get out of cage time on a hanging playpen, at least 6-8 hrs on weekdays and 10-12 hrs on weekends. You can get a cage that has a cagetop playpen and just leave the cage door open and the bird will go up their on their own. I always have some water and treats on their playpens also, also along with hanging toys. Having a bird is a wonderful experience, but also a lot of work and a big committment. They are a companion pet and crave attention from their caretaker, whom they consider their mate basically. I wish you well in choosing a bird for your daughter. I have attached a link to some pics of my birds in their birdroom.

http://s40.beta.photobucket.com/user/chunkymama/media/hanging%20playpens/IMG_0407.jpg.html?sort=3&o=0#/user/chunkymama/media/hanging%20playpens/IMG_0407.jpg.html?sort=3&o=0&_suid=1362421377313018265719662370733

 

[Carolyn R]

Thank you so much on all of the great info mickeymoto! Extremely informative! Please list any other great tips you can think of. All of it is greatly appreciated!

 

[misty'smom]

Mickeymoto I loved looking at the pictures of your bird room and of course all your birds!!

We had a cockatiel named Petey for about 8 years, when we got her she was a baby. Petey was my son's bird, he was 8 at the time. Well Petey we thought was a boy but after we had her about a year laid an egg and we did not want to change her name!! Lol

Although we now have a Quaker and really love her Petey was a great pet as well. Both birds have been good for us and fun to have. Both required about the same amount of care, a little bit different diets, the Quaker gets pellets and daily fresh food, the teil had a more seed mix diet. The Quaker also has a bigger cage.

One thing I would keep in mind is.... Some parrots can be extremely noisy, even some of the smaller ones are incredebly loud!!!! Keep us posted Carolyn!!

 

[mickeymoto]

Carolyn, one of the most important things with birds, is really their diet. Pet stores will just sell you seed and millet and leave it at that. It is way more complex than that. Since they are caged, they cannot get the same nutrients as they would in the wild, where they would be foraging through everything that nature has to offer. Therefore, really really important to give them fresh veggies, grains, fruits, etc. I keep frozen veggies in my freezer all the time, and just put a bowl of them in their cage bowl each morning. They thaw fairly quickly and than the birds will munch on them. I give veggies everyday, and fruit 3 days a week. Some of my birds like chunks of fruit and others like a whole piece of fruit hung on a kabob in their cage. Don't leave the fresh foods in their cage over 2 hours, so they will not spoil. I also give my birds scrambled eggs once a week. Leave the shell in when you scramble. Mine love bread, pancakes, mashed potatoes, brown rice, peanut butter, baked potatoes, sweet potatoes, yogurt. etc. In the summer I make them popsicles. I use fresh apple juice and freeze it in ice cube trays, with popsicle sticks stuck in it. Than I just give them the popsicle in their food bowl for the small one, and for my larger birds, I just hand them the popsicle and they hold the stick and eat it. I also feed a variety of nuts such as almonds and pine nuts. They do get a shelled peanut as a treat also. Be careful with peanuts, as they carry salmonella.Do not get discouraged if you give a bird fresh foods and they ignore it. It took me three years to get my Amazon to eat fresh foods on a daily basis. Sometimes it only looks like they are playing with the food, but most of time they will ingest at least some of it. Only my small birds care for millet, so they get a sprig daily. Once a month I change their water for apple cider vinegar, every day a week. This is a natural antioxidant that keeps their gut flora stabilized and wards off disease in caged birds. I buy it at the health food store and go with Moms brand. I also bathe my birds regularly. Some like to have a bowl of water in their cage and bathe on their own, and some of them like to be sprayed with a water bottle. Birds that have heavy dander (cockatoos, and greys, need to be bathed often). I use a light mist and make a game of it. Singing and laughing as I do it. Most birds love to be bathed. First and foremost, birds do bite. They do not have teeth, but they have beaks. Bites can happen for many reasons. Sometimes they are just grabbing on to you to stabilize themselves, as their beak is like our arms when they climb. Sometimes they are just warning you. When my Grey is on me, she bites me when my husband comes too close. This is a warning to me and him to stay away from her mate (me). This is how they communicate in the wild. Sometimes they bite to play, and sometimes just to get a reaction from you. The best thing to do is ignore the bite. The more you react, the more they will do it. Over and over. I always tell people to think of a bird as a toddler. The more fuss you make when they do something you do not want them to do, the more they will do it! All of my birds love music, so I leave a radio on for them when I am at work. I also play cd's for them. They love nursery rhymes and will sing to most of them. My Amazon loves to sing Old McDonald had a Farm. Most important, enjoy your bird. They love companionship and thrive on it. They are basically a dog with wings. You become their mate and when that is taken away from them it is devastating. Make sure that you make the time you spend with them consistent and something that you can keep up on a daily basis. It is better to spend 2 productive/interactive hours with them a day, than to start out spening hours on end and than ending that due to schedules, etc. I do dog rescue also, and have always said that the birds are far far more work. It is a huge committment. I started rescuing and rehabbing birds when I got a conure that was given to me 25 years ago. She was less than a year old and I was her 6th home. She was loud, messy and bit everyone. Poor thing was confused. Everytime she started to get used to a home, she was given up to someone else. No one had done their homework and knew what to expect. All they saw was this pretty orange and yellow Sun Conure that was so cute. What no one told them was that the birds was also loud and messy,and if you just put it in a cage and left it, it would get louder and messier. Birds are not for everyone, but if you have the time and are willing to commit, they are amazing. After all these years, I am still in awe of their intelligence and loyalty.

 

[izmepeggy]

As a bird owner for many years,I would have to say a cockatiel..I have 4 cockatiels and 2 Green cheek conures..I'll never forget my one little cockatiel I had years ago..He was a Lutino.I drove 20 miles in the snow to get him..Hench his name "Snow". He was my companion and would fly through the rooms to be where I was..Said Hello,give me kiss,hungry,come here and many more I can't remember..He died at 15..I bought him from a breeder that hand fed and I continued hand feeding him until he was about 9 weeks old.I love my Conures but,they can be nippy.They are little clowns though.And my one conure does say a few words..The Green cheeks are the quietest of the conures.But,there are exceptions to every rule..My nephew had a Dusky conure and he was a great bird..Loved to cuddle.And that is how he died..My nephews 11 year old son fell asleep on the sofa and Duck (yeah that was his name..LOL) crawled in his shirt to sleep and Christian rolled over on him in his sleep..He was DEVASTATED. I could not say one bad thing about Duck.. I also feed ZuPreem pellet feed and seed once a week along with fresh veggies..A bird on nothing but seed will die of malnutrition.Go look at birds,but I really would buy from a breeder.They can give you insight into it's personality and all their little quirks..