Which Conure is Right for Me?

ParrotProdigy

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Jenday Conure - Tempest (Hatch date 5-3-2016)
I have a rather unique question to ask. First off a quick background, I have agoraphobia and almost never leave my house. When I do leave my home, I always bring a pet with me to help keep me calm and reduce panic attacks. I have recently come across a video of a Cockatoo that is a registered "Support Animal" for a young college man. He is allowed to take the bird nearly anywhere with him. The ability to do this would benefit me greatly.

I had always loved the parrots I owned in the past and determined one would be great for my support animal! I don't have a ton of money to throw around on one of the larger species. The Conures caught my eye, I love their personalities and their colors. However, I am aware many are very loud. The two I really love are the Yellow Sided Green Cheeks and Jendays. I have also considered the hybrid "Sun Gold" Conures, but I would imagine they are VERY loud seeing as they are a mix of two of the loudest conures species. I know the GCC are quieter than Jendays. I am wondering if Jendays are loud enough to be considered rude if I had him out in public and he screeched? Should I force myself to get a GCC instead? Or can I train a Jenday to stay a little bit more quiet whenever we go out?

I recently had a breeder stop contacting me about the GCC I was going to purchase from her, and have since found a slightly more expensive Jenday. I am female and always bonded best with my male parrots. I've been scouring Birdbreeders.com, Birdsnow.com, and Hoobly.com, if anyone knows of any breeders who are available I would be grateful!

I have owned many parrots in the past, all rehomed from neglectful homes or terrible pet stores where they never got properly socialized. I am excited to finally own an actual baby from a reputable breeder! And I'm ready to begin his training when I get him!
 
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Apr 3, 2013
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I think you'll find your bird won't vocalize too often/loudly when he/she is out and about with you. With that being said, I do think a green cheek conure is a great fit for what you are looking for.

It sounds like you are pretty familiar with birds, but just a friendly reminder, the price of the bird itself is far less than the costs of vet visits, food, stands, cages, toys, ect.
 

Terry57

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Welcome to the forum!
I have a GCC and a Jenday, and Jury (the Jenday) is much louder than Jax (the Green Cheek). Jury isn't loud when he is around people and away from his cage, and he isn't loud enough to bother people while he is out in public, in my opinion. Since you asked if you should force yourself to get a GCC, I think you should go with a Jenday, if that is the bird you truly want.
It may help people to suggest breeders if they know what part of the world you are from:)
 

snowflake311

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Why do you think a parrot is the right animal for you?

Parrots are very needy and if you have the time and money I would think bigger. Not too big. Conures are awesome I have a black capped conure he is the best. After doing some research I would LOVE a Hahns macaw.

If I had lots of time and could take my bird everywhere with me I would look into a cockatoo. They can be so amazing and sweet. I would also look for a bird trainer. You will need your bird to be well trained and socialized.

It's a cool idea to have a parrot as a "support" animal. Birds are kind of wild so not really sure how good of an idea it really is.
 
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ParrotProdigy

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Jenday Conure - Tempest (Hatch date 5-3-2016)
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Welcome to the forum!
I have a GCC and a Jenday, and Jury (the Jenday) is much louder than Jax (the Green Cheek).
It may help people to suggest breeders if they know what part of the world you are from:)

When you say that do you mean his loudness of voice, his frequency of calling out or both? Since I'm mostly homebound most of the time he'd spend in his cage would be for sleeping or if he voluntarily flies over there. I have nothing to give but my full attention!

And great pointing out my part of the world! I hadn't even thought of that. I'm in the USA in Ohio, and don't mind paying shipping costs via United Petsafe.
 

Terry57

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When you say that do you mean his loudness of voice, his frequency of calling out or both? Since I'm mostly homebound most of the time he'd spend in his cage would be for sleeping or if he voluntarily flies over there. I have nothing to give but my full attention!

And great pointing out my part of the world! I hadn't even thought of that. I'm in the USA in Ohio, and don't mind paying shipping costs via United Petsafe.

Jury is louder and screams much more often than Jax. But with that being said, I also have a Sun who is one of the quietest birds in the room. He is loud when he makes noise, but he only lets out a squawk a couple of times a day. They are all individuals, and you won't know which side of the loudness spectrum your baby will be on until he is home.

Whichever conure you pick is going to be a lucky little fella to have your attention all day:)

And I am originally from West Va., we were almost neighbours!
 
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ParrotProdigy

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Jenday Conure - Tempest (Hatch date 5-3-2016)
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Why do you think a parrot is the right animal for you?

Parrots are very needy and if you have the time and money I would think bigger. Not too big. Conures are awesome I have a black capped conure he is the best. After doing some research I would LOVE a Hahns macaw.

If I had lots of time and could take my bird everywhere with me I would look into a cockatoo. They can be so amazing and sweet. I would also look for a bird trainer. You will need your bird to be well trained and socialized.

It's a cool idea to have a parrot as a "support" animal. Birds are kind of wild so not really sure how good of an idea it really is.

Currently my unoffical support animals are my dog, a rat, and occasionally one of my cats (But they don't like travel haha). My dog is rather antisocial, she only likes close family, I cannot take her in public. My rat is offputting to most and she never holds still for anything. I had considered a rabbit at one point but they are actually pretty aloof, unpredictable animals, and don't travel well at all. And I do not wish to bring another dog into my household. All things considered, Parrot fit perfectly! I once had a pair of rescue Senegals that loved to sit with me, but hated any touching. Just that simple companionship felt so amazing to me, sadly when I rescued them they were already infected with PBFD so I didn't have them long. I can't even imagine what a cuddly bird would even be like, I have never met one personally!

I hear cockatoos are "velcro" birds and probably would be the best species for my specific situation, but I honestly find them a tad boring in color, pretty expensive, and even a little bit ugly, haha :D

And for me when I have my panic attacks and such, the best thing for me is distraction. So if my bird decides he's going to freak out over something or go wild on his harness it would actually help take me out of my stress situation to interact with him to calm him down and get him back to normal. I forget all my problems when I interact with my animals.

I'm no stranger to training birds though. My best success story was taking an aggressive, non-socialized pet store Senegal that the store had given up on even letting out of his cage, and turning him into a more chilled out non-biter. He still didn't like being pet but the older woman who adopted him only wanted a shoulder sitter, everything worked out! And I was just a customer there, not an employee lol.

I've got nothing but time on my hands, this bird will have a huge chunk of my daily attention. I think I have my heart set on the Jenday :orange:, although I do love all the macaws :red1: :blue1: :blue: :red:! Too much money for me right now though! I have given this years of deep thought and I miss having a parrot and an animal I can take tons of places without either being aggressive and barking(dog) or being hyper and grossing people out(rat) haha.
 

Skittys_Daddy

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I too can identify with your plight. I have bipolar disorder and OCD and I used to isolate a lot more than I do now.

Believe it or not, Skittles has lowered my anxiety/depression so much that I can actually go out on my own a lot more than I used too.

I too, rarely leave home and when I do, it isn't for long. Skittles is free-flighted and is only in his sleep cage for sleeping and his regular cage when I go out or if he wants to go in (which he does from time to tome), I leave the cage door open. I live on the second floor of a security building so escape is not an issue.

I can only speak for suns, since that's the only type of conure I have ever owned. But that being said, many people on this forum have spoken glowingly of other conures that are just as playful and cuddly. Only they aren't as loud.

There is a BIG difference being noisy and being loud. Yes, suns are loud. But they aren't generally a noisy bird. The more time you spend with them, the quieter they tend to be. Skittles will go hours without making screeches during the day. He's noisy when I first wake him up and when its bedtime (both normal for a parrot) but other than that, the only time he really gets noisy is to tell me something.

I think if you are home a lot and are aware of the needs, a high maintenance parrot might be a good match. I need a reason to get up in the morning. Something that keeps me accountable for my own well-being. I have to take care of myself so I can take care of Skittles.

Suns are loud and needy birds. So are cockatoos from what I hear. Both are also very cuddly. I'd think if you want a cuddly bird that is not loud, a green cheek might be a better match. That being said, with you having a cat and a dog - I don't think a sun or cockatoo is a good match.

I know some people will disagree with me- but I personally don't like the idea of housing a bird with a cat or dog. Some people are very responsible when it comes to the combination, but many are not. I am also not a fan of dogs, to be honest. I love all animals, but I could never own a dog. I like cats, but I find them boring. Sorry cat people!

For me, I have a high tolerance for noisiness/loudness. As long as it doesn't go on for hours on end (which it shouldn't as that is not normal behavior for a parrot).

As far as making any noise, Skittles is noisy when it comes to quieter noises. He makes 'froggy or duckky' noises almost constantly as well as little squeaks (like when you wash a window) as well as 'kissy noises'. Those don't bother me, I actually love those. He actually 'talks over me all the time". Whenever I talk, he is making constant 'froggy/ducky' noises. Hence, the wording on my signature picture. lol.
 
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MonicaMc

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Sun x Jenday = Sunday (sometimes Jensun)
Sun x Nanday = Nansun ("incorrectly" sundays sometimes)
Jenday x Nanday = Nanjen
Sun x Gold Cap = Suncap
Jenday x Gold Cap = Jencap
Nanday x Gold Cap = Nancap



It's a shame you are looking for a hand raised chick as I know many green cheek conures in need of a home in Ohio. I actually adopted Jayde, my red throated conure from the gal who has a green cheek colony! The green cheeks were taken out of a bad situation and some of them have shown great potential to be wonderful companions.


To me, it sounds like a green cheek may be your best bet of the species you listed, however if you want an animal that can go out in public, this would require harness training the bird and *frequently* taking the bird out in public so they get accustomed to it at a young age. If you don't do it very frequently, then the bird may be freaked out by leaving the house.
 

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