Basic (Beginner) Questions

So, I am a complete beginner and I have never owned any type of bird before. I really want a macaw, but having never owned a bird before (and many people strongly suggested against it) I decided to go a different route and explore the world of conures. Here are some of my basic questions for you guys.

1. I hear you should get two if you can't provide enough attention daily. But then I heard if you do get two, they will bond with each other and not with you. Is this true?

2. What is their amount of daily care/attention needed? I go to school and have after school activities, and we travel sometimes, so would that be a good environment for them?

3. If I do decide to purchase two, can I get two different breeds (Sun and Greek Cheeked) and put them in the same cage? (Double the cage size, if not bigger)

4. Are they an overall nice beginner pet? I want a bird that has a (mostly) docile temperament, (I know all animals can and will bite if needed) can handle me not being here all day, and can overall just chill with you. I have one dog and two cats by the way, if that affects anything.

Any answers or suggestions are appreciated. Sorry for such a long post.

Thanks, Loki

A lot of great questions!
I don't have time at the moment to dive in, but I wanted to welcome you!

Also...

My advice... take any issue or topic which interests you, and use the Search Tab to read, read, read about it. I still do that a lot. The people here are an amazing source of information, advice, and support.

I'm glad you found this place!

Please slow down and hang with anyone who has a bird! A parrot is NOT a pet, and until you are there, that is hard to understand! Same cage? Nope! Docil temperament? With the circumstances you just put forward, you will be in for some major challenges!

Hi and welcome! You are doing the right thing asking the questions in advance.

Birds of all types are highly intelligent and thoughtful. A smaller bird doesn't in any way require less than a large bird in terms of anything other than space requirements. They have the exact same needs and behaviors.

They have complex social and psychological needs at every size. You'll find people here that choose to keep one parrot, but many that have several with great relationships with each bird.

If you have rescues that you could visit near you it would really help with insight to their nature and some of the reasons you mention seeing as your potential concerns are cause for others to have to rehome their birds. Rescues can give you great experience on the effects that lack of time and other pets that birds perceive as predators have on the birds behaviors, such as constant screaming, plucking, fearful aggression and mistrust.

There are innumerable unwanted birds in rescues that really need a loving home that might make a wonderful companion for you.


CherylCali

Friend Loki, A parrot is a major commitment, like a 30+ year commitmet, to a living , SMART creature who will depend upon you not only for food and warmth ( and cool in the summer) but for their emotional and societal needs. Parrots need attention , and reall attention, not like just hanging out playing a game or watching TV. They need one on one interaction pretty much every daay, and who will be upset if you decide to take a trip without them. Your a young student, with lots of changes coming after you finish your education, and maybe meet some one ( who will have to at least like birds), maybe have kids, all with your parrot watching and being a part of your life.
All parrots will bite at some point, all parrots make noise, some a lot of noise some known for less, but EACH PARROT IS UNIQUE , one of the wonderful things about these smart, intellegent birds. Each one may display the traits known for that species but not all, some may be totally different, you never know. You can, with training , change some of these ie: biting, screaming, but fthat takes time and consistency.
Friend Loki, my hard advice is to wait for your parrot until your life is stabilized some. Volunteer at a local parrot rescue, to get more time sent with some different species, or look to do part time work at a parrot based pet store. I would hate for you to get a macaw or conure only the have to re-home him after a few years, and you will too,
but either way, this board will be a great source of info and support.
I invite you to live, laugh and love along with the other parrot loving members.

A common misconception among people is that birds, parrots in particular are "pets" when they are nothing of the sort. They are a companion animal.

To answer your questions- I will give you my two cents.

As for getting two- if you are unable to provide daily interaction, that may be your best route- however, there is a strong likelihood they will bond with each other, especially if you don't interact with them regularly. However, if you do get two and interact with them daily and equally, you can bond with both birds even if they also bond with each other because they will see you as an equal flock member. But none of this is guaranteed and is all really subjective based on the bird(s).

Conures, in particular, are very social creatures. In fact, they are about as close to a macaw as you can get- they are in fact the same, just different sizes. Take suns for example- they are of the species "aratinga" which means "little macaw". I can't speak for green cheeks as I've never owned one- but I can speak for suns. Suns require daily interaction and out of cage time- the recommended MINIMUM is 2 hours a day, though I personally think that is nowhere near enough. If you don't provide suns with daily out of cage time and interaction they will become screamers and their screeching is not pleasant.

As for caging- I'd highly advise against housing a green cheek and a sun. Suns are bigger and in my experience suns can be quite possessive and territorial.

Suns can live 30+ years so this is a lifelong commitment. If you want a bird badly, given your current situation, I'd recommend a cockatiel. Cockatiels are very docile and the their screech is much lower and more pleasant. Cockatiels can be just as a good a companion as a conure, but they are not as high maintenance.

IMO, a budgie or a cockatiel is a much better suited beginner bird. I've had birds since I was 11 yrs old and I'm 39 now. I got my first conure five years ago and there have been plenty of times I've felt overwhelmed despite my years of bird ownership. IMO, a conure- suns in particular are not the best beginner bird.

Like you, I've always wanted a macaw- but in my circumstances it wasn't possible. I live in an apartment and even if noise wasn't an issue- the bird would not have enough room to fly around to get proper exercise. I actually wanted a bird that is high maintenance and would require as much interaction as possible. What many see as drawbacks of owning a sun I see as pluses.

Lastly, there are plenty of people who've had cats/dogs and birds and have not had any major issues while others have had tragic experiences. If you own a cat or dog, you have to take into consideration the animals temperament as well as how they might interact with your bird. Will they pose a threat etc.

Hope I've helped.

Okay thank you guys for all of the help and support. However, I think I was misleading when I said I was a complete beginner. Now, I am not calling myself experienced in any way, please don't take this that way. But I do understand the information you guys have presented with me. I didn't think that I was calling them pets, please, by all means tell me if you interpreted it that way. I also didn't think it would come across as my life being unstable, I am currently in a stable position in life. And Flboy, I didn't quite understand your post, but seeing you are an experienced member, I would really like for you to elaborate on that a bit more, just so I can get the information contained in it.

Thank you guys, this helped alot.

LokiWolf said:

Okay thank you guys for all of the help and support. However, I think I was misleading when I said I was a complete beginner. Now, I am not calling myself experienced in any way, please don't take this that way. But I do understand the information you guys have presented with me. I didn't think that I was calling them pets, please, by all means tell me if you interpreted it that way. I also didn't think it would come across as my life being unstable, I am currently in a stable position in life. And Flboy, I didn't quite understand your post, but seeing you are an experienced member, I would really like for you to elaborate on that a bit more, just so I can get the information contained in it.

Thank you guys, this helped alot.

Click to expand...

Your #4 asks if conures are an "overall nice beginner pet"

I think that's what Flboy et al. are responding to

2. What is their amount of daily care/attention needed? I go to school and have after school activities, and we travel sometimes, so would that be a good environment for them?

4. Are they an overall nice beginner pet? I want a bird that has a (mostly) docile temperament, (I know all animals can and will bite if needed) can handle me not being here all day, and can overall just chill with you.

***********************
As pointed out, you used the P word, but I do understand!

A parrot is a Major time commitment, remember, for him, there is no choice! With a busy schedule, you end up with a resentful companion! The other trigger word was 'docile'! In a parrot? No such thing! And getting bit? Every day, hopefully minor 99%'of the time! For them, biting/nipping is a form of communication!
You sound sincere, and your well thought out responses do show a really decent level of maturity!

I really would have liked to have edited this a bit better, but I am using an iPad and two finger editing is not all that easy!

Anyway, I'm back from work, so I can actually try to answer some things

1) Can't really comment on if a pair of birds will bond together and ignore the humans around them. I've read conflicting accounts on the internet, so my best guess is it depends on the pair of birds and your specific relationship with them.

2) The issue of some specific amount of daily interaction is something of a nebulous topic. When I first got Auri, the breeder told me at least half an hour of attention daily (I laughed in my head but smiled politely). Others might say two hours, or three.

Honestly, after being with Auri for close to a month and a half now, I'd say asking "how much time should I spend interacting with my parrot" is answered much the same way as "how much time should I spend interacting with my two year old toddler?" Yes, you can get them hooked on toys and leave them alone for most of the day. You can effectively hire "sitters" and leave them in the general company of relatives. You can simply feed them processed "formulaic" foods and do all you can to make sure their environment is clean and stimulating and generally leave it at that. But nothing can adequately substitute the one-on-one attention of a loving parent who cares whole-heartedly about the bird's (hence, toddler's) development.

For example, get this: in the time it took me to type what I have so far, Auri climbed to the neck of my shirt, started chewing on it, and growled at me. This is one of the ways she signals to me that she wants attention. I picked her up, and she rolled over on my hand. She's been like this for the past couple minutes:



Note that I didn't ask her to do a trick (like I might have attempted to prompt with a dog), nor did she attempt to command my attention entirely (like cats do, because they can be jerks). And I definitely wouldn't classify it as problematic behavior. This was communication between us, shaped over the past ~5 weeks of daily interaction. Heck, I barely got her to be comfortable on her back at the end of last week, and now she's using it, voluntarily and without prompt, to thank me for giving her attention. That's the thing about conures - they can be bigger jerks than cats, sweeter and more affectionate than most dogs, with intelligence to match or exceed both. And it is your interaction (or lack of it) that will shape these qualities and come to define your bird as its own individual. Just something to keep in mind.

3) General internet wisdom says no, especially at the outset. They can share the same room, but a lot of the well-raised birds I've seen (specifically thinking of Amanda's Rio and Tuki from her youtube channel) house each bird in their own cages.

4) I still don't quite know what "beginner pet" means, but I've come to reason that this refers to "hamsters" and "goldfish" in that you can generally leave them alone and they'll turn out fine. In that sense, conures and parrots in general are not beginner pets. You can leave them alone if you condition them a certain way, but that kind of undermines their potential to become really cool individuals unto their own and would be a general disservice to their species, kind of like how we'd feel about leavings kids to read books and play videogames all day in a room without giving them a chance to go outside and explore new things or play with others.

Now, actually, my GCC, Auri, is quite nice. I wouldn't call her "docile" by any means, but she hasn't bitten me or even nipped hard at all since Day 2. Sometimes she gently nibbles my shirt, or my ear, but I haven't received even a firm nip from her for weeks now. She is the exception. And I consider myself fairly well "tuned" to birds in general. Conures tend to be assertive, and without a strong flock leader actively overseeing their development, this can lead to multiple not-that-great and definitely-not-that-great paths.

For some background, I've had fish, hamsters, budgies, dogs, turtles, and rats in the past (the turtle is still well and alive at my parents' house, in their backyard). Auri is easily the most intelligent and affectionate of all of them (closely rivaled by our late Labrador Retriever), particularly in the area of communication. As other users have been expressing, a conure isn't quite so much a "pet" as it is "an individual from another species who will share your space and insist on eating from your plate." Be prepared if you choose to invite one into your home!

Right now, Auri is chilling with me. She's grinding her beak contentedly on my shoulder. But this single moment definitely does not define her

If you do end up going with a conure, congrats, and we'll be here for you to help you through anything

I have a question for you.

Why do you want a bird? What is it you like most about the Macaws?

Birds are pets. If someone asks me "what kind of pets do you have?" I would say "I have a conure, 2 Budgies, 2 dogs and some fish."
The thing with birds is they are still very close to wild. They are like no other pet you can have. They really are different and amazing just like the people that keep birds.

Leaf said:

Anyway, I'm back from work, so I can actually try to answer some things

1) Can't really comment on if a pair of birds will bond together and ignore the humans around them. I've read conflicting accounts on the internet, so my best guess is it depends on the pair of birds and your specific relationship with them.

2) The issue of some specific amount of daily interaction is something of a nebulous topic. When I first got Auri, the breeder told me at least half an hour of attention daily (I laughed in my head but smiled politely). Others might say two hours, or three.

Honestly, after being with Auri for close to a month and a half now, I'd say asking "how much time should I spend interacting with my parrot" is answered much the same way as "how much time should I spend interacting with my two year old toddler?" Yes, you can get them hooked on toys and leave them alone for most of the day. You can effectively hire "sitters" and leave them in the general company of relatives. You can simply feed them processed "formulaic" foods and do all you can to make sure their environment is clean and stimulating and generally leave it at that. But nothing can adequately substitute the one-on-one attention of a loving parent who cares whole-heartedly about the bird's (hence, toddler's) development.

For example, get this: in the time it took me to type what I have so far, Auri climbed to the neck of my shirt, started chewing on it, and growled at me. This is one of the ways she signals to me that she wants attention. I picked her up, and she rolled over on my hand. She's been like this for the past couple minutes:

Note that I didn't ask her to do a trick (like I might have attempted to prompt with a dog), nor did she attempt to command my attention entirely (like cats do, because they can be jerks). And I definitely wouldn't classify it as problematic behavior. This was communication between us, shaped over the past ~5 weeks of daily interaction. Heck, I barely got her to be comfortable on her back at the end of last week, and now she's using it, voluntarily and without prompt, to thank me for giving her attention. That's the thing about conures - they can be bigger jerks than cats, sweeter and more affectionate than most dogs, with intelligence to match or exceed both. And it is your interaction (or lack of it) that will shape these qualities and come to define your bird as its own individual. Just something to keep in mind.

3) General internet wisdom says no, especially at the outset. They can share the same room, but a lot of the well-raised birds I've seen (specifically thinking of Amanda's Rio and Tuki from her youtube channel) house each bird in their own cages.

4) I still don't quite know what "beginner pet" means, but I've come to reason that this refers to "hamsters" and "goldfish" in that you can generally leave them alone and they'll turn out fine. In that sense, conures and parrots in general are not beginner pets. You can leave them alone if you condition them a certain way, but that kind of undermines their potential to become really cool individuals unto their own and would be a general disservice to their species, kind of like how we'd feel about leavings kids to read books and play videogames all day in a room without giving them a chance to go outside and explore new things or play with others.

Now, actually, my GCC, Auri, is quite nice. I wouldn't call her "docile" by any means, but she hasn't bitten me or even nipped hard at all since Day 2. Sometimes she gently nibbles my shirt, or my ear, but I haven't received even a firm nip from her for weeks now. She is the exception. And I consider myself fairly well "tuned" to birds in general. Conures tend to be assertive, and without a strong flock leader actively overseeing their development, this can lead to multiple not-that-great and definitely-not-that-great paths.

For some background, I've had fish, hamsters, budgies, dogs, turtles, and rats in the past (the turtle is still well and alive at my parents' house, in their backyard). Auri is easily the most intelligent and affectionate of all of them (closely rivaled by our late Labrador Retriever), particularly in the area of communication. As other users have been expressing, a conure isn't quite so much a "pet" as it is "an individual from another species who will share your space and insist on eating from your plate." Be prepared if you choose to invite one into your home!

Right now, Auri is chilling with me. She's grinding her beak contentedly on my shoulder. But this single moment definitely does not define her

If you do end up going with a conure, congrats, and we'll be here for you to help you through anything

Click to expand...

A fantastic write, awesome photos!

Agreed, that is a fantastic write.

I do want to mention, that just because a bird might be a better 'beginner bird', doesn't make it any less special nor does it minimize the bond that can be created. I've had strong bonds with budgies and tiesl before. The only difference between a beginner bird and a more 'advanced' bird (for lack of a better term) is that they are less maintenance.

Thanks. And Flboy, I'm currently on a mobile device too so I see what you mean. (Sorry for any grammatical or spelling errors) If we insist on calling it the P - Word, then I'm sorry I used it. Guess I
didn't reread my post, (plus it was a late night) and didn't realize I used it. I do fully understand that having a bird is like having a lifelong companion And I also understand that you will get bit, I just thought that maybe some birds were more prone to, well, biting, I guess, than others.
I am still considering my first bird. Thanks guys for all the help.

LokiWolf said:

Thanks. And Flboy, I'm currently on a mobile device too so I see what you mean. (Sorry for any grammatical or spelling errors) If we insist on calling it the P - Word, then I'm sorry I used it. Guess I
didn't reread my post, (plus it was a late night) and didn't realize I used it. I do fully understand that having a bird is like having a lifelong companion And I also understand that you will get bit, I just thought that maybe some birds were more prone to, well, biting, I guess, than others.
I am still considering my first bird. Thanks guys for all the help.

Click to expand...

Conures are Nippy. They don't bite to hurt you necessarily they nip for all other reasons. Mine like to Pinch me when he plays. It is annoying.

If you fear the beak at all a conure is not for you. I feel like they are not good first birds for this reason. You will always have an exception to the rule but for the most park Conures love to touch you with the beak.

A hand raised cockatiel can be an amazing feathered friend.

My JoJo nips in the morning, nips in the evening, nips at supper time!

Love him to no end!

Don't you mean love him to nip end? haha

Mine is a complete sweetie but loves his nips as well. I think he thinks he's "grooming" us. He doesn't understand why we don't appreciate it. But let me tell you little conure nips on the sensitive part of your neck hurts D: Ears, also, are fun to thoughtfully chew. If you intend to concentrate on a task, they might not want to "chill" as much as you'd like them too x);