I need advice! Help me choose.

New member here. I joined because I am beginning a long research process to choose a bird for my wife and me. We were recently married and have one year of undergrad left. After that, I will be attending medical school and she will begin working. At that time we will have a more permanent living situation, and we want a bird. We both grew up in the country with over a dozen animals each. Everything from dogs, cats, and horses to goats, chickens, rats, sheep, and parakeets. In other words, we are adjusted to the demands of animal care. I had a parakeet as a young teenager, but I have always wanted a larger bird.

As we will be living in a city, indoor pets have become our only option to fill the missing places of all those animals. I am fairly intelligent, and I liked to be challenged. I worked for a dog trainer for 5 years and love the challenges of training any animal. We also need a bird that will mesh well in a family setting because we do intend to have children though not for several more years. We are aware of the long term commitment of a parrot and are willing to work for the invaluable rewards a good pet can offer. As a young couple we have little to no obligations outside of school and work so we want something we can invest our time in now, and our children can enjoy later. Also, I have been told by many medical students how taking care of a pet can be a welcome study break.

I am not in a hurry to purchase a bird. We are going to consider it for the next year and then make a final decision. I would just like to narrow our options somewhat with some good advice from experienced people. Our general criteria are:

1) Intelligent and interactive
2) Forms connections with owners
3) Can be left alone while at work though after 4 years my wife is going to be a stay at home mom
4) I would prefer a medium to large bird, but my wife wants to avoid the extra large birds like the macaws
5)Talkative would be nice but a large vocabulary isn't necessary
6)Ease of care to what extent it can be (I know bigger birds are a lot of work, but some are easier than others)
7) Initial expense is not a major concerned but a lower week-to-week care expense would be nice
8) We will likely be living in a good sized apartment so room shouldn't be a problem, but noise might be if it is excessive. We do expect noise of course, just not enough to anger the neighbors hopefully.

So far we have been leaning towards an Eclectus, but their diet can be a bit intimidating and pricey. I haven't ruled out a TAG or CAG. I haven't done as much investigation into others. We looked at Lories, Caiques, and Conures, but the things I read didn't push me in their direction. I would just like some owners' opinions. I am open to all advice.

Thanks.

I think a grey fits nicely into your plans. Perhaps even a pair but not for breeding. Hope you plan on a rescue. Good luck

First off, I think it's great that you are doing your research so far in advance. Keep in mind that each individual bird is different, even within the same species. We can make general recommendations on species that might fit, but I would encourage you to try to meet and interact with as many birds as possible. Is there a rescue or bird store nearby where you could meet some birds?

I do agree with Spiritbird, it sounds like a grey could be a good option for you. Eclectus are also wonderful birds, but they do have special requirements. Have you considered a pionus at all? Although there are exceptions, pionus are considered to be good apartment birds as they are often quieter than other parrots.

I looked into the pionus. Thanks for the suggestion. I will definitely consider it, but it's hard not to be taken away by the tricks and vocabularies of greys and eclectus. I have a question about greys... I have read they are bad feather pluckers when they are bored. Will that be a problem with us being gone during the day? I imagine it varies from bird to bird.

Have you thought about conures? Blue crowns are quite impressive with talking. I am not sure about a grey. I am in the same situation with you as a married couple, with work, and school. Next year i'll be in a medical program and my husband works fulltime. He wanted a grey but bird people recommended smaller too's for us. I was told greys usually take to one person and are not that family oriented unless everyone interacts with them everyday. Also, grey get very jealous of other pets and kids that come later in life. The jelaousy to turn into aggression.

Currently, I have 1 dove, 1 nanday conure, and 1 green cheek conure. I am the bird person in the apartment. My nanday pushes on loudness but my building is pet friendly and as long he's quiet during the night it's cool.

Maybe pick up the book Good Parrotkeeping by Robin Deutsch. It's a good manual on care along with a good section on various parrots. I like that chapter a lot since it lists sound, weight, mess, size, and other factors about common parrots. An excellent guide on all the parrots out there.

Unfortunately, where I live now I am in a rural area without a place to go meet birds. So, when I move, I will be in a city that hopefully has some stores with birds.

Conuregirl:
I have looked into conures, but I have read a lot about how low and squawky they can be. I don't mind noise, but everyone seems to say that they can drive you a bit crazy. Thanks for the input. Maybe my sources weren't the best.

Some conures are real screamers, others are not - it really varies bird to bird! I am glad you are doing your research ahead of time, but my final recommendation is get all the knowledge you can, and then see which rescue birdie calls to your hearts most! Because many people do NOT do the research, a lot of these birds end up in rescue. Where are you located, maybe folks can recommend local(ish) places?

Yes a grey fits the bill just fine for you and yes its true they also like to pluck when bored so make sure to give it loads of toys and leaving it alone shouldn't cause it to pluck as i have friends who have greys and work and they are all in perfect feather

Thanks for the help. I live in western KY right now. Any place within a reasonable drive? My sister lives in Nashville, TN so I visit quite a bit if there's a shop there.

Do you want a bird that is going to be hands on, or more of a talking non cuddly bird? Greys are great talkers, but are relatively hands off. Some of the large conures are "quieter" and total clowns. Mini Macaws are a good size, but are still "big" birds and tend to be fun loving. Small toos are cute, cuddly, and fun but can be VERY loud. Its easy to define birds by traits, but each bird can be different than the traditional expectations.

I would say Grey or a Yellow-Naped Amazon.

Just be careful about the Amazon when they hit sexual maturity though. They may bond to one person and not like the other, so you'll have to keep it social-ised.

Good luck!!

Hi

As an ekkie owner, id say that after a period of adjustment, you don't even notice their 'special needs' anymore. It just becomes the way you do things. (and the same for the needs of any 'needy' parrot really) And we all definitely eat healthier in our house since getting pickle, because we were buying that stuff for him anyway lol.

I don't buy completely organic foods - (many people here will disagree with that) but i just get human grade fruits and veggies, sometimes even veggies from the frozen section, and yes they probably all have traces of pesticides. (I'm rather skeptical that many organic companies are completely free of them anyway), and so it doesn't really add to much to our budget, although of course i cant argue that they are cheaper than others.

But they are much more chill (probably an individual thing) but pickle is neither destructive, bitey, or loud.

With whether or not a bird will be happy while you aren't there, that depends on the species, the individual bird, how it was weaned and raised, and how it has been soci-alised and taught to play since, and overall how independent its personality has become... Its good that you're doing your research this early. good luck

Thanks for your help everyone. I will keep your advice in mind when it comes time. For now, the grey is at the top of my list. Does anybody know of a bird store around Nashville, TN?

What about Amazons? I rescued two blue-front's. They are a challenge mentally for me - and they have their own identity.

If you're till on the fence though, I heard that Parrot Mountain near Pigeon Forge, Tennessee has many different kinds (including Amazons) that you could visit with.

I personally would suggest that you visit a rescue though. There are many birds out there that need loving homes.

Glad you are doing your research. I am definitely no expert but I have a Green Cheek Conure and a Blue Quaker. Just put a deposit down on a Yellow Nape Amazon. We started out with the GCC because of his small size (my husband and I never owned birds before) We have had almost every other animal you can name but no birds. He is a blast! He is rather quite, loves his toys and talks fairly well. My Quaker is a little bigger. He is a bit noiser. He likes to scream when we live the room. He has a fairly good vocabulary. He is also a good boy. After doing a lot of research we decided we wanted another bird so we decided on the Yellow Nape Amazon. He will be more of a challenge but we are up for it. Hope you hunt goes well. Like some others say spend time with different birds and you will find that the bird will choose you. Good luck!

You can go to birdbreeders.com and look to see if the bird you want can be found local.

I raise tiels and amazons, so i'm a bit bais. Both are really great companion birds that's why i specialize in those two. An amazon might be a bit of a challenge for a first time owner, especially a rehome. However it can be done with a educated/dedicated owner, and you seem to be that. Both of these two species are very tolerate of change and handle alone time well.The key to having birds and kids is to socialize , socialize,socialize your bird at a very early age. Take them every where and do everything with them, include them in everyday activities. Tiels aren't known as talkers but some males will learn a few words.Amazon are generally good talkers.As others have said,all of these birds have unique personalities so go and meet the bird,find one that goes to you and your chances are much better. I'll echo it's great you are taking the time to research your choices, impluse buys don't normally work out well. Read though some of the different section here on the forum and gain some insight into the different types.Feel free to ask lots of questions and WELCOME TO THE FORUM.

I know a grey breeder who has been breeding them for a long time and has written many articles on their care. If you are interested please give me a PM and I will give you the details.

Thanks everyone for your help. I discovered a small local pet shop in my hometown that carries Amazons. After reading the past couple of days, I am somewhat torn between greys and amazons. I am a little worried about a zon being too noisy, but I'm not sure that there is as much difference as people claim. So here's everyone's chance... sell me on one of the two. Pros and cons of each maybe.

I don't find zons to be noisy, not like IRNs,conures ,toos etc. generally if they talk they don't do much "screaming". Many of the smaller zons who aren't the best talkers are very quiet. (WFA,YSA). But i'm a zon kind of guy, IMO they have loads more personality than greys(CAG) . Now it's the CAG lovers turn LOL