Trying to decide on the best parrot for me. Help ?

Hey everyone,

Lately I've become a parrot lover but from afar (through a friend who has a parrot).
Now I've started seriously pondering taking in one myself. I've read quite a bit about parrots, their needs, food, cages, taming and training, dos and don'ts etc. (on these forums and elsewhere). I've also watched a bunch of videos.

I'm having a hard time choosing the right parrot for me. I don't want to "just go with it" because I really want to give it the best life possible. I read a "sticky" post here about "which parrot is best for you" and it helped a bit narrowing down the possibilities but I'm still not "there".

Here's some info: I live alone in a 2-bedroom apartment - which means I'll be a "single parront" with neighbors. This also means the parrot will be alone during the day while I'm at work.

So basically I need a bird which can spend the day by itself without going crazy for attention (it'll get the best toys and I also plan to make some myself) and isn't too noisy.

I know I'm not suitable to take care of the big ones or those with special needs so lets scratch off Macaws, Cockatoos, African Greys, Amazons and Eclectus.

I would like the parrot to have some talking ability. It's a bonus really.

So the options as I see them are Quaker, Indian Ringneck, Alexandrine, Conure, Caique, Senegal, Pionus... Am I wrong about one of these ? Are some better than others for someone like me ? Are there any crucial issues I should be aware of regarding any of these species ?

Thanks in advance !

Green cheek I think is a great little bird kind of a starter parrot. I had my Senegal for 15 years. She was quite as far s birds go. She was weird. Had some big time quarks. She would bite to make you bleed or was so gentle and never bit. I had her since she was a baby. She was a good bird to me not my mom. They tend to be more of a one person bird.

I have always liked Quakers but they can be loud.

What about the good old cockatiel? They can be amazing little feathered friends. No as loud as the birds on your list.

It's hard finding the right bird. The more you meet the more you know what you want.

You do not mention how much ongoing time you can reasonably devote to your bird. Not just now but in the foreseeable future. Can you commit 30 min a day, 1 hour, 3 hours etc? This will have a huge bearing on which bird is right for you. If in the future, you share accommodation with someone(s) you want a bird that will not be a one person bird. How much money can you reasonably afford each month on your pet, $20, $200? They need ongoing food, toys, vet visits etc. Do you have allergies that bird dust may aggravate? Without knowing these and other factors it is hard to give GOOD advice. Answer these questions and you are in a good position to start looking at species.

As a general rule I always advise people to start with a cockatiel as they are easy to care for, people friendly, have few health issues and often have good speaking abilities. The only common issue is night frights and that some females can get egg bound.
My second choice would be a green cheek conure though these have a reputation of being a bit nippy (good training overcomes this potential problem) and they can become a one person bird if they do not get much social interaction.

Quakers are Great Companions and my girl Peter Pan isnt noisy at all though people often say that Quakers make a lot of noise...as to you ruling out Amazons might I ask why for your description of the ideal bird also fits my Mr Biggles to a T and he is a White Fronted Amazon. I dont find him noisy either apart from a few minutes morning and evening when he is slightly louder than mormal he chatters softly in Zon during the day and has also lately begun to say hello. To each his own where a parrot as a companion is concerned you need to go spend some time with a few different types of parrot and see what appeals to you and fits your expectations of what you are looking for in a companion..whatever one you choose will as you know from all youve read be a daily lifelong committment and a rollercoaster of fun and afew worries thrown in too for good measure along the way. I hope you find the ideal companion or better still that your ideal companion finds you While you are searching you can locate your nearest Avian Vet and maybe call in and chat to them too.
Might I ask what parrot your friend has for this seems to be the parrot that awakened your Love for Parrots...perhaps youve already found your answer and just dont know it for sure yet

I have held full time jobs and have had all kinds of parrots. A caique is great - but needs lots of time, toys, and companionship. They do well in twos. Green cheeks are wonderful as are cockatiels and budgies. I am partial to the green cheek. When working, my schedule was like this: up very early (5 am) and had the bird out with me for 2-3 hours before leaving for work. Left music on for him while I was away. When I got home, he was let out first thing from 4:30 - 8:00 bedtime. So on a weekday he got about 6 hours out of the cage, 4 of those hours roughly were with me on my shoulder, playing hanging out, doing housework. On weekends/days off, he was out 8+ hours. Went everywhere with me - the best bird ever...

I agree with the cockatiel suggestion!

Wow, you guys are great. I'll try to answer in turn.

First just a quick remark - I'm not interested in cockatiels or budgies. Nothing personal, just not excited about these species.

snowflake311 - GCC and quakers are definitely 2 options I've given much thought and research. They seem like a good fit and don't make *too* much noise (though quakers are much noisier than GCC as I understand it). I wrote down Senegal because I read it's a very "cool" parrot - smart, kind, independent and not too noisy. Am I wrong ? Thanks for pointing out it's mostly a one person bird, I'll take that into account.

EdwardH - I have no known allergies to dust (or something similar) but I'd like to keep it to a minimum as much as possible. Money is not an issue regarding food, toys, vet visits etc. I'll be able to devote the bird an average of 1 hour a day of undivided attention (not including the "doing stuff together" thing with it on my shoulder while doing chores and such), some days it could be more like 2-3 hours. I'd prefer for the parrot to be accepting towards other people such as spouse and family.

BIRDIGIRL - I ruled out amazons because I read they could get quite noisy and need a lot of attention. Is it not the case of white fonted amazons ?
I definitely plan to go visit some breeders and meet all the possible candidates up close and personal. I know what you're thinking "Why not rescue a bird in need of a good home?" Well the answer is simple - there are no avian rescues in my country so that's simply not an option.
The parrot that "awakened my love" was a young male eclectus who was beautiful, cute, kind and funny. That's my dream parrot but I don't think I'm suitable to take care of one.

LeaKP - I'll take notice of what you've written about the caique, seems like it's not the best option for me. Also those are good ideas about spending time together with the bird.

Just for fun I attached a pic of a wild quaker that perched on a tree near the supermarket I visited earlier today. Sorry for the quality, it's a freakin' tall tree

captainsparrow said:

Wow, you guys are great. I'll try to answer in turn.

First just a quick remark - I'm not interested in cockatiels or budgies. Nothing personal, just not excited about these species.

snowflake311 - GCC and quakers are definitely 2 options I've given much thought and research. They seem like a good fit and don't make *too* much noise (though quakers are much noisier than GCC as I understand it). I wrote down Senegal because I read it's a very "cool" parrot - smart, kind, independent and not too noisy. Am I wrong ? Thanks for pointing out it's mostly a one person bird, I'll take that into account.

EdwardH - I have no known allergies to dust (or something similar) but I'd like to keep it to a minimum as much as possible. Money is not an issue regarding food, toys, vet visits etc. I'll be able to devote the bird an average of 1 hour a day of undivided attention (not including the "doing stuff together" thing with it on my shoulder while doing chores and such), some days it could be more like 2-3 hours. I'd prefer for the parrot to be accepting towards other people such as spouse and family.

BIRDIGIRL - I ruled out amazons because I read they could get quite noisy and need a lot of attention. Is it not the case of white fonted amazons ?
I definitely plan to go visit some breeders and meet all the possible candidates up close and personal. I know what you're thinking "Why not rescue a bird in need of a good home?" Well the answer is simple - there are no avian rescues in my country so that's simply not an option.
The parrot that "awakened my love" was a young male eclectus who was beautiful, cute, kind and funny. That's my dream parrot but I don't think I'm suitable to take care of one.

LeaKP - I'll take notice of what you've written about the caique, seems like it's not the best option for me. Also those are good ideas about spending time together with the bird.

Just for fun I attached a pic of a wild quaker that perched on a tree near the supermarket I visited earlier today. Sorry for the quality, it's a freakin' tall tree

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Nice pic...that might be an omen
Speaking about White fronted Amazon or at least my WFA as I only have experience of one. I dont find him hard to take care of at all and he amuses himself on his perch with his toys and I play with him about 3 to 4 times a day...I know I give him more attention than uou might have time for but I think they adjust well to a routine...I dont find him noisy (though others might especially morning and evening ) or demanding...the info I have read on the White Fronted Amazon however does tend to indicate that they are a one person bird but I am also working on that since I got my WFA earlier this year snd he is doing very well...the best thing you can do is go visit the birds in person and see what you think

BIRDIGIRL said:

Nice pic...that might be an omen
Speaking about White fronted Amazon or at least my WFA as I only have experience of one. I dont find him hard to take care of at all and he amuses himself on his perch with his toys and I play with him about 3 to 4 times a day...I know I give him more attention than uou might have time for but I think they adjust well to a routine...I dont find him noisy (though others might especially morning and evening ) or demanding...the info I have read on the White Fronted Amazon however does tend to indicate that they are a one person bird but I am also working on that since I got my WFA earlier this year snd he is doing very well...the best thing you can do is go visit the birds in person and see what you think

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Thanks a lot. Can you please tell me a bit about the differences between taking care of a WFA and a Quaker ? (Since you have both)

captainsparrow said:

BIRDIGIRL said:

Nice pic...that might be an omen
Speaking about White fronted Amazon or at least my WFA as I only have experience of one. I dont find him hard to take care of at all and he amuses himself on his perch with his toys and I play with him about 3 to 4 times a day...I know I give him more attention than uou might have time for but I think they adjust well to a routine...I dont find him noisy (though others might especially morning and evening ) or demanding...the info I have read on the White Fronted Amazon however does tend to indicate that they are a one person bird but I am also working on that since I got my WFA earlier this year snd he is doing very well...the best thing you can do is go visit the birds in person and see what you think

Click to expand...

Thanks a lot. Can you please tell me a bit about the differences between taking care of a WFA and a Quaker ? (Since you have both)

Click to expand...

I quiete honestly dont make a whole lot of difference between them in the way I care for them...I spend equal amounts of time with both of them..I play and interact with both of them through the day and I feed and water them....(they both get fresh water a couple of times a day and fresh veg and fruit twice a day and their food mix of nuts and pellets is always kept topped up ...stay away from sunflower seeds...its okay to use them as the odd treat but not in the food as too many of them are not good for either quakers or Amazons) I tidy and spotclean their cage daily with a more thorough clean with steam cleaner etc every week...they both get a daily misting or a bath and they both need toys of course and when your baby comes home if it doesnt play with toys yet (whatever type of parrot it is) you will have to teach it to play with toys and that goes for both Amazons and Quakers and then you have a vets visit once or twice a year or so unless your parrot gets ill in which case you go ASAP. I will add that two budgies come to stay with me from time to time and while I baby sit them I do exactly the same routine with them. My guys also all get some time out of doors each day in their carry crates unless the weather is really bad in which case they stay indoors. I also give them a vitamin supplement under veterinary supervision at certain times of the year but your vet will advise you about this if a suplement is needed. I dont know if I have answered your question or not or even whether other folkd will agree with me or not but budgies or cockatiels, Quakers or Green cheek Conures shouldnt be given any less care than an Amazon. As to handling the Quaker or the Amazon ...well my Quaker is hand raised and my Anazon is not so that makes a difference to begin with but they are both pretty easy to read when they tell you they want to be left alone and though I have been nipped a few times mainly by the Amazon (my fault entirely as they are such easy birds to read...in fact Id say the easiest of all to read) I have never been bitten hard...quakers do like to build and like extra twigs and sticks and building material so they can construct their idea of the perfect home...my quaker doesnt build though which is why I almost forgot to mention it and Im told its mainly the male quakers who build their houses....at the end of the day the choice of bird is a personal one

I forgot to add I give both an undisturbed 12 hour sleep each night ...sleep is important because a well rested parrot is usually a happy parrot

I have a sennie, grey and a BTM and we have wild monk parakeets locally here and I've known a few people with them as pets. The quakers are LOUD, though awesome talkers and great all around birds.

Sennies are very good at entertaining themselves and don't require as much attention as some other species. Mine is a lover and says a few words. In my experience they are also ones to bite without giving any warning whatsoever.

Out of the ones you're considering I'd definitely recommend a poicephalus over all the others.

thekarens said:

I have a sennie, grey and a BTM and we have wild monk parakeets locally here and I've known a few people with them as pets. The quakers are LOUD, though awesome talkers and great all around birds.

Sennies are very good at entertaining themselves and don't require as much attention as some other species. Mine is a lover and says a few words. In my experience they are also ones to bite without giving any warning whatsoever.

Out of the ones you're considering I'd definitely recommend a poicephalus over all the others.

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Quakers do get bad press for noise but I own a Quaker who is not noisy at all and my friends two quakers came to visit on a couple of occasions and they werent noisy either...I have heard and seen a flock of wild quakers though and they were really loud... I think Aviary quakers are also loud but of the few hand raised Quakers I have seen I havent come accross a loud one yet. Perhaps some of the quaker people here could tell you how noisy or not noisy their quakers are if you asked them in the quaker section.

BIRDIGIRL said:

thekarens said:

I have a sennie, grey and a BTM and we have wild monk parakeets locally here and I've known a few people with them as pets. The quakers are LOUD, though awesome talkers and great all around birds.

Sennies are very good at entertaining themselves and don't require as much attention as some other species. Mine is a lover and says a few words. In my experience they are also ones to bite without giving any warning whatsoever.

Out of the ones you're considering I'd definitely recommend a poicephalus over all the others.

Click to expand...

Quakers do get bad press for noise but I own a Quaker who is not noisy at all and my friends two quakers came to visit on a couple of occasions and they werent noisy either...I have heard and seen a flock of wild quakers though and they were really loud... I think Aviary quakers are also loud but of the few hand raised Quakers I have seen I havent come accross a loud one yet. Perhaps some of the quaker people here could tell you how noisy or not noisy their quakers are if you asked them in the quaker section.

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I've known a few hand raised quakers and they were super LOUD and I do mean LOUD! That doesn't mean they aren't great pets, they really are and I'd highly recommend them to most people, but if someone is doing their research they should know all the pros and cons of any species they are considering. It's why I added in my experience (and I would bet Julie will agree with me) that poicephalus are awesome birds, but are also likely to bite for no reason you can tell and without warning.

thekarens said:

I have a sennie, grey and a BTM and we have wild monk parakeets locally here and I've known a few people with them as pets. The quakers are LOUD, though awesome talkers and great all around birds.

Sennies are very good at entertaining themselves and don't require as much attention as some other species. Mine is a lover and says a few words. In my experience they are also ones to bite without giving any warning whatsoever.

Out of the ones you're considering I'd definitely recommend a poicephalus over all the others.

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Hey, it's my understanding that "poicephalus" is actually a group of species. Are you referring to senegals or are there other options too ?
Also, how much does a senegal's bite hurt ?

Senegales, Meyers, Jardines, Red-bellied, Ruppels and mis-called Cape parrots are all poicephalus with similar personalities. I would recommend any of them.

It hurts like heck but generally doesn't do much damage.


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captainsparrow said:

thekarens said:

I have a sennie, grey and a BTM and we have wild monk parakeets locally here and I've known a few people with them as pets. The quakers are LOUD, though awesome talkers and great all around birds.

Sennies are very good at entertaining themselves and don't require as much attention as some other species. Mine is a lover and says a few words. In my experience they are also ones to bite without giving any warning whatsoever.

Out of the ones you're considering I'd definitely recommend a poicephalus over all the others.

Click to expand...

Hey, it's my understanding that "poicephalus" is actually a group of species. Are you referring to senegals or are there other options too ?
Also, how much does a senegal's bite hurt ?

Click to expand...

Here is a link that shows all of the poicephalus parrots but Im not sure whether thekarens was just refering to one of them ; the Senegal or all of them.
https://companionparrotonline.com/s...ionparrotonline.com/PSP_Poicephalus.html#2717

"First just a quick remark - I'm not interested in cockatiels or budgies. Nothing personal, just not excited about these species.

snowflake311 - GCC and quakers are definitely 2 options I've given much thought and research. They seem like a good fit and don't make *too* much noise (though quakers are much noisier than GCC as I understand it). I wrote down Senegal because I read it's a very "cool" parrot - smart, kind, independent and not too noisy. Am I wrong ? Thanks for pointing out it's mostly a one person bird, I'll take that into account."

-Yes I would say the Senegal is smart and independent. But sometimes you don't want a smart bird haha. They can be more trouble. My mom would disagree with them being Kind . I just went to a bird store today. They had an old male Senegal there he was cool. They had a Quaker too that was not nice but I was a stranger so I can't hold it against them. But when they want to be loud watch out. They can scream. I have always wanted one myself.

I am trying to pick my next bird too. I am thinking Green cheek myself. I was thinking Cockatiel first. I had the best one years ago. I feel I would just constantly be comparing the new one to my old one. I am going to go with Green Cheek since I have never had one of my own but have met MANY. My friend has one my Aunt has one. They are great. I found a baby today that might be the one....... One tiny baby green cheek who's feathers are just growing in. He was not ready to go home yet. If he was I would have taken him home in a heart beat.

Go to bird stores. Meet the kinds you want. Listen to how loud they can be in person. Let the bird pick you. Good luck.

Is an Amazon the right parrot for me ?

One of the suggestions I got here was a white-fronted Amazon. (Hi BIRDIGIRL )

What do you amazon owners think ?
Thanks in advance !

Is a Poicephalus the right parrot for me ?

One of the suggestions I got here was a Senegal or any other kind of Poicephalus.

What do you poicephalus owners think ?
Thanks in advance !

Is a quaker the right parrot for me ?

One of the suggestions I got here was a quaker but I was also warned they could get pretty "LOUD".

What do you quaker owners think ?

Thanks in advance !