Suggest Easy Taming Bird

[kevinsteve]

Hello Everyone!

I am looking for parrot who can be companion. Who is playful, easy to handle, isn't very very loud, isn't very aggressive and can be tamed.

I know I am demanding a lot from a parrot but these are the attributes on which I can handle a parrot currently in order to balance work life.

After searching a little on internet and on pet shops, the short listed parrots are as follows: (One being highly favorite)

1. Cockatiel
I personally like cockatiel, the cuteness they have, I love it! I have seen people have tamed and trained him as well but I also understand the fact that it's not everyone's job. Secondly, a pet shop guy told me that cockatiel cannot be tamed.


2. Yellow Ring Neck
The second cutest pet I have in mind is Yellow Ring Neck. But I am not sure about his behavior, attributes and difficulty level. Is it a good fit for my requirement?

3. Alexandrine
I personally don't like alexandrine that much as he is so manly. But I know he can be trained and tamed as two of my friends have him. I really don't want to go for this option but I might if it is the only option.

Please suggest me the best option in this situation.

P.S: I have kept budgies and finches in past so I have some experience in bird keeping.

Thank you

EDIT: I am planning to buy a chick and raise him so I can train him better and settle him on hand feed too. If you have any other suggestion instead of listed three, you can suggest that too.

 

[Anansi]

Hello, and welcome to the Parrot Forums family!

Okay, I would say that the Alexandrine should be out. Never "settle" for any bird. Getting one is such a commitment that you should make sure it's one you really want.

I've never had a ringneck, but they do have a rep for being harder to train than most other parrots. That said, however, there are a number of members on this site who have done a wonderful job of training their ringnecks, so I'll leave it to them to give you a more informed response about those birds.

As for cockatiels, I can definitely tell you that your pet shop guy doesn't know what he's talking about. Cockatiels are amongst the easiest parrots to tame and train. They tend to be sweet, affable, make great family pets and are quite intelligent. And I speak from personal experience on this one. The key is finding one that was hand tamed as a baby. But this is the case with all parrots. And even if a bird wasn't hand-tamed as a baby, they can still be tamed. It'll just be a whole lot harder. (Which, of course, would defeat the purpose since you were asking questions aimed toward ease.)

One thing, though. Every bird has its own unique personality. As such, it is entirely possible that you could get a bird that is a bit on the stubborn side. With a baby, you don't really know what you might get in that regard. If, however, you go to a rescue, you can get an adult cockatiel whose personality is already fully formed... and who might already have been fully tamed and trained.

As for whether or not a bird is loud... again, that can vary with the individual. I don't find cockatiels as a group particularly loud, but group tendency is by no means a guarantee of what you'll get with a particular individual. So be prepared for that.

Finally, what you might want to do is volunteer at a rescue or shelter before anything else, and experience the variety of birds there for yourself. You might find that a bird not even on the list is ultimately the one to capture your heart.

 

[itzjbean]

I personally prefer cockatiels but that may just be because I have two of them

Cocaktiels are very easy birds to own in my opinion. They are great for beginners to birds because they are 1. easy to tame and train 2. Are not very clingy, needy or emotional and 3. do not scream or screech like other larger parrots. They still chirp, but it is much easier on the ears than a full-on conure screech.

They are quite common so they are not very expensive. Their coloration patterns are striking and you will find each bird (no matter the species) will have its own personality. My male cockatiel is more vocal and can do the wolf whistle/cat call.

 

[FlyBirdiesFly]

I love cockatiels. My cockatiel Ducky is so affectionate and sweet, and I would even say he’s cuddlier than my conure. The pet store guy obviously knew nothing about cockatiels, because they’re actually one of the easiest birds to train. Ducky came to me from the store fully tame because he was hand fed, and I didn’t even need to teach him to step up. Ducky isn’t loud at all, in fact the only time he really makes noise is when you put him in his cage and leave the room. Ducky has never bitten me, and cockatiels don’t have very strong beaks anyway. I have no experience with ringnecks or alexandrines, but I’ve heard that adult ringnecks can be difficult to tame if they haven’t been handled as babies.

 

[Kiwibird]

We sublet in a house who's owner had an IRN. Very loud for his size. Very shrilly voice (I tolerate the "deeper" voiced parrots better personally). Not the friendliest bird (except to his owner), but also not mean or anything either. My ears may still be ringing from being in the vicinity of the alexandrine at our local bird store yesterday. WOW. My amazon is at least 100-150 grams bigger and has nothing on that birds vocalizations!

I think of the 3 you're interested in, you'll probably have the easiest time with a cockatiel. It's silly for the bird store owner to suggest they can't be tamed. Of course they can. Parrots sized from budgies up to the largest macaws can ALL be taught, trained and become wonderful companions. All will take a continuing amount of effort and dedication on your part.

 

[kevinsteve]

Hello, and welcome to the Parrot Forums family!

Okay, I would say that the Alexandrine should be out. Never "settle" for any bird. Getting one is such a commitment that you should make sure it's one you really want.

I really liked the "never settle" thing

 

[kevinsteve]

I personally prefer cockatiels but that may just be because I have two of them

Cocaktiels are very easy birds to own in my opinion. They are great for beginners to birds because they are 1. easy to tame and train 2. Are not very clingy, needy or emotional and 3. do not scream or screech like other larger parrots. They still chirp, but it is much easier on the ears than a full-on conure screech.

They are quite common so they are not very expensive. Their coloration patterns are striking and you will find each bird (no matter the species) will have its own personality. My male cockatiel is more vocal and can do the wolf whistle/cat call.

You are making me fall for them

 

[LordTriggs]

out of that list I'm gonna go with Tiels. Above all else they are cuddlier, any bites are a lot less painful than a ringneck and a ringneck is really loud for its size. Have you also looked at Green Cheek conures? They're really good parrots and fast becoming one of the most popular around.

Justn oticed the bit about hand feeding one yourself. In short don't. In long, hand feeding is an extremely dangerous, expensive, time consuming and potentially psychologically damaging thing (if done wrong) and it is beyond easy to mess it up unless you have extensive experience. All that and hand-feeding them yourself actually doesn't add to your bond! It's far better for everyone involved to find a good well-trusted breeder to hand feed them before giving them off to you once they are fully weaned. It is their job after all

As a side note where abouts in the world are you from?

 

[Jottlebot]

Of your list I would say the cockatiel would be the way to go. I'm pretty stunned that a pet shop person said they couldn't be trained! Possibly don't buy from them, don't seem to have experience.

Just a serious note of concern. What exactly do you mean by getting a chick and raising it yourself? Only experienced handfeeders should handfeed unweaned birds and even then I have seen people needing to do lots of checking if it's a species they aren't familiar with. When you said you'd had budgies and finches does that mean you have a lot of experience handfeeding them or just keeping them? In some countries it isn't even legal to sell unweaned babies to the general public. If you mean a very young hand-reared (by someone else), but weaned bird then that's different and a wise choice.

It might just be a misunderstanding with your use of the word chick, but if you are planning to feed yourself I would politely suggest you do more research into bird ownership. Generally good sites and experts would not encourage this.

 

[kevinsteve]

@LordTriggs @Jottlebot

By chick I obviously meant hand reared young bird. As I think that it's easier to train and create bond with young bird than a fully grown bird. I might be wrong and would welcome any expert to correct me on that.
I had some experience in hand feeding budgie. As I had one budgie with splayed legs and was badly beaten by parents, so I raised him.

 

[wrench13]

As you are finding out, each bird has it's own personality. Honestly, if you have a set of 'demands' for owning a prrot, you may want to try a different type of animal altogether. Parrots come with unique minds, each one, and if you buy with those demands, what happens if they are not met? Just trade it in? Some parrots develope traits as they age, and the once cuddly, quiet biird can become aggressive or loud. You just have to accept them for what they are - wild animals that we invite in to share our life with. Parrots are not domesticated like dogs or cats. I know this is not what ou want to hear, but it is the truth, and you should really take a close look at what you expect from having a parrot.