New to the Parrot world

d_hoover18

New member
Apr 1, 2019
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Hello everyone,

My name is Dan and I am new to the wonderful world of parrots. In the last couple of months I've been doing a lot of research on different types of parrots and which ones would fit my lifestyle the best. I currently do not have a bird nor have I ever had one but I am looking forward to having a new companion in the near future.

With all the research I've done, I was leaning towards a Senegal Parrot but people keep telling me they are known to attach to only one person. Since I have a girlfriend and a dog with the possibility of children on the way I don't think a Senegal would be a good fit. So I've recently decided conure would be the ultimate way to go for our lifestyle. This past weekend I had my first experience interacting with a jenday at a pet store. I don't think I have ever experienced joy like that before and in that moment I knew a parrot was right for me.

I am still learning and would love to learn so much more. So, any advice or information you can send my way or point me in the right direction would be greatly appreciated.

I look forward to talking to many of you in the future!
 

Kalel

New member
Jan 2, 2015
473
8
Canada
Parrots
Sun conure named Lemon (nickname Moonie) hatched August 28, 2014, BFA Professor Green hatched August 22, 2014, Macaw Flash hatched Sept 15, 2007
Hello, Dan! Welcome to the forums and potentially to the wonderful world of parrots. Just wanted to give you some info to help you be as prepared as possible. As you may have learned in your research, parrots are unlike most other pets in that there are no guarantees. You really never know what you're going to get. A baby may be cuddly and sweet and then as an adult it can have a complete personality change. A bird you get for you may choose your girlfriend as her person instead. As far as choosing a conure over a senegal with the reason being that you want to avoid parrots that tend to attach to one person....well...conures are notorious for that. My conure is my most fiercely bonded of my birds. Just try and take him off me if you dare LOL. I hope you end up finding the bird that suits you best, but just wanted to help you have realistic expectations. Best of luck and let us know what you decide!
 

Jen5200

Well-known member
Mar 27, 2017
1,874
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Baby - Sun Conure;
Tango - GCC;
Bindi - Sun Conure;
Stanley - Pineapple GCC;
Screamer “Scree� - Cockatiel;
Tee - Pineapple GCC; Jimmy - Cockatiel
Welcome, it’s great to have you here! It’s wonderful when you find out that you are a “bird person”, it’s an amazing feeling :). A few random thoughts - if you have the opportunity, it can be a good idea and a confidence builder to spend some time volunteering with a rescue to get some hands-on experience with birds; there is a wealth of information in the various sub-forums that will provide you with some basic info about species, diet and behavior; lots of good people here to answer questions you have (there are no stupid questions). Many of us have conures...they are amazing little companions. Looking forward to hearing about your adventure!
 

EllenD

New member
Aug 20, 2016
3,979
65
State College, PA
Parrots
Senegal Parrot named "Kane"; Yellow-Sided Green Cheek Conure named "Bowie"; Blue Quaker Parrot named "Lita Ford"; Cockatiel named "Duff"; 8 American/English Budgie Hybrids; Ringneck Dove named "Dylan"
Hi Dan....Welcome to the Community!

Kalei took the words right out of my mouth!!! Conures in-general, regardless of the species, are known as "Velcro Birds" because they typically bond extremely closely with only one single person in the household (or their "Flock"), and this often causes a lot of issues with the others in the house. So if you're avoiding a Senegal Parrot or any other species of Parrot because you're afraid that the bird may bond to only one person in your house, a Conure is not the answer at all. ( By the way, both Sun Conures and Jenday Conures, which are very, very similar and only really differ in their coloring, are very well known as being one of both the loudest pet parrots in regards to volume, as well as being some of the most overall vocal pet parrots. Their volume is usually the big issue, so if you live in an apartment, townhouse, duplex, etc., any type of home where you have neighbors on the other side of a wall, it's usually a really good idea to avoid both Suns and Jendays; however, the issue with you worrying about your bird only bonding closely with one person and being aggressive with other people in the house is definitely a much bigger issue when it comes ot Conures in-general)...

Here's the problem that you're going to have, and you need to keep this in-mind BEFORE you bring home ANY species of Parrot, since it's not just yourself that you're thinking about: No matter what species of parrot you bring home, whether it's a young, hand-raised baby that has just weaned, or whether you adopt an adult parrot from a Rescue, or anything in-between, there is absolutely NO WAY to know who that bird is going to choose as being "their person", and who they are not going to like or be aggressive against, as that won't be determined until the bird has been living in your home for a while and they make their choice...And this is often a problem for people who don't live alone. And trust me when I say that there is absolutely no rhyme or reason as to why they choose who they choose as being "their person" and bond closely with.

A very common scenario that we see people coming here all the time to ask about happens with a couple who brings home a new bird. Usually one of them is the one who has always wanted a bird and who has been pushing for the bird, and the other person may or may not also want to bring a bird into their family, sometimes the other person absolutely doesn't want anything to do with the bird, and they tell their spouse/significant-other that they don't care whether or not they bring home a bird, but they are not going to be the one who cares for the bird...So the person who wants the bird chooses one and brings it home, and does EVERYTHING for the bird. In some cases this person either doesn't work or they work from home and are able to spend all day, every single day with the bird, while their significant-other/spouse is gone all day, every day, and has absolutely nothing at all to do with the bird, while the other person is the one who feeds the bird every meal, gives it all it's treats, cleans it cage, spends all day long with the bird every day and has the bird out of it's cage all day long with them every day, etc...And it ends-up that the bird, for whatever reason, chooses the other person as the one they want to bond-closely with, and they want little to do with the person who wanted them in the first place...And this often causes huge issues in relationships and marriages...And the same thing often happens with a bird that is supposed to belong to one of the kids, is purchased for the kid and the kid is completely responsible for the bird, and the bird bonds with one of the parents or with one of the kid's siblings...

When this happens there are some things you can do to try to at least strengthen your relationship with the bird, so that even if the bird didn't choose you, at least they like you or are willing to spend time with you...These things include making sure that all the "good" things are done by you, all the treats are given to the bird by you, etc., and all the bad things like Vet trips are done by the person the bird has chosen to bond with...Other than that just making sure that you're the person who spends all their time with the bird whenever possible, whenever everyone is home YOU are the person who is with the bird...But you have to make sure you aren't forcing/pushing the bird to do things they don't want to do or forcing them to be with you when their chosen person is at home...It's a tough situation at best...

***So you need to be totally aware that often times Parrots do not make good "family" pets at all...In fact, I wouldn't ever call Parrots a "family" pet, like a dog or cat or ferret or other pet who likes all the family members and is fine spending time with and being touched by/held by everyone in the house, etc. Parrots in-general do not work that way at all. And while there are exceptions, these are INDIVIDUAL BIRD EXCEPTIONS, rather than there being one particular species of parrot that are great "family" pets and who often bond with everyone in the household..If that happens, it's simply "luck of the draw" of the individual bird you brought home.

***As stated above, Conures, regardless of the species, are extremely clingy, needy, affectionate birds that do bond very, very closely with "their person", who they choose for whatever reason they choose them...Is it possible that a Conure could bond very closely with one particular person in the house and then STILL love the others in the house as well? That's a tough question, as I try to answer it I keep going to type "Not Likely"...They do often choose a particular person, but while that person isn't at home but someone else is, they are perfectly fine hanging-out with that person, but only until "their person" comes home, then all bets are off. I think the bottom-line is that you just don't ever know until you get the bird home, they get through "The Honeymoon Period", settle-in, and they cling-on to one particular person, and you see how they interact with them and everyone else...It's just a wait and see kind of thing. But a Conure is probably not the best choice if this is going to be an issue with you and your family...

I have both a Green Cheek Conure and a Senegal Parrot, but I live alone and am currently single, so they are both bonded to me extremely closely...Would that change if/when someone else comes into the picture? I don't know, but I do know that whenever anyone comes over to my house and spends time with me, they don't particularly like it...My Green Cheek is known for doing the "quick bite and fly-away" thing to anyone who touches me; I will also add that my Green Cheek Conure is the bird in my Flock who is definitely, without a doubt the most-closely bonded to me...When they say "Velcro-Birds" about Conures, they mean it! My Senegal is WAY MORE laid-back than either my Conure or my Quaker Parrot, though he too is very bonded to me, he doesn't tend to attack other people who come over to the house (or attack me whenever someone touches me, as to say "Move! They're touching you! Move!")...Both my Green Cheek and my Quaker act the same way, very possessive and protective of me, and very aggressive/jealous of anyone who touches me...

My Cockatiel would absolutely be my most "neutral" bird; while she is bonded to me closely, she is the only one who will step-up for someone else and who never attacks anyone who touches me. (All 4 of them came to my home as hand-raised/hand-fed babies who had just finished weaning, just an FYI) I grew-up with a mom who bred parrots, including Cockatiels, and I bred Cockatiels, Green Cheeks, Suns, Jendays, etc., and the Cockatiels overall were the most-friendly, "outgoing" parrots by-far in the sense that they do bond closely with one specific person, but they can also like/be cuddly and friendly with everyone else in the house as well...So a Cockatiel might be a species of Parrot you want to look into...

Others will hopefully give their opinions and give some ideas as well...
 
OP
D

d_hoover18

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Apr 1, 2019
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Thanks for all the info everyone! That is going to be very helpful down the road when I finally make a decision.

EllenD, you actually described my situation perfectly. My girlfriend finally agreed to let me get a parrot. It took some convincing but I think going to see a bird finally tipped her over the edge. Anyway, she says as long as I take care of it (feed, train, clean up after, etc..) then she accepts. She didn't want one because they are noisy and messy, which I understand... At the same time I think that goes for most pets.

Have any of you heard of the "Parrot Wizard"? I just purchased his book yesterday "The Parrot Wizard's Guide To Well Behaved Parrots", I was hoping somebody has read it and could tell me if it helped at all. I have been watching videos on his youtube channel and all of his birds seem to respond well to anyone. He makes it look easy but I feel like tons of training went into all of that.
 

GaleriaGila

Well-known member
Parrot of the Month 🏆
May 14, 2016
15,045
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Cleveland area
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The Rickeybird, 38-year-old Patagonian Conure
Wow, see what great advice and support you're already getting? I'm so glad you're here!

Yeah that Wizard guy has some good ideas, but personally, I'd turn to THIS FORUM first and most often for training and husbandry input.

Welcome!

9lhIlM0.jpg
 

noodles123

Well-known member
Jul 11, 2018
8,145
472
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Umbrella Cockatoo- 15? years old..I think?
Hello and welcome. Birds are way more work than dogs or cats. They are more like children and they require a TON of routine, time and patience (**if you wouldn't get 3 very needy, loud, destructive dogs or a toddler, please, do not get a parrot lol--because a parrot could run circles around my fictitious dogs, and dogs pretty much will grow to love you eventually if you feed them--not the case with birds**. I would not dive into bird ownership without some serious volunteer experience first.
Aside from behavioral stuff, much of what I will say to you (as a potential parrot owner) has been said in the following link (see below).

Here is the link:
http://www.parrotforums.com/conures/79944-wanting-purchase-my-first-feathered-friend.html
^^^it addresses important aspects of parrot ownership in detail. Please DO examine the thread carefully because there is a lot that people don't know about Teflon (including alternate names and the places where it is often hidden outside of the kitchen). Start by reading the last 2 posts on page one and then continue. I type the same things so often that it gets old, but I would type to you exactly what I typed in the link (so I hope you read it).

Chemical household cleaners and other seemingly innocent scented products are out if you get a parrot (there are very few safe cleaners for sale over the counter--not all of the "natural" stuff is safe for birds either). Essential oils are dangerous in many cases because they enter into the blood stream when diffused through the air.

Although this link was included in the link I posted above, I am posting it here in case you don't read the entire thread. It contains more information on Teflon and birds:https://www.ewg.org/research/canarie...on-kills-birds
 
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Laurasea

Well-known member
Aug 2, 2018
12,593
10,702
USA
Parrots
Full house
Welcome! Exciting times! I agree with EllenD , Nanday conures are known for being loud, though most any species can be loud I spent today cringing from my two quakeres and green cheeck trying to out screech each other. Have to admit it frayed my nerves a bit ;)
Parrots are so unique and wonderful amazing companions there is just nothing like having these brilliant creatures.
We all just like to warn people because it requires so much time and dedication and lifestyle changes to keep them happy healthy. You have to throw away all non stick cookware as the off gassing when cooking will kill your bird in seconds. You have to change the way you clean your house as the chemicals we clean with can kill your bird, you can't use plug in scented stuff cuz yep can kill your bird. Many irons and ironing boards have a non stick that yep can kill... They are so sensitive to toxins so you really do have to read up and be so careful. We have horror stories all the time of birds dropping dead from these household dangers. You have to be careful with lotions and perfumes, and any topical flea and tick stuff used on your dog.
I also recommend finding a local breeder and getting your parrot directly from them. Parrots often choose their people and if you are lucky you can tell at first meeting, the immediately want to be with you, are very interested in you .
I look forward to hearing about your journey!
 

Scott

Supporting Member
Aug 21, 2010
32,673
9,789
San Diego, California USA, Earth, Milky Way Galaxy
Parrots
Goffins: Gabby, Abby, Squeaky, Peanut, Popcorn / Citron: Alice / Eclectus: Angel /Timneh Grey: ET / Blue Fronted Amazon: Gonzo /

RIP Gandalf and Big Bird, you are missed.
Welcome to the forums, Dan! Glad you felt excitement while visiting the jenday! I'd encourage you to explore the various conure species and perhaps others as available. In many cases I'd suggest allowing MBS to set in (Multiple Bird Syndrome) to satisfy all interests, but your girlfriend will likely allow just one!!
 

Kiwibird

Well-known member
Jul 12, 2012
9,539
111
Parrots
1 BFA- Kiwi. Hatch circa 98', forever home with us Dec. 08'
Be sure you can commit for 35+ years to the noise, mess, attention needs and the fact parrots can and will occasionally inflict a painful and possibly skin breaking bite (especially as adults during their mating season) no matter how well trained they are. Parrots are not considered domesticated and even hand raised babies are only a few generations out of the wild.

If you can accept their ‘negatives’ of parrot ownership, they really do make wonderful companions and many enjoy being part of a busy family, so long as they are regularly included in family outings/activities. If you get a baby, begin harness training ASAP so the bird can be included in more activities. Remember these birds live in large flocks and as their adopted flock, they want to be with you as much as possible. It’s important to teach independent play too, but inclusion in your life is the key to a happy life with a bird.
 
OP
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d_hoover18

New member
Apr 1, 2019
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Thank you all for the wonderful information you have given me!

I think its time to completely blow your mind (maybe it won't but we shall see)…

I have been learning to navigate this forum and I think I have become quite good at it... With that being said, I have completely changed my mind on what type of parrot I think is best for me and my family. Until becoming a member of this forum I never heard of an "Eclectus". Have I seen pictures of them before? Most certainly I have but I never knew what they were or that they could even be a pet. The only thing I knew about them was how beautiful they are. Thanks to this forum I now know what they are called, male and female are colored completely different and that a male Eclectus is the bird for me.


This whole time I was going back and forth between Conure and Senegal, only to find that the Eclectus has been playing a game of hide and seek with me waiting for me to discover the wonders of this beautiful bird. I've been following some on Instagram and facebook. Watching videos, whether its on training or just them having fun. I've been reading about the high fibre diets they need to be on and how to keep them healthy.

I'm not done with my homework by any means but there is now no doubt in my mind which parrot is right for me.
 

Kalel

New member
Jan 2, 2015
473
8
Canada
Parrots
Sun conure named Lemon (nickname Moonie) hatched August 28, 2014, BFA Professor Green hatched August 22, 2014, Macaw Flash hatched Sept 15, 2007
Well, it sure looks like you are doing your homework and that's great. The more you know the better. At the end of the day, none of us know everything and I can say I learn new things all the time (thank you parrot forums and all the wonderful people and advice you share). Keep researching like it sounds you have been doing and hopefully the right bird finds you!
 

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