Tips on selecting the right parrot for us

Pookamama

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Jul 10, 2012
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Oregon, USA
Parrots
Pepper, a Timneh African Grey
Hi, my name is Diana. I live with my husband and four kiddos. We have been carefully and thoroughly researching parrot ownership over the last few days. We realize this is a big responsibility to take on. My husband had a blue-headed pionus as a boy when he lived in South America and we've been interested in being parrot owners for awhile. Now that our kiddos are not babies anymore and we had a bird-sitting experience our interest has been rekindled.

So-there are a few lovely species out there. We are very attracted to African Greys and Blue-Headed Pionuses, (although there seems to be difficulty finding breeders of the latter in Oregon.) We are very willing to consider other species if they'd be a great fit for us!

I have a few questions I was hoping you could help me with as far as breeders go. Just to clarify, while this bird will belong to the family the primary caregivers will be myself and my husband, this will not be a bird for the kids. A lot of what I have read about the healthy treatment and care and attention needed for parrots is very similar to raising children. We are considering this more like an adoption of a person rather than a pet, as this is a lifelong commitment. We want to make sure we get a good fit for us and for the bird so that this is healthy for everybody. I am a stay at home mom and while my children are energetic, they are very compassionate and interested in the pets that family members have and the cockatiels we've been birdsitting.

We have a room where there is a lot of action (the kitchen) and another where it's a great deal quieter. I have heard that parrots prefer to be where the action is while in their cage. However, having rowdy kids, would a bird prefer a bit of quiet once in a while? We were considering getting a cage with wheels so we could move the bird into the quiet room if he/she seemed overwhelmed by my sometimes rambunctious children. Is this a good plan? I plan on only having the bird around the children supervised until I am absolutely confident that the kids are mature enough to deal with a bird, and I suspect that will probably take years. My children are young (the youngest is 2). But the bird would still be around the children a lot. With the sometimes loud and sudden noises and movements, would that be too much stress for a parrot? Or if we got a baby and it grew up with lots of noises and action, would it just get used to it? Are some breeds of parrot better than others for dealing with it, or does it just depend on the bird?

Any other advice and tips would be appreciated. We have done a great deal of reading on and off over the years and especially during the last week as we've been interested in parrot ownership.

I am having difficulty finding a lot of reliable websites of breeders in Oregon, many haven't been updated in years. How do you best determine from afar if a breeder has a safe and bird-friendly environment that they've raised their birds in? Is it necessary to visit the home? We are in the Albany area and don't mind traveling a couple hours to visit birds we are seriously interested in.

Thanks! I know that's a lot of questions.
 

paulhanlon

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Jun 10, 2012
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Newton aycliffe Co.Durham
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Jinx - Blue Fronted Amazon hatched 12.06.2012
Hey diana have you thought about the conure parrot or maybe a hahns macaw they are both great parrots to have if raised right or if you want an african grey i would go for one of them again brilliant to have in your home if raised right and the awnser to your question about would the bird want some quiet time yes it would just like kids parrots need a rest for some piece and quiet aswell hope this helps you and can't wait to see a picture soon.
 
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Pookamama

Pookamama

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Jul 10, 2012
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Oregon, USA
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Pepper, a Timneh African Grey
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Oh thanks! I will check that out and see if there are breeders in the area for those birds. Right now I have messaged a guy who is selling his six month old male African gray. Do you think that's too old to adjust to a new home? He says the bird is a big sweetie.
 

keepsmiling

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Jun 21, 2012
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Hi Diana,welcome! Yes some species are better than others at dealing with household noises, and children running around. Some thrive in that environment, and some go nuts. You never want to move a bird's cage though. Better to get it a 'sleeping cage' in a quiet part of the house. There are breeders that most of us are familiar with, and some we would steer you away from. It depends on what type of bird you decide on. I recommend getting to know each of several species, and go from there. Do not rush in, as this is a lifelong commitment with most medium to large birds.
 

ann

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Feb 18, 2011
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Parrots
1 nanday conure Black Jack, 1 Brotogeris parakeet Whiff, 1 ring neck dove Eliza, and 6 society finches (3 are tame). RIP my parent pairs of societies and my little gouldian finches
i second paulhanlon and suggest a conure. they are all sorts of sizes, colors, and personalities, there is one for everyone :). personally, the aratinga conures are my favorite. they are a little bigger, and louder, but IMHO are more gentle and are the perfect medium size. pyurrha connures are smaller and from what i have heard more sassy, but oh so adorable! if you go for the aratinga, i would say get a blue crown, nanday, or patagonian. my patigonian is having lots of issues, but she was from a bad breeder (my own fault for getting him from there), but if raised right and properly trained, they are incredibly affectionate. even with his issues, the first time i held oscar he wouldn't stop cuddling and preening me. they can also be very gentle, but playful and silly. mine is an exception, so don't let that deter you from them, if raised right they are great! if you go for the pyurrha, green cheek conures, black capped conures, and painted conures all make funny, affectionate, pint sized companions. but dont let their small size fool you, they act allot bigger than they look. good luck with your choice, you will be a great bird owner :)!
 

paulhanlon

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Jun 10, 2012
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Newton aycliffe Co.Durham
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Jinx - Blue Fronted Amazon hatched 12.06.2012
Oh thanks! I will check that out and see if there are breeders in the area for those birds. Right now I have messaged a guy who is selling his six month old male African gray. Do you think that's too old to adjust to a new home? He says the bird is a big sweetie.
At 6 months old this grey is still only a young one he/she might seem scared at first when coming into your home but once settled in it should be fine do you know it this bird has being parent or hand raised?
 

Sarahtheumbrella

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Jun 22, 2012
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a beautiful umbrella cockatoo
I am by no means an expert, but here is what I think.

I think that your family should get a baby bird firstly. I got my cockatoo when she was at age 8, and although she is working on adjusting, she still has a hard time adjusting all the way around.

With a baby bird, you could teach it to get used to the stress and nise of four children, and the house.

As for the breed, maybe a grey, an amazon. The grey's are very intelligent and popular, and are usually not that loud.


If you get an older bird, the process of moving the cage maybe stressful (as it is for mine). I prefer to just ask evryone to step out of the area for a bit, and turn on some calming music.
When you go to get the bird, I would test out some noises and see the reaction in the bird. You don't want to get a bird who is terrified of noises into your house :)

Lastly, if the cage is in the kitchen, I would be careful when cooking. In case of a fire, or smoke from toast, bits of hot oil from cooking eggs, are all hazards.

Good luck
 

Spiritbird

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A grey may not be too happy in a busy, loud family setting. They are on the quiet side and do not like changes or new people.
 
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Pookamama

Pookamama

New member
Jul 10, 2012
509
3
Oregon, USA
Parrots
Pepper, a Timneh African Grey
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Oh thanks! I will check that out and see if there are breeders in the area for those birds. Right now I have messaged a guy who is selling his six month old male African gray. Do you think that's too old to adjust to a new home? He says the bird is a big sweetie.
At 6 months old this grey is still only a young one he/she might seem scared at first when coming into your home but once settled in it should be fine do you know it this bird has being parent or hand raised?

I have messaged the man selling the bird with a few questions-asking where he got the bird and so forth.

-The sleeping cage is a good idea. Does it need to be as large as the 'outer room' cage?

-I will look up the conures. My biology teacher in high school had a conure. Not sure which type, she was green. And the other birds mentioned as well. Thanks for all the good information!
 

keepsmiling

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Jun 21, 2012
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I would not put an Amazon or a grey into that environment. I would not suggest a mini macaw either..way too nippy. I would say the blue crown conure is good suggestion, or perhaps a redbellied parrot. The bird does not have to come from the same state. Shipping is quick and done every day. The sleep cage can be a little smaller.
 

Echo

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Dec 7, 2009
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Green Cheek Conures, Crimson Conures, CAG, Pionus, Budgies, Goffin Cockatoo
The Pionus is a good choice for a mid size parrot. It is laid back and easy going. The Green Cheek Conure I feel is too small for a busy family with little kids(I have no experience with Blue Crown). Yes they are the kind of birds that like a busy household, however, little hands can still hurt them. They are small. A more substantial bird might be safer in my opinion. Pionus are not nippy either and not a one person bird either.
I would not recommend the Grey from my experience with mine, they don't like fast moving children, or too much commotion. They also tend to prefer one human. Their bite is quite hard for little kids too.
 

wenz2712

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Welcome to the forum:)

A Pionus is always a good choice or have you thought about an Alexandrine?
 

ann

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Feb 18, 2011
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USA
Parrots
1 nanday conure Black Jack, 1 Brotogeris parakeet Whiff, 1 ring neck dove Eliza, and 6 society finches (3 are tame). RIP my parent pairs of societies and my little gouldian finches
i agree, a pionus is a good choice,very laid back and slow to bite. the ones i have met were babies but they were so patient, easygoing, and nevr tried to bite me. that doesnt nmean they dont bite, im just saying they are very gentle :).
 

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