Best parrot for owner that works many hours

Hello ladies and guys!


I am very glad to be a member of this wonderful forum!
I am a high school student and in a few years (hopefully) i'll be studying. ( most probably engineering)


I always loved parrots (for an inexplicable reason Lol ) and i own 2 male cockatiels.

In a few years, i am thinking of getting a bigger-more intelligent parrot (it will be handfed this time, not like my tiels who were parent-raised)

My question is which species is better for a college student and a future 'many-hour' worker?

In the afternoons (after 15:00) i'll be mostly home, as i am not the type of guy who is very outgoing and always away. When i am home the parrot will be out of the cage, but since i will be studying i will not be able to devote more than an hour interacting ONLY with the parrot.


I'll be living alone in an apartment, thus noise can be partly tolerated.(i'm accustomed to parrot screams, but i wouldn't want a bird as loud as a big macaw)

So,this are the factors which will determine the best parrot for me ( 1st one - most important, last one less important)
1)Intelligent bird

2)It must be a parrot that will not want me to be always in the house.He/she must be able to entertain him/hershelf in the mornings.However, the afternoons will be out of its cage with me (mostly,while i study but i will have some time only for the parrot ).

3)I want an interesting, preferably cuddly bird (speaking will be good), and not a 'perch potato' . Generally i want to be able to do things with my bird (take out for a walk, take it with me on short trips).


Cost is not an issue.




So,the actual question is:

Which parrot species can live happily if their owner isn't always at home but is able(the owner) to give at least 4-5 hours out of cage time(in the same room with the owner) and 40-60 minutes to interact only with the bird?


I understand that each individual bird is different. I was always charmed by greys and mini macaws (particularly the hahns macaw) but i want to be sure that such a bird will match my lifestyle.

I won't be getting a bird soon (after at least 2,5 years) but i have started doing my research. The problem is that everybody says different and contradicting things about the same species.

Sorry for my long post and my bad english ( english is not my mother language)

Thank you in advance!!!!

Hmmm well their isn't a cuddly bird out their besides conures and toos but you really cant have macaws, cockatoos (toos) , amazons, African greys, or conures in an appartment they are way too loud and hahans macaws are just as loud as an large macaw. The ideal bird for you might be like an teil, budgie (most parakeets are loud like the IRNP or the Alexandrian) pious parrots aren't bad but all birds need more than 5 hours of outside play time and much more than that with their mom/dad. I would recommend a poicephalus parrot. Ya Afircan greys and hahans macaws arnt even good for housing developments. :/

Hmm. There are SO many that fit your criteria, if given a 'proper' upbringing to acustom themselves to being left alone and not scream.

Obviously, with noise and stuff you will probably want to be avoiding the 'larger' birds who tend to have the louder voices, but it depends entirely on your tolerance or approach to bird voices. I can handle a 'toos call a lot better than I can handle a sun conures screech. So I think you need to actually spend time listening to each type of bird to see what you find more pleasing to the ears!

Any bird has the potential to handle a long amount of alone time (as long as they get quality time!), if they're taught how to be alone, play alone and entertain alone. Some birds 'need' their flock more than other, 'toos and greys are almost neurotic and desperate for stimulation and the company of their flock, but it can be done. Many people work long hours and still have happy and loving lives with their bird friends!

So I guess you should look into the noise factor first, then find some other 'disqualifying' factors for birds.

Hanhs macaws are lovely, or yellow collared and they seem to be what you're looking in to and they'd be something I could recommend for what you're 'in to'

Edit for cuddling factor: Many birds can be cuddly! I have a very cuddly boy, and a hands off bird - it really is an individual basis. So I'd recommend meeting a bird rather than going off species alone.

Sorry I couldn't just say 'get X bird', it's really not that simple!

Thank you for replying!

So,like i had expected 'toos , amazons and greys are out of my list since they need a lot of mental stimulation.

Cuddliness is not very important to me. Of course it would be a pros for the bird to be cuddly, but it would not be a major problem if the bird is not cuddly. (i've heard of people having a parrot known for being cuddly, but the specific individual they own is not cuddly at all, so i think its a characteristic of each individual's personality)

kq_fan : I've been researching a bit about pionus but i read that they are way too quiet birds. I would not want an 'inactive' bird. I want to have an active parrot that would be a joy to watch playing and discovering. I've also been researching about pois (mostly senegals) They seem to be good for me, but i would get one, only if the time i am willing to spend is not enough for a mini macaw. ( a mini macaw's personality seems more appealing to me.



Mayden: Thank you for your advice. I understand that the voice of a specific species might be more annoying compared to a same-volumed voice of another species. Concerning the noise factor, there is no problem with the neighbors so i must judge if i will be annoyed by the bird's scream.



So, my bird will be whether a senegal(i think they are the most beautiful and i read the most friendly, of the poi family), a mini macaw or (???) a pionus( i have some doubts ).



Do you think that a small species of amazon would be good for me?(they say these birds are difficult and pass a hormonal phase that can be tricky to handle, they are also loud)


What do you think of caiques? It is said that they are active and self-entertaining birds.Would a caique suit my lifestyle?



Thank you again!!

A Caique would be too active in my opinion for your situation. Out of the species I own, they are the loudest and the ones who tolerate the least being left in the cage (and I have 2 of them sharing a cage, so they aren't lonely). And when out of the cage they get into everything, they would eat your homework, pens, drink your soda, coffee etc...

I have 2 Pionus and that's a great parrot. They might not be acrobatic or talkative, but they are smart, loyal and love spending time with their owner....no matter if it's watching tv, watching you work or go for a wall. I find them tolerant and adaptable.
You don't see many Pionus in rescues because people keep them...they're great!

Reading this I immediately thought of caiques [Get 2] . They will have each other while your away . I love that mine entertain themselves so well. But are loving and cuddle also .Fun birds [but you do need to read up on them]. Check out the Caique section here. Amazons are great but can be very loud . Rosebreasted cockatoos are quiet [but would not do well at all by themselves]

Hello and welcome! I have wanted a mini macaw for a while now, and have been doing tons of research on ycm. While I can't speak from personal experience, I don't think a yellow collared macaw is the right fit. They can be very loud, and need a lot of time and socialization. However, I think a brown headed parrot or other poi would be a great fit!

All parrots are highly social animals and this means nature created them to live in the company of a large, extended family from birth to death. Been alone for many hours means insecurity and loneliness at best and anxiety and depression at worst. Some of them do well for years until they don't any longer. Most of them don't do well at all. And then there is a very small number of them that resign themselves to it. But none of them actually 'gets used to it' because the need for company is hard-wired and you cannot 'train' them out of it, there will always be stress.

In your situation, I would recommend a bonded pair of hand-fed individuals that could have a relationship with you while still having each other when you are not there.

I like Pajarita's reocmmendation best of all for the situation you describe. You are planning ahead for something that would happen in a couple or more years away. So things may change. I am wonering too -- what about waiting until after you finish college and start working. Since bringing home a juvenile parrot is going to be a commitment for decades, it could be very good to first see what kind of job you will be in, i.e. will you have to travel away from home for days at a time, or will you have a long commute taking away more time from birdy, etc. Just a thought.

Ok I understand about the pionus, they are BEAUTIFUL but they aren't the playful typ! :/

Thank you all for replying

echo, pinkbirdy: Although your 2 posts say almost opposite things, it seems that if i get caiques it will be a pair and not only one parrot

ann: Thank you for your advice. If i get a mini macaw it will most probably be the hahns or noble as they seem to be the 'easiest' mini macaws.


Pajarita: Getting two parrots might be the best choice for me, so that they will be always interacting and happy if i cannot offer all the time a single one might need.

WannaBeAParrot: I see your point and i think you're right. Things will (possibly) have changed when the time comes, so i will research again to be 100% sure that my choice will be right. If college is too hard and i see that i have not much free time, then i will definitely 'postpone' the purchase of a parrot. I 've start researching from now in order to make it a bit easier when the time comes.



If i decide to get a pair, does independancy really matter? I mean,couldn't it be two cockatoos, or two greys? ( since they will be together they won't feel lonely)



Thank you again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Good idea about getting two!

If you are not able to spend time with it, you don't want a parrot. If you are stuck on getting a bird, maybe try a pair of Zebra Finches, or something similar. They have each other for company and only need you to keep them fed and cleaned.
When I first moved out of my parents' house i wanted to get a pet, but I owned a repair shop, and between work, towing cars and dating, I was never home. I bought an adult Ball Python. She is a great snake, and as social as a snake can be, but she sure doesn't wait up for me to get home. If I left for 2 weeks the only thing she would care about would be her water dish getting empty. Almost 25 years later, I still have her...and she still doesn't crave my attention.

Without trying to sound harsh, if you already know you won't have time to dedicate to a pet, please rethink getting a bird.

Joe

Something for you to also think about when getting two birds is are they from the same place your getting or two separate birds that's never been together before? When introducing two birds together, you need separate cages for that to happen. Some may not get along where you always have to keep them in separate cages. My macaws don't get along and I've got a male and a female. They fight whenever they meet so I handle them separately....With Cockatoos, when the males goes into hormones, they're known to kill females because of wanting to mate, that is something to consider as well!!!

well, i think the best choice is getting a pair....

MikeyTN : Thank you for your advice. I've observed the same thing with 2 of my tiels(they never got along well). I didn't know that, about cockatoos, but if i decide to get 2 toos (very unlikely) i will do a good research before i buy them.


Joe: I know that getting a bird is a huge commitment. I don't say that i have no time. I am just a person who is not always home. I 've read that many large bird owner are always at home. So, I posted here to see if larger birds are only for this kind of people. I've totally owned 4 cockatiels ( now i have 2.one flew away and the other died by an infection) and i know how is it to own a bird.





So, it seems that the majority of people here think that if a person ,that works, wants to get a large bird, he had better get a pair.


Thank you again for your responses!!

I'm out for eight hours of the day, and we do ok but I make sure she gets a lot of attention in the mornings and evenings. She generally gets between six and seven hours a day out of cage time, and I'm hands on with her as much of that as she wants me to be. Sometime I have an hour or so's work to get on with in the evening - often she'll sit happily on my lap or shoulder and play with a toy while I work, other days she spends the entire time clambering about my torso like a hyperactive child on a climbing frame, eagerly chewing anything that fits into her beak and generally being a menace. If the latter is the case, she gets the attention and I'll chip away at the work when I can. The big thing with her is being in my company, she doesn't really mind me doing other things as long as they don't take me away from her.

I do worry about leaving her during the day but she'd spent at least the six months prior to coming here in an 18" square cage, rarely having any physical contact and she's blossomed so much since she's been here so I don't feel too guilty about it. She also has a huge cage and a dozen or so toys in steady rotation, and even when I'm home she likes to doze through the middle of the afternoon then stay up later than is strictly appropriate, so we seem to have a routine that works, if not ideal.

Jayyj, thank you very much for your reply. That's Exacly what i wanted to hear!!!!

So,it's good to hear that a large parrot will be able to remain alone for 8 hours.(of course with many toys and sources of stimulation as you say).

It's also nice to hear that the parrot will not always demand 'direct' attention, and that will feel comfortable being with me while i do something else ( study in my case).


Thanks again!!

I work 12hr shifts and my birds are fine, but usually one of us is home either in the mornings or evenings for a bit but sometimes our schedule goes crazy where we both working a lot. All you have to do is teach them to play alone. That's all it takes is for them to learn to entertain themselves. I stay up pretty late so I usually have a bird or two on me while I'm typing on here during the wee hours. They can learn to adapt!

Thanks MikeyTN for your input!

question answered!

JoeR said:

If you are not able to spend time with it, you don't want a parrot. If you are stuck on getting a bird, maybe try a pair of Zebra Finches, or something similar. They have each other for company and only need you to keep them fed and cleaned.
When I first moved out of my parents' house i wanted to get a pet, but I owned a repair shop, and between work, towing cars and dating, I was never home. I bought an adult Ball Python. She is a great snake, and as social as a snake can be, but she sure doesn't wait up for me to get home. If I left for 2 weeks the only thing she would care about would be her water dish getting empty. Almost 25 years later, I still have her...and she still doesn't crave my attention.

Without trying to sound harsh, if you already know you won't have time to dedicate to a pet, please rethink getting a bird.

Joe

Click to expand...

I have to agree with Joe on this one. Today you may want one, but as you get older your priorities may change. I have 2 kids in college who have part-time jobs and S/O which translates into them rarely home. They just eat, sleep, shower, and play on the computer when they are here. They spend very little time with the dog and cat we have.