Galah, conure, parrotlet or caique?

Hi there! I'm an online college student looking for a companion bird.

Cost, noise, size isn't an issue here, in case anyone was wondering.

I had thought that I had settled on parrotlets, until I brought into factor my cats. I have four. My cats are not allowed in my bedroom (ever), and this is were I spend a very, very vast majority of my time. I figure that a larger bird, like a galah or caique, would be better in this situation. Plus, parrotlets are so tiny, I'd be afraid to hurt one. With parrotlets, I could have two (I am a firm believer that animals should be in pairs, especially herd or flock animals. Animals of their own kind can interact better than they could with any human.).

I have never actually owned a bird, though I have birdsat my uncle's galah numerous times before. She's an absolute sweetheart, and if I could steal her... I would. I kind of fell in love with her a couple of years ago. I know how large their enclosures must be, their diet needs, how loud they are, etc. With these guys, I couldn't get two because of their price. Plus, I would have to pay for shipping for one of these guys, as there are no local breeders.

A blue crowned conure or a sun conure is another option. The local breeder has both of these, though I would only be able to get two of a sun conure if I went this route. The blue crowned conures are definitely more expensive in this area.

The fourth option is a white-bellied caique. Again, I would only be able to get one of these (at first!). Either way I go, if I only start out with one bird, I definitely plan on getting another one for some form of birdie interaction, even if they aren't in the same cage.

Please tell me your thoughts and suggestions, which one you would recommend (feel free to add to the list if you wish!), and why or why not. Thank you!

PS: I think I got this in the right category. If not, please move it to where it should be.

I think caiques are great. They are able to entertain themselves very well and will definitely provide comic relief. Just be forewarned. They are like potato chips. You can't have just one. (We have 4 lol)

I suggest searching about the different species' personalities.
As an example, even though parrotlets are small they will likely take on
any or all of your cats in a heartbeat.
They have large personalities more like an Amazon than a parakeet and are generally very outgoing.
Also, I believe a male bird is a better match for a woman.
Some species will not stay tame if you have a pair together.
Just read all you can and see what sounds like a better fit for you personally.

It really depends on what you want in a companion. Do you want one that is likely to talk? Quiet? Playful? Needy? Independent?

Example: I got a sennie because I like their size and they are known for being more quiet, but still love scritches.

My point with the cats is that parrotlets are so small. Again, the cats are not let into my room - ever - but I mean, if someone gets in there. I have cats of all sizes, one of them could stick her paws through 1/2 bar spacing.

I'm aware that larger birds, like the Galah (who I'm leaning towards currently), require larger bar spacing... But a Galah wouldn't take any crap from a cat. My uncle's galah actually tries to preen his cat (they're only together under supervision... his cat is laaazy, not saying that something could happen, but someone is always there.), and the cat doesn't like it too much. It depends on the cats, and it depends on the bird.

I'm not looking for a massively clingy and cuddly bird. Talking would be nice, and noise isn't really a problem. If I can deal with my four cats, and my boyfriend's two cats, plus my boyfriend, who whines like a small child... I know for a fact that I can handle a bird, lol.

Galahs are great birds. If I ever lost my mind and got a too that would be the one I'd get.

Is it bad that I snorted my Tango Apple while reading that??

I have no mind to lose! It's been gone, gone, gone for ages. I mean, I'm pretty sure it was gone long before I decided to take law classes and stuff... It's extra super gone now.

The only problem is that I'll be moving to England here in a couple of years, assuming that my boyfriend and are I still together. I don't know how well that flight would go...The noise doesn't bother him, and I asked him if it made me extra gay since I wanted a pink bird... He said I couldn't get any more camp than I already am. But, he too said that I had lost my mind for wanting a 'too. I told him the same thing that I said above.

A friend of mine mentioned the price of a Galah. The cheapest one I could get my hands on is $1300. I said that you know, once you break it down... For example, if the bird lived 30 years.

1300 / 30 = ~43

So that'd be roughly $43 a year for a bird. I didn't think about looking at it like that until a couple hours ago, honestly.

Caiques are fantastic, I don't know too much about them though. They are heavy bodied parrots with adorable short rounded wings.

I love galahs, they are really awesome birds. Keep in mind they should be left fully flighted as well as motivated to fly. They are very prone to fatty liver, obesity, and fatty tumors. Cages should be a bit bigger than what you would think is the minimum, they have huge wings for their size and would appreciate that room.

Diet should consist of a high quality pellet(I feed Harrison's), lots of fresh veggies and some fruit, healthy prepared foods, and a some grains. Seed should only be given as a treat and never fed as a staple.

Where are you living at right now???

One thing about my galah, clingy and cuddly would be the first words that pop into my head when I describe her! She's pretty quiet and not particularly demanding in the classic cockatoo seeking attention sense but if I leave her in the front room while I do something next door, she'll have a horrible hurt expression on her face when I go back in. I generally let her accompany me about the house, and she'll sit quietly and let me get on with what I'm doing (well, most of the time. ..well, some of the time... ok, occasionally...). She's not really into toys and would far rather sit on my lap whilst I run my fingers through her crest than be off playing and entertaining herself. She gets on fine with the cat though.

And, gay or straight, pink is a fine choice for a parrot!

I don't know how anyone could not love a pink parrot.

I do not believe in the clipping of wings. Birds are birds, they are meant to fly. Why take any part of that away?

The bird would be free flighted around my room most definitely, and could be flighted downstairs if the cats are locked upstairs (we have a huge, open 3 bedroom house, they wouldn't be cramped). I'm currently living in America, pretty much right smack on the Canadian border.... And it's colder here than it is there! It's currently -8F/-22C and that's with no clouds in the sky and the sun out. Oof. At least my house is warm.

I was looking at Harrison's and Roudybush. I'm leaning more towards Harrison's because of the organic ingredients... I can always freeze extra, can't I?

From what I've heard from a few other owners, and experience from my uncle's galah, they'll cuddle a bit. My uncle's would cuddle for a few minutes then want to go straight back to doing what she was doing before she got neck stritches and all up under your hair, lol.

At this point, I'm definitely leaning more towards a galah. They, and sun conures, are the only ones that I have any experience with. I've cared for a galah, whereas I haven't cared for sun conures. And let's face it... I think the sun conures were louder, but my friend also does have three, which adds to the noise level. But honestly? Clingy and cuddly, or on for a few stritches then off to play more? I wouldn't care. Like I said, I'm home all the time, save a couple hours a week. He/she would definitely get all the cuddles they wanted.

I will (maybe) be moving before I get this bird, but it would be into a house-like apartment. No complexes. Plus, I have yet to find a single apartment in this area that doesn't take birds. Some of them are more willing to take ferrets (who I adore, they're lovely) than they are to take cats. It's silly.

My boyfriend is all "eh I don't want a pink bird", but I know that within about 2 days he'd be all "d'aw you're such a pretty bird", so his opinion is currently irrelevant. He says they're cute but that they should have "different colors". He's kind of ridiculous, but he's cute... so I guess I'll keep him.

Edit:

Also, the cage I'm looking at currently is (just the cage) 39-3/4" x 27" x 55-1/4" high. With the stand, it's 41" x 28" x 72" high. The spacing is 1". Would this be big enough, or should I try to find bigger?

Also, with Harrison's, what do you feed? Coarse or fine? I know some birds, even bigger ones, prefer the fine over coarse.

you mentioned moving to England in a few year. How easy is it to move a bird from one country to another? For some reason I don't see it being easy.

This is Alice's cage, a Montana Heidelberg:



It's not far off the measurements of the one you're looking at so you should be fine with that one. I leave Alice's cage open any time I'm home but she does make use of it quite a bit.

I get the fine High Potency Harrisons pellets.

This is Rosie's cage, it's 36" wide, 68" tall, and 27" deep. I believe this is a excellent size for a galah, and the measurements you described are slightly larger so that's great.

Bourkes said:

I suggest searching about the different species' personalities.
As an example, even though parrotlets are small they will likely take on
any or all of your cats in a heartbeat.
They have large personalities more like an Amazon than a parakeet and are generally very outgoing.
Also, I believe a male bird is a better match for a woman.
Some species will not stay tame if you have a pair together.
Just read all you can and see what sounds like a better fit for you personally.

Click to expand...

Love your comment about the P'let. They are wonderful feisty lil birds. The one I have can be so sweet one min, and then turn in to Godzilla the next. She stomps around, hackles up, when she is mad. It's so funny to watch

SoCalWendy said:

Bourkes said:

I suggest searching about the different species' personalities.
As an example, even though parrotlets are small they will likely take on
any or all of your cats in a heartbeat.
They have large personalities more like an Amazon than a parakeet and are generally very outgoing.
Also, I believe a male bird is a better match for a woman.
Some species will not stay tame if you have a pair together.
Just read all you can and see what sounds like a better fit for you personally.

Click to expand...

Love your comment about the P'let. They are wonderful feisty lil birds. The one I have can be so sweet one min, and then turn in to Godzilla the next. She stomps around, hackles up, when she is mad. It's so funny to watch

Click to expand...

It's true - there are few things in life more entertaining than a parrotlet throwing a tantrum!

Parrotlets are so cute, they really are. But I still fear the cats. A Galah would have no issues taking on a full grown cat, mentally and physically! Unfortunately, a tiny parrotlet could only take them on mentally... Lol!

That cage is lovely. Is that eucalyptus in Rosie's cage?

Sorry for short response. Massive family drama going on. Will have more questions later.

It is a big deal to move any sort of bird internationally. I know you really want a bird now but I bet when you find out how difficult it is to move with a bird you will wish you had waited until after you moved.

A LOT of the rehomes I see are because of moving.

I'm in canada - Vancouver island to be exact. The temp is currently +5 Celsius. Or 40 Fahrenheit. It's the warmest winter I've ever seen and I'm very concerned about our water supply this summer. There is no snow on the mountains. I believe it has much to do with our forests being destroyed. Logging is up 80% from one year ago.... But that's something entirely different then being talked about in this thread.

I'm wondering how moving to England will work with all your pets? I know how incredibly hard it is to move birds across the border. My breeder has the largest breeding group of white fronted amazons, and he purchased them from "down there" lol. It took him 4 years and thousands of dollars. I can't imagine it being any easier to move them across the ocean?