Need advice re Barraband Parakeet

[RichardsMum]

So my daughter (who's 20) decided she wanted to by a parrot. She asked for one with lots of character and was recommended a baby Barraband by the store owner. This lovely, hand-reared, baby has bitten, spat and hissed at everyone since the day he came home. I swear he thinks he's a rottweiler! Although if you're trying to eat he's straight onto your shoulder and trying to wrestle the food from your mouth. He took an instant dislike to my daughter and instead decided to bond with me. He's been with us four months now and he follows me everywhere, even though I'm not allowed to touch him unless invited. He cries if he's left alone (understandable) and OMG the amount of poop he drops is UNBELIEVABLE. I swear I spend all my time cleaning up after him. I know what you're going to say....shut him in his cage. It's a major job persuading him back in there and once caged he kicks up such a fuss he sounds like a troop of chimpanzees. And to be honest, I wouldn't want to be stuck in a cage all day either. I don't have a spare room that I can convert to a bird room, which is a real shame. I can see he is super intelligent and easily bored, and we've spent a fortune on toys and puzzles, which he has quite happily destroyed as soon as he can. My house plants are all dead (cheers Richard!), there's poop all over my light fittings and curtains, and my tether is reaching its end. I'm toying with the idea of getting him a companion, but I'm worried he'll just bully it. Any Barraband owners out there who can give me some words of wisdom please???

 

[dragonlady2]

I have two male Barrabands (brothers). I love them to pieces. If you are lucky enough to get a male, they are prolific talkers and easy to teach language. They are very flighty and are considered more of an aviary bird by some. Mine love to sit in my shoulder and watch games on the iPad. They are super friendly and never bite.
In your case, you will have to train the bird to stay in the cage for periods of time. They are a noisy bird and will chew/play with toys that have balsa, straw, wicker, soft woods as their beak isn't really suited to hard woods. And yes....they are poopers. At least mine will fly off my shoulder and poop elsewhere.
Both of mine will return to their cages upon command. I just tell them "back in your cage" and away they go.
I have heard that females tend to talk less and are a little more difficult to train.
Their flightiness makes it difficult to let out my other birds with them as they can really get going and it tends to put the other birds on edge.
They aren't like my conures or any of my other birds....a little wilder, but awesome nonetheless. That wildness may make it more difficult for you to find a friend for it unless it is another Barraband. You might get a canary or something small that won't bite the Barraband's toes if it lands on the cage. My Barrabands like to visit my parrotlette.

 

[GaleriaGila]

How exciting!

Barrabands are also known as 'Superb' Parrot, apparently for great reason! I'm glad to "meet" some.

I'm happy you're getting some direct input from a Barraband owner.

I also found a number of older threads, using the SEARCH tab above, that might make for some fun reading.

Welcome!

 

[Scott]

Welcome to the forums! I'm not familiar with Barrabands, but learned a bit from Google. They are stunningly colorful!

 

[FlyBirdiesFly]

I did not even know what a Barraband was! Then I Googled it and immediately recognized the Superb Parrot. They are so colorful!

 

[Nanthy]

Hi, I am a new member. I have a mele barraband nearly 4 and a half years. He is nearly 5 years old. He never likes us touching him, but wants us near him all the time. Otherwise he will cry. Such a drama queen. He eats our food , not his. Will wath tv shows. Such a caring bird . Dear to everyone in my house . Speaks litttle bit when he likes. Nosey. Wants to know everything. He flys inside the house. We want to hold him. How can we make it. Somebody help me please.

 

[Inger]

What a fantastic description of parrot life! It sounds like you’ve got your hands full. Here is some information that may prove helpful. Good luck and I hope you stick around and let us know how things progress.

Tips for Bonding and Building Trust
https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?sh...orums.com/showthread.php?t=49144&share_type=t


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[wrench13]

Is he trained to step up when asked ? Training parrots to anything usually involves bribing them ( yes, I said bribe ) with their favorite treat, which is then used ONLY for training.
Flighted parrots can be more difficult to train in the initial phases, especially if they have had the run of the house for awhile.

 

[Inger]

Oh! Toys! I forgot. You’re can make your own. Dead easy, fun if you are even a tiny bit crafty, WAY cheaper. I’ve purchased parts at www.mysafebirdstore.com.


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