What are the most suitable medium/large parrots to keep as pets?

[Free as a bird]

How long have you had birds?

35 years

How long have you wanted a bigger parrot?

25 years. Do I qualify?
Iv given it more thought and got more experience than you think I do that's for sure 😂

 

[DonnaBudgie]

35 years

25 years. Do I qualify?
Iv given it more thought and got more experience than you think I do that's for sure 😂

What makes you think I don't believe you have enough experience or have given it enough thought? What I wrote was not directed at you personally but to any people who want parrots.

 

[Free as a bird]

What makes you think I don't believe you have enough experience or have given it enough thought? What I wrote was not directed at you personally but to any people who want parrots.

I thought you asked me those questions so I answered

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Lots of comments.
I can only give personal info on the two species (multiple Amazon’s and CAG) that I have had

Amazon’s are a better choice if you are a normal 9 to 5 worker.
I give my Amazons out of cage time, twice a day for the Twins and they seem happy with the schedule.
Bingo my YNA is very bonded to me and wants out of cage and to be with me any time my wife is not around.
He gets angry when I dress to go out and run errands.
even still he doesn’t panic when left alone.

Bella my CAG would not do well with a 9 to 5er.
She is a rescue and a plucker and I try to give her 6 hours of out of cage time every day.

The fact that you have other birds is mostly a plus.
it will give whatever medium bird you get company even though not in the same cage.

Bella learned to imitate my Cockatiels call but at 3x the volume, not pleasant. I guess I should be glad she doesn’t imitate my Amazons screaming.

What happens with Bingo when your wife IS around? Does Bingo dislike her?

 

[DonnaBudgie]

I thought you asked me those questions so I answered

I thought it was obvious they were general questions for ANY prospective parrot owner.

 

[texsize]

What happens with Bingo when your wife IS around? Does Bingo dislike her?

Bingo wants to attack my wife.
Because he can’t fly (don’t really know why) a 6 foot distance is good.
But I have to hold him, I can’t walk into a room with my wife and have him on my shoulder. He could launch himself at her.

He liked us both equally in the beginning but when puberty hit he chose me and he would fly (he could back then) right at my wife’s face.

In the am we can sit together. When my wife gets up he goes back to the cage.
But this can be hours. My wife is a late riser.

 

[Free as a bird]

As stated above, this depends a LOT on your circumstance. Large parrots are a huge commitment and definitely a challenge-- almost all species are needy, attention-craving, and EXTREMELY messy, expensive, and time-consuming to own... not to mention how long-lived they are. You'll be giving up a TON of time, money, and energy on this bird, and if you can't provide that, then you might want to reconsider because parrots (especially bigger ones) are usually a very challenging undertaking.

With that said, here's my experience with the medium-to-large species I've owned:

AMAZON: I currently own two amazons, and they are delightful but also incredibly challenging to keep up with. I've noticed that zons tend to be portrayed as super intelligent and silly, especially on social media-- and while they are VERY smart and fun, they're also noisy. SO noisy. And loud. Mine spend most of the day screaming, although I would imagine this is down to the individual bird.

They are also incredibly destructive, and, unfortunately, there's nothing you can do about it, because chewing is a natural parrot behavior. My YNA chewed up my sofa, table, chairs, bed frame, walls, floors, and everything else in my home, and I've spent thousands of dollars on repairing the things he's destroyed.

I am currently in a pretty great position in terms of bird ownership, because I work from home and hardly ever go out. This means my birds spent all day out of their cages, playing with toys and hanging out with me while I work on the computer. It's been like this for years, and I'm unsure as to whether I would have gotten an amazon if I worked a normal 9-5 job because of how much attention they demand.

They are individuals, however. My amazons, while both loud and needy, are polar opposites in several regards. You never know what you're getting into with these guys. Keep that in mind while considering this.

PIONUS: I adopted a bronze-winged pionus a decade ago. He was a rescue with an incredibly traumatic past-- it took me 3 months just to get him out of the (tiny) cage that I got him in, and he never really came to trust me. This means I'm not entirely familiar with the personality of an "average" pi, but my bird was, while extremely timid, a pretty gentle and playful little dude (especially towards the end of his life). I've done a lot of research on pionus and most owners describe them as relatively laid-back and gentle.

CAIQUE: Owning a caique was, for me, a mixture of pure joy and absolute hell-on-earth. She was so quirky and silly and loved to bounce around, roll on her back, carry random objects all around the house, etc. There's never a dull moment with a caique. They are, however, VERY difficult to keep up with, and their personalities are so incredibly active and clownish to the point where it often became overwhelming trying to give her the attention she needed. It also didn't help that I was in college during that time and often went completely sleepless trying to balance homework and caique motherhood.

Looking back, I probably wouldn't do that again. Adopting a caique was a very impulsive move on my part. If you work a typical 9-5 job, I honestly wouldn't recommend one at all, because they crave attention 24/7 and there's really no break from them. It was really hard to come home, exhausted after a long day, and then have to entertain a hyperactive, mischievous bird. Still, caiques are delightful, and I'm glad to have experienced the joy of loving one.

Also, caiques bite very frequently and hard. I don't recall ever having a bandaid-free hand when I had mine lol. A lot of the time, it wasn't her trying to be aggressive- they're just hilarious little birds who bite to let you know how amazingly hilarious they are. Bites are, obviously, just a part of owning any parrot, but for such a small bird, my caique's bites were pretty painful and could draw a lot of blood.

Thanks for sharing your experiences and opinions.
I read good things about the pionus but to be honest the more I consider it the more afraid I get of getting any more birds

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Thanks for sharing your experiences and opinions.
I read good things about the pionus but to be honest the more I consider it the more afraid I get of getting any more birds

It really is like adopting a child that will never grow up. All people should take the decision to get a medium to large parrot very seriously.

 

[Free as a bird]

Taking everything into account I think the most suitable parrot for me would be a princess parrot

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Bingo wants to attack my wife.
Because he can’t fly (don’t really know why) a 6 foot distance is good.
But I have to hold him, I can’t walk into a room with my wife and have him on my shoulder. He could launch himself at her.

He liked us both equally in the beginning but when puberty hit he chose me and he would fly (he could back then) right at my wife’s face.

In the am we can sit together. When my wife gets up he goes back to the cage.
But this can be hours. My wife is a late riser.

Your wife sounds like a good sport about living with your "attack bird" - I don't think I would be!