Deciding on a parrot

[Ashton]

Hey everybody,

I would really appreciate some advice on purchasing a parrot. I'm completely clueless when it comes to birds, only having dealt with a cockatiel as a child.

I wish to purchase a parrot with the following attributes

* Cuddly (enjoys being handled / petted etc)
* Fairly quiet
* Suitable for apartments
* Exquisite colour

Thanks.

Edit: May be worth noting I live in Australia.

 

[SpotsandSally]

PAINTED CONURES AT FEATHER FOCUS
Painted conure!! says they're quiet & I know most conures are cuddle bugs

 

[Abigal7]

PAINTED CONURES AT FEATHER FOCUS
Painted conure!! says they're quiet & I know most conures are cuddle bugs

They sound like quiet sounding birds.

I have to go with SpotsandSally on this. Pyrrhura conures like the painted conure, crimson-bellied conure, or green cheek conure would probably better fit the qualities that you are looking for then most parrot species. If tame conures can be cuddle bugs. Conures and macaws share a link and are somewhat related to each other so they can carry some of the personality traits such as being cuddly. Aratinga conures can be loud though. Aratinga means "little macaw."

 

[Mike17]

I'd suggest the conure linked would be hard to find in Oz and very expensive. I have quite a few species but the only "cuddly" ones are quarrion/weiro hens. The males are nippy Eclectus are fairly cuddly, but maybe not well-suited to apartments. They can also deliver a painful bite if not in a "cuddly" mood. Cockatoos can be cuddly- there is a gorgeous hybrid galah/corella in a birdshop in Perth which is the cuddliest bird I've ever met, but our corella can be very noisy.

 

[Ashton]

Not a big fan of the Pyrrhura Conure look. The Eclectus is basically the look of after, very picturesque. Although iv heard they don't enjoy being petted much

 

[Mike17]

Not a big fan of the Pyrrhura Conure look. The Eclectus is basically the look of after, very picturesque. Although iv heard they don't enjoy being petted much

Eccies are not overly fond of pats and cuddles although that depends on the individual birds. Our 3 y.o. males allows cuddles a bit but it's not his favourite activity In any case, I don't think eccies are well-suited to units/flats/apartments and a noisy one can be REALLY noisy, plus, they are not really a beginner's bird.

Lorikeets of various types are really playful and cuddly. We have a Rainbow who just loves to play. He's not overly noisy, either. The downside is that they require special food, and it comes out the other end kinda liquidish, so a bird kept in a cage near a wall will end up redecorating that wall:32: I'm partial to the scaley-breasted lorikeet, not sure where you are but they can be found fairly easily, hand-raised would require some searching. They're not as colourful as the rainbow but share their endearing characteristics.

 

[tab_xo]

I love the turquoise coloured greencheek conures... The blue and black is pretty!

Plus i believe they are cuddly, and fairly quiet?


They are the only bright coloured ones that would be suitable for an apartment :/

 

[Ashton]

PAINTED CONURES AT FEATHER FOCUS
Painted conure!! says they're quiet & I know most conures are cuddle bugs

They sound like quiet sounding birds.

I have to go with SpotsandSally on this. Pyrrhura conures like the painted conure, crimson-bellied conure, or green cheek conure would probably better fit the qualities that you are looking for then most parrot species. If tame conures can be cuddle bugs. Conures and macaws share a link and are somewhat related to each other so they can carry some of the personality traits such as being cuddly. Aratinga conures can be loud though. Aratinga means "little macaw."

So do you think the conures are more what im after than the budgies/parrotlets?

 

[Mike17]

So do you think the conures are more what im after than the budgies/parrotlets?

I don't think parrotlets are available in Oz, Ashton. Another species to consider is the Linnie- very quiet but I don't know how cuddly- they're not common here and fairly expensive. Gorgeous looking birds though. The peachface can be quite cuddly, depending on the individual, and not overly noisy. Nice colour, too. I had one for several years, not hand-raised, but tame, in the end, a real character. Loves newspapers, and pulling the little end piece out of biros (I'm talking of the 90s when people actually read newspapers and wrote stuff:20

 

[Abigal7]

Lorikeets of various types are really playful and cuddly. We have a Rainbow who just loves to play. He's not overly noisy, either. The downside is that they require special food, and it comes out the other end kinda liquidish, so a bird kept in a cage near a wall will end up redecorating that wall:32: I'm partial to the scaley-breasted lorikeet, not sure where you are but they can be found fairly easily, hand-raised would require some searching. They're not as colourful as the rainbow but share their endearing characteristics.

I do find Lorikeets to be beautiful and I have heard from many they can be playful and cuddly. Are they loud birds? And as you already stated their downside is their special diet requirements that makes their poop come out liquid like.

 

[MikeyTN]

Both of my ekkies enjoys being petted, cuddle, kissed on, etc. My breeder friend's pairs does too. But when they want to be noisy, OMG can they get loud. But mine are very quiet as they prefer to make funny noises, talking, and whistling.

ANY bird can be noisy, it just depends on how much noise you tolerate and being in a apartment really limits the type of birds you can have. Being in a apartment setting, I really will not recommend any medium sized to big birds period. So the conures that are being mentioned are probably your better choices.

 

[MikeyTN]

As one of the members mentioned, Linnies are another great choice.

My Black Lory have a shrill shriek that can wake up the dead.....He doesn't know he don't have the prettiest voice around but he loves to carry on and on and on and on.............. And let's not even go to the liquid poop shooting thing they do, you better not have any carpeting or put them anywhere where they can stain something cause they'll shoot it on there....you basically have to keep a 5 ft proximity from their cage. lol

 

[Abigal7]

I love the turquoise coloured greencheek conures... The blue and black is pretty!

Plus i believe they are cuddly, and fairly quiet?


They are the only bright coloured ones that would be suitable for an apartment :/

Agree, turquoise green cheek conures are pretty. From my experience they can be cuddly and are not that loud. Of course not all birds of the same species are exactly the same. I learned quickly that text book descriptions are not always 100 percent right. Paulie fit the description of the fearless green cheek conure while Clover was fearful of new things and I doubt she would boldly try to attack a large bird. I think there is a high chance she would have freaked out if she say a large macaw (for example). While both were cuddly I would say Clover ad more natural instincts and I have no doubt she knew she was a bird. Paulie would bite anyone that was not me. He gave my dad some nasty bites and I do not think he did it because he was scared. When I first got him he would bite anything hard (he even pulled a wooden screw out of one of my mom's kitchen chairs).

 

[Ashton]

I read somewhere theres a solid substitute for the nectar or whatever they eat to cause the projectile pooping.

Hmm so im down to Conures that are not Aratinga and Lineolated Parakeet?

Im surprised no ones recommended a budgie.

Iv been using this list as well http://www.all-pet-birds.com/parrot-characteristics.html

 

[MikeyTN]

Yes there's a solid food substitute but nectar is better for them!!! IF you want better healthier Lory, you keep the nectar! Poor food will lower the lifespan of a Lory.

Budgies and Cockatiels are wonderful birds!

 

[Mike17]

I do find Lorikeets to be beautiful and I have heard from many they can be playful and cuddly. Are they loud birds? And as you already stated their downside is their special diet requirements that makes their poop come out liquid like.

I've seen lorikeets in cages at bird shops wrestling on the floor of the cage. I was really taken by some scaley-breasted/rainbow hybrids once, but fairly expensive ($250 each, from memory) and I'd been put off by stories of their "squirtiness". In the end we got a rainbow- he's kept on the verandah though where the mess doesn't matter so much. The food isn't a big deal- our guy gets a weak honey mix (in lieu of the very expensive pollen mix not available in the outback) and the lori dry mix which is changed daily- only a heaped teaspoon of that. He also eats seed, mainly sunflower, and fruit, usually apple.

If kept in a cage inside, one needs to hang plastic or paper on walls and around the cage. It's not that bad- the poo is quite easy to clean off unlike semi-dried eccy poo which requires a water-blaster

As for noise, our guy, Coco, has a fairly loud shrieky whistle but not unpleasant unless he's on the shoulder He makes all sorts of noises when playing, it's nice to be able hear your bird enjoying himself when playing. If I've been away a few days he goes nuts when I return, nearly "wetting himself" with excitement at having a play again. Coco has a habit which my wife finds annoying and that is, he grabs the web of the thumb with his beak- not biting and I don't find it painful at all... but my wife is a wuss when it comes to pain. He does this while on his back in my palm. He also likes climbing into my shirt pockets and trying to pull what's in there, out

Coco also talks (not very clearly) and wolf whistles. I've seen another lori ( a red-collared, which is a sub-species of rainbow) who loves to dance... while saying "Jasper dance... Jasper dance" and without music- just showing off. Looks more like a North Korean marching though...

 

[Mike17]

I read somewhere theres a solid substitute for the nectar or whatever they eat to cause the projectile pooping.

Hmm so im down to Conures that are not Aratinga and Lineolated Parakeet?

Im surprised no ones recommended a budgie.

Iv been using this list as well Easy Pet Bird and Parrot Characteristics Comparison Chart

I thought of budgy, but thought you might have been put off by having seen them in our new PM's swimmers

Seriously, I'm not sure budgies are "cuddly" but others with more experience might think otherwise. We have one whose kiss involves a needle-like puncture of the lip, which means my aforementioned wussy wife is more scared of the budgy that any of the other bigger birds

 

[Kimma]

My friend has an adorable and cuddly lovebird. I don't know about exquisite, but definitely pretty.

 

[Klaery]

I read somewhere theres a solid substitute for the nectar or whatever they eat to cause the projectile pooping.

Hmm so im down to Conures that are not Aratinga and Lineolated Parakeet?

Im surprised no ones recommended a budgie.

Iv been using this list as well Easy Pet Bird and Parrot Characteristics Comparison Chart

I thought of budgy, but thought you might have been put off by having seen them in our new PM's swimmers

Haha I laughed. Not sure that the joke will work across borders though.

I used to have scaly breasted lorikeets (hand raised them after their tree fell down during a storm). Little bundles of energy! Very comical, they will keep you laughing. But yes they can make a mess alright

Budgies and cockatiels are fantastic birds and are often underrated, perhaps because they are more common or cheaper, which is sad.

 

[Ashton]

I think im going to get a cockatiel (male) they seem to be the most affectionate, more so than conures/budgies/linnies apparently.