Deciding on a parrot

[Birdman666]

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.

my vote would be galah too. And they're local.

 

[thekarens]

Galah's are awesome, but not even close to being quiet or apt birds.

 

[getwozzy]

Galah's are awesome, but not even close to being quiet or apt birds.

Chili is quiet- if I compare her to my zon hahaha ;P

She has her moments of screaming/loudness, which I doubt apartment neighbors would be willing to put up with even if it's only for a few minutes a day.

 

[bob1]

I like Galahs but I agree Galahs can be very loud bird.

 

[SparkkiSparkS]

My plum heads are pretty quiet and very colorful! Naturally not the most cuddly, but could be with some time put in. I love my IRN too, she is the most cuddly bird I've ever had. I would avoid the larger species, if you don't have much experience with parrots already. Perhaps look into, lady gouldian finches, lorikeets, parrotlets, or like I said plum heads and indian ringneck parakeets

 

[kq_fan]

A green cheek conure would be perfect for you! Cuddly, loves ther owners, fairely quiet and are great for appartments!

 

[Jayyj]

My galah is certainly not loud - she does the upside down mad moment thing for a few minutes a day and you can hear her contact call through the front room window, but none of my neighbours have been bothered by her and this is an apartment block.

On the other hand, I was in a room the other day with a dozen or so each of lovebirds, cockatiels, budgies and ring necks - that was pretty noisy! And the local pet shop used to have a bare eyed cockatoo that could single handedly make those three dozen birds seem quiet as a whisper...

 

[Mike17]

We have two of the birds mentioned above, the plumhead and corella ("bare-eyed") and while the plummie is full of character I wouldn't describe it as "cuddly", in fact ours doesn't like to be touched anywhere but the beak, although it happily perches on shoulder or finger. The corella is extremely loud- he lives on back verandah and can be heard several houses away, in fact, in the next street over (parallel). So can the eccies. Corellas come from this area and hang around for much of the year so Corey's screeches are just part of the aural landscape

 

[Ashton]

Hi Mike17, why do you recommend against an Eclectus for beginners? This is becoming an extremely tough decision haha.

 

[Ashton]

My plum heads are pretty quiet and very colorful! Naturally not the most cuddly, but could be with some time put in. I love my IRN too, she is the most cuddly bird I've ever had. I would avoid the larger species, if you don't have much experience with parrots already. Perhaps look into, lady gouldian finches, lorikeets, parrotlets, or like I said plum heads and indian ringneck parakeets

Plum and ringnecks are very nice looking birds. I don't think I could deal with the poop issue with lorikeets.

Edit: I live in a granny flat at the moment, aslong as they don't squark from 9pm till 8am it shouldn't matter if makes a bit of noise during the day. I don't really like the look of conures nor do I like the idea of purchasing a tiny bird. Boy im fussy

 

[Mike17]

Ashton, I guess an eccy not being a "beginners" bird depends really on the owner, in the sense that eccies require a lot of attention to stave off boredom, and lots of toys in their (big) cage. If it's allowed to fly freely around the flat, you have to make so that loose items are secured because they will fly to your open display cabinet, or CD rack, or bookcase, and chew thing or throw them down just to hear the noise They also have a specialised diet which needs preparation, and that diet (fruit etc) can make for a messy house, and their poos are pretty sticky too. Other than that, they're wonderful:21:

The other aspect is their cost. You might pick up an unweaned baby for $500 as we did, but weaned, ready to go home babies are closer to $1000 and sometimes more (there were two in Perth recently, $1200 each). So if you're willing to make that initial financial commitment for the bird plus decent cage plus toys etc there's a continuing time/money/effort commitment to go with it.

Most birds are quiet at night if they're covered and away from light & noise.

 

[Ashton]

Cockatiel male or female? Thoughts?

 

[SparkkiSparkS]

I'd say female..

 

[Birdman666]

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.

good luck with that then!

 

[Ashton]

I ended up getting a Sun Conure, amazing little thing. Cuddly/playful, always wants to be with you. Regarding the noise, I live in a granny flat and its fine. Only turns his volume up when he wants something. Doesn't make any noise during dusk or dawn either. Think I just got lucky.

 

[Pinkbirdy]

Congrats !! They definitely have your color request down. I have one [and shes really quiet] I was so ready for loud [I guess they all can be different].