Help me pick a bird...

[Gos]

Greetings,
Sorry for a question that I'm sure has been asked thousands of times.

I am wanting to add a parrot to our home. I have had a conure before and found them to be friendly, but too ear splitting.

The Senegal looks quite and interesting but don't seem to have the vocal abilities that I'm hoping for in a bird.

The African Greys, (thinking timneh) seem to be quite enough for my tastes and have the vocal ability but I'm also worried about how one will do in the home while I and the family are at work, and the feather dander for an asthmatic daughter. No reason to pick a bird that will not be a good fit.

The Amazons seem to be a little less demanding in the constant entertainment category but then perhaps lounder than I'm after.
I think you can see where I'm heading with the questions.

My desire for a bird in the home is for both some touching time and the joy of the animal in our lives. Greys seem to be the front runner so far, with Senegal a close second, then a smaller Amazon like the Panama Yellow or Yellow crown.

So, I put it to the experts here.
I'm after being able to touch and move around the bird without picking up fingers later, meaning aggression. Some species are worse than others. (had a bald eagle that taught me that one).
Vocal abilities to make things just that much "funnier".
Not a species that likes to scream just for the heck of it like the Conures.

I have almost no parrot experience, but lots of large bird experience through Falconry (afore mentioned bald eagle, Harris hawks, coopers and goshawks, prairie falcons, red-tailed hawks, Great horned and Barn Owls and the peregrine falcon).

Suggest your species that you believe will fit in our home. I'm out in the country with no neighbors in half a mile. Small country home. No pets inside the house. Normal Monday through Friday work week. Willing to go past $500.00 for bird alone, but not by much. Willing to wait for the right bird rather than rush out and make a mistake.

I also realize that perhaps no parrot will fit in the home and should stick with Falconry birds.

Thanks in advance,
Gos

 

[BlueToast]

Get a severe macaw. Or a blue and gold.

 

[Auggie's Dad]

Given your criteria I'd suggest you put Eclectus parrots on your list to check out. They (allegedly) have much less dander so they are good with people with allergies or asthma. They are not as loud as most conures but they do have reasonable vocal abilities, and they often make a good first parrot for new parrot owners.

 

[wuvzbirdies]

Hi there, I have Congo Grey and I have mild asthma. I do not reccomend this parrot if your Daughter has asthma, the dander is ridiculous! They are extremely high maintanance and my house is constantly raining bird dander. I've had my Grey 7 months and I've had to use my inhaler more in that amount of time than in the last 5 years prior to getting him. We are having a hard time in our house right now as for the moment I am his favorite person and I've had to push back on letting him on me and he's not too happy, I feel bad. The reason I ended up with a Grey was a last minute decision, I did extensive research on conures and decided this was going to be my new bird all of a sudden my Husband has a friend at work who has a Grey and convinces him Greys are better. so of course I just wanted a bird because I was researching for like a year I agreed, so we found a breeder and that was my very first question, how bad is the dander on a grey. He obviously lied and said virtually none so we bought him. I love him to death and he is a lot of fun but I wish I would have stuck to my guns and got the conure. I'm way too attached to him now to get rid of him but it would be nice if I wasn't sucking on my inhaler so much!

Good luck with the bird hunt.... April

 

[Auggie's Dad]

A good HEPA filter or two can go an incredibly long way in dealing with dander I have found. Of course if someone has allergies or asthma you should avoid the problem, but if you already have a dander-monger bird then a filter can do wonders.

 

[wuvzbirdies]

Yeah, I bought a couple very recently and they do help a bit with the surface dust but it hasn't helped with my Asthma, as I mention it's mild so I'm not complaining too much. I guess it's because I'm the one around him the most, I'm the one feeding him, cleaning his cage and I'm the one who has trained him on his vocabulary so far, I bought 4 of them, 2 are on the main floor where he is and 2 upstairs, his dander seems to travel as every weekend when it's time to clean it's up there!

 

[Spiritbird]

Asthma is a problem for bird lovers as are cats. I have a Timneh and give her a bath every day and have air filter and the feather dust is minimal. I too have asthma and have been comfortable.

 

[Greydad01]

As a congo grey owner, I can agree with Sprit, that a daily spray will cut back on dander. As far as the bird being alone in the day, let it watch a cartoon channel(no cussing to pick up), or a music channel. It will give the grey the audio, & visual stimulation it needs.

 

[Gos]

Get a severe macaw. Or a blue and gold.

Interesting you should say that. There's one available 150 miles north of me...
Now to figure out if your serious, or just trying to ensure my deffness!

 

[Gos]

Well, today at a pet shop I found the answer to my question on which bird to get.
None. Too much going on in my life for such a precious feathered bundle.
Enjoy your birds.

Gos

 

[Auggie's Dad]

Sorry to hear a bird is not right for you, but I applaud your ability to admit its not a good fit. Perhaps in the future circumstances will be better.

 

[dodsonjames]

Hello, your questions and situation seem very similar to what i was asking several months ago. I too had a conure that was pretty darn loud, and wanted a bird that was bigger and a decent family bird. I too, worked a normal M-F work week. I was scared about getting another loud bird, but i wanted a bird that would talk and be trainable.

I studied alot on all kinds of birds... and honestly i over studied and over analyized what hundreds of people were saying online. The best thing that i ended up doing was actually going and visiting people that were rehoming these birds. (im assuming you have realized that for 500$ you probably wont get a newborn of a larger parrot).

When doing all the research i thought that there was no chance i was going to get an amazon... based on what i read online, i thought they were too needy, would bond too closely with one person, have trouble going through puberty, too big, and would end up being too noisy. But alas, as fate would have it, i visited a craigs list person that was rehomming an amazon, and it turned out he was a better fit than any of the other parrots that i thought were better species. Now i have Luka and he fits very well into my life. Not too demanding, talks, playful, cuddly, not very noisy (when he squaks its loud, but he dosn't do it often), and he is extremely attached to me but also will hang out with my family. I am also glad i bought a rehomed bird instead of a baby because it is easier to see what their personality is like.

So, lesson learned.... the species descriptions are not nearly as important as the actual personality of the bird you want to buy (assuming you buy a rehomed) I would suggest checking out a couple amazons and eclectuses first, because they seem like they will be the best fit... but dont be afraid to visit birds you dont think would fit.

also, like Auggie said, if the allergies are big issue, the eclectus is probably your best bet. They are great birds that normally will fit the description of what your looking for. Good luck!

 

[dodsonjames]

lol, it would of been better if i would of actually read all of the posts before i went and wrote all of that ^^^^... lol, well, hope ya enjoy my story. haha

 

[Gos]

I did enjoy it, and thanks for writing it.
I was pretty much going to go with the Senegal but just could not talk myself past the "I have enough time to raise little guy" factor.
Would love to get something in the future when I know I can do it right rather than raise and mess up a young one.
An older bird looking for a home, thus not so dependent on me being there all the time might work out but finding a "good bird" rather than ending up with someone's mistake is a huge risk.
Thanks for taking the time to wright.
I'm running late for feeding my Great horned owl! She's going to be ticked!

Gos