Hiya

[mnkeastman]

I just joined yesterday. I am a almost 36 year old mom of 3. My husband and I have always been dog people for the most part. We currently have a 4 pound yorkie son, 2 cats that we rescued and a grumpy hedgehog.

My kids are 17, 15 and 11 now and frankly don't need me as much as they once did so I was thinking about finding a new hobby. I work at home on the phone so I am here all the time.

I have never thought about a bird before other than how cool they were when you see them in pet stores sometimes, especially those I had heard talk a bit. I never honestly knew how social or loveable they could be.

Until about 2 wks ago, I was in a local pet store getting my dog food and I passed by this baby Goffin Cockatoo. He very interested in me and my husband. I had never had a bird step up on me, he did and then went all the way up my arm to my shoulder. Just tilting his head and looking at my face. I was enchanted.

In the past I always thought I would go for a bird with vibrant wings if I ever got one but this little guy just reeled me on in.

I didn't take him home because I learned a long time ago where most pet stores got their puppies and figured it was the same with birds and because I knew it would be unfair to him because I was so ill prepared.

So for the last couple weeks I have researched on the net, ordered my copy of parrots for dummies on amazon and looked around at breeders, what kind of setup I would need and such.

It is daunting to look at all involved but certainly not impossible to do. I found a really nice breeder in Richmond, VA which is about 2 hours from me. Her site looked good, the reviews I see about her on the net so far, I talked with her at length last night about Goffins and parrots in general and she was very helpful.

I went ahead and put my name on the list. She has 2 fertile Goffin eggs right now but will not be taking the deposits until they are a couple weeks past hatching. I wouldn't been taking it home until weaned so I have a few months to learn all I can, collect supplies and set us up for success. So that is what I am here to do.

Sorry for the novel lol but hope to make lots of friends and learn a lot here,

Kim

 

[Tammy]

I too was a dog person who never thought of a bird until my friend asked me to take the Amazon she hadwhen the original owner died. He was a screamer & high maintenance at first. I immediately took him to the vet for a check up & to establish him as a patient so he would qualify for 24/7 emergency care. The Vet gave me a lot of information on feeding, along with recipes for birdie bread, etc. My Amazon has evolved into the best friend I could ever hope for. He is paper trained & goes with me room to room all day. He showers with me & talks to me all day. He is the best companion +&774587 (sorry Mr. Precious walked on the keyboard while I was typing) I could ever hope for.

Good luck & welcome to the forum. I have gotten so much invaluable advice from the posters here. They are wonderful & experienced & can answer most every question.

 

[roxynoodle]

Welcome to the forum. I highly recommend you talk to some long time owners of Goffin's. They are extremely intelligent and also a very demanding pet. Not to knock the breeder, but sometimes they don't tell prospective buyers the whole story. Parrots in general and cockatoos in particular go through many changes in their lives. All prospective new owners should be well aware of what to expect as they get older, to be sure this is really the animal they want. I hope this doesn't sound negative, as I don't intend it to. I just like to see new owners as prepared as they can be, especially with the 'toos.

 

[beckybird]

Hi there
Welcome to the forum. Birds are very rewarding pets, but they can be demanding. I agree with roxynoodle- it's a good idea to talk to cockatoo owners and read more about them before committing.

Cockatoos can be very sweet and intelligent, but they can also be unholy terrors! 9 years ago I had a moluccan cockatoo that was very sweet with me but hated everyone else I came into contact with and was violent to my friends/family/neighbors. The cockatoo ripped my friend Chris' ear and we had to go to the clinic to get it stitched back together. My moluccan cockatoo would scream so loudly that neighbors would pound on my door to complain about the noise. The cockatoo also made toothpicks out of all the wood molding in my place...

Not every cockatoo is like that, but they can be extremely challenging for new bird owners. I wish you the best of luck in your birdie adventures- I could not imagine my life without my little flock.

 

[henpecked]

Welcome to the forum.Your kind of jumping into the deep end,LOL.Too's can be a handful, the babies are such cuddle bugs but like puppies they grow up.I raise amazons and they aren't as "needy" as Too's, but i would never recommend them as a first bird.Please give some thought to a Cockatiel, they aren't really loud and very forgiving personalities.They get along better than most when adding members to the flock.You can always add another bird later and it won't be a big deal to the Tiel. You should go and meet some.Hand raised babies are very adaptable and do well in a family home. Good luck and hope to "see" you around the forum.

 

[roxynoodle]

Yes, baby cockatoos are VERY hard to resist. They cuddle, and want to be held like a baby. You go into pet stores and they jump on your arm and you end up doing all your shopping that day with this sweet and beautiful bird perched on your arm (it's happened to me, lol!) And at first spending all your time with your new baby seems wonderful. But, eventually you would like to do something else and then the problems can start. If you are dead set on one, please talk to long time owners to find out how to properly socialize the bird and teach it to entertain itself at least some of the day. Otherwise they scream and self mutilate. More so than other parrots they can go insane when they don't have humans around at all times to entertain them.

Some birds you might consider that tend to be good family pets and easier to own are cockatiels, budgies, and maybe Pionus parrots. I've also heard that male Eclectus can make good family pets. Some of the conures would as well. I had a Blue Crown conure that was very sweet, and could have easily been a pet for a first time owner. She was also the clearest and loudest talking bird I ever had and talked all day. She never seemed to go through the terrible 2's stage either and her hormonal issues were very minor. She was only loud maybe one time a day when she was just very happy and wanted the world to know. And loud and piercing as that could be, it was nothing compared to the scream of a cockatoo.

I'm not saying though that you shouldn't get one. You may very well be the right kind of owner. I just want you to make sure you are first. I'm sure there are cockatoo owners here who will tell you all the ins and outs and help you make the right decision.

Birds are truly wonderful pets and unlike any other animal. I've had birds since I came into the world and am very grateful to have shared my life with these magnificent animals.

 

[mnkeastman]

Thanks for the warm welcome and all the advice. It will be a long while before the bird would even be ready to come home so I guess that gives us a long while to think it over.

I know I am not interested in a Tiel or a Budgie. I have always thought they were pretty and all of that but I don't have an urge to own one either. I guess I like the idea that even though a Goffin wouldn't have the vocabulary range that others would at least I have real hope of a handful of words with him/her.

I can't see that happening with a tiel or a budgie unless I got very lucky. Also I am told the Goffin is milder than the bigger toos. Still can have its issues no doubt but suppose to be not as bad as a bigger too with that. I don't know, I guess that is why I am here.

I don't even know anyone in my family or friends that owns a bird, much less a parrot so I am here to soak up information for the bird's benefit as well as my family.

I have a couple weeks after actual hatching to leave that deposit. Until then I am on a call list for it so who knows maybe I will learn so much here that I will reconsider or maybe I will just be really prepared.

Thanks for all the help. I had never heard of a Pionus so I will look them up as well.

 

[roxynoodle]

You might be very surprised at the talking ability of a male budgie. Not only do they learn huge numbers of words, but they will begin to create their own sentences with them. Mine could say some very long sentences. They do have a small voice though. You won't hear them talking from another room. Watch some youtube videos of talking budgies. I eventually wanted to try larger parrots, but must admit, I could have also been very happy owning budgies for my whole life.

Cockatiels are not much in the way of talkers, but they do whistle pretty well. And they are sweet and cuddly.

Yes, Pionus are a larger parrot that seem to do well with families, and are on the quiet side of the parrot world. I haven't had one, but if I had children here, they would be high on my list of birds to own.

 

[mnkeastman]

thanks for the reply

I have shared all I have found on this site with my husband and he thinks we should hold off on a Goffin for now because of the information. So I am going to look into others.

I like the information so far on the Pionus. I had also thought about a Quaker but the breeder had said she didn't keep them any longer because people return them due to screaming and such. I will have to just be a pest on this forum it looks like to get actual owner information.

 

[beckybird]

I know I am biased because I have a senegal, but I must say that senegals make excellent pet birds. I cannot speak for all senegal parrots because they all have their own personality and temperament, but my senegal Dorian is everything I have wanted in a companion parrot. I have had many different types of parrots, but I can honestly say that if a senegal had been my first type of bird I would never have any other type of parrot! I'd have a flock of sennies! Dorian talks more and more every day, he is not a screamer, he can play happily by himself and is not overly attention-needy, and has a great deal of personality in a small package. For an "easier" first bird, consider the senegal.

 

[mnkeastman]

I know I am biased because I have a senegal, but I must say that senegals make excellent pet birds. I cannot speak for all senegal parrots because they all have their own personality and temperament, but my senegal Dorian is everything I have wanted in a companion parrot. I have had many different types of parrots, but I can honestly say that if a senegal had been my first type of bird I would never have any other type of parrot! I'd have a flock of sennies! Dorian talks more and more every day, he is not a screamer, he can play happily by himself and is not overly attention-needy, and has a great deal of personality in a small package. For an "easier" first bird, consider the senegal.

Thanks for the great recommendation. I want to do this responsibly for us and the bird and this is the type of information I need so much. I will research them as well

 

[beckybird]

You are very welcome It is so nice to hear that your family is putting so much thought and research into your decision to add a bird to your family instead of making an impulsive choice you might regret later- the right bird is out there for you somewhere and it will be so exciting when you find the right one

 

[roxynoodle]

Doing the research will help you find the right bird for your family. I once almost bought a Senegal, too. She was a sweet little thing that was giving me kisses and I fell in love. The only thing that stopped me was that I was still working then and had quite a few animals that needed my attention.

Don't worry at all about being a "pest". Many of us are here to help others And to share stories of our beloved feather babies.

 

[henpecked]

I think it's great your going to keep an open mind and talk to many different bird owner, i'm sure you can find the right bird for your situation, good luck and holler if you need help or have questions.

 

[mnkeastman]

thanks again for all the help . I guess the most frustrating part for me now is knowing if I decide on a different type which right now I am leaning toward then I will have to wait for more to hatch and what not since I don't want to just rush out and get a bird cause its the season for it until I have a cage setup here and some knowledge.

 

[roxynoodle]

I'm really sorry no one in the cockatoo area has answered you yet. I'm sure some will. Hopefully they can even provide their email or phone number to you so you can really get the answers you would like.

It is helpful to have your cage and supplies ready ahead of time. I did buy my conure though on the spot and had to also find everything I needed that day, lol! The pet store I got her from didn't have a cage the right size, so I had to drive her to another to go cage shopping. It worked out, but certainly wasn't an ideal situation! They did have a huge supply of toys and I was able to take her down the aisle to chose the ones she liked.

 

[mnkeastman]

oh its cool, I have pretty much decided to not go for the Goffin at this time thanks to the advice I have gotten so far here. Just having a hard time doing what is best for me by waiting lol. You know what they say a bird in the hand....

Cause I know by the time I get a cage and such together which I would want to do first I will have a hard time looking at it empty and waiting for a baby. But it is worth it for the right bird for it and for me.

I waited for my yorkie for a while also, and he is priceless to me so I know the method works, just not good at waiting lol.

 

[oled]

If you are thinking about a Amazon then I can recomend a BF Amazon. Good luck finding the perfect Perrot and welcome to this forum

 

[musiclady420]

Just to let you know you are never suppose to let a new bird climb on your shoulder, it is a dominance thing.

 

[roxynoodle]

Well, I would say it's ok to let a budgie or cockatiel on your shoulder. They don't seem to have the dominance issues and they won't rip half your face off either. Once you get to birds larger than that, some do have dominance issues, or may hurt you either accidentally or on purpose. And it can happen when you least expect it. The bird could feel bonded to you and then suddenly bite you very badly when your spouse walks into the room, either out jealousy or to try to drive you away from the perceived rival or enemy. This happens to many people who think their bird loves them and would never hurt them. Well, it may not have been trying to hurt you on purpose, but to get you to move away from "danger". But, if you need stitches and plastic surgery to put your face back together, you will probably regret having a shoulder bird.