Need help with bird selection

[indigo]

anytime, Brian.

its now .... nearly 3 am and I am going off for the night ....

 

[Evyllchyld]

lol yeh, 6AM here. I'll check this thread when I wake up to see if anyone else had any suggestions, and I'll continue to look into the lovebirds.

-Brian

 

[Evyllchyld]

What does everyone think about an African Grey??? I read on a site that they are extremely quiet birds, best birds for apartments. I'd like some thoughts on this. I'll be doing some more research tomorrow when I wake up.

 

[TexDot33]

Brian, I hear your plight, I have read this forum and I think I have an answer for you ... I am the resident conure lover ... I know that your dusky conure didn't work out for you ... I do have a couple of other suggestions, but I need to know more about your living conditions ... Aratinga Conures species tend to be noiser than Purriah Species conures ... I have a Sun Conure (Aratinga Solistitalis) and a Green Cheeked Conure (Pyrrhura Molinae) and though Hamlet is loud at time, Mac is about half his volume. I live in an apartment, but have gotten really lucky becuase there must be sound proofing in the walls and floors (I can barely hear the people upstairs vacuum) ... maybe you should look into a green-cheeked conure ... big attitudes, big playfulness, itty-bitty voices ...

again, I think it would help to know more about your living situation. And also, you should take this into consideration as well ... you may find a bird that is exactly what you want, but when sexual maturity comes around, you can get an entirely different personality in your little baby ...

 

[jgee]

Regent Parrots (Rock Pebblers) are very gentle birds that are very quite. Even when they make sounds--and they can make many different sounds, it is in quite voices. They are about the size of a pigeon. They are non destructive.

Here is a cute video of a Rock Pebbler.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6CvqDSlZ0"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co6CvqDSlZ0[/ame]

Both the male and female, while somewhat different looking, are very beautiful. Rock Pebblers are superb fliers.

The same could be said of Princess Wales parakeets. They are extraordinarily beautiful and very gentle. They are less shy than Rock Pebblers, even wild birds are almost naturally tame and inquisitive. Princess Wales can make a loud whistle. However, they don't do it a lot and it is no where near as raucous as a concure's calls.

Princess Wales parrots, while of course they can fly very well, love to be on the ground forging around. They have become common aviary birds and come in many different mutations now.

A hand raised Regent or Princess Wales parakeet would make a wonderful pet and companion.

 

[Peta]

What does everyone think about an African Grey??? I read on a site that they are extremely quiet birds, best birds for apartments. I'd like some thoughts on this. I'll be doing some more research tomorrow when I wake up.

Yes Greys are known to be the quiter of the larger parrots but believe me they can scream when they want to. And who knows if one will turn into a screamer. I have 2 here and boy oh boy if they turned into screamers I think I'd go nuts. Thankfully (at the moment) their not screamers, if you thought a lovebird was loud then a Grey is definately not the bird for you. They CAN be loud even just when playing, and my friend that is just what I can here now, both my boys playing but making a heck of a racket.

Have you thought about a Senegal?

I also have here a few parakeets and some of them are quite happy to sit with us, or play as long as its on their terms, if I tried to play with them when they didn't want it they would just fly off and stay well out of my way for a long time.

Please think very carefully before you get any bird, and do loads of research, its the only way to go.

 

[Peta]

What does everyone think about an African Grey??? I read on a site that they are extremely quiet birds, best birds for apartments. I'd like some thoughts on this. I'll be doing some more research tomorrow when I wake up.

Yes Greys are known to be the quiter of the larger parrots but believe me they can scream when they want to. And who knows if one will turn into a screamer. I have 2 here and boy oh boy if they turned into screamers I think I'd go nuts. Thankfully (at the moment) their not screamers, if you thought a lovebird was loud then a Grey is definately not the bird for you. They CAN be loud even just when playing, and my friend that is just what I can here now, both my boys playing but making a heck of a racket.

Have you thought about a Senegal?

I also have here a few parakeets and some of them are quite happy to sit with us, or play as long as its on their terms, if I tried to play with them when they didn't want it they would just fly off and stay well out of my way for a long time.

Please think very carefully before you get any bird, and do loads of research, its the only way to go.

 

[birdcrazy]

OK, first do you know this family you gave him to? maybe you could work something out where you could start visiting him again and possibly buy him back family dynamics change all the time and is it possible they would be willing to work with you?

Second PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE don't get another conure except for a green cheek.
I'm sure you know there is no such thing as a quiet parrot but the quietest ones I can think of are the cockatiels- they are'nt as exuberant with their toys but they will sit on your shoulder for hours while you go around the house. They don't scream period a whistle and a low grating sound when being disturbed is all I've ever heard out of mine.
Since the Dusky didn't work out please do TONS of research before considering another similar sized parrot or a larger one.
About two parrots being quieter then one. In my expereinces teo parrots aren't even twice as loud they're 100 times as loud the teils will whistle back and forth constantly which isn't that bad then SIdney will get annoyed and start screaming bloody murder! this isn't because he's a screamer he's just a Jenday that loves his life and screams on occasion to let everyone know how he's doing. It often sounds like a rainforest in my house.
ANother bird for you to consider would be parrolets - I don't have much expereince with these guys but they look a lot more "parroty" than the teils and budgies if that was important to you.
I venture to say some of the screaming might have been do to no boundaries - with you next bird you need to set strict rules and be consistint from the start birds love consistency - Take him out in the morning for about the same time at the same time then put him back in for awhile during the day. What I'm saying is giv e him routine so he knows what to expect birds are jsut like 2 year old if you don't set rules and say no sometimes just to show you're the boss they will run all over you.
Ok, I don't want to sound judgemental but have you thought about other pets? There is going to be a degree of noise associated with any bird. If you want a fun but quiet interactive pet why don't you go to the petstore and play with some ferrets for awhile. They can be a lot of fun and really interactive a little like a cat and a puppy but you won't have the screaming. Please why don't you jsut give it a try.
WElcome to the forums feel free to ask as many questions - I applaud you on doing your research this time and I'm sorry Petsmart didn't do a better job of letting you know what you were getting in to.

 

[indigo]

I can relate to the "It often sounds like a rainforest in my house" except for the often part. And yes, more than one bird will be allot louder than one bird. Also Brian, what is your living situation, how prone is that to change in the next few years (say 5 at least), and, just for curiosity sake, how old are you?

 

[Peta]

It often sounds like a rainforest in my house.

I know that feeling very well.

 

[Evyllchyld]

Well, some background information on me is that I'm 22 and live in an apartment complex. I also work at home. I've had pretty much every animal under the sun growing up, dogs, cats, hamsters, gerbils, rabbits, guinea pigs, parakeets, chinchillas, saltwater fishtanks, freshwater, and a pond full of koi. ALL died of old age but the cats, and the dog. The dog lives at my moms (16 years old) and the cats we had to get rid of cause i'm allergic. I've always had trouble breathing and had a stuffy nose all my life untill I moved out. The rabbit gave me horrible allergies, the dog also gave me allergies but I didn't realize all this till I moved out. So I'm trying to stay away from anything with fur. When I had my parrot my sinuses were fine, and he was the only pet I really connected with and missed when I was away. I loved all my pets but with a parrot it was totally different. I also have a roommate that I live with. I already talked to him about getting another bird and he said he didn't mind as long as it wasn't as loud as Little Guy was.

Second off, wow... Thanks for all the responses while I was sleeping. I'll try to respond to everyones post since you all took a good amount of time to read all mine. I also like the typical "parrot" look I guess, so those are the type i'm trying to look at.

TexDot33 - I'm trying to shy away from conures, but if the green-cheeked conure is really as quiet as you make him seem I'm going to start looking into them since I love there look.

Jgee - I absolutely loved that video of the rock pebbler, and if thats as loud as they will go then they may be the parrot for me. They are extremely beautiful also. I'm going to look at more videos on youtube for them to see if I get all the same results. Thanks for pointing me in the direction.

Peta - The reason I was thinking possibly an african grey was this site:
http://www.pgaa.com/avain/general/parrotcomparison.html
It said they were great for apartments. I didn't do much, if any research yet on them to find out otherwise so I just posted that quick last night before I went to sleep.

Birdcrazy - First off, thanks for the awesome post. This is how Little Guy was re-homed. We have a bird place around here that will re-home birds for you at a fee. They interview every person to make sure that they are going to a great home. They denied 3 people from getting him before they found an couple that was about 30. I didn't have anything to do with the re-homing because it was hard enough separating myself from him. Thanks to my amazing mother, she brought him there for me. She loved Little Guy to death too and she almost brought it home for herself if it wasn't for my step-father. She actually had to get her sister to come with her, and she took the day off from work. Getting rid of this parrot was extremely hard for both her and I. Also, thats why I'm on this forum this time to make sure I get the right parrot for me -if- there is even one. "I venture to say some of the screaming might have been do to no boundaries" I'm really assuming thats it also. Someone suggested that to me on another forum. So for about 4 months I tried taking him out when he first woke up, once in the afternoon and once before bed. Still didn't work, maybe 4 months wasn't enough time but I thought he would of been. But it only took me 2 weeks to potty train him. As far as the ferret or other pet idea. My sinuses get really bad, and for the whole time I was living with my mom we just thought thats how I talked. Once I moved out my sinuses cleared up and I sounded totally different so I don't really want to go back to sounding like that.


-Brian

 

[Peta]

Brian, I've just had a quick look through the site and one thing I've noticed. They don't give any of the bad sides. Believe me (and you already know this) every species has some bad points

I just had to copy this

If you are looking for a perfect pet bird for your children, check out the Cockatoos family! They are more likely to be tolerant of young, unsure fingers, they can learn to talk, and they can spend time alone amusing themselves. In fact, their feisty nature and completely oblivious attitude makes them an excellent pet for everyone.

What it doesn't tell you, before getting that Cockatoo for your children is that come breeding season, these wonderful, cuddly friendly fids, can become a real scary bird,

Greys are just as wonderful as they say, IMO but they do have a down side, they need a lot of stimulation and time spent with them, What if you are not their chosen human? Bucc is definately a one person bird, I person at a time, Kito will go to anyone and loves anyone who will give him head scritches, and if that happens to be more than one person then he'll hop between all of us.

A lot of what we read about in books or websites is accurate, but it relates to the species as a whole. Take things that you read and ask lots and lots of questions. Between all of us here we have a lot of different species so someone will be able to give the down side.

Red Rumps are another one, I have one of those and she has never made a loud noise at all. I'm not sure where you are but here we don't see that many of them.

Sorry to be talking about the down side but I really do think it needs to be taken into consideration for everyones sake.

I really do wish you lots of luck in finding your perfect fid. Please keep us updated on what you decide on. This is so exciting.

 

[Peta]

Brian just a thought here, have you looked into any from the Poicephalus family, Senegals, Meyers, Jardines etc.

I have some sites saved and I'll get them posted here tomorrow. Its getting late here now so I'm off to my bed. Goodnight one and all.

 

[birdcrazy]

i would steer clear of toos for lots of reasons and teils mainly because of allergies when I clean my teils cage little dust flakes go everywhere. and I'm sneezing. I would look into parrotlets and Green cheek conures.

 

[Deanna]

I am freshly off work and my brain is frizzled and fried (so am I, 100 degrees) ... I will go back and read through this thread ... I have an offering:

Brian, have you considered any of the many Pionus species? They are a very overlooked breed.

I will try to pull some information together for you ... and will post a bit later.

I also have a Senegal ... both the Pionus and Senegal are vocal but not screamers and not even outspoken. As has been said earlier, their most active times of day are morning and evening.

Anyway, best of luck to you and I'll rest up a bit and try to post more info about the Pionus -- I am a bit biased, but I don't think you could go wrong with any Pionus you chose.

 

[Deanna]

Brian, here is an EXCELLENT website for you to peruse at your leisure:

http://www.pionusparrot.com/

Jan is the breeder and owner of the site and is very knowledgeable about the Pionus species. I am sure that she would be very happy to visit with you about any questions you may have. As I said, Pionus are a very overlooked breed; they are not (for the most part) "flashy" ... but my Mojo (Maximillian Pionus) is 1/2 monkey, 1/2 clown and puts on a show that would rival any other species. I have never known of a Pionus to have issues with screaming.

Best to you!

 

[Evyllchyld]

Thanks everyone for your posts again. I'm going to start looking more into the Pionus, Senegal, Parrotlets and a Green Cheeked Conure and I'd still look into an African Grey because they seem like amazing bird. If anyone else has any suggestions on non screaming parrots I'm open to any more suggestions! Also, if you have any greats sites to throw at me, by all means do it!

 

[Minzer84]

Wow, I missed a lot today while I was at work! Brian, welcome to the forum, I'm so sorry about your past experience. I have an Amazon, who I've been struggling with over the past 6 months with screaming (and aggression) as he seems to have hit maturity. I've thought about rehoming him and letting someone else figure out how to control him, and at times I still do...so I know what you went through to some extent. I do not know much about other breeds of birds besides Amazons, which no on has recommended for a reason, lol...but I would second the suggestion someone made about rescuing a bird, as opposed to buying a very young bird. Like you, I got Iggy when he was very young, and he was an amazing bird for the first 4 1/2 years of his life...then he apparently was taken over by Satan. Anyway, my point is that if you rescue a bird that is past babyhood and sexual maturity, you'll most likely be seeing its real personality right off the bat rather than finding out several years later...I will definitely get an adult bird if I ever do get another. Sorry if I'm being redundant to what other people have said...it's pretty late. I hope I helped a little!

 

[Evyllchyld]

Oh yeh! thanks for reminding me, if I finally decide on a bird to get the first place I'll be checking is a rescue. I figured since I re-homed my last one I will try to take one in myself. Thanks for bringing that up again, I just figured I'd let everyone know that it is my intentions to take in a rescue.

 

[TexDot33]

Thinking about a hormonal 'too "in season" *curling up in the fetal position and crying* Yeah, they make GREAT pets ... for the deaf, who live by themselves -- without any neighbors for a mile and a half ...