Newbie thinking about getting a parrot/macaw

[Dtlwheels]

One bird that is coming back on my radar as a possibility for their ability to talk is the budgie, even though I wanted something a little bigger. However, my local store does not have hand raised budgies. does anyone know of a good source to find them? I also saw someone mention lineolated parakeets. Are they a good newbie bird?

 

[RavensGryf]

Some bird stores have hand raised budgies. Some breeders hand feed, and you could even get an English budgie which is bigger and has a different look too. Generally even wild budgies aren't real hard to tame with a little bit of effort as compared to most parrot type birds.
For a better chance of talking/bonding with you, only get one.

 

[Ladybug]

Hi I'm also in a wheelchair. I started out with a cockatiel and then ended up with 2. They are good starting birds and not too hard for someone in a wheelchair to take care of. I just got an Indian Ringneck that is wonderful. You might also want to check into them. They are not powder birds and can learn to talk as well.
Any bird can get to hard to reach places. I got mine and they were already clipped. I worked on recall training with my first tiel, Callie, and now that she has her flights back in she will fly around the room then come back to me when I call her name. My second tiel, Azazel, I have to keep clipped because he's not hand tame. He does try to fly and gets behind the sofa and it takes me getting down out of my wheelchair to go after him. I will be working on recall training with my Indian Ringneck, Lilianna, as she is hand tame and a baby.
Good luck on finding a bird! They can be great companions but remember they all have their own personalities and they do have off days just like anyone else.

 

[Dtlwheels]

Thank you Ladybug. As I said, it's very nice to get feedback from someone in a wheelchair. For you and everybody else, do you reccomend a ringneck as a starter bird? Also how big are they compared to the cockatiel, which I think is slightly bigger than a conure, if I'm not mistaken? Also, exactly how big is an English budgie? Wikipedia said they were about twice as big as a regular, so I'm guessing about 14in.

 

[RavensGryf]

It's hard to get an idea in your mind of bird size in inches, since some have long tails, and some have short ones.
More accurate is in weight (grams). For example, the 'average' American Budgie is around 30g maybe slightly more. Cockatiel 90 something. The IRN is bigger than the tiel. Not sure the weight, but enough that there is a definite visual difference, also the beak and head is much larger. Not sure the weight of English Budgies, but bigger than American, and quite a bit smaller than a tiel.

The IRN will definitely have more of a "parrot" personality, and will take more training to make a well behaved and tame pet.

Hope that helps some.

 

[Ladybug]

The IRN is 16 inches with 10 of that being body and the other 6 the tail. Mine is only 10 weeks old but here's a pic of her with her cage. She is noticeably heavier than my tiels but I'm not sure on how much she weighs because she is still feeling out.



She is more work because she has a more parrot like personality which means you will have to spend a lot of time with her. The tiels if I go a few days with only feeding them and letting them out of their cage but not really interacting with them they are fine but not the IRN because she has to be interacted with to stay friendly and tame. I know that sometimes I end up in the hospital and my husband has to take care of my birds and he'll feed them and put them on their play stands but doesn't want to interact with them so that's why I stated the difference in the interactions.
Here's a pic of her by one of my tiels for size comparison. This is my male tiel which is a little bit taller than my female and Lilianna my IRN is a little bit bigger than him.


Hope this helps.

 

[Dtlwheels]

Thank you, Ladybug. That does help. I'm guessing at 10 weeks she's not quite full size yet, correct? Beautiful bird(s). Are IRNs known more for being one person bird or more generally sociable?

 

[LokiLove]

I have a Jenday Conure I got as a baby. I've had him for a little over two months now and he is so sweet, cuddly and playful. He's still a baby only 3 1/2 months old so I have yet to experience the molting and hormonal phase but I haven't read a lot of bad things about these birds. He can be loud, every time I put him on his cage and walk away he makes bird calls to figure out where I am. He's very social right now and seems to like all the attention he gets when we go out or people come over. He doesn't seem that messy to me except when he eats fruit it gets stuck on his beak when he shakes his head pieces of fruit get stuck to my walls other than that I have a guard that goes around his cage everything gets stuck in and I just vacuum it all up with the vacuum hose. He's been great to have around. Me and my family all just love him.

 

[Dinosrawr]

Dtl, from what I have known and read about regarding IRNs is that because they aren't monogamous birds, they are less likely to develop single bonds. It doesn't mean that they can't or won't, but they generally pick one favorite and continue to love everyone else, too. When speaking with a breeder, she told me about how her babies will choose new weekly favorites and change it up all the time while still loving everyone.

But I do think that comes down to socialization and depends how much you let them interact with other birds or people. I'm going to be picking up my IRN baby in exactly a week, and I'm incredibly excited to welcome him into my home. Overall, I think they have great potential as social birds, but like mentioned they do require more handling to continue a strong bond that may otherwise come natural to birds like conures. It's also important that when you get them from a breeder that they are well handled and accustomed to touch, as they have been known to be hands-off birds. I think they're a great addition though! They have such lovely quirky personalities

 

[Dtlwheels]

I was wondering if deer antlers would be safe for perches/toys? If so, I think they would be sturdier than most wood

 

[Ladybug]

Birds are usually the skeletal size they will be by the time they are hand weaned. So she is her adult size skeletal wise but has to fill out still with body weight and feather growth. If you get an IRN make sure you get one that is hand weaned and handled and socialized. I was lucky and was able to go to my breeder's everyday for the last week of hand feeding and was able to do the hand feeding supervised so I could bond with my girl and if I was nervous the breeder could take over. I ordered an aviator harness from amazon and as soon as it comes in I will start training her to wear it so she can go places with me for socialization. Lilianna is bonded to me but will go sit on my husband's shoulder and watch him play a game and if my sister comes over she will go visit with her a few minutes. So they can pick a favorite human but they do like others if they are socialized. Mine does not like our dog and will attack the dog and our dog just freezes and waits for us to get Lilianna (my dog is a service dog and was brought up knowing not to react to any other animal so I'm not worried about her being in the room when I have my IRN out but I wouldn't suggest having a dog in the room because most times you don't know what their reaction will be).
I don't know about using antlers. Just remember that the use of pedi branches and natural branches help keep the nails trimmed and because of the different sizes it helps with their feet and they are not as likely to get arthritis. Mine also rub their beak on the perches.

 

[Dinosrawr]

I would think antlers would be rather slippery, depending on the antler type. And you'd need to make 100% sure they're sterile. I'd also remove any sharp points just in case you need to reach in and grab them.

 

[Dtlwheels]

Just made the down payment on a green cheek today. Decided on that bird because I wanted a hand reared bird, which the budgies are not, and wanted to start the process as early as possiblefor my first bird, which meant I could not get something like an IRN from our of state. The local place gets the birds in at 3 weeks and they go home at 3 months, so I have plenty of time to learn how to take care of it and have help if needed. What age are green cheeks weaned? Will I likely be learning and helping to hand feed it that young? Will post pics as soon as the bird gets into the store.

 

[Dtlwheels]

Well, I just got confirmation today that my green cheek will be in on Friday. FINALLY. I'm hoping to get a male but they only sex the birds on request, and I don't have enough money to sex all eight until I find a male. I already have a male name picked out, CJ,which I guess could work for a female, but do any of you guys hav any suggestions? Will post pics next Friday.

 

[RavensGryf]

Congratulations on your decision of a GCC . Finally! I don't know what age they wean typically, but I hope the store does NOT encourage you to finish hand feeding. This is something that really needs to be left to people who really know what they're doing in that area. I would suggest that you tell them you won't take him home until he is fully weaned. I think CJ is perfect for a girl too. I like unisex names. Good luck, and keep us posted!

 

[Dtlwheels]

It will definitely be weaned before it comes home. I was in there today and watched him feed a B&G, a cockatoo and a gray. When I asked of I would be able to help with mine, he said "maybe, it takes training"

 

[Dtlwheels]

What is the ideal temperature for a GCC?

 

[Dtlwheels]

Meaning room temperature

 

[Grraarrgghh]

23c/24c - 73f/75f are ideal, but adult birds (and older juveniles, esp those that are past weaning) can withstand much lower (depending on amount of time of exposure).

It's recommendable to keep the room ~45%-55% humidity if possible as well.

Avoid direct sunlight (over the entire cage, ideally some of the cage will be shaded) and cold drafts. Moving air in the summer is recommendable however, as a bird can overheat in a closed room.

 

[Puck]

Very excited for you--I can't wait to see the pics! You've had quite the wait!