Torn about which parrot to buy

Mazen697

New member
Feb 13, 2023
2
3
Hello,

My wife and I just got married and have decided to get our first pet parrot. But there are so many options available and we are confused as to which type of parrot we should get.

These are some of the narrowed-down options available for us at our area:

1. Sun Conure
2. Jenday Conure
3. Green-Cheeked Conure (Natural, Pineapple, Yellow-sided, Turquoise)
4. Rainbow Lory

We would like a cuddly, playful, Low-Moderately loud, not too messy parrot and hopefully a bit talkative. We want to avoid an aggressive specie which has the tendency to by nippy and bitey. We would buy them as a baby (30-40 days old). We would have loads of free time to take care of it and play with it. What would you guys recommend us to get?

Thanks in advance!
 
Last edited:

ShanCaz

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Jul 21, 2022
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Sun Conure
Green Cheek Conure
I have no experience with Rainbows so I won’t comment on them, but you can scratch Jendays and Sun conures right off the list if you don’t want anything too loud haha. They’re so loud, you can hear mine OUTSIDE the house. Definitely not the bird you want if you enjoy a quieter life or live in an apartment.

Green Cheeks are quieter in my experience but just as clingy and cuddly. Also, as a warning, babies like to nibble and nip. It’s not their fault, they’re just curious. They don’t really know how hard is too hard when biting and you may need to teach them. But they’ll mature and become wiser with their nibbles.

Also, look for a reputable breeder or a local bird store! Pet stores do have birds, but they aren’t handled alot or hand raised most of the time and it can be disappointing to have a bird that doesn’t trust you for a while. Plus, you won’t know their age depending on the petstore (I know petsmart offers certificates with their hatch dates. At least my local one does) and they most likely won’t be babies.

As for the mess… all birds are messy, I don’t think you’ll find one bird that isn’t. That is unless you hit the jackpot lol. Food, poop, and toys everywhere. It’s like having a child but for 15-20 years.

I hope some other people can chime in with their experiences/suggestions!
 

Rozalka

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Out of conures I'd suggest a GCC because two other mentioned species are much more loud (I'm not sure but I think GCCs are more cuddly?) but they are really nippy and learning them not nipping/biting is really hard.
I'm not sure what about lorikeets, @LaManuka has experience (however not with the rainbow ones but I think she may help) but from what I heard they may be really aggressive. All parrots are so messy but I think lorikeets may be even more messy because of their diet...
And I think conures have better talking abilities (at least I hear lorikeets talking really rare)
 
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Mazen697

New member
Feb 13, 2023
2
3
  • Thread Starter
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I have no experience with Rainbows so I won’t comment on them, but you can scratch Jendays and Sun conures right off the list if you don’t want anything too loud haha. They’re so loud, you can hear mine OUTSIDE the house. Definitely not the bird you want if you enjoy a quieter life or live in an apartment.

Green Cheeks are quieter in my experience but just as clingy and cuddly. Also, as a warning, babies like to nibble and nip. It’s not their fault, they’re just curious. They don’t really know how hard is too hard when biting and you may need to teach them. But they’ll mature and become wiser with their nibbles.

Also, look for a reputable breeder or a local bird store! Pet stores do have birds, but they aren’t handled alot or hand raised most of the time and it can be disappointing to have a bird that doesn’t trust you for a while. Plus, you won’t know their age depending on the petstore (I know petsmart offers certificates with their hatch dates. At least my local one does) and they most likely won’t be babies.

As for the mess… all birds are messy, I don’t think you’ll find one bird that isn’t. That is unless you hit the jackpot lol. Food, poop, and toys everywhere. It’s like having a child but for 15-20 years.

I hope some other people can chime in with their experiences/suggestions!
Thanks for the reply. Yeah, I also heard about Sun and Jendai being a bit too loud. The breeder that I'm getting the parrot from told me the same.
As I said, I'll be getting them as babies (30-40) days old and they'll be hand raised.

My wife is leaning towards natural or pineapple green cheek, I like the rainbow lory a bit more.
Hopefully someone can share their experiences with lories which might help us with the decision.
 

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LaManuka

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Hello,

My wife and I just got married and have decided to get our first pet parrot. But there are so many options available and we are confused as to which type of parrot we should get.

These are some of the narrowed-down options available for us at our area:

1. Sun Conure
2. Jenday Conure
3. Green-Cheeked Conure (Natural, Pineapple, Yellow-sided, Turquoise)
4. Rainbow Lory

We would like a cuddly, playful, Low-Moderately loud, not too messy parrot and hopefully a bit talkative. We want to avoid an aggressive specie which has the tendency to by nippy and bitey. We would buy them as a baby (30-40 days old). We would have loads of free time to take care of it and play with it. What would you guys recommend us to get?

Thanks in advance!
As @Rozalka has stated, I have had a couple of lorikeets, but MUCH smaller species than rainbows, and to be honest I would not recommend them. Rainbow lorikeets are big, strong robust birds, and while they are very sweet and goofy while they are babies (all babies are really), they can become extremely aggressive once they reach sexual maturity at around 2 years of age. I've known of a few people who have owned them who have found that they became completely unmanageable and impossible to live with, and as much as I admire them, honestly I would not want one myself. Even one of mine, a tiny purple crowned lorikeet called Lilly, became a total nightmare after maturity, when for a good five or six months of each year during her breeding season she would attack me literally from sunrise to sunset every single day because she was so desperately keen to reproduce, and sadly we lost her due to medical issues caused by that desperation. I loved that little bird absolutely but I thanked God every day that she was not the size of a rainbow because I could only imagine the physical damage she would have inflicted on me - some Rainbow owners end up having to have stitches to repair torn lips and eyelids. If you do want a lorikeet, perhaps you might be able to obtain one of the smaller species, like a scaly breasted, musk or even a Goldie's (my dream bird!), I think perhaps you might have a better experience that way :)

One other thing I feel I should mention, irrespective of the species, it's better to get a baby when they're a little older. Ideally, baby birds should not go to their new homes until they are weaned and have been eating solid adult food independently for at least 2 weeks. Many sellers will tell you that finishing off the hand-feeding process is simple (it's not), or that it will help you bond better with your bird (it won't). The link referenced below was written by a member here who is a breeder of birds herself, and outlines the pitfalls that one can encounter when buying a baby bird too young. Sadly this forum is full of tragic stories of people who have got just one thing wrong with hand-feeding and have lost their cherished babies - it would be remiss of me if I didn't mention it, and I would hate for that to happen to you and your first birdie.

 
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wrench13

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Something else about lorikeets that has not been mentioned - their diet. Loris are nectar eaters, so providing that or a substitute has to be considered, and as a result their poops are more liquidy then regular parrots. Some even grow very adept at aiming said poops!
 

DonnaBudgie

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Jan 24, 2023
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Budgies. Lotsa Budgies.
Hello,

My wife and I just got married and have decided to get our first pet parrot. But there are so many options available and we are confused as to which type of parrot we should get.

These are some of the narrowed-down options available for us at our area:

1. Sun Conure
2. Jenday Conure
3. Green-Cheeked Conure (Natural, Pineapple, Yellow-sided, Turquoise)
4. Rainbow Lory

We would like a cuddly, playful, Low-Moderately loud, not too messy parrot and hopefully a bit talkative. We want to avoid an aggressive specie which has the tendency to by nippy and bitey. We would buy them as a baby (30-40 days old). We would have loads of free time to take care of it and play with it. What would you guys recommend us to get?

Thanks in advance!
Lories are gorgeous but messy even for a parrot because they eat a lot of fruit and nectar so their poops are very wet and sloppy. I hear they actually squirt their poop outside the cage at wallsgßjfsslaaMM
 

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