What size is "comfortable"?

[RavensGryf]

What sized parrot just "feels right" to you? Not too awkwardly small or big in your hands? From Budgies or Parrotlets up to the largest Macaws... we all have our opinion of what just "feels perfect" in terms of body size.

For me, what just "feels comfortable" in or on my hand or arms is - at the lower end the smaller Poicephalus like my Robin, Red Bellied parrot (or Senegal, Meyers, etc)... Up to about Pionus size like my Raven, or a smaller Amazon as the largest that feels physically comfortable to hold.

I have Budgies, and had larger birds, but the above mentioned are my favorite size What is YOURS?

 

[Kiwibird]

Definitely medium-large birds. Amazons, eclectus, greys ect... The smaller birds I am just afraid of their SUPER delicate feet and that I would somehow harm them by accident, and the big birds- well I feel that rather self explanatory Bigger the bird, bigger the beak.....

 

[Terry57]

Talli, my Pi is the perfect size for me...he has a little size to him, but isn't so big that my arm gets sore from holding him up

 

[Freespin]

My eckie was perfect size for me, I like bigger birds but I'm not sure on macaw big at this stage!

 

[Allee]

Hmmm! That's an interesting question that I don't have a good answer for. I love holding all my birds. I'm really careful with the parakeets because they are so tiny, and I would be hesitant with a Hyacinth if I had one, but anything in between I think I would be comfortable with. Harry's my exception, if the feathers on the back of her head are fluffed I know to run, and she's a little quaker.

 

[palmetto941]

Medium! My quaker is the smallest I really want to go and (hopefully my next fid) AG would be the larger size.... Smaller birds I am afraid of harming and become more of a caged pet I adore the sound and the love the appearance of the smaller birds....but I'm a klutz

 

[Birdman666]

Definitely medium-large birds. Amazons, eclectus, greys ect... The smaller birds I am just afraid of their SUPER delicate feet and that I would somehow harm them by accident, and the big birds- well I feel that rather self explanatory Bigger the bird, bigger the beak.....

THE BIGGER THE BEAK, THE BIGGER THE MUSHBALL!!!

It's hard to remember life before greenwing... BUT I NEVER WANNA GO BACK!

I've handled pretty much everything, but I actually do better with the bigger birds than the smaller birds.

 

[Kiwibird]

Definitely medium-large birds. Amazons, eclectus, greys ect... The smaller birds I am just afraid of their SUPER delicate feet and that I would somehow harm them by accident, and the big birds- well I feel that rather self explanatory Bigger the bird, bigger the beak.....

THE BIGGER THE BEAK, THE BIGGER THE MUSHBALL!!!

It's hard to remember life before greenwing... BUT I NEVER WANNA GO BACK!

I've handled pretty much everything, but I actually do better with the bigger birds than the smaller birds.

I remember the pain and bear the scars of Alfie the itty bitty goffin biting. My mom has had to have stitches several times (bit to the bone) and has nerve damage in her hand from him. He's not even as big as Kiwi or Lucy (DYH). I had a numb spot on my lip for a good 2 years after Kiwi laced into me. I just look at those large toos with their equally large beaks and cringe at the amputation threat. Macaw beaks make my eyes go cross:30:. Even if they are typically mush balls, all it takes is one time for them to be frightened, overly excited, the vibes of the universe are wrong that day... I can tolerate a zon bite, but that's about as "bad" as I'm willing to risk.

Don't get me wrong, I think large cockatoos and macaws are stunning birds and I'm sure with the proper care and training paired with the *right* human personality they are very sweet. They just aren't MY cup of tea. My husband would probably do well with a big bird like a macaw, but thankfully, he is not really an animal person because it wouldn't be him who had to clean and feed and play with it.

 

[jenphilly]

I don't think I could give a single answer to that....

I love the little green cheeks, they were the converting factor for me - not for those little buggers, I really would not be here now!!! I'd still be wondering why the heck Victoria kept pet birds (it was cockatiels for years).

A sun conure is a great size bird, small and easy to have around with carrying a big block, but still a fairly solid bird.

Then there is my beloved Ivory... she is a bit on the small side for a bare eyed too, she is closing in on 300 grams as she builds up more muscles with flying more and more. She is a perfect size to me for cuddles and hugs, she fits perfectly snuggling under my chin but, shes a major shoulder bird and with her weight, she tends to cause any lighter weight shirt that is not a crew collar to slide down....

I still have hesitation with the big guys... I have not gotten past the beak of the macaws, even with how much I love the military macaw (Chyna) at the shelter, but his beak just makes me think twice. And I know Militarys are huge love bugs and he seems to be so sweet to begin with. I am sure after spending some time socializing him, which I've been asked to do when I am at the shelter just for his sake, but for the moment, that big beak is where I find my comfortable line ends... give me time, I'll get past it!!!

 

[RavensGryf]

Thanks for your answers It's interesting to see how we're all different with this.
Although Pionus at around 220-260 or so grams is perfect for me as far as STURDINESS goes (small and light enough to be comfortable on my hand or shoulder, but still not TOO delicate), I just LOVE that with Robin my Red Bellied parrot I could pick him up with one hand over his back like you pick an object up off the table lol, or hold him like an ice cream cone and give him kisses The only thing is, I can definitely feel a difference between him and Raven in the fact that Robin is much more delicate feeling, and have to take care not to hurt him since he does let us play rough like a macaw would. Any smaller than a Poicephalus, and I'd feel like they need to be handled with extreme care. Then again, we don't maul the Budgies like we do Robin... one will barely step up, and the other will let me cup him in my hand, but that's about it. The tiny guys are really delicate.

 

[MonicaMc]

I really like the medium guys..... from the medium-small (200+ grams) to the medium-large (amazons, toos, greys, eclectus).

Seven birds, and I only have one that falls into that category! LOL


As much as I love budgies, I do not ever want to own another budgie again, unless I can have an aviary of violet budgies!

I love bourkes! Whenever my hen passes, I think I'll probably have to get another bourke! (or two.... or three... or... ) And they aren't much bigger than a budgie!

I never really planned on having more than two cockatiels (8 birds later.... rehomed some, lost one...). At this point, I'd be fine having one cockatiel. One tiel to snuggle and interact with, but *ONLY* if the right homes could be found for the others. I'm not actively looking to place any birds, so they are here for however long they live, or until I come across a home they might do well in.


I really seem to enjoy the medium sized birds though. Actually, I still desire one that weight wise falls within the 130-180 gram range. I love all birds, but I do feel most comfortable with medium species. Not so big that they require a huge amount of space to live in, and not so small that they seem delicate. As I say that, I'm always thinking of different ways that I could convert a medium sized bedroom into an aviary, or buying aviaries to put into a bedroom for the birds. I prefer large spaces for my birds, even the little guys! And considering my current flock, I'd have to split a room up at least two, if not three ways!

 

[RavensGryf]

My mom has a Bourke's. He acts like he's half finch. He doesn't climb (Bourke's don't climb like parrots?) and doesn't play with toys even though he's got a million of them.

 

[MonicaMc]

Ravens, it's my understanding that if you clip a bourke parakeet, they do learn how to climb. However, flighted bourkes don't typically learn to climb, as they generally just fly where they want to go. I've never had a clipped bourke before, so no personal experience with it... but I definitely don't recommend clipping them!


I often consider them a mixture of finches (very flighty birds, don't really climb, very cute chirps) and cockatiels (as active as they are, they have a more laid back personality - more bark than bite).

 

[RavensGryf]

Pinky is flighted With the more "aviary" type species I think they really do need to be flighted since there more "wild", but she has to be extremely careful about the door, especially since she (my mom) doesn't move real fast.

 

[Mariahh0721]

Am I the only one who thinks a Big Mac is perfect? I love holding and snuggling with them! And of course theirs all the petting, anzu just feels so right.

 

[aether-drifter]

I don't think I could give a single answer to that....

I love the little green cheeks, they were the converting factor for me - not for those little buggers, I really would not be here now!!! I'd still be wondering why the heck Victoria kept pet birds (it was cockatiels for years).

A sun conure is a great size bird, small and easy to have around with carrying a big block, but still a fairly solid bird.

Then there is my beloved Ivory... she is a bit on the small side for a bare eyed too, she is closing in on 300 grams as she builds up more muscles with flying more and more. She is a perfect size to me for cuddles and hugs, she fits perfectly snuggling under my chin but, shes a major shoulder bird and with her weight, she tends to cause any lighter weight shirt that is not a crew collar to slide down....

I still have hesitation with the big guys... I have not gotten past the beak of the macaws, even with how much I love the military macaw (Chyna) at the shelter, but his beak just makes me think twice. And I know Militarys are huge love bugs and he seems to be so sweet to begin with. I am sure after spending some time socializing him, which I've been asked to do when I am at the shelter just for his sake, but for the moment, that big beak is where I find my comfortable line ends... give me time, I'll get past it!!!

Pretty much the same for me! I just love parrots of any and all sizes. I find my galah's size to be a pretty much ideal...her beak doesn't intimidate me at all, but she is large enough that she can coexist with my cats peacefully (a big factor for me). I dearly love my cockatiels, but it is harder having them in a household with cats because they have to be kept totally separate. Anything smaller than a tiel feels very fragile to me, even though I love budgies and linnies and Bourkes.

I also love bigger birds, but large macaw beaks (and even large cockatoo beaks) intimidate me a little. I need to get to know the individual bird a little before I feel totally comfortable interacting with them.

 

[Sterling1113]

Such cool responses and stories!!!
I could write PAGES about how I feel about different birds/sizes.. but I'll try to keep it short!!
Honestly, I like the medium-large parrots. Eclectus, BE2, Goffins, Galah, and the mini-macaws(Yellow collared and red front. Never owned one, but I'd *love* to when I have the space.) I've never had experience with an amazon, except for a mealy who tried to maul me because she was severely bonded to one person, so she hated everyone else. So I can't speak for them
Although the beak is definitely scary on some of them, most of the time I find that using confidence when handling them does wonders.. if you're scared, they know it, and they use it to their advantage. It's like a game!
I've never shown fear to my ekkie's beak, and he's never bitten. Lunged, yeah, but once he realizes his pseudo-bites do nothing, he would rather retreat or step-up than actually bite.
I would feel better having one from a young age, so I could do the pressure-training myself, but eh. I'll cross that road when I come to it.

(P.S. my conures don't count.. they might be small in size, but they're BIG BIRDS!! Especially Kiwi.. she speaks for herself quite loudly! So smart and cute, interesting to watch, especially together.)

 

[goalerjones]

Saw the title of the thread...immediately thought, "that's what she said!"

 

[MikeyTN]

I actually don't have a specific preference as I like them all in their own ways as I've had anywhere from Finches to Macaws. But I do love my Cockatiels a little more though maybe because the first bird I actually get to have to myself was a Cockatiel.....

 

[jenphilly]

Saw the title of the thread...immediately thought, "that's what she said!"

wrong... just wrong....