Need Help Choosing Parrot!!!!!!

[Sparkypatriot15]

If anyone on here can help me pick out a parrot for me, I would greatly appreciate it! My family is very strict on what type of bird I get, and so am I as I will be living with it for the next 30+ years. I am a freshman in highschool and want a smart, intelligent bird to be my best friend for as long as possible- on that can be with me for at least 30 years. I am willing to spend 1-2 hours per day with it during school days (3 on some occasions) and 4+ hours per day with it on weekends, along with many hours during school breaks. I want a medium to large sized bird- I am not particularly fond of budgies and cockatiels. It would live in the second story of a big house, but it will still need to be fairly quiet because my parents room will be right next door. I want to be able to teach it at least some tricks (aka words, commands, potty training, ect) and it needs to be friendly with other people, especially the rest of my family but still bond with me. I am not an expert bird keeper except with poultry, waterfowl, and game birds but I am willing to take the time and patience to become one. Right now my expertise on parrots would be beginner/intermediate, but I have read lots on the birds and am willing to commit to it. My top choices are Green Cheek Conures and African Greys. I don't know as much about Greys as I do Conures, but I do know they are extremely smart and Expensive. Can someone please help me find the right bird? Thank you!!

 

[Sparkypatriot15]

Oh, and there are no established avian vets around here, but there is one vet that we take our dogs to that knows some about parrots and a couple of pet shops that have experience in avian medical aid

 

[Rosa moschata]

Any intelligent parrot (or any animal for that matter) capable of what you want will itself want more than an hour or two of attention each day. Keeping it off in a room away from the daily activity of the family wouldn't be a great idea, either. Think about it -- a smart animal will need interaction and stimulation to prevent getting bored and crazy. It's not something you can just leave alone most of the day and expect to sit there waiting for you to "turn it on" and perform tricks.

If you want a single pet parrot, you need to make it a part of your family to keep it happy -- keep it in the living room or other main area of the house where it can hear/see everyone most of the day. My 22YO DYH amazon parrot has a huge cage (with lots of toys) right in the living room, and his door is open whenever I'm home. When he wants to come to me, he flies over. If I am out of sight and earshot, he often calls to me. Parrots are more intelligent than dogs. Would you think it would be OK to have a dog locked up in a room, away from the family, with only an hour or two of interaction every day? And then while it's locked away in that room alone, you want it to remain quiet?

:-/

 

[Sparkypatriot15]

Any intelligent parrot (or any animal for that matter) capable of what you want will itself want more than an hour or two of attention each day. Keeping it off in a room away from the daily activity of the family wouldn't be a great idea, either. Think about it -- a smart animal will need interaction and stimulation to prevent getting bored and crazy. It's not something you can just leave alone most of the day and expect to sit there waiting for you to "turn it on" and perform tricks.

If you want a single pet parrot, you need to make it a part of your family to keep it happy -- keep it in the living room or other main area of the house where it can hear/see everyone most of the day. My 22YO DYH amazon parrot has a huge cage (with lots of toys) right in the living room, and his door is open whenever I'm home. When he wants to come to me, he flies over. If I am out of sight and earshot, he often calls to me. Parrots are more intelligent than dogs. Would you think it would be OK to have a dog locked up in a room, away from the family, with only an hour or two of interaction every day? And then while it's locked away in that room alone, you want it to remain quiet?


:-/

Well, it's not going to be "locked-up alone in a room", our house is structured differently than most houses, with all the rooms connected to each other, making all the family have to move through each others rooms to get to the room they are headed for, making most rooms in the house crossways for the family, especially mine being in the middle in between my parents and my sister. There is lots of commotion around and outside the room, including the sounds of cars and birds from outside and the music that plays most of the day inside in my parents room, and I have a radio to play during the day when I'm gone. But if it would be better to have the bird in the living room, that is fine too- but that is the social hub for the dogs, cat, and gecko, too, so I wasn't sure if that would be entirely safe for the bird. Sure, the dogs would loose interest withing a couple of days or weeks, but the cat is very curious. Both the dogs and the cats have had interact meant with chickens but never in the house. I would definately get my bird a big cage with lots of toys and spend maximum time with it- in the morning and when I got home from school and there's usually plenty of commotion around the house. I would never, ever be a bad owner and I always look out for signs and sounds of distress from all my pets and they are all very happy and healthy

 

[Quailsong]

If anyone on here can help me pick out a parrot for me, I would greatly appreciate it! My family is very strict on what type of bird I get, and so am I as I will be living with it for the next 30+ years. I am a freshman in highschool and want a smart, intelligent bird to be my best friend for as long as possible- on that can be with me for at least 30 years. I am willing to spend 1-2 hours per day with it during school days (3 on some occasions) and 4+ hours per day with it on weekends, along with many hours during school breaks. I want a medium to large sized bird- I am not particularly fond of budgies and cockatiels. It would live in the second story of a big house, but it will still need to be fairly quiet because my parents room will be right next door. I want to be able to teach it at least some tricks (aka words, commands, potty training, ect) and it needs to be friendly with other people, especially the rest of my family but still bond with me. I am not an expert bird keeper except with poultry, waterfowl, and game birds but I am willing to take the time and patience to become one. Right now my expertise on parrots would be beginner/intermediate, but I have read lots on the birds and am willing to commit to it. My top choices are Green Cheek Conures and African Greys. I don't know as much about Greys as I do Conures, but I do know they are extremely smart and Expensive. Can someone please help me find the right bird? Thank you!!

I can't choose a parrot for you, but I would say you're only thinking of the short-term. Below are some questions that may help. You don't have to answer them here, but def good to help you find that perfect bird.

Think past HS; what will you do for College, University? What's your future career like (daily, monthly, etc) & how demanding will it be on your time (and the bird) as your career evolves? Will you be prepared to live in a dorm during college/uni & keep the parrot at home? How often do you think you'll move for your career? Will you stay with your parents for the next 30 years? What if you're taking a full load at uni & working as well, how will you manage time with the bird? Will you hire a pet sitter to entertain him/her?

If you can answer all those w/ more than a sentence each question, you may have a better idea of what you can keep and/or when. It's not just what type of bird you like, but what type of bird will fit with your lifestyle for the next 30+ years. It's not just about you; the bird has to be happy as well.^^

 

[Sparkypatriot15]

Alright, I just talked with my parents and they said they would love for the bird to be in the loving room. We're going to change the floor cleaner to vinegar and water so the bird isn't harmed by the fumes and it will have 24/7 social interactment, plus a minimum of 2 hours of just-me time, including eating dinner with the family. Is that a good environment for the parrot?

 

[Sparkypatriot15]

I can't choose a parrot for you, but I would say you're only thinking of the short-term. Below are some questions that may help. You don't have to answer them here, but def good to help you find that perfect bird.

Think past HS; what will you do for College, University? What's your future career like (daily, monthly, etc) & how demanding will it be on your time (and the bird) as your career evolves? Will you be prepared to live in a dorm during college/uni & keep the parrot at home? How often do you think you'll move for your career? Will you stay with your parents for the next 30 years? What if you're taking a full load at uni & working as well, how will you manage time with the bird? Will you hire a pet sitter to entertain him/her?

If you can answer all those w/ more than a sentence each question, you may have a better idea of what you can keep and/or when. It's not just what type of bird you like, but what type of bird will fit with your lifestyle for the next 30+ years. It's not just about you; the bird has to be happy as well.^^

Oh I plan on taking my bird to college if its possible but if i cant i might have to leave it at home. my dream career is an avian-and-small animal vet. I always make sure all my pets are happy and enjoy spending time with them, I never think of it as "all about me"- am I coming across that way from my posts? Ok um to rephrase things in a different way that what I think y'all are perceiving, I love and spend time with all my animals and on school days I get up at 5 am to spend morning time with them. After school (Which ends at 4) I always come home excited to spend the remainder of my day with my pets- with the parrot, I was intending to come home and let it out of its cage with me for a minimum of 2 hours, but if it requires more then I would happily spend the entire rest of my afternoon with it. I wasn't going to go blindly in adopting a parrot for entertainment to just "turn on" when I came home, in fact I hate people who do. I wanted a long term best friend to share memories with. When I became a vet, I was planning to start my own vetinary practice and bring my bird to work with me like my local vet does.

 

[Sparkypatriot15]

I can't choose a parrot for you, but I would say you're only thinking of the short-term. Below are some questions that may help. You don't have to answer them here, but def good to help you find that perfect bird.

Think past HS; what will you do for College, University? What's your future career like (daily, monthly, etc) & how demanding will it be on your time (and the bird) as your career evolves? Will you be prepared to live in a dorm during college/uni & keep the parrot at home? How often do you think you'll move for your career? Will you stay with your parents for the next 30 years? What if you're taking a full load at uni & working as well, how will you manage time with the bird? Will you hire a pet sitter to entertain him/her?

If you can answer all those w/ more than a sentence each question, you may have a better idea of what you can keep and/or when. It's not just what type of bird you like, but what type of bird will fit with your lifestyle for the next 30+ years. It's not just about you; the bird has to be happy as well.^^

Oh I plan on taking my bird to college if its possible but if i cant i might have to leave it at home. my dream career is an avian-and-small animal vet. I always make sure all my pets are happy and enjoy spending time with them, I never think of it as "all about me"- am I coming across that way from my posts? Ok um to rephrase things in a different way that what I think y'all are perceiving, I love and spend time with all my animals and on school days I get up at 5 am to spend morning time with them. After school (Which ends at 4) I always come home excited to spend the remainder of my day with my pets- with the parrot, I was intending to come home and let it out of its cage with me for a minimum of 2 hours, but if it requires more then I would happily spend the entire rest of my afternoon with it. I wasn't going to go blindly in adopting a parrot for entertainment to just "turn on" when I came home, in fact I hate people who do. I wanted a long term best friend to share memories with. When I became a vet, I was planning to start my own vetinary practice and bring my bird to work with me like my local vet does.

 

[Quailsong]

Oh I plan on taking my bird to college if its possible but if i cant i might have to leave it at home. my dream career is an avian-and-small animal vet. I always make sure all my pets are happy and enjoy spending time with them, I never think of it as "all about me"- am I coming across that way from my posts? Ok um to rephrase things in a different way that what I think y'all are perceiving, I love and spend time with all my animals and on school days I get up at 5 am to spend morning time with them. After school (Which ends at 4) I always come home excited to spend the remainder of my day with my pets- with the parrot, I was intending to come home and let it out of its cage with me for a minimum of 2 hours, but if it requires more then I would happily spend the entire rest of my afternoon with it. I wasn't going to go blindly in adopting a parrot for entertainment to just "turn on" when I came home, in fact I hate people who do. I wanted a long term best friend to share memories with. When I became a vet, I was planning to start my own vetinary practice and bring my bird to work with me like my local vet does.

I didn't think you were coming across as 'all me', Sparky. Though I wasn't sure if you were thinking on the long term. With what you've replied, I'm very glad you're sharing your passion/career with your pets. I've never kept a parrot, so I can't recommend one personally. I do know they're a ton of work though & that an individual bird can always 'break the mold' when it comes to what to expect.

I'd say keep looking, engage with parrots, talk with breeders. When you find 'the one' you're likely to know it down to your heart.^^

 

[Sparkypatriot15]

I didn't think you were coming across as 'all me', Sparky. Though I wasn't sure if you were thinking on the long term. With what you've replied, I'm very glad you're sharing your passion/career with your pets. I've never kept a parrot, so I can't recommend one personally. I do know they're a ton of work though & that an individual bird can always 'break the mold' when it comes to what to expect.

I'd say keep looking, engage with parrots, talk with breeders. When you find 'the one' you're likely to know it down to your heart.^^

I have done lots of research on different parrots and I did realized they were a lot of work, so I plan on finding new homes for my chickens, duck, quail, and gecko so I can spend maximum time with my parrot without feeling overwhelmed. I was already arranging to give my favorite chickens to one of my best friends so I can keep up with them since I have raised them from eggs and love them very much. I did fall in love with a Green Cheek Conure at my local pet shop, but when I went down to go purchase her I was heartbroken to find that someone had come by and bought her that morning. So I've been searching for other green cheeks and have become interested in African Greys, though I don't have much hope for getting one since I know they need expert owners