what kind of bird?

[thereseiam]

DH has finally said that I can have a caged bird in the house, but I've never had a house bird before. Of course what I want is a blue and gold macaw--but even if I did have the funds (which I most definitely do not) I know that starting with a macaw would NOT be a good idea.

I do want to start a little bigger than finches or a parakeet though--does anyone have any suggestions of a good first bird?

I will say that I bird sat for a friend's pair of lovebirds, and they were LOUD. I didn't mind their chatter, but DH was not thrilled, so lovebirds are probably not the bird for us. Are parrotlets as loud as the lovebirds? I know that sun conures are crazy loud, so have already crossed them off the list. I definitely want a bird that I can handle and interact with, so friendly and trainable is probably number one on the list of must haves.

My goal is to start with the right bird, and then do well by him/her/them as a new bird owner, so any and all suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Therese

 

[danischi24]

I like Jardines & the small African parrots. They are much quieter than their S. American & Australian cousins & can make great pets especially if handraised. All the cockatoos are extremely loud & so are the Macaws. African Grays are good but can also be loud at times. Conures & lovebirds are loud. Handraised cockatiels can be nice.

 

[verthandi]

Finding a quiet bird is rather like having a child that doesn't make any noise. I have found female cockatiels are quieter than males. Senegal parrots usually aren't loud, but make a sound like a squealing fan belt if something surprises or excites them. Lovebirds are actually pretty quiet. I love the sound of parakeets chirping. Most of the conures hurt my ears with the pitch of their voice. But I live with 3 amazons that go off at sunrise and sunset and any other time they feel like. You do eventually go deaf to the noise (most of the time), but if they irritate the spouse that can be another story. Good luck in your search, visit lots of breeders, but remember to most of us a quiet bird is just one that is lower in volume.

 

[Iluvmypeeps]

Hi there!

A good bird I would recommend for you is the regents parrot, king parrot, eastern rosella, or parrotlet. All of those are quiet, calm cage birds that are more colorful and different than your average budgerigar.

Here's a great link for you to try:

http://www.birdhealth.com.au/bird/parrot/aspets.html

 

[jojo@rolling acres farm]

One of the best little birds you could consider is a green cheeked conure. They are wonderful little creatures and come in some beautiful color mutations now. They can be taught many tricks and make wonderful companions. They are pretty quiet they are not from the family Aratinga - which are larger & much louder conures. Other conures that you might check out would be "cousins" of the green cheeked called, Black Capped conures - I have one and she is wonderful! This family of conures is also fun to feed. They like all kinds of different foods and are not at all picky. Good Luck finding a house bird...hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

 

[thereseiam]

Hi all, and thank you so much for your replies, they are greatly appreciated.

I did have to laugh at the comment that lovebirds are fairly quiet--these most definitely were NOT. They screeched, squawked, screamed, and chattered pretty much non-stop. These little birds were opinionated, and most definitely wanted to share! LOL Quite honestly I like the sound of bird chatter, so it didn't bother me, but DH kept threatening to put them in the garage--which, of course, I would not let him do.

I'm excited to do some research on the different breeds that were suggested, as I want to make sure to get a good 'fit' for our family.

Therese

 

[verthandi]

I did have to laugh at the comment that lovebirds are fairly quiet

Compared to Amazons they are....

Have fun shopping, be prepared it's worse than getting chickens. One is definitely not enough.

 

[MomtoSyd&Emma]

If you want the perfect starter bird I recommend a Green Cheek Conure, they really are precious lil birds, ours is NOT loud. I have 5 birds and he is the softest sounds of any of them!!!

 

[cubalaya]

the blackcap conure and senegal parrot are quiet, nice birds.

 

[WoodlandWoman]

I hated the scream that the lovebirds I fostered made. It hurt my ears. It was just at a very bad pitch for me. A lot of people don't like it. To make matters worse, my African grey learned it and then belted it out at a higher volume. At least he eventually quit doing it, after they moved out.

Nothing beats a Moluccan 'too for screaming.

I think the suggestion of a Jardine or other small African parrot is a great one.