Why not get quails instead of parrots?

[someusername]

Quail are ususally dumber than a parrot though.

 

[Fishkeeper]

Owning a parrot is sort of like owning a flying toddler with a built-in steak knife that will self-harm if bored enough. They are NOT suitable pets for the majority of people, and far more of them will suffer and die in improper housing than will ever be properly kept. To add to that, many large species of parrots, due to their habit of breeding only after a long courtship, are often bred by keeping them in cages so bare that all they have to do is groom and mate with each other. If they're even captive-bred at all and not taken from the wild. They need a massive amount of attention, a very large enclosure, and an ever-changing supply of toys that will inevitably be torn apart. They are destructive, they can be surprisingly vindictive, and they have the potential to cause serious damage to someone if upset. Plus they scream. A lot. For many reasons. Owning and properly caring for a large parrot is a lifetime commitment that you will have to build your life around. Everyone I know of who properly keeps a large parrot (and there are very few people) has set up their house, their schedule, their everything to keep that parrot happy. They are bad pets, period, and the fact that a few people can keep them happy does not change that fact.

Quail, by contrast, are easily bred in captivity, are happy in smaller enclosures, and, if kept in flocks like they should be, can be largely ignored by their owner. They bond with an owner if given the chance, but don't see the owner as their mate, and can thus be left alone all day. All they need for toys are a sandbox, things to hop on, and occasional things to peck at, they couldn't be destructive if they tried, and they won't send you to the emergency room if they bite you. Nor will they rip their own feathers and skin out if stressed, or bond with you so strongly that they wither away if you happen to die. Heck, with supervision, and assuming the person in question can understand that quail are look-but-not-touch, they'd be good first pets.

If you want something that can learn to talk, there are plenty of robots that do that now.

 

[someusername]

They can be interactive, and one of my quail when left alone for more than 30 minutes, chirped and crowed his head off, even though he was with a flock.

 

[Fishkeeper]

They're definitely interactive.

But I assume you could leave that quail alone for a decent amount of time and not come back to destruction and a panicked bird, right? Because something is wrong with a quail that needs constant attention from you even when kept in a flock. Plus, even a very unhappy quail can't actually break anything of its surroundings, and is extremely unlikely to hurt itself.

 

[someusername]

Yeah, it's okay when I left it alone for a day for an event, with adequate food and water of course, just became chirpy.

 

[Fishkeeper]

See, you can't do that with a parrot. It'll break everything it can physically break, which is many things, and if you do that often enough it'll start plucking its feathers from stress. When parrots run out of feathers to pluck but are still stressed, they start in on their own skin. It's horrifying.

 

[DeeAnn5]

I'm on the same canoe as you are! Quails, Bantam chickens, and most other fowl/game birds would fare off a more suitable companion for a greater amount of birders like me, rather than parrots and other intelligent birds. It makes me wonder why gallinaceous birds aren't as popular pets like parrots are.

parrots are more beautiful - size, color and,of course, their ability to repeat, or "parrot" the human voice is an attraction. What people don't get is that - it can be very cruel to keep an intelligent, highly social parrot in a cage for entertainment. Here's a good article that explains it better: http://viemagazine.com/article/ten-reasons-you-shouldnt-get-a-parrot/
I think in our culture, animals are viewed - as the subordinate species. We put them in a cage, alone, with very little enrichment - completely anathema. It's really important to remember - it is the parrot's birthright to live free, to be a member of a flock, to forage for food. Not to do tricks or to impress our friends. If you want to impress your friends, install a swimming pool in your yard. That's my 2 $.

 

[someusername]

or just let them fly free in your house with one of those diapers

 

[KentuckyRooster]

Parrots, particularly large parrots, do not belong in captivity. I rescued an African grey who was the love of my life. He suffered so much at the hands of humans. Even the best cared for parrot is not going to have his needs met like in the wild. I'd get another rescue who needed a home but I'll never support sale of these birds in captivity. If it's bigger than a lovebird (i do have a lovebird) or cockatiel, it can't be happy in a cage.

 

[someusername]

True.
That is why I do not confine my quail in a cage all the time.