What kind of personality traits are you drawn to in a bird? For example: Mellow and laid-back or high-energy and clown-like? Snuggly and clingy or independent and doesn't love being petted
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As far as personality goes, definitely snuggly and clingy. And I could take mellow or clown-like.
MagicalMartha and I are already planning our "bird adventures" this summer so that I can observe different types of birds!
Oh I know that all parrots make noise, I was more thinking along the lines of I definitely shouldn't get a sun conure or a cockatoo because they are known for being incredibly loud.
Yes I have read all about foraging! And I will definitely get a bunch of those toys before my feathered friend joins my home.
Hmmm I might have to pick up that book on clicker training. I saw stuff about it online and it sounds interesting!
Also: does anyone know of a good bird rescue in the Chicago area? I figure that would be a better place to meet adult birds than a pet store.
Well, cockatiels and budgies are known for making lower-decibel noise than other parrots (although they may make noise more frequently/constantly). I believe pionus are also considered very quiet birds, although there are always exceptions.
My caiques are pretty quiet, in general (as parrots go - they're certainly not silent), but they did go through a screamy period for 6 months to a year during puberty. Now they're back to their normal selves. Caiques are clown-like and confident and often love human attention, but can also be hormonal little buggers (my two aren't, but many are). Both of mine love human attention and like to spend a fair amount of time on me or my partner, but only one is what I'd call a snuggler (that is, he enjoys being scritched); the other one wants to hang out on us and "surf" on our shirt collars, but prefers not to be tickled. Both, with some training, will let me cuddle them against me.
I had a friend who had the world's meanest cockatiel when I was young. I think this has given me a negative bias towards them. Although, after reading so much about birds I know know why the bird was probably so mean and unhappy (he had a small cage and not enough toys, ate a poor diet and wasn't given enough attention) but still... For some reason I'm not sure if I would want one... sorry cockatiels :(
Budgies are nice but I think I'm going for more of a parrot parrot
Your Caiques are super pretty *looks up info about them*
Maroon bellies are fairly similar to green cheeks in size and appearance, and might do well in an apartment. Also, many of the poicephalus family might be something to consider. They're bigger than the green cheeks; my Meyers is around 120 grams, and 70 is I think a fairly typical green cheek weight, but not big-parrot huge. I have my Meyers in an apartment right now and my neighbors only know I have a bird because I take her to the mailbox/laundry room/ dumpster with me, so that she doesn't forget what children, men with beards, and hats look like.
I live in an apartment and have a parrotlet. Personally I've found that Curtis (my bird) is indeed fairly quiet, but you need to train them not to be too loud, any bird can be noisey if they want to haha
But as for personality he's great, snugly, silly, and excitable. He does actually talk and sings TV show themes. But I had another parrotlet who has a really different personality, she was also a talker, but really brave and usually she didn't like really cuddling. Curtis will sit in my lap when I work and snuggle near my arm.
I of course am biased but I wanted to say parrotlets are great birds. They seem to be less prone to picking favorites too. Which is nice. They may be small, but they're packed with lots of love. Our main concern about his size was back before we had him flighted, he'd jump on the floor to come find us, and that was really dangerous. You DO need to be very aware of them when they're out, but that's really important for any bird's safety.
It is super hard for me to resist the adorableness of a parrotlet. Also I'm all about blue colored birds. The blue parrotlets with their pink beaks are just the cutest!
Haha yeah personally I love the blue variant and white too, but when I bought him, Curtis was the most friendly, even though he was a standard color hehe. The blue on his back is lovely though!
I'm sure that when meeting a bird I would decide based off of personality and not color but when looking at pictures on the internet I'm definitely partial to blue :P
Before I got Dizzy, I thought seriously about what kinds of things I was looking for in my birdy companion. Size was a factor, because I had had budgies in the past and wanted something a little bigger (but not intimidating!), and so was personality. Obviously, that's going to vary between individual birds, but the keywords that decided me on a green cheek were: clowns, cuddly, goofy, and "like a big bird in a little body." Dizzy is, indeed, all of these things, even if she is also: bratty, nippy, clingy, and occasionally shrieky. But I think the good stuff outweighs all that
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Pre-requisite announcement for anyone reading this thread: please don't buy birds at bird fairs! Get (washable) toys, get packaged foods, get cages, get perches. Play with the birds.
Then go home, wash your clothes, and take a shower. Buying a bird at a bird fairs and birds marts is a sure-fire recipe for disease (psittacosis, polyoma, PBFD...)
(Not saying you were planning on that, magicalmartha. Just wanted to clarify for anyone reading).
This is a True Thing! emily_bennett and I are going so that she can have a chance to interact with some different kinds of birds other than Dizzy - who is totally great, but not very good at imitating the behavior other birds. Any toys/perches/whatever purchased will be thoroughly cleaned before Diz can get her destructive little beak on them.
Any bird can get you thrown out of a thin-walled apartment with intolerant neighbors, and every "pretty quiet, for a parrot" species has plenty of OMG WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOUR VOLUME KNOB individuals. :> I adopted a blue-headed pionus with a screaming problem three years ago, and it took me several months to shape his hollering into something I could live with. (Fortunately, I live in a house, so didn't have to placate the neighbors as well.) Were I you, I would read this, as a start: how to deal with a screaming issue, and how to help prevent your bird from making noise excessively
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Yes, I am also looking at apartments that allow all animals so in theory, the neighbors would be used to dogs barking and such. Also I would definitely talk to the landlord about getting the bird and ask if the neighbors have complained about noise at all before.
Yes, I am also looking at apartments that allow all animals so in theory, the neighbors would be used to dogs barking and such.
You'd think! But my condo complex allows "birds and fish only." (Weird two animals to be picked.) I haven't heard another bird in the entire complex while driving around. If anything, I've just seen people walking dogs - which are strictly not allowed. I haven't heard a single bark, either. *shrug* Strange stuff!
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MagicalMartha and I are already planning our "bird adventures" this summer so that I can observe different types of birds!
Oh I know that all parrots make noise, I was more thinking along the lines of I definitely shouldn't get a sun conure or a cockatoo because they are known for being incredibly loud.
Yes I have read all about foraging! And I will definitely get a bunch of those toys before my feathered friend joins my home.
Hmmm I might have to pick up that book on clicker training. I saw stuff about it online and it sounds interesting!
Also: does anyone know of a good bird rescue in the Chicago area? I figure that would be a better place to meet adult birds than a pet store.
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My caiques are pretty quiet, in general (as parrots go - they're certainly not silent), but they did go through a screamy period for 6 months to a year during puberty. Now they're back to their normal selves. Caiques are clown-like and confident and often love human attention, but can also be hormonal little buggers (my two aren't, but many are). Both of mine love human attention and like to spend a fair amount of time on me or my partner, but only one is what I'd call a snuggler (that is, he enjoys being scritched); the other one wants to hang out on us and "surf" on our shirt collars, but prefers not to be tickled. Both, with some training, will let me cuddle them against me.
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Budgies are nice but I think I'm going for more of a parrot parrot
Your Caiques are super pretty *looks up info about them*
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Really - I'd deem any of the pyrrhura conures to be apartment-appropriate.
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But as for personality he's great, snugly, silly, and excitable. He does actually talk and sings TV show themes. But I had another parrotlet who has a really different personality, she was also a talker, but really brave and usually she didn't like really cuddling. Curtis will sit in my lap when I work and snuggle near my arm.
I of course am biased but I wanted to say parrotlets are great birds. They seem to be less prone to picking favorites too. Which is nice. They may be small, but they're packed with lots of love. Our main concern about his size was back before we had him flighted, he'd jump on the floor to come find us, and that was really dangerous. You DO need to be very aware of them when they're out, but that's really important for any bird's safety.
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I'm sure that when meeting a bird I would decide based off of personality and not color but when looking at pictures on the internet I'm definitely partial to blue :P
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Then go home, wash your clothes, and take a shower. Buying a bird at a bird fairs and birds marts is a sure-fire recipe for disease (psittacosis, polyoma, PBFD...)
(Not saying you were planning on that, magicalmartha. Just wanted to clarify for anyone reading).
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Also I'm sure Dizzy will be getting some lovely new (washable) toys ^_^
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You'd think! But my condo complex allows "birds and fish only." (Weird two animals to be picked.) I haven't heard another bird in the entire complex while driving around. If anything, I've just seen people walking dogs - which are strictly not allowed. I haven't heard a single bark, either. *shrug* Strange stuff!
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