Nanday Conure = best bird friend ever and cause of some permanent hearing loss. Amazingly creative and persistent. Managed to remove most of the gemstones from a few rings. Wanted to answer the phone.
Posted on 03/02/2016 9:57:00 PM PST by lee martell
I'm taking a break from "The Election" for a bit. This is about pets and animals we hope to make our pets. I live in a small apartment, and split the rent with a few other adults. This rent-sharing happens a lot in this Bay Area due to cost of living, and relatively low crime rate. I own two kinds of birds, in one cage, I have two parakeets; Blueberry and Seven-Up. In the other cage, I have two Zebra Finches Coco and Maurice. All four are relatively low maintenance. Blueberry is a perch-robber, and sometimes won't let Seven-Up sit down with a nippy discussion. The two parakeets never gets overly aggressive. In fact, they keep each other company.
Coco and Maurice get along well and chirp out tones that sound like an old fashioned cash register or music box. Once in a while they find something to shriek about. Once in a while , I think one of the birds has a bad dream, and will wake up shrieking in the middle of the night, swinging the cage and alarming everybody for about 15 minutes. I'm thinking of purchasing a medium sized Parrot, one under $175. I thought about Cockatiels, but, I think they require more interaction than I'm prepared to offer. Besides that, Cockatiels are notorious for their screaming when the mood hits them. Does anyone have any suggestions on a certain kind of parrot that adapts well to captivity and is not necessarily as loud as a peacock?
In all my years of owning birds, I have never allowed them to fly free out of the cage. Mostly because I thought they would easily fly away, or become too nervous while I recaptured them. I want this time to be different. I want to try owning a bird that leaves the cage once in a while, flies free (inside) once in a while, as a bird is meant to do. I have never had a pet bird perch on my finger the way I've seen others do. Must one start with a baby bird to establish that kind of trust? Or should I look for a more mature bird? I suppose I would have to clip their wings on a monthly basis. I'm in no rush, and want to think it through before any adoption.
my sister has a Hahn’s Macaw (spelling?) Anyway, it NEVER
stops SHRIEKING. Even when you are on the phone with her, you can hear it SQUWAKING in the background. I must admit that I do not know if that is a characteristic of that type of bird or just hers. When I visit her, I can only take it
for a while and have to head home.
I do enjoy her Parrotlet (a tiny bird that sings)!
Nanday Conure = best bird friend ever and cause of some permanent hearing loss. Amazingly creative and persistent. Managed to remove most of the gemstones from a few rings. Wanted to answer the phone.
I know someone who inherited 2 cats, a dog, and a macaw.
Three out of four are great. Anyone want a free macaw?
It’s a beautiful bird, but its screeching can wake a dead man.
——My folks have an African Grey that mimics every alarm and ringer sound he’s ever heard, full blast, a gazillion times.
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As I was reading that, the image of a bird making klaxon calls full blast made me laugh. I have no idea why, but I started thinking “this would be a great gift to my brother who gave my kids a drum set when they were 7!”
We rescued “Crunch” from a car dealer where they had taught him to yell F___ Y___ loud enough to be heard from a block away. Things were going fine until he started imitating my wife’s voice (so perfectly one could not tell who it was) and mocking her. Thankfully my buddy who is a birder has a wonderful warehouse where he works 10 hours a day and Crunch retired to a nearly cageless life with other exotics.
Are you willing to live with a parrot for decades? And I do mean decades? Decades of bird odor, cleaning the cage, having to have someone “parrot sit at $50-100 a day” when you go on vacation? Are you willing to have your friends and guests say ‘what is that odor’?
Tat is the commitment. It is not like getting a pup that has a relatively short life span, easy to clean up after.
That reminds me, I need some coffee. And yes, they don’t stay long but they give you everything they have.
That reminds me, I need some coffee. And yes, they don’t stay long but they give you everything they have.
Had a friend with a Hyacinth Macaw. Followed him around like a dog. Really cute and IMO the most beautiful parrot.
Parrots are big birds with big poops. They make huge messes. They can gnaw wood - like the pretty banister going up to the second floor. They are smart for a bird and need a lot of special care and attention. Mine learned to open their cages. Cages and food are expensive for them. Parrots will snip right through a cheap cage. They have to have materials to ground down their breaks or the top will grow in a curve into their mouths. They need a lot of vet care, it seems.
I used to have a Red McCaw and a White Cockatoo. They are big birds. I also had a blue fronted amazon and she would say “I love you” to lure in guests and then bite them. Their beaks are sharp and the damage they can do is serious. I used to spend most of my weekends cleaning up after them and getting supplies for them. The Cockatoo ate the banister to the second floor of the house.
Don’t do it. : )
Check the parrot to see if it favors its left wing. If so, it is an annoying squawker.
You will get evicted if you bring a parrot into an apartment. I lived with a Yellow-Naped Amazon for awhile and he was a great companion. We used to leave the radio on while we were at work. The one day we had a severe storm alert. That’s when he learned to make that obnoxious noise that blasts out three times in a row.
We also had two Dobermans and a Golden Retriever. The bird used to whistle for them and laugh out loud when they would come running. When we let him out of the cage he would crawl down the cage, strut between all of dogs, climb up the couch and my pants leg, and then up on my shoulder to watch TV. Everyone knew who was in charge.
You’re not going to find a larger parrot in that price range unless you get really lucky. Most of them tend to be on the noisy side as well. I’ve handfed macaws, amazons and african greys. The greys and the amazons can make wonderful talkers, but they are very noisy. Macaws and very loud. I had a sun conure once and it was the loudest bird I’ve ever had. I’ve also had finches and a cockatiel.
I have a lot of budgies right now. All are very noisy and require lots of attention. Some are cage birds and others roam wild and free. I picked them out for my kids because they make good starter birds and they are very playful. I have quite a few that if I don’t pay attention for 10 minutes they are all over me hopping on my head and shoulders. They play fetch and toss with cat balls and other various toys.
If I had a choice for a bird that tends to be a little on the mild side, I’d go for a quaker, indian ringneck or a moustache parakeet. All have the ability to talk, and they are not that big. One of these days I might get african grey or an amazon.
This says it all for me. If you don't want to be a companion/buddy for your bird, don't get one. You're not the owner they deserve. Parrots are social creatures who want to be with you - on your shoulder, being petted, talking to. They can't be left in their cage sitting on a stick. They deserve more than that.
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