Species/Breed Suggestions?

[MrsKahle6868]

Hey y’all!

I’ve been reading and following this forum for a few months now because my family and I are considering adding a parrot to our family and would appreciate a suggestion on what species/breed of bird would best fit into our family.

About me: I’m a 27 year old married mom of a 3 year old daughter living in a 3 bedroom house. My husband and I both own a small seasonal business out of our home and currently have only 2 aging rescued rats. We are looking to adopt a cockatiel, green cheeked conure, or quaker parrot in the next 6-12 months once our rats pass away. I’m taking this process incredibly slow because I’ve watched so many friends/family members rush into adopting a parrot only to rehome him/her and I want to avoid that. I’ve done a lot of research on my own and my main concern to finding a bird that won’t be distressed by my 3 year old daughter. She isn’t loud or a crier but she is 3 and has her moments. She won’t be directly handling or be unsupervised will the bird for obvious reasons. I have some experience will birds throughout my life and am not looking for a large bird because I recognize my limits and wouldn’t be comfortable handling such a large animal. I grew up will a cockatiel that my family adopted when I was 6 and passed away about 10 years later. I handled him daily and he was an amazing little bird. My dad had a roommate that adopted an amazon parrot but I never directly handled him because he was quite cage aggressive. My dad also adopted two birds, and AG and an Umbrella Cockatoo and I lived with him during this time. I did handle the Umbrella Cockatoo quite a bit but he was rehomed to a rescue by my dad after about a year because he kept attacking my stepmom (my dads fault due to his handling of Buddy, he was sexually frustrated and saw my stepmom as a threat) after I moved away. The AG passed away about 5 years later from unknown reasons and I was out of the home at this time.

I’m now in a place where I can provide financially, emotionally, and physically with all aspects of a parrot (cage, food, vet care, toys, etc.) My only concern is finding a species/breed that will fit well with our family.

Is it unreasonable to expect to adopt a bird with a young child at home? What do y’all think? Any and all suggestions are welcome and appreciated.

Thank you so much.

[Dragonlady2]

Hi and welcome to the forum. Have you had an opportunity to read about the characteristics of each of the three birds you have picked? I think any of them would be a good choice. With young children, it’s always a good idea to supervise any interactions between them and any parrot until a good comfort level has been reached. There really isn’t any reason why your family couldn’t have a parrot. You seem to have realistic expectations around parrot ownership so you probably will be able to manage the responsibilities well. Time to start visiting some pet stores or breeders.:th_smile:

[Casper's 2nd best friend]

Try and get a bird that chooses you rather than the other way around. You will know when you have been chosen :)

We had no intentions of having another pet but Casper decided that Margaret was his new best friend so we had to radically change our life plans and welcome him into our home. It took him a while to accept me though, mostly because the male person where he came from did not like him but maybe partly because I was a competitor for his affections towards Margaret. He got over it because I gave better scritches :)

[MrsKahle6868]

Thank you for your response. Yes, I’ve done a lot of research on all of the species I’ve listed above and my main concern is the noise level of Quaker parrots. I like quakers the most because they seem to be a good mix of personality, can be cuddly without being a snuggle bug, and genuinely not a super nippy bird. I like conures originally but it seems they are rather nippy for most people. I’m not expecting a silent bird but I would prefer one that didn’t scream non stop. The Cockatoo my dad had loudly screamed nonstop. I think any bird I’ve listed with seem silent compared to a Cockatoo.

[Dragonlady2]

Cockatoos and macaws....the sound of screaming is deafening, lol. I definitely agree with trying to find a bird that picks you. It makes it easier for training and bonding. Keeping your bird busy and not running to it every time it calls will go a long way to avoiding screaming.

[MrsKahle6868]

Hi and welcome to the forum. Have you had an opportunity to read about the characteristics of each of the three birds you have picked? I think any of them would be a good choice. With young children, it’s always a good idea to supervise any interactions between them and any parrot until a good comfort level has been reached. There really isn’t any reason why your family couldn’t have a parrot. You seem to have realistic expectations around parrot ownership so you probably will be able to manage the responsibilities well. Time to start visiting some pet stores or breeders.:th_smile:

I agree with you. I plan on waiting until we have everything set up and we will find a bird that chooses us and not the other way around. In the meantime we are doing research m. Sometimes I find the hard because everyone seems to have conflicting experiences. Someone will say that a cockatiel makes a great family bird but then another person will say his cockatiel hates everyone and bites. I’ve finding the same thing with conures and quakers as well. Good and bad stories conflicting each other.

[MrsKahle6868]

Cockatoos and macaws....the sound of screaming is deafening, lol. I definitely agree with trying to find a bird that picks you. It makes it easier for training and bonding. Keeping your bird busy and not running to it every time it calls will go a long way to avoiding screaming.

I agree with you completely. I’ve read a lot about not “babying” you bird by letting them get desensitized to new experiences and reward them accordingly. Running to them and keeping them from every thing second will not help you or the bird.

[Dragonlady2]

The internet is a wonderful thing. However, anyone can post anything. Every parrot has its own personality and sometimes, no matter how we care for them, they may not display the positive characteristics we expect. I have a little stinker called Mookie. He is a Senegal and was such a sweetheart as a baby. But as he got older, he became a little ornery. I am not allowed to touch his cage. I can scratch his head, only in the morning before breakfast, at bedtime and when he is out of his cage for play time. Any other time, he lunges and will bite if I am not vigilant. He is quite happy to be in his cage with all of his toys and routines, as long as he is in my vicinity in the living room. I just work with it and probably love him more for it.
All you can do is set the stage for positive relationships and work with what you are given.

[MrsKahle6868]

The internet is a wonderful thing. However, anyone can post anything. Every parrot has its own personality and sometimes, no matter how we care for them, they may not display the positive characteristics we expect. I have a little stinker called Mookie. He is a Senegal and was such a sweetheart as a baby. But as he got older, he became a little ornery. I am not allowed to touch his cage. I can scratch his head, only in the morning before breakfast, at bedtime and when he is out of his cage for play time. Any other time, he lunges and will bite if I am not vigilant. He is quite happy to be in his cage with all of his toys and routines, as long as he is in my vicinity in the living room. I just work with it and probably love him more for it.
All you can do is set the stage for positive relationships and work with what you are given.

Isn’t that the truth. The cockatiel, Kailua, my parents bought when I was a kid was like that. He preferred to be on his cage most of the time but would let my mom and I handle him but we couldn’t scratch his head or anything. He would just sit on our shoulder and preen our hair. My step dad had a love hate relationship with him. Depending on the mood he was in he would let him handle him sometimes. Sometimes if he approached the cage Kailua would try to bite him.

[Casper's 2nd best friend]

As Helena says, all parrots have their own personality and so do humans... which is why some people say a particular bird is great to have and the next person contradicts them completely. A bird will not quieten down because you yell at it to hush* up, it will join in the raucous fun with relish.

*other expletives are available :)

[MrsKahle6868]

As Helena says, all parrots have their own personality and so do humans... which is why some people say a particular bird is great to have and the next person contradicts them completely. A bird will not quieten down because you yell at it to hush* up, it will join in the raucous fun with relish.

*other expletives are available :)

Yes, I know when it comes to actually bring our future feathered friend home I will be quite selective in finding a bird that has chosen me. I’ve also been studying bird behavior and body language to understand how to communicate effectively. I would also never yell at a bird for being vocal. I understand it is a natural behavior and to be expected. I don’t think most people understand what a real loud bird is. My Dad’s Cockatoo Buddy, who hang from the cage upside down swinging and screaming. The only time he was quiet was if he was being held. I plan on visiting a avian rescue in the future to better understand the noise and educate myself further. Thank you so much for your comment.

[Casper's 2nd best friend]

Casper is usually quiet when he has got his head in the food bowl but sometimes there is some echoey muttering when he can't get to the item he wants because of all the other rubbish* we put in that needs to be chucked out first :)

[MrsKahle6868]

Casper is usually quiet when he has got his head in the food bowl but sometimes there is some echoey muttering when he can't get to the item he wants because of all the other rubbish* we put in that needs to be chucked out first :)

Awe he sounds amazing!

[Casper's 2nd best friend]

Yep, messy but amazing :)

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Casper the destroyer ([Users must be registered and logged in to view attached photos or hyperlinks]) by Jean-Pierre Declemy ([Users must be registered and logged in to view attached photos or hyperlinks]), on Flickr

[MrsKahle6868]

Yep, messy but amazing :)

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Casper the destroyer ([Users must be registered and logged in to view attached photos or hyperlinks]) by Jean-Pierre Declemy ([Users must be registered and logged in to view attached photos or hyperlinks]), on Flickr

Awe so cute! A beautiful mess he has made indeed. ☺️