Good bigginer birds?

Boaguy · #1 (**permalink**) 09-26-2002, 02:07 AM

I love cockatiels and african greys but how would they make for a
bigginer bird owner?
i have had paraketes befor but thats it.
anyone know any good sites maybe simular to this one for birds?
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bensnacks · #2 (**permalink**) 09-26-2002, 02:36 AM

Cockatiels do make great loyal pets once
they have bonded with their owner , but you
do need to devote a lot of your time to them.
Even more so with the African Grey's, I belive, being a more
intelligent bird they would grow quickly bored , depressed
and self destructive without almost constant distraction and
interraction.
So if you don't have a #$%^&#$%^&#$%^&#$%^& of a lot of time to give them B.G. , I would say
stick with budgerigars.
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faze · #3 (**permalink**) 09-26-2002, 02:58 AM

truthfully i think that cockatiels need as much if not more attention then a grey due to the fact that the tiel's more then likely have a shorter memory span then the greys and even though you've bonded well with it it could forget you the next day or what not where as a african grey being a absolutely amazing talker and shows a lot of intellegents might actually remember you a bit better as the one who feeds waters cleans and handles it but thats my oppinion
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savannah_babe · #4 (**permalink**) 09-26-2002, 04:13 AM

yes, i agree. cockatiels made good beginner bird pets, aso parakeets, for something simple. i have a lesser sulfer cockatoo and he is high mantience. as you go into the larger birds they require a lot time and handling. and also, the bite isnt as bad, lol..believe me, i have the scars to prove it from my cockatoo. [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_wink.gif[/img] all birds require a lot of attention, dont get me wrong, but for a beginner id recommend a cocatiel over a grey. [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]
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Boaguy · #5 (**permalink**) 09-26-2002, 04:25 AM

I do have a lot of time
being home schooled i am home like all day so i have plenty of time to hang out and shower it with love.

I am not lookin to create a birdcollection just one bird.
what i realy want is the grey.
can any one refer to some good sites about these birds?

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JuliusSqueezer · #6 (**permalink**) 09-26-2002, 07:42 AM

What kind of grey? Congos are the bigger ones....Timnah Greys are usually a lot less expensive, a bit smaller and just as beautiful. Greys have the largest potentual vocabulary of any bird. Males are usually more agressive and better talkers than females...this is true with all parrots as far as I know.

If you want a really sweet bird that makes very little noise, look into the Pionus species. My Blue head is a dollbaby.

Also...go ahead and suck up and buy a nice cage. California cages are the best by far...they aren't cheap but they will last a lifetime and are easy to mantain. You can find California cages for Medium sized parrots with top playpens for 300-600 dollars depending on where you look and the exact style you want.

Cockatoos and Macaws are NOT by any stretch a good beginner bird....when you are truely ready to have KIDS then maybe you are ready for one of these....but likely not both at the same time. Cockatoos especially are very needy of attention and do not hesitate to demand it from you. I had a Molluccan (Salmon crested) Cockatoo several years ago that was like family. When my son was born, he became extremely agressive and screamed bloody murder any time he saw the baby....it got so bad I had to relocate him...They are jealous and do not like newcomers moving into a household...even other new pets become victoms.

Another thing to consider, is that most of the larger parrots live a really long time. You have to know that you are probably going to grow into old age with them. You think a boa iis a longterm commitment? try 75-125 years for some parrots...Atleast 40 years for most. Smaller birds like cockatiels ....25-30 years usually. Just because cockatiels are common and inexpensive, this does not make them any less a good pet. The reason they are so common is because they are such great birds...and there are sooo many varieties available now.

What ever you get....get it young while it can still bond to you and get a hand fed baby from a reliable breeder.
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JuliusSqueezer · #7 (**permalink**) 09-26-2002, 11:17 AM

Here is Posha's California cage...she has a calcium perch on the ouside that leads over to her stand

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bensnacks · #8 (**permalink**) 09-26-2002, 11:59 AM

What about a Rainbow Lorikeet , smaller than a grey,
more raucuos ((sp.)) and colourful than a cockatiel??
Probably equally as demanding but chocca's full of personality!! [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_wink.gif[/img]
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JuliusSqueezer · #9 (**permalink**) 09-26-2002, 12:07 PM

I had a Rainbow Lory many years ago...Beautiful birds...but they eat fruit and nectar and so have very runny smelly poop...and mine didn't poop much in the cage...he would jump over to the back of the cage and squirt it on the wall. Their diet is pretty hard to keep up for a 12 year old I think...or any beginner for that matter....although....I think now the dry fruit pellets would be a good diet for them....so maybe they wont be so hard to keep anymore.
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bensnacks · #10 (**permalink**) 09-26-2002, 12:16 PM

Did you have a 'lorikeet mix' for them , a powder
you mix with water??
You're right though, that plus the variety of fruit they
need and they are pretty squirty.!
You didn't think too tape their substrate to the wall?? [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_razz.gif[/img]
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JuliusSqueezer · #11 (**permalink**) 09-26-2002, 01:57 PM

I fed him moistened monkey biscuits with brown sugar...nectar...and finely chopped fresh fruit. and LOL....I kinda did tape his substrate to the wall...I hung a large piece of plastic on the wall so I could wipe it down easy.

MED04 · #12 (**permalink**) 09-27-2002, 02:57 AM

My vote for a good beginner bird goes to cockatiels!!!!!! I love my little girl (Spike). Cockatiels are fairly quiet (at least mine have always been) and they will bond to more than one person. Usually the larger birds (greys, macaws, etc) bond with only one person.

A good informational site on African Greys is African Parrot Society

A good site for cockatiels is Cockatiels
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savannah_babe · #13 (**permalink**) 10-09-2002, 04:05 AM

lori's are awesome birds, pricy but they are awesome, we had a edwards lori in the store, named eddie. he had such a personality on him, he bonded with me and when we sold him i cried. he would follow me around the store, and would hop on my shoulder and kiss my cheek. he knew if i had just eaten, cause he would pick the food from my teeth. and the funny thing was, was he wouldnt go to anyone else but me. he hated hands, but would come to mine.. i miss him sooo bad [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_frown.gif[/img] and i want another one..for myself [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_frown.gif[/img]
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JuliusSqueezer · #14 (**permalink**) 10-09-2002, 06:28 PM

Roachpunk...I deleted your post. While it is clever to avoid the curse filter by using $ for S...it defeats the purpose and if you are smart enough to figure that out, then you are smart enough to figure out why we have it in the first place. Clean up your language if you wish to post. I am not going to go through and edit for you when I can just delete the whole thing with a single click.
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Boaguy · #15 (**permalink**) 02-19-2003, 06:10 PM

Okay,i had to bring this post up again,i am still looking at birds,but as i am i have to do a TON of research befor i bring a animal into my home. Anyway,there is a Blue fronted Amazon parrot at our local exotic store.. and i fell in love with this guy! He is the sweetest thing in the world. I have done some research on them,and I wanted to know how would a bird do in a house with cat? Is there any tips you can give me on how to keep the walls and floor clean (lol) And how would these do as a first time bird? As i said before.. i really want to get the bird i want, not start with a bird i realy don't want just to get experience.

John

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Squeezer · #16 (**permalink**) 02-19-2003, 08:06 PM

I don't have a lot of experience with Blue Fronts but the few that I know are all really different. My former boss has a pair in the store. The male is not at all friendly, has a plucked belly but is an excellent talker. The female is a bit nicer. I can usually pick her up and sometimes scratch her head and other days I can't touch her. My exotics vet has one in his office. She seems nice. Doesn't attack me throught the cage. She usually says hello when I approach her cage. As far as it being a good first bird, I think any bird is a good first bird. Just do your research first. Go to the store and handle the bird as much as you can before you decide to buy it. Make sure you know what you are getting yourself into. I've seen it many times where a person buys the bird and a week or two later they want to return it because it's too loud or it chewed the corner off an expensive antique table, or it only likes them and attacks everyone else in the house, and one of my favorites, it poops a lot and throws seed everywhere. Too messy. That's what birds do. There are ways of dealing with these "problems" but a lot of people are lazy and decide that it's easier to get rid of the bird. My moms first bird was an Umbrella 'too, by most peoples standards, not a good beginner bird but she's doing fine with it. Her second bird is a Mealy Amazon, which is the biggest Amazon as far as I know. Doing fine with that one too. As far as cats go, I have two and the only birds they aren't afraid of are the Finches. Everyone else they run from, even Daisy, my Cockatiel.
I don't know how to keep walls clean but I know ways of making cleanup easier. You can use gloss paint on the walls. Some people put a sheet of plexiglass behind the cage You could keep the cage away from a wall but the the mess ends up on the floor but that can be fixed too. I put cheap rag rugs around the cages. When they start getting gross just shake them out and throw them in the wash or if it's really gross you can throw it out and get a new one. If they poop on the floor (hard surfaces) I try to wipe it while it's still wet. But if it dries and turns to concrete, Simple Green will take care of that. You can also use Poop Off but Simple Green is a lot cheaper and works just as well.Time to feed and water everyone now.
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Boaguy · #17 (**permalink**) 02-19-2003, 08:15 PM

I have already went and handled him twice. Another question is,exactly how far can they throw the seed ect. What i am speaking of it wont ruin the house ect. Not that we have any antique furniture OR that he will be out alone [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_wink.gif[/img] I cant find any sites that tell me how noisy they are,do they tend to be a very loud bird?

Thanks,
John
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Boaguy · #18 (**permalink**) 02-19-2003, 08:17 PM

Okay one more question,how bad do they smell,i mean i am not someone who can't tollerate smell.. but i am just curious. And how often should i be cleaning the cage? What do you sugust for a cleaner ect.
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MED04 · #19 (**permalink**) 02-19-2003, 11:00 PM

Hi John! My cat and birds "get along" just fine [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_confused.gif[/img] Actually my cat doesn't want anything to do with two of my birds, but he will sit and watch the Meyers parrot (I think he does this because she hasn't "stuck up for herself" yet...any time the cat gets too close to the cockatiel, she lets him know it and he keeps walking. The conure is another story though...the cat can be across the room and if the conure sees him, he will go after the cat!). As far as cleaning up, I have the luxury of linoleum floors in my sunroom which is where I chose to house the birds. I agree with Squeezer that if you can clean up after them while the poop is still wet, then it's not a problem (soon enough you will be a pro and wipe it up without smearing it [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] ). But, like I said, my birds are in the sunroom so I will spray some PoopOff and then mop up their mess as I am mopping the floor. I do try to sweep the floor daily with the broom (it looks nicer that way). They will throw seed and other food far enough! Ugh! But that's why I love them...they keep me busy! Also, you won't have to worry too much about smell as long as you keep the cage clean [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_razz.gif[/img] [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] I clean mine once a week.
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Boaguy · #20 (**permalink**) 02-19-2003, 11:43 PM

Thanks for all your help Squeezer and Megan!!!
The thing is we have,carpet threwout the whole house. UGH
BUT!! i have found the joy of this stuff they use for a walkway in new homes,i use it in front of my reptile cages so when i am cleaning them i dont spill anything [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_razz.gif[/img]
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