Good bigginer birds?

[Boaguy]

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?
[addsig]

[bensnacks]

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.
[addsig]

[faze]

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
[addsig]

[savannah_babe]

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]
[addsig]

[Boaguy]

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?

[addsig]

[JuliusSqueezer]

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.
[addsig]

[JuliusSqueezer]

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]

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]
[addsig]

[JuliusSqueezer]

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.
[addsig]

[bensnacks]

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]
[addsig]