next bird for me

[momof7]

I know that pet decisions are highly personal, but I would love to opinions from other bird owners.
It will be about 2 years or so before I get a new pet bird. I have longed for an african grey, and I lean a little to the timneh side. Recently I have been looking at mini-macaws...Hahn's or Noble.
Greys are soo majestic in appearance, and the ability to talk is a neat factor, but not really why I like them so much.
When my daughter got her parrotlet I fell in love with him. I call him my grandbird, and her friends...and mine...think I'm weird. I got to thinking about the difference in requirements for big birds compared to small varieties...do I really want to clean big poos?
My cockatiels are laid back and great. One is very tame, the other is just tame enough to clip and talk to...but not a cuddly bird by any means. I move their cage to different places in the house depending on what's going on, and the time of year it is. They readily accept change, and that is probably a good thing.

I really want a lifelong snuggler for a companion. A parrot is like having a two year old forever, right? That's what I want. All my kids are going to grow up and leave home, but I want a forever baby. I want the bird to be very boded to me, but not exclusively...all my kids enjoy the birds too.

So, here's the scoop...I have 7 kids from 16 years down to 3 years old, already have birds and fish...and am known for rearranging furniture...and even whole rooms. We homeschool, so there is always somebody doing something. (Homeschool and 7 kids explains the fruit basket turnovers we do with bedrooms and "schoolroom" issues.) We keep different hours all the time. Our schedules change often, from seasons to holidays.

Considering how greys are know not to handle sudden changes very well, does that rule out being able to find a very well adjusted grey that is adaptable and flexible?

Are the mini-macaws more easy going? I know they are smaller than greys.~smile~

Caiti's parrotlet is so tiny, but he loves his head scratched...that is how he won my heart. He loves me and Caiti, He gets along with everyone, and he tolerates the 3 yr. old vrey well. I really want a bird just like Vincent, only in a bigger package.

Okay...let the opinions roll.
I'm waiting.

[greyburd]

If you change things around like you've stated you do, a Timneh would be better for you than a Congo. Timnehs seem to handle change a little easier. Remember, they're not at skitzy. I really wouldn't plan on having a huge cuddler, though. They like the attention, but do like their independence. Spencer loves being with me, but it's not for long. And that is completely fine with me, because I don't want her to expect to spend all of her time on/with me.

TAG poop isn't that big (sometimes).

If you really want a lifelong snuggler, get a cockatoo!! Seriously, they are cuddle birds. My vote would be for a Goffins

Good luck on your decision!

[The Outlaw]

I would definitely rule out the mini macaws. Bad choice with little kids.

I also think that TAGs are more stable than CAGs. I have one of both.

As for liking kids and wanting to interact with them, I think that Ekkies are great. Probably a male being the better choice.

However, there are exceptions to every rule and that's why I always so, go meet all kinds of birds and let one choose you. Works like a charm.

[Alyce Johnson]

I'd have to 2nd the advice about letting one choose you.

[Lori L]

I know exactly what you are going through. I knew I wanted a bigger bird to add to my family (I have a sun conure and my son has a budgie). I was thinking about Amazons Macaws, Greys, Male Ecletus and Cockatoos. I ended up with a Goffins cockatoo. Let me first tell you why I DIDN'T choose any of the others.

First while I think Amazons have fantastic personalities and it seems that everyone here has great amazons I am too afraid of the bitting factor and they are very loud and I already have a Sun conure that would probably make her louder.

The greys, well personally I think every bird household should have a grey. There is just nothing like the intelligence and as you say, they are majestic. I really wanted one but was afraid that the grey would pick up and Sun's scream and also really wanted a cuddly bird

Male Eclectus...Nancy got me interested in this one but when I spoke to a woman who runs an exotic bird store here she told me that all of the Ekkies they have had (males) have not been what she calls cuddly.

Macaw, Nancy also diswaded (is that a word) me from these since I have a 6 year old son. And they are loud

Which brings me to the cockatoo. A U2 or M2 would be too loud and needy for me. I was considering a goffins, ducorps or LSC. Yes they can be loud too. I spoke with 2 women, one had a 6 month old Goffin and the other had a 1 year old Citron. The citron, I was told is loud, the woman with the goffin said she wasn't loud. That's all I had to go on. I do love the cockatoos because if you get a baby they are cuddly, no doubt about it, it's guaranteed that if you raise it with love and attention and cuddles it will stay cuddly.

But I also have to say that my Sun Conure is very cuddly too in a different way. She loves to sit under my hair on the back of my neck and preen the little hairs back there. She digs her beak deep into my hair (oh feels so good). The goffin is cuddly in a melting kind of way. If she could talk she's say, "oh mama that feels so good pat me under here, now over here, let me bend my head waaaayyyy down and scratch over there."

Hope this long winded email helps

[Alyce Johnson]

Actually, given your lifestyle as you describe it, I think you can narrow your field just by considering various issues.

Size: A way bigger bird means a way bigger cage. You're talking a dedicated piece of wall *and* floor, between 3 & 4 feet wide, and between 4 & 6 feet deep - to allow room to pull the tray out & clean it. That's a large chunk of space, if you want to properly house a cockatoo, or macaw, or even an amazon or grey.

Quiet time: The bird will need 10-12 hrs a day of quiet time to sleep. That means a dedicated space of the size mentioned above, that is in a quiet spot in your home.

If you have a large house with many large rooms, maybe it's no problem. But to get an idea, I suggest you take a large piece of cardboard (say from an appliance box) and carry it from room to room. A flat area of floor 4x6 feet, against a wall, in a quiet spot may not be so easy to find - we found out just how hard, when we bought our macaw her new cage. Those cages suddenly seem a whole lot bigger once you get them into your living room! And the larger birds really do need that much space. (more, really) We've been giving up furniture, literally, to give ours the space they really need.

Re arrangements: Large cages regularly clock in at +200 lbs. Which is a lot to move thru your house, trust me. Even the "knock down" variety arent easy to move around, if you're doing it often, and are going over carpets & thru doors.

So, if you need to repurpose your space on a fairly frequent basis, you may want to think in terms of a smaller to medium sized bird, who would require a smaller cage. My little ones are way more flexible to live with and easier to travel around with, too, than the larger ones.

Another solution (the one we use, in our very tiny space) is the sleeping cage, which can be significantly smaller, provided you can keep the bird on a very regular schedule (meaning you dont leave her in the sleep cage for more than 10 hrs a day, unless she's really wanting to sleep). If they're truly asleep, they dont care if the cage is smaller than normal. But still, that means we creep into bed quietly, so as not to wake the babies. (You're probably good at that already, though, with 7 kids.)

Big birds have big beaks, and big bites. Sooner or later with all those kids running around, a friend of one of your kids who does not know how to properly handle the bird is going to get bit. For your own peace of mind, you might prefer to have a bandaid size wound, rather than a trip to the ER for stitches (a possible outcome with a macaw, for ex). And any bird will bite, if mishandled badly enough. I think if I had kids around, esp if they werent mine - I'd want something with a smaller beak, just so that I didnt have to worry as much.

Also, this kid friendly issue is where I'd trust the expert advice regarding species. Or maybe try to get a bird that already has a good track record with kids?
I'd guess a lot of it is individual to the bird, too. Maybe you need to interveiw birds with some or all of the kids along? Some birds might be overwhelmed with that may people around them all the time? This is another reason, perhaps, to let the
bird chose you, as a flock.

For greys & cockatoos, you may want to consider the allergy issue. I've heard they're worse, and although I have few allergies myself, I do seem to react to cockatoos, so I'm guessing I might have a problem owning a grey, even though I also love them, as a species. If none of your kids have any allergies, you're lucky, and this issue wont likely apply, of course.

Noise level: When the little birds get amped up by the noise the kids are making, it's not such a big deal (the kids are probably making as much noise as the birds). But when the macaw or the cockatoo goes off (which they do when happy, too, not just when upset) - that's a horse of a very different color. Or rather, a sound of an entirely different decible level. So I'd guess that you'd either want a really mellow bird, that doesnt get so easily worked up, or you want a somewhat quieter species, less capable of breaking your eardrums. Unless you have a very high tolerance for loud, and your nearest neighbors are a long ways away, that is, in which case maybe it doesnt matter.

Re poop and mess - my big ones are easier by far to clean up after than my little ones, contrary to everything the literature led me to expect. They poop bigger, but they poop mostly in one spot in their cages (probably in part because the 2 larger birds are both older & more sedentary). Also, they dont flit around the room, from lamp shade to lamp shade, pooping as they go. Something my green cheeks can still manage even with very severe clips. The big ones (mostly) stay on their playstands or on the floor (on in the cat lairs, in the case of the marauding macaw :) They do throw their food farther, but the food chunks are bigger, too, and therefore easier to pick up by hand. Same with the feathers - more volume, but larger feathers that are easier to pluck out of the carpet and off of the drapes.
My worst mess makers are my budgies, truthfully. Also, given that you survived 7 sets of diapers, I dont think any bird would give you much trouble :)

Size & hanging out with the bird: It's way easier to do laundry with a green cheek on your head, than with a macaw on your shoulder (IMO). Bigger birds require more dedicated time just to hold them, whereas the smaller ones can kind of just hang out on your body, with greater ease. This also applies to travel, which you may be doing more of, as your human flock ages. If you're going to be doing soccer games or track meets etc. (or larger home schooler gatherings) you may want a med to med/smaller bird, that would be easy to put in the travel cage & take along for the ride. That way, it's really a whole family event. You dont want to leave your 2 year old out, after all. (Or home alone all the time, either, which is hard on them.) Just make sure they're a big enough breed to wear the harness, since some birds really baulk at the flight suit thingies (which is all my green cheeks can wear - the harnesses are too big for them).

A bird that fits in the standard birdie backpack (chest pack, actually) would be a good guideline for the ease of travel. That's a manageable size, and so is a travel cage for a bird in that size range, which takes up only one seatbelt in the car. The macaw mandates taking the wagon (which you're probably already doing, but you have to seat all the kids, too, plus the bird.) It's like traveling with a baby car seat - for twins - versus a single baby car seat.

Re the pre-owned bird - my rescue & special ones (of both birds & cats) do best with very predictable routines. So, unless you can find one with a proven track record with kids, I'd guess that a younger more flexible bird might be a better choice? Something else to ask the more expert members.

So, there's some thoughts, from someone who owns both small & large birds.
And a slew of other critters, although no human children, yet.

Also, I'd really recommend that part about letting the bird chose you, once you have your parameters narrowed down to the types that will fit your lifestyle.
So much is individual to the bird! My macaw is a true snuggler - loves to sit on my lap for hours and groom me or just pick at my clothing gently. The senior green cheek is the same way with my husband. I really think a lot of it is personality - you can probably find a kid friendly snuggly bird in several different species - if you look hard enough. But you're probably not going to care what color it's feathers are, once you fall in love with it. So bottom line, it's probably more important that the individual bird be in love with you, and comfortable with your large family, than that it be a specific breed - so long as you can meet it's needs for space & so on, that is. Good luck & lots of fun choosing!

[momof7]

Thanks a bunch guys.
I'm glad I have time to consider. We bought Caiti's parrotlet at the annual bird show and sale. He was the friendliest of the bunch...he kinda picked us. At the sale I can handle different birds, or meet breeders who can get to know me and my family.

There is a breeder nearby. Business name is PurtyTweet. She has toos, greys, tiels, macaws, and several others. Maybe I could ask her if I could visit her birds...then sh'ed be assured of a customer.

I really like the idea of the bird picking us....we can pick a bird anytime...but that won't mean it will love us and bond with us.

Caitlin would love for me to get a cockatoo. Maybe I should consider that...after all, she will inherit my birds that outlive me. She already promised to do that for me. What a sweetie!