Newbie - Please help us find a bird!!

[uehling]

I'm still here reading....

[svolk]

I'm not sure there are any good starter birds, only birds that are better suited for different people and different lifestyles. I don't necessarily think that beginning with small birds to get a taste of things is the best way to go for everyone.

Uehling, could you clarify what other qualities you are looking for in a bird, for example is noise a factor (especially with small children)? Will all members of your family be interacting with the bird?

[LissaKokoKiwiKaseySam]

A Hahns macaw *might* just fit the bill for you.. Not a HUGE bird, but a medium bird packed with personality. We have a 7 yr old Hahns macaw. Kasey is bird number 2 of 4 in our family, which also consists of a 10 and 12yr old girl.

Hahns are spicey..not necessarily cuddly, but energetic clowns with an amazing vocabulary. Kasey once parked himself on a shoulder and took a two hour car ride to the Cape..never moved! A good size cage shouldn't break your budget, or take up the entire living room, like 'toos and larger 'caws do.
Kasey greets us with 'good morning' every day as we walk thru the bird room to begin our day, and 'kissie kissie kissie good night Kasey' as we turn in at the end of it....He's an amazing bird. A bit standoffish, but will go to both my husband and me. The girls don't have much interest in him, so he doesn't interact with them at all...

That's another problem with mixing kids and fids..kids will either love them, or not want anything to do with them.. I have one of each.

[Vega]

I think a good place to start would be....why are you considering a bird?

Everyone has different reasons for considering each type of pet. Personally I chose a bird because I wanted a pet that was mine and mine alone. My dogs had become "family" pets. My mom said no reptiles, no mice, no cats...I'm not one for hamsters or gunea pigs (sp?). But this was something I had also considered for years, had worked at a pet store caring for various parrots, and was at a financial point that I could afford it.

Then I did research on what would be best for me. I originally wanted a Too...then I considered the dust. Then I considered the time they require. I work full time also, and finally accepted the fact that it would be better for the bird if I went to a more independent parrot.

Basically I did it backwards. I took all the info I could and honestly considered my lifestyle, then eliminated what would NOT fit. (kinda hard when you have your heart set somewhere) Some have higher rates of dust, some are known for being loud, some for being more timid, some are great 1 person pets and others are more family oriented...of course these are all generalizations and each bird differs from the next.

After that I looked at pricing in my area and online. That knocked out a few others I liked. If I can't afford the bird--how can I afford the appropriate cage/toys/food?

I refused to buy from a pet shop. I looked into private breeders.Any breeder that offered to sell unweaned or ship unaccompanied was automatically ruled out. (I've seen how dogs can arrive when shipped unaccompanied--dehydrated, sitting in their own waste, and I would NOT do that) I found one that was out of state, but would deliver for a small fee. I also think that made the transition a bit easier.

Look at the size cage you can afford. I paid $800 for my first cage, then $500 for one twice it's size. (the first one was a "name brand" waste of money) As someone else mentioned--toys. Prices vary and the bigger the bird, the bigger the toys, the more costly they are.

There is no specific "starter bird" out there. Each person, each lifestyle, each financial situation is different from the next. But reviewing some of these things should at least help narrow things down.

[leighrivera161]

Originally Posted by LissaKokoKiwiKaseySam

A Hahns macaw *might* just fit the bill for you.. Not a HUGE bird, but a medium bird packed with personality. We have a 7 yr old Hahns macaw. Kasey is bird number 2 of 4 in our family, which also consists of a 10 and 12yr old girl.

Hahns are spicey..not necessarily cuddly, but energetic clowns with an amazing vocabulary. Kasey once parked himself on a shoulder and took a two hour car ride to the Cape..never moved! A good size cage shouldn't break your budget, or take up the entire living room, like 'toos and larger 'caws do.
Kasey greets us with 'good morning' every day as we walk thru the bird room to begin our day, and 'kissie kissie kissie good night Kasey' as we turn in at the end of it....He's an amazing bird. A bit standoffish, but will go to both my husband and me. The girls don't have much interest in him, so he doesn't interact with them at all...

That's another problem with mixing kids and fids..kids will either love them, or not want anything to do with them.. I have one of each.

I have recently handled a few Hahns and I agree..great bird!

[leighrivera161]

Originally Posted by Vega

I think a good place to start would be....why are you considering a bird?

Everyone has different reasons for considering each type of pet. Personally I chose a bird because I wanted a pet that was mine and mine alone. My dogs had become "family" pets. My mom said no reptiles, no mice, no cats...I'm not one for hamsters or gunea pigs (sp?). But this was something I had also considered for years, had worked at a pet store caring for various parrots, and was at a financial point that I could afford it.

Then I did research on what would be best for me. I originally wanted a Too...then I considered the dust. Then I considered the time they require. I work full time also, and finally accepted the fact that it would be better for the bird if I went to a more independent parrot.

Basically I did it backwards. I took all the info I could and honestly considered my lifestyle, then eliminated what would NOT fit. (kinda hard when you have your heart set somewhere) Some have higher rates of dust, some are known for being loud, some for being more timid, some are great 1 person pets and others are more family oriented...of course these are all generalizations and each bird differs from the next.

After that I looked at pricing in my area and online. That knocked out a few others I liked. If I can't afford the bird--how can I afford the appropriate cage/toys/food?

I refused to buy from a pet shop. I looked into private breeders.Any breeder that offered to sell unweaned or ship unaccompanied was automatically ruled out. (I've seen how dogs can arrive when shipped unaccompanied--dehydrated, sitting in their own waste, and I would NOT do that) I found one that was out of state, but would deliver for a small fee. I also think that made the transition a bit easier.

Look at the size cage you can afford. I paid $800 for my first cage, then $500 for one twice it's size. (the first one was a "name brand" waste of money) As someone else mentioned--toys. Prices vary and the bigger the bird, the bigger the toys, the more costly they are.

There is no specific "starter bird" out there. Each person, each lifestyle, each financial situation is different from the next. But reviewing some of these things should at least help narrow things down.

Well said!

[homebird]

I didn't just have cat issues but my son was/is a real pest & i waited until I could trust him not to do some innocently dumb thing with my bird - before i got a bird. He really likes our budgie - after he got over the fact that we were getting a smallbird - he's 15. I don't think I'd have been comfortable with him & a bird together earlier than 10.

I spent years reading about them, going to bird shows & looking at bird sites.

[uehling]

Good comments, and great questions.

I'm not sure where to start, but my recent fascination started with a trip to our local pet store; where I always go into the bird room with my 5 year old. This particular day they had a very intriguing and beautiful bird - we were told it was a blue headed Pionus; The lady who works there, brought him/her out and we all held and played with him for a few minutes, he was very friendly, stepped up and even allowed my 5 year old to scratch his head... he/she was just beautiful and I have always wanted a bird;

My neighbor used to have a little cockatiel that talked, he would say cookie for my birdie; sammy (his name) give you kiss kiss... I thought that was funny, and My daughter just adored the little guy. My father has also owned parakeets throughout the years, funny he never bought one - they would always just find him.

We have 3 kids, two at home full time. Ages, 10, 5 and 3 months. We have 33 Tarantulas and 1 3 year old male Boxer. All of our kids know about animals, we teach them to respect and be kind to them, they also know that all animals including birds can bite, even if they nice or have been nice to them before.

Even though we are working full time, our schedules allow time for our family and animals; picking a bird that would adapt in a quite setting for a few hours a day alone and one that doesn't demand hours and hours of attention each day would probably fit into our family pretty good. We have lots of time to give to one, as we would probably just make him/her a permanent family member ie: out when were home; having interactions all of the time and constant attention. Having the ability to talk, really isn't a requirement - I know that all birds have the potential, but we would like one that had more potential then others, but again that is not a requirement.

Personally, I really like the Max. Pionus and some of the Conure's, but I have heard that the Conure's can become aggressive; as I'm sure that's the same with any bird, but with the Pionus; they are relatively quite and don't demand as much attention as a Conure or an African Grey. I like the idea that the Max is somewhat affordable @ around $400.00, I'm thinking w/cage Toys and food - I would be spending around 1K to get started. The cost of the bird, isn't really a huge factor, the money is coming from a Christmas present from a family member! We will be able to afford future toys, food ... etc - that's not an issue.

My husband and I are going to a couple of bird dealers over the weekend to check out all the different breeds, were leaving the cash, credit cards and check books at home... not making any decisions soon, just trying to decide if a bird is right for us.

Hopefully some more background will help with your advice.

Thanks!!

[uehling]

Good comments, and great questions.

I'm not sure where to start, but my recent fascination started with a trip to our local pet store; where I always go into the bird room with my 5 year old. This particular day they had a very intriguing and beautiful bird - we were told it was a blue headed Pionus; The lady who works there, brought him/her out and we all held and played with him for a few minutes, he was very friendly, stepped up and even allowed my 5 year old to scratch his head... he/she was just beautiful and I have always wanted a bird;

My neighbor used to have a little cockatiel that talked, he would say cookie for my birdie; sammy (his name) give you kiss kiss... I thought that was funny, and My daughter just adored the little guy. My father has also owned parakeets throughout the years, funny he never bought one - they would always just find him.

We have 3 kids, two at home full time. Ages, 10, 5 and 3 months. We have 33 Tarantulas and 1 3 year old male Boxer. All of our kids know about animals, we teach them to respect and be kind to them, they also know that all animals including birds can bite, even if they nice or have been nice to them before.

Even though we are working full time, our schedules allow time for our family and animals; picking a bird that would adapt in a quite setting for a few hours a day alone and one that doesn't demand hours and hours of attention each day would probably fit into our family pretty good. We have lots of time to give to one, as we would probably just make him/her a permanent family member ie: out when were home; having interactions all of the time and constant attention. Having the ability to talk, really isn't a requirement - I know that all birds have the potential, but we would like one that had more potential then others, but again that is not a requirement.

Personally, I really like the Max. Pionus and some of the Conure's, but I have heard that the Conure's can become aggressive; as I'm sure that's the same with any bird, but with the Pionus; they are relatively quite and don't demand as much attention as a Conure or an African Grey. I like the idea that the Max is somewhat affordable @ around $400.00, I'm thinking w/cage Toys and food - I would be spending around 1K to get started. The cost of the bird, isn't really a huge factor, the money is coming from a Christmas present from a family member! We will be able to afford future toys, food ... etc - that's not an issue.

My husband and I are going to a couple of bird dealers over the weekend to check out all the different breeds, were leaving the cash, credit cards and check books at home... not making any decisions soon, just trying to decide if a bird is right for us.

Hopefully some more background will help with your advice.

Thanks!!

[Doyle'sMommy]

Conures can be great pets! But they can be very loud and do demand a good amount of attention. My nanday is the sweetest bird in the world and will go to anyone. But he requires Mommy time everyday, he loves to ride on my shoulder, eat whatever I'm eating, and to basically be involved in everything we do. Conures have alot of energy and require lots of toys and a fairly large cage (to properly exercise). But they are so cute!