Help our son wants a Parrot

[crystalusagi]

I would recommend a smaller bird if you have small children around, but I think it all depends on the temperament of the children. My nephew is almost 9 and doesn't know how to handle birds at all--he gets scared when my small red-bellied parrot even touches him with his beak. Getting a book about parrots and exploring other kinds of parrots may be a good idea. Has your son looked into other species? I think there are other parrots that would be a lot more appropriate as a starter bird for a kid, especially in a household that hasn't had birds before. But yeah, I'd second the green-cheeked conure recommendation (though conures as a whole tend to be a little nippy). Poicephalus are lovely too--I have one and he is a joy.

[Abby]

I'm going to answer this as a parent (3 boys myself aged 13, 10 and 7).

Why does William want a parrot? I think you need to get to the nitty gritty as to why they appeal to him so much. What does he want out of the bird? This will also help in making the decision. Whatever you get must be what you as a parent want too. Trust me, they will have their brain dead moments when you will be taking over the care.

If you can deal with the noise and pitch level I think a sun would probably be the best choice for someone his age. I really need to do a recording of my guys going off sometime so people can get an idea of what it can be like.

I'm a little biased against kids having greys. Possibly because I had to wait and I think they really need to be in a stable environment with a consistent owner. They aren't quite as robust to change as many other parrots.

In the case of a large macaw I think you need to see how he interacts with one. Yes they are beautiful but for someone who hasn't physically dealt with them they can also be quite intimidating with the beak. When they let loose with a scream they really let loose volume wise. Neighbours need to be considered.

My 13 yo recently got his galah (RB2) that he's been wanting for years. I'm in Australia so price wise not an issue. This was his dream baby and they have a great relationship however, I still end up booting him up the bum every so often to clean her cage and check on water (same with his lorikeets that are outside). Even with the most enthused kid/young teen chances are that you will have to be prepared to do some of the work and/or nag to remind him that things need to be done.

Get him reading (he needs to be able to "parrot" back to you feeding requirements, toys, cage size recommendations etc,) start to visit some breeders of the birds he likes and see how he interacts with them. You as his mother know him better then anyone else and know what your son is like and what he can cope with as well as what the rest of the family can deal with.

[Conure crazy]

I have a half-moon conure who will be 5 in March. She is great with my kids (ages 11, 12, & 12 now, she was 4 months old when we brought her home). Yes, she bites occasionally, but all birds do. She does give a warning. It's important to learn to read your bird, whatever bird you may decide on.

A grey was my first choice but I felt that a conure would be more child friendly (smaller beak).

It is important to consider how much money you want to spend on a monthly basis. I think macaws are beautiful but I can't afford $50 toys that can be shredded in less than hour. Conure toys are much cheaper to replace.

It's also important to consider the price of vet bills before getting any bird. Vet care is expensive and birds can mask illnesses so they need to go to the vet immediately if illness is suspected. With my dogs I usually wait a few days but not with Kermit, she has to go immediately.

If noise isn't an issue conures are great. Kermit is very social & she loves being the center of attention. She has been to school a number of times & loves to show off for the kids. She has a pretty good vocabulary. Keep in mind there are a lot of different conures.

In the end, it's important to ask yourself: Do you want a bird? You will be the one who is ultimately responsible if your son loses interest, you will be the one who pays the bills, and you will also most likely get the bird when your son goes to college.

Good luck.

Kristy

[Lori~D]

The differances between a Conure and a Macaw:
The Macaw beak can break bones in your hand instantly - conures may draw blood and hurt.
Noise level? - I have a Macaw and cant stand the sound a Sun conure makes. The Mac is louder by far but the Sun is like fingernails on the Chalkboard.
Cages price differance of about $300-$600 DOLLARS DIFFERANCE
Toys for a Macaw can come to hundreds a years - Toys for conure? - tens of dollars per year.

That said there are Conures who arent as loud. Life span? depends on your family and Collage?? It WILL be a part of the family and not just a bird pet ESP the larger species.
A parrot is like having a two year old that never grows up and never moves out and that is WAY more emphasized the bigger they are. The cage takes up half a room, they need to eat with you but they throw food. They need to go to the doc. They always learn the words you DONT want them to say first,lol. They need toys we dont think they need. You cannot just leave them with any sitter. They are bad at the Doc, and they poop where ever they want. They scream when they Need to and its usually when your on the phone or watching a movie. FOR AT LEAST FIFTY YEARS!

[ksuamy20]

My sun conure can be quite loud, and he shreds $50 in toys every month. But he is a very sweet and loving bird.

[Flappuccino]

Green-cheek, for sure.

Your son may very well be in LOVE with the idea of owning a parrot. And he may turn out to be an EXCELLENT bird owner- I'm sure he would.

But since this would be in the house with the entire family, maybe a smaller parrot would be a great learning experience.

Birds are noisy, messy, costly, time-consuming, worrisome, can bite, destroy things, etc.
Not to mention the fact that Mom can't cook with her favorite non-stick pans, burn candles, use air fresheners or strong cleaners, etc, etc...
Just about everyone in the family will have to make adjustments, and not many friends would be willing to change their entire lives to care for your bird when you go on vacation.

Green cheeks are generally happy, sweet little guys, and not too loud. They are comparatively less expensive to buy and to own than large parrots.

Good luck with whatever you decide!

[jenseits]

Want to know what screaming sun conure sounds like? Turn up the volume (but not too much, or you might shatter some glass):

YouTube - How Loud Is a Screaming Sun Conure?

My blog chronicles life with my birds, as well, if you're interested (just click on the links below).

[SPTN]

All good advice, but in the end, if your family and your son have decided to take the step and introduce a parrot into your lives, then let that bird choose your son.

Best of luck!

[janinetiel]

i dont think you could go wrong with a green cheek conure...i love mine...big parrot in little parrot body
good luck with your choice...

[hollyhawkz]

Wow, I'm sure you are overwhelmed with information. This is a very exciting time for you.

We have two conures, both very noisy in different ways. The little one does jungle call screams. The "caw caw caw aw aw aw" scream. The big one screeches and yells at me when he wants attention (he has about 16 phrases).

Because they are conures they are both very beaky. Have you ever seen puppies rolling around on their backs chewing the heck out of their playmates.... well that's a conure. They roll around on their backs and play like puppies and "beak" (bite) the heck out of you hands. We don't mind, we have fun doing this with them, and they can learn when it is too hard. Ours know the difference between play and mean. We can be playing, then grab them up for kisses and they stop the biting play mode.

Ours are out on their cages and free all day. The only time they are in their cages is at night and when we go out. They each spend at least two hours a day on me and about six hours a day on dad (he is home). On weekends I get the six hours each conure each day.

I love conures, and there are many many kinds, and different sizes.

As far as the Congo African Grey... my niece has one, with children... 8, 5 & 3. She does rescue so the family is very bird savvy. The Grey is good with the oldest boy, but will chase away the little ones once in a while. I am crazy about her. A grey would be my only other hearts desire, besides conures.

One of our members made an excellent point that the bird should pick him. This is important. You may buy a bird that will pick someone else in the house as "their bonded buddy" and have nothing to do with your son. Then what another bird? Get rid of that one? Huge dilemma. You might not want a second bird and re-homing is just plain cruel, so let us help you work towards preventing it. Also, when he goes away to college, you want a bird that will be happy staying home with you. In general, most dorms do not allow birds. So there is a great deal of future planning for this new family member.

I need help here everyone!

Our conures both have bonded with both of of nicely, but that is not always the case.

What parrots are good all around with all family members so we can help this family try to prevent possible bonding issues.

p.s. both our conures are much much louder than the video of the sun.