Appreciate advice for 2nd bird

[darkmage3]

All,

I have a Yellow-Sided Green Cheek who is awesome, funny, outgoing etc etc. I have had her for a few years and think that I am ready for my 2nd bird. I was hoping folks could give me some advice based on their experience. This is what I am looking for:

1.) larger bird, ekkie, grey, zon, too, macaw (full size or hahns) etc.
2.) talker! My conure doesn't talk and I would like one that does. My wife has said if we get another one, she would like one that could talk.
3.) cuddler or at least allows daily contact from scritches to playful interaction. I am very active with my bird, we play all kinds of games and most weekends hang out together all the time. My conure is a great shoulder bird, or should i say, i'm her favorite perch! I would be nervous of a large bird on my shoulder, but one that likes to hang out on my arm and likes people interaction is important.
4.) Does not mind active house hold. I may have these in reverse order as this one is pretty important. I have two kids 6 and 4 and a dog that is prone to outbursts of barking. My kids are not, and will not be, the birds primary care giver, they like to watch or hand treats but that's it. However as you can image our house can be loud, lots of stuff going on all the time, so a bird that that likes a quiet subdued household would not be the best for us.

Any thoughts you all may have would be greatly appreciated.

[loyallyroyal]

Have you gone and played with different species of birds at your local bird store? That might give you an idea of what you want, all the birds you have listed are very different from one another, all I have experience with though is ekkies.

[darkmage3]

i have gone to a few local stores. I have played with various Toos and the Goffin seemed to be the right size and temperment. Also a double yellow headed amazon also seemed nice, but the BFA they had was out he was not nice. They also had 1 CAG and it seemed nice enough, but very shy. Not sure how that would work in my busy house hold.

None of the stores near me have ekkies, caiques, or macaws of any size. The only Amazon's i have seen are DYH and BFA, no others are around.

So i would be very interested in hearing from folks who have these other birds. There are some places i can visit farther away, which I am fine with, but i'd like to have some input before i start driving all over.

[loyallyroyal]

Well most birds its how you socialize them, for example, if you sit a baby eclectus in a pet store, clip its wings before it learns to fly, feed it and put it back with little interaction, you most likely will have an insecure perch potoato.
Compared to if you brought one home from a breeder, where it was raised in a household, heard a microwave, dishwasher, learned to play with toys, been around dogs, cats, ect. and learned how to fly confidently you would have a much more secure and confident bird.

A lot depends on the individual bird too, Ive met Goffins that love everybody and others that hate everyone but their person, Greys that love toys and others that are scared of anything new, Ekkies that cant stand noise and change and others like mine who love everything. So really I think its about what clicks with your family.

You may also want to check out which are more one people bird and which ones are more family orientated. Also, you may want to consider noise level.
Then I would look at local breeders and see if you find a baby that clicks with you and your family.

Here is a great article about how one breeder socializes their babies:
http://www.cedarmountainaviary.com/about_bird.html

[mundyzoo]

Hi there! Your house sounds a bit like mine, I have 3 little kids and a house full of animals and it is crazy loud and busy. I have a Timneh grey that is not bothered by the madness, I personally find TAG to be less quirky than CAG, I have had both and this is just my opinion. I did get my grey as a baby so he is used to the noise and does not seem to care he just joins right in. I have a female Ekkie, we call her the diva bird, she is not impressed with the craziness in this house and lets us know by yelling. I also have a Yellow nape zon that can not live in my house due to the fact he will attack my children because he loves me and does not want them near me. I just got a baby Lory, so who knows how that will be but so far so good.

[Abby]

You're likely to get a stack of different opinions on this based on personal preferences by those who have had them.

I adore my YC amazon and zons tend to be a bit more robust psychologically then the greys. Bogey at just over a year old is pretty good with speech.

If you are prepared to really focus on diet then Ekkies are another fantastic choice. Stunning birds especially the boys when they open those wings.

Whatever you end up with chances are it won't end up being mates with your GCC so keep in mind this is a companion for you guys not the GCC.

[New Ekkie Mom]

I only have an Eclectus, so I can't speak for the other species really, but I will try to at least relate an Eclectus to what you listed as your priorities.

1) Talking: Eclectus as a species are typically ranked about 3rd for talking ability, right after African Greys and Amazons. You can search for Eclectus videos on YouTube and find tons of adorable videos of male and female Eclectus talking with varying degrees of clarity. HOWEVER, as I'm sure you already know, each bird is an individual. Just because it is a species that is SUPPOSED to be able to talk, doesn't mean it WILL talk. Also, even if it does talk, Eclectus have a big reputation for being "closet talkers". They will talk up a storm up until the second someone walks in the room. Then they're as quiet as a mouse. If you want to get a bird that you know will talk, your best bet is to get an older rehome that already talks.

3) Cuddling: Eclectus are not known for being very good cuddlers. A few are, but there are probably more who don't want to be touched at all. Most, like mine, will tolerate occasional light petting or stroking on their chest or back, but if you're looking for a bird that's going to fluff up and beg for scritches, an Eclectus probably isn't going to do it for you. What they do like is just to be with you. Mine will sit on my shoulder for an hour or more, easy. They want to be in the same room with you watching everything you do. They can be playful, playing peek-a-boo type games and chase, but the level of activity and curiosity will vary from bird to bird. Because Eclectus do not form terribly strong pair bonds in the wild, as would a cockatoo for example, they do seem to be more recommended as "family" birds. They are less likely to become one person birds when they hit maturity, provide they receive lots of socialization and positive exposure to lots of different people on a regular basis.

3)Active Household: Different people will tell you different things. Some say that Eclectus are very sensitive birds. Others say they aren't. My breeder says that it really just depends on the lvl of socialization and what the bird is raised around. I can tell you without hesitation that my house is NOT quiet. I have a large dog and 3 children (2 boys, ages 7 and 4, and a girl, age 18 mos). Chaos reigns. I looked hard for a breeder that would be able to expose my new baby to a similar home life. Cyrano's breeder raised him in her home with 2 dogs and 4 children ranging in age from 17 yrs old down to 5 yrs old. So far, Cyrano is happy and seems to enjoy watching the activity. He does enjoy his quiet time too, when the kids are at school and the baby is sleeping. :)

As far as the other species you listed go, I have NO personal experience with any of them, but from what I've read on this board and other places, some of them seem to be better matches in some ways and worse in others. I am sure you will get lots more feedback and input from others who have more experience than I do. Good luck in your search!

Danielle

[mundyzoo]

I think Danielle is right, my Ekkie is 9 and was not raised in a busy house so this is all new to her. She is not a cuddler at all, she can talk but I still dont know how much, she just likes to hang out with us. My grey loves to play and be silly and he makes tons of noise.

[pixiewings1230]

I just got a baby Hahns and my house is crazy. I have a 3 year old that is super active. My Hahns plays with her and knocks down her block towers on the floor. He also tolerates a remote control car running under his Java tree he is perched on. LOL (I was shocked at that one because that car has the most annoying sound to it.) That amazed me. Also tolerates her singing and yelling. He just plays with his toy through all the noise. He seems to enjoy Yo-Gabba-Gabba. Hey....If you know the show...You know the song "Don't Bite your Friends". Perfect lesson for Fids. LOL

[becca623]

I think eclectus are wonderful birds but usually not cuddly. Well, the females tend to like physical affection more than the males but the males are supposed to be better suited to busy households and families. My guy wasn't well socialized before I got him so I was concerned but I've found that he handles just about any situation well. He has gone to friends' and families' houses, a dr.'s appointment, stores, my wedding reception, etc without any problem. He seems to enjoy a mix of everything. He talks as much and as well as any grey I've seen.
My blue front amazon is the complete opposite. She hates change and new people. She is a pretty good talker. A lot of amazons can be pretty aggressive.
I don't really recommend cockatoos to people with children because they can be so unpredictable.
Every bird is different. You really can't guarantee a bird will act like the species generalizations.
Have you considered another conure? Or maybe a poi? My senegal has a good vocab. She loves cuddles (on her terms) but she smaller than what it sounds like you want. She can really bite though.
Nanday conures are typically sweethearts but they can be loud and aren't usually great talkers.
I think the best thing to do (if possible) is meet as many birds as you can. If you find a bird that seems to like your entire family, then I would suggest that bird.
Good luck and best wishes on your quest!