Cockatiel, Budgie or Other?

[PetiteJadie]

Try a parrotlet! More unique than some of the others (am i being too biased already?) and adorable, sociable, and cute. Males can speak. Females tend not to. I love little Jadie and decided on the Pacific Parrotlet after researching budgies, cockatiels and love birds mostly because they ares so cute and don't squawk really loud like the others may. YOu may also want to consider the monk parakeet, also known as the quaker. they seem like a fun parrot on the small/medium side.

Watching the parrot on YouTube is a great way to see what they sound like and even the tricks you can teach them.

[BirdMommaAK]

I have 2 cockatiels and 1 green cheek conure. Personally, as much as I love my cockatiels....I wish I would have gotten my green cheek first because he absolutely is the bird for me.

The cockatiels are great because they are quieter (both females) and don't demand attention. They are tame and friendly, have never bitten but are skittish of new things. They will come to anyone in my family, including my 1 and 6 year old kids. They occasionly allow us to give them scritches, but for the most part seemed irritated by human interaction.

My green cheek loves to play and cuddle, he also seems to be alot more brave and not as troubled by new things. He is a hoot to watch in his cage, loves to just hang out on my shoulder no matter what I'm doing, will roll on his back and play like a kitten.....I just can't say enough about him. He is a true parrot though and will use his beak if he feels the need, but has never bitten hard enough to draw blood. He does call out to me if he wants attention, but it never lasts long and isn't loud enough to annoy anyone. He also is great with my kids....

My best suggestion, if possible, is to try and meet several of the different types of birds you are considering. I also agree that getting one hand-fed from a breeder is the best option, although all of mine came from petstores but I think I got lucky that they all are nice and friendly. Good luck with your search!

[plainjane]

Thanks everyone! You guys are certainly making this decision hard. I definately have a lot more research to do!

[Wilder]

Parrotlets are great birds, and I dearly love mine, but I often hesitate to recommend them to a family with young children who want a cuddly pet. Parrotlets do love to cuddle, but they also tend towards temperamental and will not hesitate to nip or have their version of a temper tantrum if they see fit.

Something a bit more gentle and less prone to using their beak might be a better choice for a young family. Cockatiels are supposed to be good for that, but I'd go for a Linnie, myself. They're too cute for words. :)

[Duky]

I'm very partial but if you want a small bird that's very interactive and that your kids can cuddle how about a Green Cheeked Conure :) My GCC has more personality than most dogs and probably most people! With an 8 year old as your youngest they should be able to avoid nips. I wouldn't trust a conure with a baby, but an older child would know how to handle the bird and notice the warning signs the bird might give, plus since GCCs are very small they can't do too much damage. I don't have experience with any other birds, but from what I've read GCC tolerates being grabbed by the body better than other birds, who prefer to step up on their own. I always grab Ducky and pick her up and she loves the cuddling and petting. She is very good at communicating. The smaller birds may not ever talk. GCCs are not known for their talking ability (Ducky doesn't talk, but her dad talks very well); they are known for personality and intelligence. If a bird is going to be an only pet for your kids, I would definitely recommend one that can be trained to do tricks, enjoys affection, and comes when called, and they can take anywhere, and a GCC definitely fits that description. Just make sure you read some of the other posts on here about teflon, scented candels, air freshneers stuff like that before you get your bird. Many things in the home environment can be deadly so make sure you get rid of all that junk before you bring birdie home, your whole family will be healthier too.

[hsmoscout]

I was recently faced with the same decision. I decided on a tiel because they bond to a large number of people and con tolerate a lot of handeling. No offense but tiels seem to understand you more and have more personality than budgies(what you refer to as parakeets)

[prettypenguin]

I have 2 female tiels and they are very social with both my boyfriend & I. They love pets and scritches and are rarely in their cage when someone is home. I have always wanted a linnie, but have seen relatively few here.

[NotEnoughTime]

I've had a budgrigar, cockatiel, parrotlet and green cheek over the past 30 years. All have been wonderful companions, but the parrotlet and green cheek have had the most "character" of all. My greek cheek is very social while my parrotlet was somewhat more independant. The cockatiel bit harder than my green cheek if not as often - and was somewhat noisier.

So my recommendation is for a hand-raised parrotlet or green cheek.

[Shutterbugmom]

I've had budgies, finches and cockatiels in the past, and now have a parrotlet and crimson bellied conure. (We had to re-home our two cockatiels because I was terribly allergic to the cockatiel dust/dander. ugh)

While the parrotlet would be smaller and more delicate that the cockatiel, your kids would surely enjoy watching their antics. They are such funny little birds. My little parrotlet is always moving around, hanging upside down on it's cage, jumping back and forth to its swing so it can swing "higher!" If you provide a parrotlet with a large enough cage and plenty of toys, I think your kids would really enjoy it. This is the absolutely smallest cage I would use and it's pretty inexpensive:

Bird cages: Clean Life Triple Roof Cage at Drs. Foster & Smith And a larger cage would be ever better. Also, I wouldn't put it on that stand. That stand just doesn't seem sturdy enough especially with kids. (Of course, I could be wrong. :) ) I'm getting that cage for our parrotlet for an upstairs cage. She also has a downstairs cage.

Good luck with your decision!

[Ringneckmom]

I love Tiels and Linnies. Both are just very sweet birds and so lovable.
If you have a male tiel then they can get a little independent as they get older but can still be very sweet birds and boy can they whistle and jabber!

Linnies are just the most precious things and also another nice bird. The one thing I have noticed with my guy is that he does tend to be a little more shy than the Tiel.

I have heard nice things about the green cheeks, but also that they can be quite territorial. Course I know it will also depend upon the bird.