Greetings All

[ChemESGH]

I am new to the boards, and have never had a bird for a pet! Growing up, one of my good friends had finches and a cockatiel and I always loved visiting them and getting to interact with the cockatiel. After a recent trip to a local pet store and getting to see the variety of birds they had, my interest was re-sparked. Also, we stayed in a hotel this weekend that kept two parakeets (looked like Budgies, but I'm not one to ID them!). That got me started on reading up and researching what is needed to both purchase the necessary equipment, i.e. cage, toys, food/water dishes etc. as well as what types of birds are typically available and what might be a good fit for us.

My wife is not so enthusiastic about the idea of having a bird...yet! We have a mini schnauzer and I have a 20 gal saltwater tank, as well as two cats which stay outdoors completely. She thinks a bird will allow us to officially open a petting zoo.....(though a 2nd mini schnauzer is OK with her!) I am trying to ease her into at least entertaining the idea by saying "Hello" in my best parrot voice...at least I get her giggling!!

I'm mainly here to read up on more experienced bird lovers experiences and advice before deciding if owning a bird would be good for us. I must admit after reading up so far, I like the Sun Conures....and I have access to an endless supply of ear plugs at work! I look forward to reading up here and asking some goofy questions as I try to learn a little bit more about successful bird keeping!

[ndeben]

Check out parrotlets, they are loads of fun! Small and much quieter than any conure.

[ChemESGH]

Originally Posted by ndeben

Check out parrotlets, they are loads of fun! Small and much quieter than any conure.

I am reading at Which Bird For Me? - PetStation and was working my way down the list. I have made it to the Parrotlet section and am reading up on them at wikipedia now as well. Based on what I'm reading these little guys might be a great potential fit for us!

I definitely want to do my research and make sure owning any bird will be a good fit for both us and the bird. When I got into saltwater aquaria several years back I didn't do my homework upfront and had a rocky start. After I started researching and networking with other experienced saltwater enthusiasts everything changed and things have been good for 3+ years now!

[catschair]