Indian Ring Neck or Lovebird??

[babilonian]

Can any one tell me if its easier to have an indian ringneck or a lovebird as a pet for a first timer? And what about biting? do both have the same issue or one more than the other?

[Kolkri]

Both require a lot of time to keep tame and both an be nippy.
What do you want in a bird? Cuddles, a clown, mellow...?

[babilonian]

looking for something easy to care for and less biting problems...as you know, it it bits, i might not be able to deal with it and i dont want to keep the poor thing in a cage all day long. i would prefer something i could interact with. not so noisy as i live in a condo.

[becca623]

What about a dove instead? They aren't known to bite. They are pretty quiet. The ones I've met enjoy being pet and held. I lived with a wild one (that was permanently injured) for several years when I was a child. S/he was such a sweet bird. Occasionally it would make a sound at night that spooked new people but was otherwise very quiet. I've seen pet ones at shows and pet stores.

[amanda143]

Those diamond doves are pretty cool!

[crystalusagi]

How about a budgie? They're relatively easy to tame, I've heard, and they're pretty quiet, too. Low maintenance as in they're smaller and therefore there's less mess to clean up XD

[Kolkri]

You have some wonderful suggestion. I would like to add a tiel. When they do bite it is very minor. However you must know all birds can and sometimes do bite.
So maybe a bird is not for you? Or maybe a more hands off type bird like couple a finches or a canary.
I have even been bitten by a dove. Didn't hurt but I sure was surprised. lol

[babilonian]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I've had a canary for a very long time. Use to keep the door open to the cage and he'll fly off in the morning and comes back at sunset. Fly around the house, but use to llike his own spot which happens to be the highest, on top of the fridge..lol. I got a ringneck once from a pet store, but it was wild. I worked with it for 2 months, try to tame it. but my parents made me get rid of it as it was very loud.

My brother had a lovebird which was extremely tame and playfull, but i've also seen lovebirds that bite...and they do bite hard. Thats why i was woundering if i should get a baby ringneck or lovebird as they are available for sale from breeders.

Thanks.

[Eliza]

Cockatiels are great pets :) Probably one of the best all-around parrots out there.

What about hand-raised/socialized Bourke's parakeet? Or maybe a lineolated parakeet -- they are SO cute and are very quiet.

If you can find a reputable breeder near you that offers lovebirds, it won't hurt to take a look. A properly socialized lovebird can be a really sweet companion if his or her human caretake invests a lot of time to keep him that way. I'd imagine that the same is true for ringnecks (or other psittacula parakeets) but I've never had one (they are illegal to own in NJ).

I'm not sure about the noise factor of ringnecks, though...

[crystalusagi]

Oh, I second the linnie suggestion if you can find one! They're supposed to be really quiet and easy to keep tame. Though I don't know how easy they are to find--plus they're usually more expensive than a lovebird or cockatiel. I don't know if this matters, but I've also read they have shorter lifespans--maybe 8-10 years at most.