Meyer's parrots as first birds?

[funkypotatothings]

I never had a bird before... I've done a lot of research and I think I'm tied between a Meyer's and a Cockatiel. I know my sister and my mom would be willing to play with our new family member, my dad would be tolerant. I have a little brother so I've been looking for a bird that would be more tolerant of him. Of course I wouldn't let them get too close because I wouldn't want either one to get hurt but you know... So anyways I've been doing lots of research and I wanted to know if they make good first birds?

[dmiller91]

Based on mine, I would say YES. Meyers have a lot of good qualities. Mine bonded to my husband, but she has learned to love me. She also thinks my daughter is pretty cool.

She is very quiet, makes lots of neat noises... she has learned very quickly. You don't get the screeching like you do with some other species.

She's also very smart. She has learned to imitate my husband's sounds. She seems to know that gets his attention.

She isn't cuddly like a sun conure, but she isn't a screamer either.

I've had tiels and a quaker. If I had known about the Meyers, I would have skipped that whole step.

[ThreeX]

IMO a 'teil hen, Meyers or Brownheaded parrot is a good first bird.
(Male 'tiels can be very annoying with their persistent whistling/singing.. and from what i've been told both Meyers and Brownheads are slightly milder tempered than Senegals)

[Fiver]

Meyer's are great little birds. I have one, Gonzo, and he is super. I'm an adult and live alone, but Gonzo has no problems adapting to my parents' very packed, loud house over holiday weekends. He was/is super gentle with my young neice even though he isn't normally around children.

Another big plus is that they don't produce dust like cockatiels. We had a cockatiel when I was young, and although I loved her, she sure was dusty. They're also relatively quiet. They aren't super cuddly, so that's something to consider. Gonzo likes his scratches and nesting on my chest while we watch TV, but he isn't conure-cuddly, which is fine with me.

Good luck.

[dmiller91]

My Meyers isn't cuddly either, but she sure likes to be with her people. She's a bird that is content to just "hang" next to me somewhere. She just wants to be where I am, and she LOVES good scritches.

She will shower with me too :)