Any Polkies own a Parrot?

bklynNupe

I know there are some bird owners on the forum. I'm interested in buying an African Grey Parrot and I would like some advice. The listings I've come across from sellers seem to vary greatly in price. Out west the prices seem relatively cheap as compared to New York.

I?ve also read some general info on their basic temperament and care. Anything in particular I should keep in mind when considering a bird like this?

Thanks.

pitdogg2

Never buy second hand....think teenager for life. Birds like this are at best a one person bird. The bird will if well taken care of will out live you.

Face

I own four parrots at the moment, I'll respond with more when I have time tonight or tomorrow,,,

brgman

I just come here when i want to hear birdbrains talk.:eek:

bklynNupe

Face wrote: »

I own four parrots at the moment, I'll respond with more when I have time tonight or tomorrow,,,

ok cool.

bklynNupe

pitdogg2 wrote: »

Never buy second hand....think teenager for life. Birds like this are at best a one person bird. The bird will if well taken care of will out live you.

I was really considering one from some local sellers that say they no longer have the time to care for their feathered friend. I wouldn't mind saving a little cash since these guys are not cheap, however I don't want someone else's problem child. The bird will also have to get along with the wife.

mole'

i had a few. (GREEN) Afican ringneck, (YELLOW) Indian Ringneck and a (GREEN) Conure. all were great birds but took a lot of time to take care of.

IMO its best to get them as a baby and hand feed them.

bklynNupe

mole' wrote: »

i had a few. (GREEN) Afican ringneck, (YELLOW) Indian Ringneck and a (GREEN) Conure. all were great birds but took a lot of time to take care of.

IMO its best to get them as a baby and hand feed them.

wow, that's a gang a birds, although beautiful!

Erik Tracy

mole' wrote: »

i had a few. (GREEN) Afican ringneck, (YELLOW) Indian Ringneck and a (GREEN) Conure. all were great birds but took a lot of time to take care of.

IMO its best to get them as a baby and hand feed them.

*Beautiful Plummage*.....:cheesygrin:

DaveHo

pitdogg2 wrote: »

Never buy second hand....think teenager for life. Birds like this are at best a one person bird. The bird will if well taken care of will out live you.

+1 You never know, previous owner may have taught it to curse like a sailor. :cheesygrin:

evhudsons

My neighbors have exotic birds, and they don't take care of them, just leave them outside. They scream all day. I don't know what kind they are, but it's awful. They taught one bird to scream at the other one "shut up".
Upon research, I learned that these types of birds want attention which is why they scream. With enough attention and interaction they chill out.

I downloaded some freeware recordings of the amazon rainforest with Parrots, and it vastly increased the screaming to such a level that I was making noise war back to the owner with his own birds. I quit doing this because it probably tortures the birds. It's not their fault they are neglected. But here is something I found researching:

All birds make noise. You will never find a quiet bird. If you do, he?s probably quite sick. Birds use noise for a variety of reasons, but the most common reason is to keep in contact with the flock. That would be you, especially if you keep a single bird. In the wild, a parrot?s safety lies with his flock. Without it, he is an easy target for predators. Birds call out to their flock in the wild to make sure they?re still around and to make sure everyone is ok. If a contact call isn?t answered, the call can escalate to screaming. While problematic for us, it?s still a natural behavior for the bird. He?s getting upset, and he figures his flock can?t hear him anymore so he?d better increase the volume.
Excessive screaming

Some birds scream because they?re bored or lonely. A bird who never seems able to calm down needs help. Screaming is a particularly difficult problem to deal with because it is so frustrating for us humans. Remember that larger parrots have the intellectual capacity of young children, and you must keep them stimulated and entertained to keep them healthy and happy. Plenty of social interaction, a varied and interesting diet, a good night?s rest, and a variety of challenging toys can help alleviate screaming. Answering your bird?s initial contact call can also help. If your bird calls out to you when you leave the room, answer him with a whistle or a phrase such as ?Here I am! Coming back in a minute? or something like that. If you don?t answer his call, your bird could get more frantic looking for you and increase his volume.

I have a friend that loves his parrot. It walks around, interacting with the whole family. So it's up to the owner to have a good bird or not.

good luck!

codyc1ark

Face wrote: »

I own four parrots at the moment, I'll respond with more when I have time tonight or tomorrow,,,

THAT explains a lot! :cheesygrin:

Erik Tracy wrote: »

*Beautiful Plummage*.....:cheesygrin:

Doesn't enter into it.

Erik Tracy

codyc1ark wrote: »

Doesn't enter into it.

Sure it does - especially if it is a Norwegian Blue....:cheesygrin:

halo71

I use to have one. She ended up talking too damn much, which led to a divorce. That was in my younger dumber days though.

soundfreak1

If u didmt nail it to tje perch it would be pushing up dasies! Actually my wife use to breed congo amd timneh's as well as most of the amazons. Big important thing is never but a cheep or bargad parrot!!!! But only a baby hand fed from the breeder and go and feed the birs yourself so he or ahe will bonds with you! Thats if u really want a good pet that wont go bronko on you latter. Also be prepaired to spend more time with the bird than u wouls with a child, if you cant dont buy one. Those that dont will be selling at a low price later and u dont want that bird at any price and you will end up with a new nick name. say lefty or the like!

mrbigbluelight

halo71 wrote: »

I use to have one. She ended up talking too damn much, which led to a divorce.

Are there tax advantages to marrying your parrot as opposed to just cohabitating ?

tonyb

mrbigbluelight wrote: »

Are there tax advantages to marrying your parrot as opposed to just cohabitating ?

Nope, but there are other advantages.

One way he gets his beek waxed every day....the other way his beek gets waxed every other month.:cheesygrin:

[Deleted User]

I had a Blue Fronted Amazon that was cool. He really liked it when I played music. Birds are very messy to keep and if you have allergies you may want to reconsider. Other than that he was a great pet. :cool:

halo71

tonyb wrote: »

Nope, but there are other advantages.

One way he gets his beek waxed every day....the other way his beek gets waxed every other month.:cheesygrin:

^ This! lol

Face

I'm going to go against the grain and recommend picking up one from a shelter first.

Yes, hand feeding a baby can create a stronger bond, but it's not guaranteed. My girlfriend and I have both purchased parrots as babies and have taken in parrots that others didn't want anymore. IMO, as long as the adopted bird wasn't too badly abused, it makes no difference as far as how good of a pet they'll make.

As far as your choice of parrot, Greys are super intelligent, and the more intelligent the parrot, the more work it will be to take care of them. They need a lot of interaction, a large cage, and many toys or they will pluck. Plus, Greys are one person birds, so if you're living with someone else, it may bond to them and be aggressive towards you.

If living in an apartment, the parrot I'd recommend most is a Pionus. They're not the most chatty or cuddly parrot, but are generally laid back and quieter than most. Caiques are on the quiet side too, but are super active need a lot of objects to climb on, plus toys and a larger cage. Cockatiels and Conures are a bit(to much) louder and can also make great pets too depending on the breed. If I were to do it over again, I'd probably only own Pionus and Caiques as the rest can be very loud and labor intensive at times.

Be warned of Lorikeets. They're sweet, beautiful, but make a tremendous mess due to their liquid only diet. :eek:

Here are my guys.

An Alexandrine Ringneck going through a molt(new feathers coming in).


White bellied Caique.



Triton Cockatoo.



Sun Conure.

pitdogg2

soundfreak1 wrote: »

If u didmt nail it to tje perch it would be pushing up dasies! Actually my wife use to breed congo amd timneh's as well as most of the amazons. Big important thing is never but a cheep or bargad parrot!!!! But only a baby hand fed from the breeder and go and feed the birs yourself so he or ahe will bonds with you! Thats if u really want a good pet that wont go bronko on you latter. Also be prepaired to spend more time with the bird than u wouls with a child, if you cant dont buy one. Those that dont will be selling at a low price later and u dont want that bird at any price and you will end up with a new nick name. say lefty or the like!

jesus dude hammered already? this is quit the read:cheesygrin: I think i need several drinks and a few tokes before i will understand what u say.

pitdogg2

nice birds Face

evhudsons

I love that last picture, awesome!

bklynNupe

Face wrote: »

I'm going to go against the grain and recommend picking up one from a shelter first.

Yes, hand feeding a baby can create a stronger bond, but it's not guaranteed. My girlfriend and I have both purchased parrots as babies and have taken in parrots that others didn't want anymore. IMO, as long as the adopted bird wasn't too badly abused, it makes no difference as far as how good of a pet they'll make.

As far as your choice of parrot, Greys are super intelligent, and the more intelligent the parrot, the more work it will be to take care of them. They need a lot of interaction, a large cage, and many toys or they will pluck. Plus, Greys are one person birds, so if you're living with someone else, it may bond to them and be aggressive towards you.

If living in an apartment, the parrot I'd recommend most is a Pionus. They're not the most chatty or cuddly parrot, but are generally laid back and quieter than most. Caiques are on the quiet side too, but are super active need a lot of objects to climb on, plus toys and a larger cage. Cockatiels and Conures are a bit(to much) louder and can also make great pets too depending on the breed. If I were to do it over again, I'd probably only own Pionus and Caiques as the rest can be very loud and labor intensive at times.

Beautiful birds!
I'm concerned with the though of a bird only bonding with only myself or my wife. I don't see her picking the bird up but I would hope it would be pleasant and certainly not hostile. In regards to quality time, is this interaction similar to a active dog? In my experience a active dog wants food, go outside and play with you occasionally and a little grooming everyday. Do parrots require considerable more attention than this? Also what shelters can I check with in the NYC area?

bklynNupe

nap wrote: »

I had a Blue Fronted Amazon that was cool. He really liked it when I played music. Birds are very messy to keep and if you have allergies you may want to reconsider. Other than that he was a great pet. :cool:

Any pet I own has to appreciate music ( sometime loud).

DarqueKnight

Face wrote: »

Here are my guys.

Those are beautiful birds. Do they like music?

Systems

For you bird guys in the know:

I rented a very expensive house in San Pedro California for a week once, and was shocked to see FLOCKS of wild birds flying around everywhere that looked just like parrots.
I have a ton of pics, but they look very similar to what has been posted (the green ones).

Are they the same type of birds, but wild?

Went to Catalina island and saw the same thing.

brgman

pepster wrote: »

For you bird guys in the know:

I rented a very expensive house in San Pedro California for a week once, and was shocked to see FLOCKS of wild birds flying around everywhere that looked just like parrots.
I have a ton of pics, but they look very similar to what has been posted (the green ones).

Are they the same type of birds, but wild?

Went to Catalina island and saw the same thing.

No pepster that was the LSD.

codyc1ark

brgman wrote: »

No pepster that was the LSD.

Hah! I loled!

Systems

brgman wrote: »

No pepster that was the LSD.

No but I did see a "Flock of Seagulls" on LSD once!:cheesygrin:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_Pq0xYr3L4

Face

DarqueKnight wrote: »

Those are beautiful birds. Do they like music?

Two of them will dance. The others seem indifferent.

pepster wrote: »

For you bird guys in the know:

I rented a very expensive house in San Pedro California for a week once, and was shocked to see FLOCKS of wild birds flying around everywhere that looked just like parrots.
I have a ton of pics, but they look very similar to what has been posted (the green ones).

Are they the same type of birds, but wild?

Went to Catalina island and saw the same thing.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wild_Parrots_of_Telegraph_Hill

bklynNupe wrote: »

Beautiful birds!
I'm concerned with the though of a bird only bonding with only myself or my wife. I don't see her picking the bird up but I would hope it would be pleasant and certainly not hostile. In regards to quality time, is this interaction similar to a active dog? In my experience a active dog wants food, go outside and play with you occasionally and a little grooming everyday. Do parrots require considerable more attention than this? Also what shelters can I check with in the NYC area?

Then a grey may not be for you. Other breeds may work out of you two, especially if they're placed in a common area. Meaning, not your stereo room or your kitchen if you use non-stick cookware(fumes are hazardous to them).

evhudsons wrote: »

I love that last picture, awesome!

pitdogg2 wrote: »

nice birds Face

Thanks guys!