looking for the perfect bird

[pixibubbles]

ok, i know there isnt any such thing, but it's a nice thought and title

i'm thinking about (have been for a while) getting another (as in additional) bird. For those of you who dont know me my back ground is pretty good and I'm fairly expereinced in working with rescues. i'm only 24 and settled so birds with a longer life span are an option. i've worked with a pretty wide range of birds including keets, teils, 'toos, a couple of greys and currently have a lovebird. She's got plucking issues at the moment following an accident, so i'm concentrating on getting her better first, but am half thinking that a bird cage would be a good christmas present (told you i was thinking WAY off), and that she might like someone to talk to in the day.

the question is what is going to go inside it?

I've been doing a bit of research and my personal preference would be a quaker (even with the noise and potential issues they can have), but, my boyfriend probably wouldnt be too happy with that. He's not too fussed about noise, but doesnt like mess (that said he's used to my lovie and has met some of the other birdies).

Size
i dont think i want a particuarly big bird as i prefer to keep mine flighted after the initial weclome home getting to know each other clip. so i think we're probably talking not much bigger than large quakerish anyway (i know it wouldnt work but i can still enjoy the thought lol)

temperment
i also want a bird who is fairly friendly, because as much as my other half tries, sparks has made it clear that she's my bird and he sometimes feel a bit left out when we're playing as she tends to freeze and glare at him like he's spoiling her game.

i also need a bird who (with plenty of toys) can amuse itself as i am out until about 4-5pm weekdays, although my lovie is out in the morning to "help" me get ready and out from the minute i get home

i'd prefer a bird that could share playtimes with sparks, but it wouldnt be an issue if they decided not to be friends.

my other half would like a bird he could play with and maybe teach tricks to and have fun with. i know that most birds have some capacity for games, but some are generally more playful than others

noise
i dont mind noisey birds, and i know that as i am looking at the smaller size birds it wont be too much of an issue. i do live in a flat, but it's well insulated and you dont hear much of sparks even when she's in full flock scream mode

i know no bird will be the same as another, even with the same species, but we're talking crash generalisations here, so lets pretend lol

Oh, and we're probably going to go for a boy if we can, i'm not too keen on doing the hormones and laying issues if i can avoid it. This bird will be a pet, and NOT a breeder. that's not something i'm interested in at all.

i'm willing to consider anything from budgie upwards, but want to stay with the hookbills.

so... any ideas anyone?

thanks,
-Helen

[Shade]

I've been doing a bit of research and my personal preference would be a quaker (even with the noise and potential issues they can have), but, my boyfriend probably wouldnt be too happy with that. He's not too fussed about noise, but doesnt like mess (that said he's used to my lovie and has met some of the other birdies).

If the "mess" is the only thing really that would stop your from getting a quaker, you might as well get it because I'm pretty sure all birds are convinced mess is the way to go.
Honestly, all 3 of mine seem to find that it is much more fun to eat/play (when on the cages playgym) on the side of the floor. They seem to take pleasure in watching me clean up. I know it's the same with my mothers' bigger birds.

[BareFootAviary]

Well, I would suggest 3 types of birds, but I will list the pros and cons of each:

Pionus
A little larger, but they are fairly quiet, can entertain themselves very well, seem to be ok with other birds in general, though I guess they can be cage protective, so if Sparks landed on the cage it might be a no-no, and I'm not sure how messy of eaters they are. The downside is that they are more independent so your BF may not be able to "play" with one, but he could just relax with it on his shoulder and maybe have some handsy play-time. Also, prone to obesity and liver problems because they are not that active.

Poicephalus- Senegal, Red Bellied, Meyers, Brown Headed, etc.
They are small parrots, fairly quiet, can be messy (but my Senegal could not hold a candle to my Lovebirds and Caiques), can be playful but are prone to obesity as they get older because they get less active. Downfalls include the hormonal males that can suddenly become viscous to their "favorite person" though with lots of socializing, they can be great with all sorts of people. I would recommend a female in this case since they tend to "make better pets when they reach sexual maturity." I have not heard of any pet Pois that are chronic egg-layers.

Caiques
They are smaller parrots, though they are active and need a large cage, they are usually pretty quiet, though they have some natural beeps that can be quite irritating to most people, they can be messy, but not too bad, and they are playful! Your boyfriend would probably get a kick out of teaching it to hop on command, play dead (by pointing a finger and saying "bang" and teaching it to roll over), and other goofy tricks. Since they are very active, they can find fun in almost anything so if they have enough toys and interactive activities in their cage, they can be quite content to just play in the cage when they are alone. Downfalls include not being very nice with other birds, and they can be a little hard to handle when they reach maturity but with daily reinforcement, can get over pretty well. And the other bird thing is not a rule, just a tendency (you have seen pics of Dweezel and my Lovebirds )

[sunbirdx]

I would add Sun conures to Briana's list. They are very active and cuddly, smaller, friendly. I am not entirely sure how they would be with other birds though....any input, conure people?

[crouton]

(i'm sure my senegal would be a LOT quieter without a lovebird to mimic.... )

[wolfysluv]

I have the perfect bird... SUNNY! lol.
"Touchdoooooooooown"

[Quiverful]

Well, I have a lovie and he's quite the bully with the other birds. I cannot let him out the same time the budgies are out. He was getting along fine with the dove, but this morning, he was taking nips at her feet. Lovebirds are known to be pretty aggressive birds.

I have a Blue Headed Pionus and he is wonderful!! He is a messy bird and he loves to make "bird soup" with his water! LOL He can get a little loud in the mornings and evenings, but is pretty quiet other times. He is a great laid back bird, but he will still play games. He can also entertain himself. They aren't known to be great talkers, but I have only had him just over a month and he already says, "good boy" "hello" "peekaboo" He also imitates all kinds of noises..me laughing, kissie noises, wolf whistle..among others...

We are getting a baby Senegal. He should be coming home sometime this week. I cannot wait!! They a great little birds!!!

[Quiverful]

(i'm sure my senegal would be a LOT quieter without a lovebird to mimic.... )

Great!! Something for me to look forward to when we bring our new baby home! LOLOLOL

[crouton]

Great!! Something for me to look forward to when we bring our new baby home! LOLOLOL

tee hee....... trust me - i will laugh (cry) with you - not at you

[pixibubbles]

when i said mess, i meant more like poop mess. the cage will be my responsibility, and i will be cleaning and feeding most of the time.

i know what it is i want.
i basically want a budgie but a bigger version. something fairly easy going with a good temperment, easy to amuse, playful and even though they bond to one person they are usually happy to play with anyone, learn tricks happily and like to be involved in the family and have the ability to learn a few words or mimic a few sounds.

does such a bird exist?

[Stephie]

when i said mess, i meant more like poop mess. the cage will be my responsibility, and i will be cleaning and feeding most of the time.

i know what it is i want.
i basically want a budgie but a bigger version. something fairly easy going with a good temperment, easy to amuse, playful and even though they bond to one person they are usually happy to play with anyone, learn tricks happily and like to be involved in the family and have the ability to learn a few words or mimic a few sounds.

does such a bird exist?

my greencheek is like this. We got him as a baby and he will go to anyone. he's friendly, and inquisitive. We haven't tried teaching him tricks yet, but he does have a pretty good vocabulary.

[Albe]

I don't know if these birds fit your requirements but they are still something to concider.
The Psittacula group- Ringnecks, alexandriens, plum headed parrots ect..
Here is a good IRN site:
http://www.indianringneck.com/pet/
or maybe a Kakariki - Hyper, playful, attention craving, and tons of fun.
Or a Lorry- they fit about the same discription as kakarikis.

[Quiverful]

when i said mess, i meant more like poop mess. the cage will be my responsibility, and i will be cleaning and feeding most of the time.

i know what it is i want.
i basically want a budgie but a bigger version. something fairly easy going with a good temperment, easy to amuse, playful and even though they bond to one person they are usually happy to play with anyone, learn tricks happily and like to be involved in the family and have the ability to learn a few words or mimic a few sounds.

does such a bird exist?

My Pi is exactly how you described. He's not as playful as the Cai's, but he is playful.

[Quiverful]

tee hee....... trust me - i will laugh (cry) with you - not at you

Ozzy has already started mimicing the lovie. They were both doing that high pitched call this morning....LOL Along with that, my two toddlers were whining and crying...it was quite the combo!

[Little Cricket]

I'm pretty partial to Poi's. I love my meyers, he's great, although for some reason he dislikes my father, he's pretty good with everyone else (the bigger problem is people just not being comfortable with him). He's not exactly quiet, but I think he's just been bored lately because school has been crazy and he needs some new toys. He's much louder then my conure, he'll scream in my ear and make them ring, but he's not -always- loud, and often times just beeps.

He just turned two, and hasn't gone through any huge behavior changes like my conure did. He loves carrots and plays with just about any toy.

I don't trust him with my other birds, and wouldn't let him play with a lovie, but that's just me.

[ellenant]

i know what it is i want.
i basically want a budgie but a bigger version. something fairly easy going with a good temperment, easy to amuse, playful and even though they bond to one person they are usually happy to play with anyone, learn tricks happily and like to be involved in the family and have the ability to learn a few words or mimic a few sounds.

does such a bird exist?

Yes, a COCKATIEL!
I know, it does not sound very exotic, but Chicka I have here
is the PERFECT bird. Okay, she is pretty young, so I havent
taught her many tricks (apart from "step up" or towel training)
or sounds.
But if you get a male cockatiel, this sounds as if it would fit
pretty much to your decription.
Chicka has to stay alone at home for 9h a day while I am
at uni, she is NOT noisy,the mess she makes is very controlable,
she absolutely loves me, wants to cuddle and being petted,
and always sits on my shoulder to see what is going on.

[pixibubbles]

ahh maybe the problem i had with teils were they were all GIRLS

sorry to lower the tone, but are male poops drier and less messy that girls? if i want a bird my other half can play with it could be a deciding factor

[Agnes]

So, poop is the deciding factor? LOL! Thanks for the laugh Helen.

[shazzles]

Hmmm. I dont think poop is really different between sexes not that i have noticed any way.
Some one mention Kakarikies, they are great. They are fun to watch and are really friendly birds and can get into heaps of stuff as well as talking some words, wally speaks heaps already even though he is only about 12 weeks old, his words inlclued kiss kiss, hello, wally, and thank you when i give him his food (and actually in context like i give him apple etc and he will say thank you) plus night night and make a kissy sound when i give him a kiss good night, The only down side is he is not a hugely cuddly bird, and likes to stick his beak into every thing, like i can not have him out whilst cooking cause he wants to know what i am doing and will try and jump in the pan to see what it is and if it is tasty.
Other than that he is a great bird to have. A plus side to them is they are sooooo nice a quite! My hubby who dislikes loud birds (thats why my aviary got put up for his poor ears) loves wallys little chatters and how quite he is hehe.

[sunbirdx]

Helen, have you thought about getting an English Budgie? They can be a little bigger than a Peach-faced lovie (65g), with (from what I hear) a very sweet and calm personality. Plus, they are just beautiful, IMO.

[Jojo's zoo]

as much as my other half tries, sparks has made it clear that she's my bird and he sometimes feel a bit left out when we're playing as she tends to freeze and glare at him like he's spoiling her game.

This made me snort my supper, LOL! I can picture it so vividly!!!

[Bobbalou22]

I know someone mentioned an Alexandrine Parakeet, and I am not quite sure they would fit your criteria.

Alex really dosen't play with me, but he likes to play around me and sit with me. This may just be because of his slight fear of hands, but from what I have read, it is fairly common. He loves to scream, though not as much as Russel((Our Blue crowned conure)). And he loves to throw his berrys on the floor and stain.

This is just Alex, and I am sure this is closer to one extreme in personality, but thought I would add a little input.

Alexes are amazing, though.

[wolfysluv]

I so agree about the cockatiel. The only real negative that you might consider is that they aren't all over the place playing with toys and rolling on their backs. But they LOVE people, they LOVE other birds. They stay on your body if you want them to and they play well by themselves in their cages. They are like a super smart and social budgie in a way. Very snuggly too. They don't poop a lot like a budgie. So you don't have that mess at all. They don't make a ton of mess wth food, but they do make some mess. Theri dust is bad. I"ll warn you about that. It is. But it's not horrible. My two budgies have more dust and feathers than my one cockatiel if that gives you an idea. Male tiels can talk well if you put the time into them.

I love everyones suggestions here and all the reasons they give. I hope it's helping you.

[wolfysluv]

Oh yeah, forgot about the poops. I dont 'know how they compare to most birds, but I can tell you this. A cockatoo poops glue ... that stains. YUCK. But ... they can be potty trained. A budgie goes every 2-10 minutes and it's runnyish. Yucky. Lol. But Sunny? I'd say 75% of the time, he goes little balls, that if you learn how, you can pick right up with a tissue and it will either leave nothing or just leave a spot. The other percentage of the time, yeah its liquidy, or part liquid. I"m trying to think how often he goes. Um. Geez. I'ts not a lot really. I mean we go all over stores, etc,. Anyone here wanna quess? I'd say 10 min-20 minutes? Maybe? I notice it varies some.

[Little Cricket]

A budgie goes every 2-10 minutes and it's runnyish.

All the budgies I've even had have had dry, coiled droppings, the least messy I've seen.

The bigger the bird, the bigger the mess poop wise (lories excluded!). My conure and meyers generally don't have messy poops unless they've been eating something wet. It seems to get worse mess wise as the bird gets bigger. My biggest bird (meyers) is also the one worse about potty training between him and Cricket.