Advice please

[Nicole Perkins]

I am interested in getting a bird, I have had cockitiels in the past, they produce alot of feather dust. My daughter has allergies to cats and dogs specifically. So the less feather dust the better. I will be getting an air purifier cleaning its cage every day (as you should without allergies) giving the bird a bath as needed and of course offering the bird a bird bath. She was around our cockitiel and was fine. My XH walked outside with the cockitiel on his shoulder and well no more cockitiel. (this was about 2 years ago) So here is where the advice comes in

I have read the the more color the bird has the less feather dust produced, is this true?
I have also read that allergist say that if your allergic to cats and dogs get a bird- anyone have experience with this?

So here is what I want
Something small
Something that will interact and want to be with you
Something colorful (mostly for the feather dust)

Here is what I DO NOT want
I do not want painful loud (conure like, I have heard those in the pet stores and I can not deal with that) i should clarify, I know birds, sing, talk and can get loud. I have never experienced a horrible painful constant loud cockitiel. I love hearing birds sing and talk and all. I just can't handle constant screeching loud.
I do not want big

I have had lovebird suggested to me but I have never found them hand tame here. always bird raised but not people raised. (I am not sure on the right terms on that) I was also looking at Parrotlets.

So what would your advice be?


Nikki
Redding, CA

[Marrie]

Cats most people are allergic to the dander - which is actually saliva that dries on their fur when they groom and flakes off into the air. Dogs it's typically the fur, so the hypo-allergenic types like poodles (who are more wool like than fur like) are easier on those allergies. Bird dust is not the same as either, so being allergic to those doesn't mean allergic to birds, probably why they say that.

Tiels, toos and greys are dusty birds, so those are typically not suggested if you have bird allergies.

Budgies can be friendly and aren't that loud - lovebirds have a shrill voice which some cannot stand, so if you go for that, you want to make sure to listen to them before you decide. A parent raised chick can be tamed/bonded with, it just takes time and patience. Princess of Wales are suggested often as well, though I am not sure on their dust level. Parrotlets I have heard a lot of varying reports about their noise - some say they are so loud they can't stand it, some say they are super quiet, never been around one myself to judge.

Conures vary in noise level as well, a green cheek is a lot quieter than a sun (who is VERY loud). And green cheeks are friendly/playful.

If you have a bird club, or bird fair, anything like that near you then I would suggest taking your daughter there to let her meet some different species you are interested in. You can talk to breeders there as well and they can let you in on the personality quirks of each type.

[Nicole Perkins]

Thanks. She has been fine with birds in the past. I will definitely be asking her allergist if there is a test to see if she is allergic to them. She is allergic to both fur and dander from both dogs and cats. But from what I am reading bird allergies are rare. I am doing a lot of research asking and talking to people before I do ANYTHING. If she has had no reactions to our cockitiel we had would it be safe to say one of them or should I avoid it.? I LOVE cockitiels. They are so much fun.

I can handle the occasional shrill, scream and all that birds do, its the constant (I can not tell the sun and jenday conure apart in the pet store) Sun or Jenday in the pet store screaming. I am sure they are nice birds but I can't handle that. I have heard green cheeks are quieter. So that will be another bird on my list to look at. I have heard mixed on lovies screaming myself. I have been told its usually when kept in pairs?

So for putting input or adding species here is what is on the list

Parrotlet
Lovebird
Green Cheeked Conure


Edit- and yes there is a bird club here so I will talk to them too.

[Marrie]

Lovies don't so much scream, as their natural calls and such are more shrill to some people than other birds - some can't stand it, some barely notice it. It depends on the persons tolerance of that specific pitch. Some people find it like nails on a chalkboard and it's just their normal noises.

If she had no problem in the past with a tiel, likely she won't have any issue with it - but they can develop or get worse over time, so no guarantee. An air purifier and frequent baths keeps the dust down, but they are dusty birds - could you maybe foster a tiel at a rescue to see if she's OK with the birds still?

Jendays have green wings, whereas suns have more yellow/orange on their wings, the easiest to see marker. But I believe both are rather loud. A lot of people can't handle them (I love sunnies, but I could never have one cause my boyfriend would kill me )

[ChesterHannah2010]

This is a video of a sun conure http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ain0bXD7z0

and here is a gcc http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CiyqmAfixiY

and a jenday conure picture http://www.singing-wings-aviary.com/jenday.jpg

a video of jendays conures http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3d9f2jYytNs

and a video of lovies http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJAxS...feature=fvwrel

[Birdmanca]

Maybe about a couple of finches. A pair so they could produce a baby bird or two. While small, they are attractive, and fun to watch and easy to care for.

[Marrie]

I would personally suggest never getting a breeding pair of ANY bird species unless serious about it - breeding has dangers to both the adult and babies and is not something to be done lightly. It takes a lot of knowledge, research, proper diet, proper housing, knowing how to detect problems (like egg binding, sour crop in chicks, etc) or you risk killing mother and chicks.

[ChesterHannah2010]

Finches aren't fun, they are cute because of their size, but they wont be the same as a parrot , i love parrot's antics they are fun to watch, a finch even hand raised ones will turn 'wild' as adults. Plus from what i understand Nikki wants a bird that she can have fun with and take it out of the cage during the day (with Finches it is not possible).

[Ulu]

I have a Blue Head Pionus that is great. She isn't very loud at. I rarely hear her at all. She is very pretty with a blue head and a few red markings and she isn't nippy at all. She produces very litty dander. I use to raise birds and the Pionus were quiter than most of the others, except the Greys which mine were super quiet.

[Ulu]

I forgot to mention Pionus are Amazon shaped, but are only about 1/3 the size and if I remember correctly have less dander than other birds, but be sure to check that fact for yourself as I'm not for sure.
Good luck!

[maxollie]

Having homed budgies for years and years, I would suggest that a budgie would be a super pet for your home. They are very hardy, in that other than chirping and playing with their toys, loving to eat their seed/pellets and fresh veggies and whole wheat bread, etc. etc., they are not a bird that requires alot of maintenance. Like all birds they do tend to throw their seed, and clean up needs to be on a regular basis. And they do not have feather dust like cockatiels. You also can train a budgie, quite easily, they like to be out of cage flying around, but also are content to be in cage as well. They can also speak some words, although they cannot retain a large vocabulary. And as for color, they come in many different colors. The most popular are the green and yellow which I believe were the original colors that first came to be in Australia, but there are white ones, blue ones, grey and violet ones, and many mutations. You can find great information on this forum about all birds, and also, there are regular "budgie forums, one of my favorites being Talk Budgies, that you can go to and find lots of info, and see the posts of folks who talk all about their little budgie friends.

[Pipers Mom]

You have a tough decision to make. Many fid lovers gave you great suggestions about the pros and cons of all different types of birds. Budgies and tiels are great pets. I think you will really know when the right bird finds you.

[britany]

You can by a Budgie if you can find one they're active and they're also very intelligent mine kept on playing tricks on me, it is actually very funny to hear that your own bird can outsmart you!

[boomer girl]

I just bird sit for two budgies who were not people friendly and they were very good birds. They didnt cheep too loud and usually they sang a sweet song between each other and it was nothing at all like my "loud mouthed" lovie or Amazon. These budgies were great and I think would make a good pet for a family.

Lovebirds are the best birds but are loud and do not sing at all, when they cheep you will hear them. Boomer was a sweetheart, part of our family and we loved him but he sure was a handful of a bird for being so small. He was super active, curious, loved to shred any kind of paper he could find and on the go from the time he woke up until the time he went to bed. Lovebirds are like having a two year old child in your house, you love them but they wear you out. Boomer grew up with my daughter, we got him when she was 5 years old and they were best buddies. He adored my daughter and they were always together. He is in her shirt in my avatar and that is where he was most of the time when she was home. He never would bite her and only loved her. With the rest of the world he was a beast but with a quick head-rub he would turn into a lover. Boomer hated to be in his cage and that was when he would get loud and obnoxious the most. I also heard rumors in our neighborhood that if we left our windows open when we were not home the neighbors could hear boomer cheeping. More then one neighbor told me this so I think he also cheeped when we were not home so if you get a lovie, close your windows. Lovebirds will keep you smiling... and running at the same time.

[Hasuki]

I think a Princess of Wales is a good choice in parrot. My boy is very people friendly, despite his nippiness. From what I have gathered they are also very demanding when it comes to attention. Just will run back and forth on the top perch of his cage nearly every time I look at him and will bob his head when I call out to him. They really are lovely birds. I haven't noticed much in the way of feather dust (nothing compared to a tiel anyways)

But, when he really wants attention he will scream. It is a very high pitched noise, but it is a noise I am quite used to now. After owning him for a year...