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Advice on buying a pet parrot?
Jul
17
2012
What is the best and most intelligent type of parrot to buy as a pet? My little sister really wants a pet parrot for her birthday, one that can learn to say several different words and has a long lifespan, so my mom and I want to buy her one. I was thinking of a Macaw or African-grey or Cockatoo but I’m not sure which type would be best. Also does anyone know where are some of the best places to buy baby parrots from? I’m from the Chicago area.
Best answer:
Answer by Shana B
How old is your sister? Are you all aware of the noise, mess, time, and attention it takes to have a happy healthy bird? A bird is a big responsibility, especially when you’re talking about the larger ones. I would put a lot of thought into it before making a final decision
Answer by Tsunami
it would be best to go buy from someone raising them you need to pick afraican gray. find alos bird vet to. also youhae to learn what they eat and what they do. you can learn to feed it and all get it with out feathers veryyoung out of egg and then you have to be very involved. i hope you dont’ have other pets this is very demanding. the grays are very talk ative and they are nice birds and they can live longer then we can so get will set up for the bird. take care.
Answer by Bethany J
I would not suggest an african grey because they are one owner birds, they become aggressive toward other handlers. Macaws are great birds but not for young children, although they have a long long lifespan they tend to be more snappy and i wouldnt trust it in the hands of a child, it could take her finger off if it wanted to. I would recommend a Conure, they are sweet as can be and have long lifespans, are very beautiful and very intelligent, they also can be trained to talk, kiss, and dance. Mine does all three. I would not suggest a cockatoo, they are boring. Im from the opposite side of the US..Connecticut, so i cant suggest a place, but look for a place that has very well maintanced birds, you dont want to grab a bird that could have a disability or disease, from a store with poor care.
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Tags: African Grey, Baby Parrots, Best Places, Bethany, Bird Vet, Birds, Chicago Area, Cockatoo, Conure, Egg, Feathers, Final Decision, Grays, Intelligent Type, Kiss, Lifespan, Lifespans, Little Sister, Macaw, Pet Parrot
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Answer #2
I would never recommend buying a pet for ANYBODY else but yourself. I am a vet tech and even I made this mistake and bought my mom a bird. She never had time for it, and after a year, the bird now lives with me. If she is a first time owner, I would not recommend a large bird. Yes it is fun to have birds that are big and that talk, but they are a LOT of work, and require a lot of attention. There is nothing wrong with starting small, like with a parakeet. Parakeets talk and can be very friendly!
I’m from Chicago, and bought my bird from a breeder/ rescuer in West Chicago. The website is http://www.beaksnfeathers.com/ and I found them to be very helpful to pick out a handraised bird, and work with me to find the right bird for me and help me take care of it initially. There is also a pet supply store called Bird is the Word (Batavia, IL) that I’ve been to before. They do baby handraising there and they can also help you find a good species. Normally, I would NEVER recommend a pet store to buy birds, but this place is a small one and the people there really know what they are doing and love their birds.
Answer #3
I agree but if your sister really wants a bird don’t start with the species you have listed they should only be purchased by experienced bird owners try a smaller bird like a parakeet. my first bird was a parakeet and i had him for a long time but he died when i was 13 then at 13 i was still interested in birds and THEN i got a cockatoo i was still young but i proved i could take care of him. I’m 33 and still have him today after 20 years and i will have him for another 20. but do the research first.
Answer #4
Hi Elizabeth,
Here are a few of the birds we have had…
Parakeet – he was older and he had a vocabulary of 20 words. Small easier to care for, volume of chirp is low. Easy to handle for a child. Life span is typically the same as a cat or dog. All of us loved Jewel- he introduced us to the world of birds.
Cockatiel – no vocabulary and easy to handle for small children, low chirp volume. Life span is typically the same as a cat or dog. This is my 7 year olds favorite.
African Grey – Congo he has a great vocabulary and talks to us all of the time. They are fun but don’t tend not to be as cuddly as the smaller birds. Bite is more harmful as the beak is larger. Plan on this being a life long pet as the larger birds can sometimes out live their owners. My husbands bird and my 14 yr olds favorite.
Goffins Cockatoo – He is the smallest of the cockatoos. These can be very noisy birds and love sponges. They require lots of time and attention. Another life long bird and some do develop vocabularies – ours only says two words, hello and MaMa. They will learn to take apart bolts, cages and do all sorts of creative things. This is my bird and my 11 yr olds favorite.
The best thing we did when picking birds was to join a bird club. We were able to handle and see all sorts of differnt birds. After talking to their owners and hearing about the different personalities we were in a much better position to select the birds that fit us. To date we have adopted 5 rescue birds and it has been a wonderful experience.
Answer #5
Is she an adult ? If she has never owned a bird it is best to stay with a small parrot. Large parrots require alot of time and effort. There are shelter full of birds for adoption due to people not understanding the work required to keep a parrot.
Answer #6
If she has never had a pet bird before (and especially if she is young) you definitely want to try getting a cockatiel or a parakeet. They are good birds for those that aren’t as experienced with birds. They are smaller, but they are smart! My first bird was a parakeet that I had when I was about seven.
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Answer #1
it probably wouldn’t be a good idea to get a large bird like those for a child unless you and your mom are going to care for it because large birds are more expensive and harder to care for so it would be a better idea to get a parakeet,cockatiel,or lovebird but definitely not a macaw cockatoo or African Grey but please research before buying any bird as for your other question look for a bird rescue breeder or a pet shop that specializes in birds
good luck