What kind of parrot?

Question

should i get. Im looking for a parrot thats a bit smaller than a cockatoo, thats cuddly,playful,friendly,smart,colorful, and doesnt require much attention. thats the only reason why i cant have a cockatoo.

thanks!

Answer 1

If you want a pet that doesn't need a lot of attention, please, please don't get a parrot. Parrots are sociable creatures who need to interact with people or other birds. It would be cruel to  get a bird and then leave it alone to entertain itself all day.  

If you must get a parrot, get a pair so that they can be company for each other. Bear in mind, though, that a pair of birds will bond emotionally with each other and not with you. A single bird will be happier with a mirror to create the illusion of another bird, but it will still need lots of attention from you if you want it to be tame and friendly.

Cockatiels are lots of fun, but budgies (parakeets) are the easiest to keep because they don't make a big mess and they don't need a lot of space. A parakeet is a parrot, by the way. It is the smallest member of the parrot family. They have great personalities can do everything the big birds can do.

Answer 2

I have 2 Quaker parrots and love 'em to bits!  Unfortunately they are illegal in some states (CA, for sure) so double check it before you get one.

They are sassy but over time and once bonded with you can be cuddly. They are also curious and clever.  Check cuddle factor before bringing home, of course, never get a pet sight unseen.

Good Luck!

Answer 3

cocketiel or for even smaller, a pacific parrotlet!!! (I luv those, i have one!)

Answer 4

African Grey the smartest birds not the prettiest but they make up for it in personality... their awesome I have a scarlet macaw she's mean but my grey is nice and can mimic voices extremely well training him to sing Frank Sinatra

Answer 5

Birds are cute and I love them, and it sounds like you do too.  My grandparents had parakeets and they were fun pets.  You should consider these, because they are bred locally.  That means they are not trapped and stolen from their rain forest nests like parrots are.  

Parakeets are small and easier to care for and clean up after.  They aren't as loud as larger birds and their beaks are not big enough to break your skin should you try to hold them.  

Before buying a pet you won't always have time for, please think twice about the ethics involved.  Would you like to be stolen from your family and put into a caged prison for the rest of your life?  I know personally I would rather watch parrots in their natural environment, on television documentaries.  

Did you know many birds, such as the migratory water fowl, mate for life?  Have you been lucky enough to see the large "V" of a migrating flock of Canadian geese going north or south for the winter?  I hope if you buy a bird you will at least buy two, so that they will have some company while you are gone.  

When in college I enjoyed studying about the unique birds of paradise down in Australia, and someday I hope to go visit them there.  These birds are highly valued because of their colorful skins, but they are much more wonderful to see when they are alive... when they are using their plumage and calls to attract a mate.  

Down here in Miami we are lucky enough to have wild parrots.  They live in the palm trees down here, and when I hear their distinctive raucous calls and see them flying overhead it makes me happy to know they are free.  I saw a good film about a man who adopted a wild flock of parrots (escaped pets) in San Francisco.  It was called "The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill".  He hand feeds the birds, who live in trees within a city park.

When my grandparents had to move out of their own apartment and into the nursing home, my Mom set her half of their finches free after a few days.  My aunt was angry with her at the time, and kept her half of the finches at her home.  I don't remember seeing them the last time I was at my aunt's house, so all I can do is assume they eventually died.

Even if the finches my Mom set free did not survive on their own in the wild, at least they were able to die after flying free for a while.  Wings are for flying after all.  Even parakeets like to stretch their wings, in a screened-in porch or just within your living room.  Their favorite place to land is usually in someone's hair... I think because they want to take your hairs to build their nest!

I bought a coworker's love birds off of her, but then I set them free after a few days.  It was a nice way to remember my Mom, who has since flied off to heaven herself, dying at the very young age of 58 ten years ago.  

Good luck with choosing a pet, but please remember to consider the concerns of the bird as well.  Most parrots are still caught by illegal poachers before being brought into America for sale in pet shops (if they survive the trip).  If you must have a parrot why don't you consider taking one off someone else's hands, rather than buying a new one and supporting the evil trade.

Realize that birds are the descendants of the proud and mighty dinosaurs that once ruled the earth.  After the fall of the dinosaurs, large flightless birds like the ostrich ruled many parts of the world for a while.  They still rule Antarctica... have you seen "March of the Penguins"?  These birds live very complex and difficult lives, thankfully in a largely untouched part of a world.

Birds may someday rule the world again.  Did you see Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds"?  In that movie the wild birds led a revolt against man for imprisoning some of their brethren as pets.  After I see a good movie I save my unfinished popcorn for the pigeons, and I enjoy feeding them much more than I would feeding a caged bird.

Answer 6

Get yourself a cockatiel, friendly little blighters, but they p**p little presents everywhere...

Answer 7

I have a Meyers parrot and he is awesome! However, there is not a parrot out there that does not require a lot of attention. These birds are wicked smart and if not messed with a lot, they will not be nice. Reguardless of what kind of parrot you get, you must spend time with it, atleast a couple of hours a day! Birds like these are high maintanence, and the bigger the worse it is. If I were you... I would stick with cockatiels!