how hard are birds to take care of?

This is a Amazon parrot, they are large/medium sized

http://aqua-india.com/img/Amazon%20Parrots%20-%20T...

The one you showed in the picture is a Macaw, they are very large

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Three_macaw...

There cage paper needs to be changed everyday - once a week, your choice.

They need to get out of there cage daily.

They need your attention of a minimum of 1 hour per day.

They are messy when they molt(grow new feathers) and there will be seed on the floor.

They need fresh vegetables daily. Half seed, half vegetables daily, Fruit and nuts as a daily-weekly snack.

There water should be changed daily.

Buying 2 birds will make them bond to each other and not you. Though, they will keep each other company so you don't have to.

The minimum cage size for one green cheek conure is 24"wide x 24"deep For two its 34" wide x 24" deep

They should get a shower/bath once a week or every other week. Showering/bathing to much will make the bird lose its natural oils.

Pellets(food) should always be available to the bird.

Avoid feeding to much sunflower seeds or peanuts.

No mirror toys. Avoid plastic toys unless there for forging. Birds love and need to destroy things, shredding toys are great for this.

I think that's about it. Probably missed a few things though. Oh yeah, Green cheek conures are known to be nippy.

You have already gotten some good advice here. Some birds are easier than others to care for. Not matter what you will need to make time for cleaning their cage and providing a proper diet. A seed only diet will eventually kill the bird. If you don't want to worry about them getting sick from dirty water, you can provide a water bottle filled with chlorine free water. A water bottle is well worth the investment. If you would like to study different birds and what kind of care each species needs, you can visit the site listed below. Besides having a species comparison chart, it also has stories written by bird owners at the bottom of each species page.

Lol that picture is not an amazon at all its a Macaw.If you get one from a pet store make sure it's friendly before you bring it home,many from pet stores are not socialized,and it can actually be worse than rescuing one since the birds are being poked at all day long.What are you looking for in a bird?

if its talking ability green cheeks are not the best talkers,and honestly 300 is too much for that bird you could find ones from breeders that are probably 75 and up depending on the season and your area,because birds have breeding seasons so some breeders will cut down the price if their are a lot available.Birds are and aren't work it does depend on the type,the bigger the bird the more time is needs out of the cage,any bird that's the size of a green cheek needs at least a minimum of 2 hours outside of its cage a day,and your really shouldn't clip their wings because they need exercise,birds will bond to you and can be trained to fly to you on command just i wouldn't take your bird outside.Also where do you live,if your neighbors are going to complain about a bird then thing about the type you want.birds can be less quiet then others but their not silent,and how loud is too loud for you? I have a Senegal that i rescued i just got her actually last Monday,she is quiet except when the sun rises and sets that's her time to make noise,its not as loud as a sun conures they scream,but suns are different then green cheeks,so i would make a list of qualities you want in a bird,and join a bird forum or something to try and find the right one then you can learn from people who own the birds and not pet stores who are going to try and sell you one to get money.Also the bird size depends on how long you want to spend cleaning a cage,green cheeks NEED at least a 5ft tall cage,made from stainless steel because they like to shew and could get sick from the paint on regular cages.Birds cages should be cleaned once a week,but if you feed your bird fruits and veggies which they need the paper will need to be changed more then that,because fruit and veggies will rot you know? the also need a cuddle fish bone,and do not feed your birds sun flower seeds their not good for birds,i mean their not that bad but if you clip their wings sunflower seeds will pack on pounds and get your birds fat,any questions? feel free to send me a private message.

birds can be loud-so they are not for apartment dwellers.

also-they need some specialized equiptment (heatlamp with full spectrum bulbs), and regular veteranary check ups just like cats and dogs. They can also get sick an dinjured and that can cost money.

You really should buy direct from a breeder, or adopt from a local rescue. always make sure they let you hold and interact with teh bnird before you buy or adopt one.

I recoomend nothing bigger than a conure for beginners-and really they can easily get out of hand, so i;d go smaller if i were you (cocatiel, parakeet, lovebird).

please do reserach on this before you buy. I;d say they arent the siimplest animals, but not the hardest either. and they can be amazing to have! I had my lovebird for 18 years (which is elderly for them), and i miss him all the time! He was an amazing little guy! full of personality and love! I;d say they are def worth teh effort/expense!

if you have any more questions, feel free to email me!

First of all, no pet is completely effortless. Want a super low-maintenance pet? Get a goldfish. Birds require almost as much love, care and attention as dogs. Except, you know, you don't have to walk them. But this can be made up for by taking the bird out of its cage for some quality playtime!

Birds need food, water, and exercise like any pet, along with cage cleaning and TLC. Develop a strong bond with your bird and it will be your friend for life!

Budgies and canaries are some pretty low-maintenance birds. Canaries will sing sweetly and don't need much socialization. Budgies can learn to say a few words, and will be happy on your shoulder.

If you think these are too boring, try a cockatiel or a lovebird. Certainly don't get anything big for your first bird, start out small.

And remember, birds could never be called effortless. A green-cheek is good for a second bird, maybe, or a first if you're sure you're REALLY educated on their species and what they need. Visit a breeder, they will have better and hand-fed birds. Birds at pet stores are parent-raised, and not very good for pets. Pet stores like Petco only want money, not for you and your pet to get along. Search breeders in your area on Google.

I hope you find your perfect bird!

parrots are hard to take care of. in my opinion they are harder to take care of then say cats or dogs.

they need to be feed a diet that includes fresh fruit and veg, they need to be socialized everyday as they are not domestic animals like dogs every parrot is just a few generations away from wild ancestors.

they have a long lifespan some parrots like the African Grey often live past 50 and much further! green cheek conures have a lifespan of 20-30 years.

they bond with the keeper firmly. they call when their keeper is out of sight as in the wild mates are never far from each other.

a hand reared cockatoo can cost up to $2000

a budgie $15

my green cheek was $150- had reared

if you want to get into parrots i would suggest starting with a cockatiel but since you have family who can give you good advice yes a green cheek would be a good choice

never get them from a petshop! get it from a breeder as they care for the bird and petshops sometimes use bird mills!

make sure to get a hand reared one! as they are not afraid of people

EDIT: the bird in the picture is a scarlett macaw not an amaon. amazon's are mostly green and a few other colors depending on what type of amazon it it

PArrots are hard to care for as they need to be cleaned constantly and fed fresh water, fruits, veggies and pellets which can get rather costly. I would not get a parrot from PetCo, they are horrible, they don't let you hold the parrot at all before you buy it where I live. You would be better off finding a local breeder. Green Cheeks are a good starter parrot. Minimal cost for set up would be around $500

My neighbour has budgies O.O sometimes we look after them when they go on holiday they seem easy to look after so long as you regularly refill food trays and water, and often clean them out, they are kinda noisy though, and they seem to be smaller birds so don't need that much attention(not that they like it). They come from pet shops, but I'm not keen on them you don't know where they actually originlaly come from.

Our friends however adopt and foster parrots. They are very clingy and seem to love attention. They seem to keep them up all night long, and eat the same time with their owners, they are very intelligent birds but can be hard work. Remember adoptive birds can have come from bad homes, but like you said it depends on he breed of the bird. You can grow rather close with a bird such as a parrot, but budgies would seem more independant. Anyway what ever you decide good luck ;)

Birds are not that hard to take care of at all! As long as you can resist the urge to beat them to death. But even if you do, you won't have to worry about taking care of it any longer!

The setup shouldn't cost you anything if you use a cardboard box. Remembering that sunlight is very bad for your parrot is essential. The sun will quickly fade your parrots colors and this will greatly depreciate the value of your parrot. Parrots **** a lot, and this will eventually make the cardboard box soggy and need replacement, however if the box is not hanging and on a solid floor (like it should be) preferably by a heating duct or the like, the bottom should not fall through and thus would not need replacement.

If your damn bird won't shut the **** up, don't be afraid to fill your cardboard box with shipping noodles. They will act as insulator against noise and also double as a great toy for your damn bird to play with! Just remember, the less air, the less noise! Don't be afraid to really pack them in there, birds love styrofoam noodles.

Hope this was helpful for you.

They require a lot of time- I consider them to be like needy, messy toddlers. Think of 2 year old children- you can't keep them in a playpen all day long, either.

I've owned birds, bred birds for nearly 20 years. You have to really, really love them and you have to really, really love to mop (every time I clean around the cages I think of when my kids were small and how the area around their high chairs was just splattered with food when they were done eating. Same experience with cleaning up).