Bird questions for the anti-bird pet wanting guy?

You are FANTASTIC! Just had to say that, my fiance has also agreed out of love to let me own birds when we are married, and promised not to have a bad attitude. This kind of sacrifice and commitment in love should be commended, so on behalf of all bird lovers in love with non bird lovers, BRAVO! Now, as for your question....

I first have a suggestion of tactics. I have owned and bred several kinds of birds over the years, and one rule I always had was, I would never sell one of my birds to someone who was going to give it as a gift to someone who didn't know it was coming. Often people would buy the cage and wrap it, and put a picture of the bird inside that said something like "I am waiting for you to come and pick me up!" Because the "choosing" process is often very important to the new owner, and can damage the relationship if she doesn't get to at least be part of it. In general, ethical breeders avoid allowing live animals to go home as surprises. My suggestion is that once you decide what kind of bird you think you should get for her, make a budget. Figure out all the things you will need either by online research, talking to a breeder or pet store, or whatever. Find out the approximate costs of all the things combined, and give it to her as a check or cash labeled "Your new bird and all his toys" or something like that. That way she has the joy of going and picking everything out; a task which would be hard for you to do well since you are not a bird person, and one that she will most likely love.

Now as to species. I recommend looking into the following: Quaker parrot, Pionus Parrot, and Linneaolated Parakeet. I also suggest that with the Quaker and the Linnie, you consider getting 2, I am not sure if that would be wise with Pionus, you would need to look it up.

Out of these, the Quaker is the one I have the most experience with as I have bred them. I recommend them based on several of your points, including color and noise level. As you know all birds make noise, but these aren't all that awful when treated right. Avoid conures in general if noise is a concern. If you both work as much as you seem to, you will likely end up with a lonely and therefore badly behaved bird unless you get two. My experience with Quakers is that, as long as they are not nesting, two can remain very friendly to human owners without being lonely while you are gone. They come in different colors, but each comes in only a few at a time. I strongly recommend a google image search on these little guys to see if they look the way you want. They can learn to talk and do tricks, though talking is much less likely to happen if there are two. Very smart little cuddly parrots with a low price tag and a good option.

Pionus are known as "The Apartment Parrot" and come in several varieties. I have never had one myself, but since noise is a concern you might want to check them out. Also, they tend to be less needy emotionally than other parrots, so the time alone should be a much smaller issue provided the cage is more than large enough and they have a good diet and lots of interesting toys to chew on and play with. I hope to own one of these some day! Note that they can learn to talk but are less likely to than a lot of parrots due to their quieter nature.

The Linnie is a cutie that I REALLY hope to own someday as well! They seem to be gaining in popularity every day, and are much smaller than you are probably thinking. They come in one color each, but with a lot to choose from! Again, if noise is a concern check these guys out - also if you hope to interact with the new pet but are afraid of beaks ;)

I hope this helps! I am TOTALLY in favor of you giving her a bird as a gift, I just hope you choose to do it in a way that will bring her the most joy, and you and the new pet the least amount of stress. Keep in mind that there are many options I have not listed.

As for cages and such, it will really depend on the bird you choose, how many, and where you live. Also, I am not a builder. Try google searching something like "Pionus cage" or "glass bird cages" and "build your own bird cage." that might help.

Best of luck!!

*Edit*

Eclectus are indeed lovely birds as a previous poster noted, however their diet of fruit and nectar makes them VERY MESSY and poop shoots into lots of places you don't want it. I would steer clear of this extra hassle unless everyone in the house loves birds, which you don't.

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If you don't want a loud bird, I would NOT get an African Blue. They are extremely intelligent, but they're super loud! My fiancé's aunt has one and it repeats what it hears on TV. One episode of CSI and now he randomly screams "he's trying to kill me! Help!" Loud enough for the neighbors to hear.

With a lot of birds, leaving the TV on can help them feel like somebody's there with them, so you wouldn't have to worry too much about overtime at work. Cockatiels are easy to take care of, but I'm not sure if that's what your fiancé would want, because they can't talk. I would just look for a breeder and take your fiancé to pick out her own parrot.

As for the cage, it depends on what type of parrot you get. I would definitely provide a lot of toys that hang from the wire. You'll need a few perches, and they need to be different sizes so your bird can exercise its feet. Many birds also do better when they share a cage with another of the same species, so I would talk to a breeder about that, as well.

Good for you for owning a pitty! I've had bad experiences with dogs, but the few pit bulls I've encountered have been gentle.

My friend, I would not buy your fiance a bird as a surprise because you do not know enough about them. You mention something about birds singing and other miscellaneous sounds - LOL you have no idea how noisy and annoying a parrot can be. My daughter owned a sun conure for several years. These are a small parrot like bird and his scream was ear shattering. My sister in law owns a parrot (some type of amazon, yellow crest maybe) and when ever she is cooking dinner he SCREAMS until he gets some of what ever she is making. These birds are also destructive when out of their cages. The sun conure destroyed a table near his cage by chewing on it, and my sister in laws parrot destroyed a mirror in her home. Also, depending on the breed, parrots live a LONG time - the African Grey has a lifespan of 50-70 years and Amazon parrots and cockatoos also have a 50+ year lifespan.

If I were you I would look up an Avian veterinarian in your area and talk to them about birds. Our Avian veterinarian always has birds she is trying to adopt out because people buy these birds and find out they are getting more than they bargained for.

Hmm... After reading this I'd say an eclectus parrot seams to fit your situation, since she sounds like she would prefer a larger bird. In eclectus parrots, males and females are sexually dimorphic so you would be able to choose between red or green in colour, green being the male and red being the female. These birds are fairly solid in both colour and build.

Unlike your average parrot though an eclectus diet consists of roughly 50-60% fruit and vegetables, 30-40% pellets and 10-20% seeds. Most preferably is only 10% seed though, but if 20% is necessary then sprouted seed is the way to go.

Any pet bird should be fed fresh fruit and vegetables anyway, it just so happens eclectus eat more of it.

Here's a few links on eclectus parrot diets:

http://www.eclectusparrotbreeders.com/eclectus-die...

http://www.eclectusparrots.net/diets.html

http://www.eclectus-parrots.com/page06_diet.htm

As for the cage, it may seem cheaper to build a cage yourself but trust me, buying one is better unless you're planning on building a large outdoor aviary. First off you can't build a cage from wood as it will just be chewed to shreds, secondly most metals are toxic to parrots unless they're powder coated etc. Buy the largest cage you can afford, making sure the bar spacing and strength is suited for an eclectus parrot.

Here's a few cages ideal for eclectus parrots:

http://www.mybirdstore.com/DOME_TOP_CAGES_DOME_TOP...

http://www.mybirdstore.com/NEW_DESIGN_CAGES-LARGE_...

http://www.mybirdstore.com/PLAY_TOP_CAGES_X_LARGE_...

Some of those cages are quite expensive but are well worth the money.

http://www.mybirdstore.com/content.cgi

Their site is great and well worth a look, not just at their cages but at all their products.

Also toys are a must! They keep your birds mind active and prevent boredom and SCREAMING!

Have a range of toys that you can rotate weekly to stop them from getting bored with the ones they've got.

Eclectus parrots are real smart too and are great talkers.

I think that's all!

Alternatively if you aren't interested in getting a larger parrot a conure from the Pyrrhura family would be great, such as a green cheek conure. But you can do research on them.

Good luck :) and you'll grow to love the bird too.

P.S - a pet, especially a bird should be never looked at as a chore, they are living beings that rely solely on you for survival, their life is in your hand!

hey man why don't you get a cockateil. they are colorful,clever they don't make a lot of noise so that is probably what you are looking for.

affectionate,colorful,quiet and they can learn to talk

THIS IS WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR RIGHT

if you need any more help email me at naidootharshey@yahoo.com

I would recommend a smaller parrot breed, either a conure, budgie, or cockatiel.

You can buy a budgie for around $20 depending on where you get it from. When I bred them as a kid, I sold them for $10 a piece. Where I have purchased all of my budgies (a bird specialty store) they are only $12.50 for a "normal" color (blues and greens), up to $15 for an "irregular" color (yellows, whites, multi-colors). A cage for a budgie ranges in cost from $20-$50 depending on how big and elaborate you want it, but should be easy for your to make yourself, as they don't require thicker perches or wires like larger parrot breeds do. I buy a 10lb bag of seed mix for my two budgies that costs $10, and it lasts me most of the year. A 2.5lb bag of cuttle bone (essential for most birds) last a few months less, but only costs $5.

Budgies are very friendly, with lots of personality. It is advisable to get a baby male, as they tend to be more affectionate and friendly, and easier to teach to talk, etc. plus you don't have to worry about potential egg-laying. A budgie would get along fine with both of your schedules as well.

All birds are social creatures and will regard you as their flock, so they need time, however you don't have to have them out and around all day. It is recommended that a bonded budgie (after intial training of 10-15mins 3 times a day) be out and about for at least 1-2hours a day, be that in incriments, or all at once. I personally let my budgies have free-flight when I am home, because it's easy for me and where I live. But it is not necessary.

Cockatiels are a great bird as well. You can pick one up for under $100, though no less than $50 usually. Again, males are the more vocal, friendlier type, but the females are not known for being as aggressive as a female budgie. Cockatiels come in a variety of colors that also affect price. The "normal" color is blackish gray, with a yellow head and orange cheeks, with white along the wing. They also come in full yellow, white and black only, white and yellow, cinamon, fawn, and other varieties. Their cage requirements are similar to budgies, though because the bird is bigger, the cage will need to be bigger. As far as feed, seeds, fruits and veggies, just like the budgie. But other than that their diet isn't as complex as a bird like the African Gray, and is cheaper.

Cockatiels can be taught tunes to whistle, as well as to talk (though talking for them is harder than for the budgie).

Conures can be very expensive, but are highly intelligent and affectionate. I've always wanted one, but I can't afford them. They range from $200-$500 or more a piece. Their diets are a little more complex, and they require a little more attention than budgies or cokcatiels. I won't go into as many specifcs here however because there is a larger variety of conures.

Here's what each bird looks like roughly.

baby male budgies: http://pics.hoobly.com/full/E1ZETMPEXOAERQ1BAJ.jpg

Adult male budgie: http://s659.photobucket.com/user/KrazyTownKnls/med...

Different colors of budgies: http://www.cool-small-pets.com/images/parakeets.jp...

Cockatiel: http://www.me-and-my-house.org/blog-fromme/wp-cont...

Different colors of cockatiels: http://animal-world.com/encyclo/birds/cockatiels/i...

Conures:

Sun Conure: http://www.parrots.org/images/parrotgallery/SunCon...

Green Cheek Conure: http://www.parrot-and-conure-world.com/images/what...

Blue Crown Conure: http://www.peac.org/images/mi/Elmo.jpg

Cages for budgies/cockatiels(if you could make the bars on the bottom of the cage removable, this would be ideal for a baby bird...as most will need to eat seed from the floor, on a flat surface, until they get the hang of climbing around, etc. and feel comfortable eating from a dish)

http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&...

Pretty much any of those are suitable. Just be sure that the bird can extend its wings without being inhibited (think around 2ft wide, a foot, to two feet deep, and a foot, to two feet tall), and bars should be no more than 3/4 of an inch apart. There should be at least 2 perches, perhaps more depending on the size and shape of the cage.

Cage for a conure:

http://www.google.com/search?um=1&hl=en&safe=off&c...

(most of these are good as well, same dimensions roughly, bars can be a little further apart or thicker, but I would say no more than an inch apart).