Pet birds - Info needed

[Jungle Boy]

Yes, that's right. The little woman is wanting to get a bird. She would like one that will eventually talk. Does anyone have a bird or any advice? I'm going to teach it to say "**** me, that beer is cold!" :D
[ July 18, 2003, 11:16 AM: Message edited by: Jungle Boy ]

[Boozer]

Any McCaw <SP> should do. I'm kind of partial to the Golden and Military McCaws myself.
But it also has to do with your budget.

[Jungle Boy]

Does anyone really have a budget when it comes to keeping the wife happy?? How can you put a price on happiness? I'm suprised that you would even ask. BTW - what would a ****ing bird like that cost? :D :D

[Freak]

My advise - dont get one. I have had a few in my days.
They are a friggin mess and a pain to deal with. 1 left when that one is gone, game over.

[NastyOne]

Freak:
My advise - dont get one. I have had a few in my days.
They are a friggin mess and a pain to deal with. 1 left when that one is gone, game over. I agree.....but if you have to, get an African Grey. They run about 700-1200. And they are one of the smartest birds out there.

[Jungle Boy]

Freak:
My advise - dont get one. I have had a few in my days.
They are a friggin mess and a pain to deal with. 1 left when that one is gone, game over. I'm leaning towards this advise. But my daughter has a budgie at her mom's house and it is the coolest little bird. I'm gone half the year anyways and in the garage for 1/2 the time I'm at home, so I'll only have to deal with it for a 1/4 of the year. :D
[ July 19, 2003, 03:30 AM: Message edited by: Jungle Boy ]

[jlnorthrup122]

I would have to say that birds are measy and dirty animals! but the Mcalls are the talkers they can live like 50 to 60 years!

[Boozer]

I think McCaws <sp> Actually live like 80-85 years maybe I'm wrong but that's what I was told by the bird guy at the pet store when my G/F at the time had to have a bird. The Golden we were looking at was 3 yrs old and they wanted $1500 for it.
I convinced her to settle for a Quaker Parrot that costs us a whole wopping $85 and was also able to learn how to speak a few words. Good bird but VERY loud. Couldn't really say anything complex but I did teach him to say "**** off!" It came out more like FUGGOFF but I knew what he was saying :)
After about 9 months her "I must have" cat got a hold of the bird and killed it.
Thank god she is no longer in my life that girl "must have" had everything at one point. Snakes, Cats, Dogs, Birds, Fish, Sugar Gliders. I got to foot the bill everytime too. Just learn to say no when your daughter says she has to have a Columbian Red Tail Boa, then decides one isnt enough and she needs 3 of them that are all 6' long or bigger.

[mtndewdrops]

Birds are Cool!
We have 2...A Umbrella Cockatoo named Sugar and a Cockatiel named Roxy.
They are messy, but worth it.
Sugar talks and is playful with ALL family members UNlike Macaws and African Greys which tend to be ONE person birds.
Sugar will also let you pet her under her wings, behind her neck, just about anywhere. Her beak can be intimidating, but rarely nips at you.
Good Luck

[topless]

Aww screw the pet birds. Too messy. I say pluck em, fry em and eat em all. :D :D :D J/K Bird lovers, don't hate me, just enjoy.

[Moose]

Birds are Messy and a pain in the butt. They requier lots of attention and they can be very loud. My daughter has a Goffin cockatoo and when my daughter moves out the bird goes with her!. Birds get attached usually to one person, a male bird will usually like women and female birds usually like men. Unlike the humans, Male birds are usually the best talkers :D . I have had umbrella cockatoo's, cockateils (sp)and parots.
These bird live a long time, so if you get one, be ready to owen it for life. OH by the way did I mention That they are very Loud wink .
Moose
http://www.***boat.com/image_center/data/500/126R0010157.jpg

[Frosty_pop]

I have a Cockateal (sp). They don't talk, but for a small bird they sure make alot of noise.
[ July 18, 2003, 08:22 PM: Message edited by: Frosty_pop ]

[Infomaniac]

A Conure will talk well. They are not expensive. Look like a miniature parrot.
They squawk quite a bit.

[Duck]

Me and my wife have owned birds for over 15 years and will hope to educate you a bit. First and foremost do NOT teach the bird to say any profanity. Yea, it will be funny for six months, but what about when your in your 60’s and YES you will still own the bird for your or its entire life. They will bond to you and it is totally unfair to potentially send it to house after house. If you did the unthinkable and dumped the bird, it could be hard to find another owner willing to hear F*** all the time. They mimic you and the sounds around them and will say what they are easy with. If you are in the habit of calling someone at home an a-hole, the bird could start it too. You can’t predict what they will say, save for “hello”. I have a Yellow Nape Amazon known as an ok talker. He had a vocabulary of over 80 phrases at one time. Now he’s down to about 5-6. Lazy or on drugs? We can’t figure it out. Go to a good birdstore (like Omars in So Cal) or any bookstore and get a copy of Birdtalk or buy a small book about the birds. Check out www.thebirdwhisperer.com (http://www.thebirdwhisperer.com) for behavior troubles. Best to hand raise a bird, or get a hand raised bird. Wild caught birds are seldom tamed.
All birds if not stimulated by toys and people can became moody or even worse, become feather pickers. We have had one of our conures (a nanday) pick a couple times, but she’s full feathered right now. She is a real lover and would spend the entire day on you shoulder if she could. The other conure is a Sun. All conures can squawk very loud when they want to. He only likes me, hates my wife and will chew a hole in whatever shirt you are wearing. And they will crap on you. The amazon will let my son do anything to him any time. My wife can scratch him when he asks for it, otherwise he chases her around the house, as he is the alpha bird. I can pick him up only if he is somewhere where he is unsure of himself, otherwise a nice painful bite. They are all happy to see us come home and yell for a minute or two while you let them out of the cages.
The best speakers are Greys, Congos and Timiths (sic). Very smart and need human interaction. Congos are a bit better. My son has a grey, jenday conure, and a parakeet. The grey is always making some kind of noise. Can be very funny, but really fool you to. Does a perfect doorbell and answer machine.
Macaws can be very affectionate but heaven help if not, BIG beeks. I hear greenwings are the best.
Amazons. Double Yellow heads speak the best, then yellow napes, then blue fronts. Males can get aggressive. Many others too. Again, I have a yellow nape.
Cockatoos are very affectionate. Can be destructive chewing wood (table legs etc)
They are vocal and will yell for a minute or two twice a day. Can talk. Have a powder that gets everywhere. We had a rescued Moluccan for a few years but let him go to a breeder. He was really messed up from kids poking at him in a dark hallway after the husband and wife divorced. Took us looking for three females before he found love.
The other birds can all be great too. The small ons have as much charm as the big ones. Go to a good bird store and talk to them and owners.
They need daily care and if you arrange the cage well, the poo isn’t that bad, but the cage should be cleaned well every other week. Crap all over the pirches sucks. They can be expensive so you really want a healthy bird. Newcastle Disease is a real worry in So Cal so be very careful where you buy. If you get an adult bird, spend and hour or so to see if you bond at all. Don’t be in a rush to buy. Hope this helped. Duck

[058]

Duck's advise is very good.....Take it! we have a Panama Parrot [looks like a double yellowhead] It is a lifetime commitment unless you are 8 or 9 years old. Most parrots are a one person bird, mine is really my wife's bird...we have a love-hate relationship, we love to hate each other. They are messy, they will shit anywhere they can. They also need to be entertained, they become bored easily and will have all sorts of problems when they do, feather plucking is a good sign of a nurotic[sp] bird. tearing things up is another sign of boredom. They will chew up furniture, wondow sills, drapes, blinds, wall moulding, anything the bird can get its beak onto it'll chew. Thnk long and hard about a bird before buying.

[Jungle Boy]

Thanks for the input everyone. We plan to do our homework before getting into this adventure. The first step is talking to people that have them and getting the pros & cons. This has been very informative thread and I'll forward it to the wife for her to check out. There is a bird breeder that lives about 110 miles from where we live. We plan to go and sit with her and listen what she as to say. If we still want a feathered freind after all that, then I believe that we'll be good "parents". Thanks again, everyone.

[Rexone]

Hey JB, fast jet boats appear to me much easier to manage than birds. Just an observation. :D

[Rod-64]

Moose:
These bird live a long time, so if you get one, be ready to owen it for life wink .
Not if you own a glock!!! :D
http://www.***boat.com/image_center/data/500/126R0010157.jpg
[ July 19, 2003, 09:39 AM: Message edited by: Rod-64 ]

[Jungle Boy]

GREAT NEWS
I sent my wife this thread here and she has decided that we don't need a bird!! I was starting to get used to the idea, but the chewing on all the wood work that we have in the house sold her. I guess we'll stick with the 2 dogs and 2 goats. BTY - the goats don't come in the house!! And they're not for my sexual pleasures either. Now she'll want them 2 donkeys she's been going on about. I can live with that though. :D :D

[396_Z]

I guess I'm here a little late but for future reference Macaws are not good talkers (Come over and try talking to mine!)
Having had 2 cockatiels, 2 Lorikeets, 3 cockatoos and now my Blue & Gold Macaw I'd suggest anyone interested in a first bigger bird go play with every one you can find for 2 years before you buy one. They're messy, demanding, fiesty, irritating and did I say messy? If you think the price is high just for the animal wait until you have to get a cage, a playgym, toys, food, more toys, cleaning supplies, a new vacuum (because the toy parts kill the insides of your current one), etc...
Having said that I wouldn't trade my macaw for anything. I live alone with him so he's my company and my companion. Birds and not pets, they are more like children. I have yet to have a dog greet me when I come home after a long day at work with a rousing Hello? Lemme out!...
Of course I admit, the above glock idea often strikes me as a really good plan.