[rec.birds] [Indoor] Picking the right bird

martin@TIGGER.STCLOUD.MSUS.EDU (Jim Martin CBM Amiga Rep at St. Cloud State, MN) (04/23/91)

Hello,
I have been making plans for quite a while to purchase a bird.  The only
problem I have is deciding what kind.  I have pretty much narrowed it down to
the conure family because of their appealing size and personalities, but I
really don't know which kind of conure would be best for my lifestyle.  

I am looking for an affectionate bird that will be able to amuse himself with
toys during the daytime while I am gone.  I live in an apartment so a breed
that is notoriously noisy probably wouldn't be very desirable (even though he
probably couldn't outdo my neighbor's stereo anyways!).  Does anybody know of
any types of conures in particular which make loving pets and also good
apartment pets?  Any help or ideas would be greatly appreciated.

BTW- if anyone knows of any other types of birds besides conures which would
also fit what I'm looking for, please send me your thoughts!


Amy Jorgenson
K00004@tigger.stcloud.msus.edu

greg@uc780.umd.edu (04/24/91)

>Hello,
>I have been making plans for quite a while to purchase a bird.  The only
>problem I have is deciding what kind.  I have pretty much narrowed it down to
>the conure family because of their appealing size and personalities, but I
>really don't know which kind of conure would be best for my lifestyle.

Good choice.  I own two conures: a sun and a green cheek.  They are really
good pets.  The suns are bit more calm and cuddly, while the green cheeks
are little packages of energy - they really think they are macaw size!

>I am looking for an affectionate bird that will be able to amuse himself with
>toys during the daytime while I am gone.  I live in an apartment so a breed
>that is notoriously noisy probably wouldn't be very desirable (even though he
>probably couldn't outdo my neighbor's stereo anyways!).  Does anybody know of
>any types of conures in particular which make loving pets and also good
>apartment pets?  Any help or ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Nandays are unfortunately very noisy - otherwise I hear they are great
pets.  My suggestion would be a green cheek or maroon belly (they are
from the same family) if you want little balls of energy, or a sun or
a Jenday (also related) if you want a "cuddly" bird.  I would also refer
you to a recent issue of Bird Talk (winter sometime... sorry, my mags are
packed for a move) whose feature article is on conures... it hits on he
personalities pretty well.

>BTW- if anyone knows of any other types of birds besides conures which would
>also fit what I'm looking for, please send me your thoughts!

Another possibility is a "parrotlet" - or "pocket parrot".  These include
grey cheeked parakeets and their relatives, and are quite popular these days.

>Amy Jorgenson
>K00004@tigger.stcloud.msus.edu

My vote would be for a sun conure (as mine chirps from inside my shirt,
his favorite "hang out" ), but they are at the expensive end.  But hey,
they ARE worth it.

Los dos centavos mio.

Gregory Wright			BITNET:	    GREG@UC780                        
				Internet:   greg@socrates.umd.edu

"A bird in the hand is one less bird chewing on your antique chair."

mru@unislc.uucp (Mara Ulis) (04/29/91)

In article <1991Apr22.195102.18507@s1.msi.umn.edu> martin@TIGGER.STCLOUD.MSUS.EDU writes:
>Hello,
>I have been making plans for quite a while to purchase a bird.  The only
>problem I have is deciding what kind.  I have pretty much narrowed it down to
>the conure family because of their appealing size and personalities, but I
>really don't know which kind of conure would be best for my lifestyle.  
>
>I am looking for an affectionate bird that will be able to amuse himself with
>toys during the daytime while I am gone.  I live in an apartment so a breed
>that is notoriously noisy probably wouldn't be very desirable (even though he
>probably couldn't outdo my neighbor's stereo anyways!).  Does anybody know of
>any types of conures in particular which make loving pets and also good
>apartment pets?  Any help or ideas would be greatly appreciated.
>
>BTW- if anyone knows of any other types of birds besides conures which would
>also fit what I'm looking for, please send me your thoughts!
>
>
>Amy Jorgenson
>K00004@tigger.stcloud.msus.edu
Hi Amy,

The magazine BIRDS U.S.A. 1991 has a nice article on conures and gives all
the information you would need to make an educated decision on which is
right for you.  I believe the magazine just recently came out so it is
available in some pet shops and book stores.  I can't remember all I
read, but, they did say that the sun conures are really loud and the
patagonians are quiet.  If  you can't get ahold of this magazine and would
like me to send you a copy of the article, email or post.

Good luck,
Mara Ulis


-- 
^-^ ^-^ ^-^ ^-^ ^-^ ^-^ ^-^ ^-^ ^-^ ^-^ ^-^ ^-^ ^-^ ^-^ ^-^ ^-^ ^-^ ^-^ ^-^ ^-^
"They cannot speak.  We can.  Those who are              /\   /\
articulate must be the voices of those who                 0 0
are voiceless."                                            =^=

stewartw@cognos.UUCP (Stewart Winter) (05/02/91)

In article <1991Apr29.140134.29083@unislc.uucp> mru@unislc.UUCP (Mara Ulis,B2E10,5345) writes:
>The magazine BIRDS U.S.A. 1991 has a nice article on conures and gives all
>the information you would need to make an educated decision on which is
>right for you.  I believe the magazine just recently came out so it is
>available in some pet shops and book stores.

   As an aside, everyone should admire the winning photo contest photos
of one of the members of our local parrot club (one winner and one
honerable mention).  Actually, she has only been into amateur photography 
for 4 years, so it means us amateurs can take good bird pictures if
we keep at it (anyone out there who has tried to photograph a parrot
knows what I'm talking about - it's tough).


>I can't remember all I
>read, but, they did say that the sun conures are really loud and the
>patagonians are quiet.

   Hmmm.  I've spent time with my friends patagonian and quiet wouldn't
be the first adjective to come to mind.  Sun conures have a more
piercing sound, but patagonians are fairly loud - louder than blue-crowned
which have a reputation for being loud.

  Stewart
-- 
Stewart Winter               Cognos Incorporated   S-mail: P.O. Box 9707
VOICE: (613) 738-1338 x3830  FAX: (613) 738-0002           3755 Riverside Drive
UUCP: stewartw%cognos.uucp@ccs.carleton.ca                 Ottawa, Ontario
The bird of the day is .... Illiger's Macaw                CANADA  K1G 3Z4

dole@clipper.ingr.com (Harry Dole) (05/02/91)

> 
> From clipper!unix!Teknowledge.COM!uw-beaver!cornell!batcomputer!rpi!crdgw1!uunet!viusys!uxui!unislc!mru Wed May  1 23:40:15 PDT 1991
> Article: 196 of rec.birds
> Path: clipper!unix!Teknowledge.COM!uw-beaver!cornell!batcomputer!rpi!crdgw1!uunet!viusys!uxui!unislc!mru
> From: mru@unislc.uucp (Mara Ulis)
> Newsgroups: rec.birds
> Subject: Re: [Indoor] Picking the right bird
> Message-ID: <1991Apr29.140134.29083@unislc.uucp>
> Date: 29 Apr 91 14:01:34 GMT
> References: <1991Apr22.195102.18507@s1.msi.umn.edu>
> Reply-To: mru@unislc.UUCP (Mara Ulis,B2E10,5345)
> Organization: Unisys, Salt Lake City
> Lines: 39
> 
> In article <1991Apr22.195102.18507@s1.msi.umn.edu> martin@TIGGER.STCLOUD.MSUS.EDU writes:
> >Hello,
> >I have been making plans for quite a while to purchase a bird.  The only
> >problem I have is deciding what kind.  I have pretty much narrowed it down to
> >the conure family because of their appealing size and personalities, but I
> >really don't know which kind of conure would be best for my lifestyle.  
> >
> >I am looking for an affectionate bird that will be able to amuse himself with
> >toys during the daytime while I am gone.  I live in an apartment so a breed
> >that is notoriously noisy probably wouldn't be very desirable (even though he
> >probably couldn't outdo my neighbor's stereo anyways!).  Does anybody know of
> >any types of conures in particular which make loving pets and also good
> >apartment pets?  Any help or ideas would be greatly appreciated.
> >
> >BTW- if anyone knows of any other types of birds besides conures which would
> >also fit what I'm looking for, please send me your thoughts!
> >
> >
> >Amy Jorgenson
> >K00004@tigger.stcloud.msus.edu
> Hi Amy,
> 
> The magazine BIRDS U.S.A. 1991 has a nice article on conures and gives all
> the information you would need to make an educated decision on which is
> right for you.  I believe the magazine just recently came out so it is
> available in some pet shops and book stores.  I can't remember all I
> read, but, they did say that the sun conures are really loud and the
> patagonians are quiet.  If  you can't get ahold of this magazine and would
> like me to send you a copy of the article, email or post.
> 
> Good luck,
> Mara Ulis

Hi:   I am posting this for a friend who knows a lot more about birds than I do:

WAIT!  Don't try to keep a Patigonian quiet!  Most books and articles say
that their noise rules them out of most collections.  

I believe Mara meant that you should check out the genus Pyrrhura.  The 

article I've seen lately in BIRD TALK (Feb. 1991) says that they're better
for apartment dwellers than others.

Have you looked at the little maroon bellied Pyrrhura?  They are feisty
but sweet and acrobatic, and won't make nearly the racket of a Nanday or 
Pati.  They aren't as flashy as many conures, and even they might not be
a good choice if you have sensitive neighbors.

If you haven't considered Pionus parrots, please try to meet one.  They are 
much more quiet than any conure, and price is comparable to some of the
flashier conures.

I am told they talk more readily than conures, too.

I am looking for a companion for a home office, and have had a hard time 
choosing between a maroon bellied conure and a Pionus.  If they were not
so much more expensive, I'd also be looking at Eclectus.

Good luck!

greg@uc780.umd.edu (05/07/91)

In a previous article, dole@clipper.ingr.com (Harry Dole) wrote:

>> In article <1991Apr22.195102.18507@s1.msi.umn.edu> martin@TIGGER.STCLOUD.MSUS.EDU writes:
>> >I am looking for an affectionate bird that will be able to amuse himself with
>> >toys during the daytime while I am gone.  I live in an apartment so a breed
>> >that is notoriously noisy probably wouldn't be very desirable (even though he
>> >probably couldn't outdo my neighbor's stereo anyways!).  Does anybody know of
>> >any types of conures in particular which make loving pets and also good
>> >apartment pets?  Any help or ideas would be greatly appreciated.
>> >
> 
>WAIT!  Don't try to keep a Patigonian quiet!  Most books and articles say
>that their noise rules them out of most collections.  
> 
>I believe Mara meant that you should check out the genus Pyrrhura.  The 
>article I've seen lately in BIRD TALK (Feb. 1991) says that they're better
>for apartment dwellers than others.
> 
>Have you looked at the little maroon bellied Pyrrhura?  They are feisty
>but sweet and acrobatic, and won't make nearly the racket of a Nanday or 
>Pati.  They aren't as flashy as many conures, and even they might not be
>a good choice if you have sensitive neighbors.

I believe that the Green Cheek is in the Pyrrhura family, and quiet is
not the word I would use to describe them.  However, it also depends
on how well insulated your apartment is against sound.  The Pyrrhura
family are big birds packed in little packages - and while not as
noisy as the Nandays and related genus, they can get loud if they want
attention and believe that it will come by making noise.


Gregory Wright			BITNET:	    GREG@UC780                        
				Internet:   greg@socrates.umd.edu

"A bird in the hand is one less bird chewing on your antique chair."

gates@hpfcdc.HP.COM (Bill Gates) (05/14/91)

Nobody's mentioned the Dusky conure yet.  I have one of those I just purchased
last week.  He was a hand-fed baby, and he's the sweetest thing I've ever
seen.  He falls asleep on my shoulder or curled up on my lap at night, and
he's really excited when I come home in the evening.

A dusky isn't as colorful as other conures, but duskies are also one of the
cheapest conures I've seen.  And, they ain't half bad looking at that!  They
are a vibrant green color, with a head that sort of fades into a greyish
dun color.  Their wings and tail fade from green into a rich deep blue.  I
held and examined five or six duskies before buying this one, and they all
were very gentle and people-oriented (but that's basically determined by
upbringing).

Duskies seem to be very quiet.  Mine makes "chuckling" sounds when I hold
him, graduating to louder protestations when I put him in his cage for the
night, or when I forcibly remove him from someplace I don't want him to be.
But even when pissed, he only emits four or five loud chirps before settling
down.

He seems to do fine being by himself all day.  I have several toys in his
cage for his amusement.

He cost me $200.  Prices here in town ranged from that up to $325 (at mall
pet shops).

Bill

markm@leland.Stanford.EDU (Mark Mavroudis) (05/17/91)

In article <8140014@hpfcdc.HP.COM> gates@hpfcdc.HP.COM (Bill Gates) writes:
>Nobody's mentioned the Dusky conure yet. []  

I'll second the motion for a Dusky - I have a great little Dusky, who
is fairly quiet (which is good, because I live in an apt.), is very 
sweet and has tremendous amounts of personality.

>A dusky isn't as colorful as other conures, []

That's what all my other bird friends told me, too, but I think my
bird looks very pretty.  A nice variety of colors.
 
>Bill

Mark  

markm@leland.stanford.edu