Cockatiel Or African Grey

[JenCliBee]

my african grey was about £300, because we picked him up when he was still developing his feathers!
If you say 3 to him, he will tap the table 3 times, he can nod his head, speak, and still fly the lenth of our living room [quite big] with clipped wings, albeit he is slightly largr than average

lol... cool... :Jealous:



:confooooosed:

well then, seen as i have quite a few pets atm, maybe i should leave it till next year or something.

Parrots tend to be IME one of the most demanding pets you will ever have, they will if looked after right outlive you, need constant attention, be rather a bird to be left out rather than caged most if not all of the day and can also be very very distrcutive lol.

Thinking how the attention is needed, can you fully give the bird its full needs?, other pets can also be an issue, what do you have by the way?

 

[aly_starh]

fish tanks, rabbit, cat, pond.

 

[JenCliBee]

fish tanks, rabbit, cat, pond.

How does you cat react to birds outside?, i have 3 cats (indoor cats) i have a conure and they are completely fine with it, infact they are used to having animals of all sorts round them which helps. Cats can be very very intimidating to birds of any kind and should be considered very carefully before introducing one to the cats home .

 

[aly_starh]

Fine, i had to introduce Milo to my rabbit slowly aswell, as they can see rabbits as a prey animal

 

[hopkigg]

Fine, i had to introduce Milo to my rabbit slowly aswell, as they can see rabbits as a prey animal

I have alot of animals, including 2 fish tanks, 2 turtles, 3 dogs, 2 rabbits, 1 bearded dragon and a african grey and i think he is one of the easiest to care for. We give him parrot mix and fresh veg every morning and let him out of his cage for a few hours every evening. He sits on his perch most of the time and occasionaly flies around but isnt really destructive. I guess they all have different personalities so they may be different. They may be expensive but in my opinion its worth it. The parrot privately will cost about £500, then you will need a cage which will be about £200 and then you need lots of toys to entertain which will maybe be another £50

 

[kj23502]

I would go African Grey all the way!! These birds are fabulously awesome!! They do get attached to you though. They require daily interaction and contact and a large cage. A cage topper would be good (toys on top of the cage). I thought about getting a grey at one point, but I feel we travel to much. Not fair to the bird to leave it caged for a day or two at a time w/no one around. Plus, have a cat that used to stalk my mom's birds and also have two dogs. May get one of these birds later in life.

These birds are excellent talkers also Fabulous choice if you have the time, patience to care for it. Keep in mind that they will live a LONG time if well cared for. Also consider where you are at in life. Not fair to the bird if you college and leave it w/mom and dad who leave it sitting in the cage. Since they can get really attached I don't think re-homing is a good idea.

 

[Spishkey]

i would go for the cockatiel!
i was given a baby for my 12th birthday from my grandfather....it was my 'first' proper pet
he followed me everywhere, could immitate allsorts (phones ringing car alarms, dors slamming, kids toys AND speak (sadly was taught some very bad words by various family members, and loved wolf whistling at the ladies when they walked by!) he could shakes hands, do tricks on a little wooden bike, walk the tightrope, play fetch, skateboard, rollerskate...so much stuff more! sadly he died after 12 happy years. he was a star though and i hope to be getting another soon.
every african grey ive met has been very naughty...id compare them to a toddler running wild with no training!

 

[Bloo]

Think very carefully. Some very valid points have been made about the *negatives* for African Grey's. They are ultra demanding and can be an absolute nightmare in the wrong set-up. I lived next to a bird sanctuary were there were so many of them just dumped because the owners just couldn't cope with them.

Instead of asking here, go to the specialist forums such as http/www.greyforums.net/ or http/www.africangreyforum.com/forum/ or http/www.african-grey-parrots.co.uk/parrot-forum/

 

[aly_starh]

thanks bloo, yes im on the forum greyforums.net

 

[M.R Otter]

Cockatiels Can talk!! and they can learn a lot of tricks including Wave, Play Dead, Sing, Step up and Even Play hide and seek!! Mine was hiding behind chairs and take a Sneak peek on me, when he figures out that I've seen him or spotted him he hide quickly, then when I sneak upon him, he keep on chasing me...... he won't stop following me untill I release the Galah from his cage to keep him busy with eaing Fruit like Grapes, Apples or Bannana!!


Even budgies can talk.....!!

 

[aly_starh]

Cockatiels Can talk!! and they can learn a lot of tricks including Wave, Play Dead, Sing, Step up and Even Play hide and seek!! Mine was hiding behind chairs and take a Sneak peek on me, when he figures out that I've seen him or spotted him he hide quickly, then when I sneak upon him, he keep on chasing me...... he won't stop following me untill I release the Galah from his cage to keep him busy with eaing Fruit like Grapes, Apples or Bannana!!


Even budgies can talk.....!!

cool. Budgies talk? Mine didnt, i think it might have been cos i had 3. Might get a cockatiel then

 

[M.R Otter]

Budgies are easy to be distracted by almostly anything..... But they are not easy to train due to thier easily frightened nature!!....... These are the Parrots that I keep:

1):Lovebirds
2):Budgies
3):Galah Cockatoo
4):Blue and Gold Macaw
5):Cockatiels

 

[M.R Otter]

These are my Parrots!!

Couldn't take the pic of my Galah as he is scared of the Camera

 

[dipsydoodlenoodle]

Cockatiels Can talk!! and they can learn a lot of tricks including Wave, Play Dead, Sing, Step up and Even Play hide and seek!! Mine was hiding behind chairs and take a Sneak peek on me, when he figures out that I've seen him or spotted him he hide quickly, then when I sneak upon him, he keep on chasing me...... he won't stop following me untill I release the Galah from his cage to keep him busy with eaing Fruit like Grapes, Apples or Bannana!!


Even budgies can talk.....!!

cool. Budgies talk? Mine didnt, i think it might have been cos i had 3. Might get a cockatiel then

Yea my two budgies talk, I had one and he was quite a clear speaker; then we got him a friend and he was also a clear speaker; then over the years they've kind of taught each other to speak so they aren't as clear now - but you can make words out still.