giving it another shot

hello all!!
im new here and would like a little help. i previously owned a green cheek conure. i had him around a year but i believe he was finally fed up with my long days and late nights. i was in school so i never really had too much time for him. he started biting my face every time i had him out so i finally gave him to my friend who has sveral birds and more time than i to dedicate him. he loves her.
now i am interested in owning another bird. i will be living in florida and the carribean from now on and my job would permit me to have him around when im working. scuba instructor. i am very attracted to macaws and african greys. i was told that macaws are a little more of a calm simple bird, a little more playful than some. is this true? im basically looking for a less tempermental larger bird. any reccomendations? thanks all.
p.s. does the sex of the bird make any difference in theyre behaviour.

Hi

I am owned by quite a few parrots including Macaws and Greys.Whoever told you that Macaws are simple birds are misleading you. For you to go from a Green Cheek Conure to a Macaw or a Grey is quite a step if I might say myself. The majority of the parrots that own me were rescued,rehomed and a few purchased.A Macaw requires quite a lot of your time as well as out of cage time along with lots of toys to destroy.Greys tend to have many different issues and are said to be one person birds(I am now owned by 8 all rehomed)not all with issues.I understand you wanting to own another parrot and all but the ones that are with me are with me for life because this is what I am commited to.Have you visited any rescues or sanctuaries to see any of these parrots you are talking about getting? To be honest with you it is a big responsibility caring for parrots.I can't be the one to reccomend any specific parrot at this time.

Any bird can be hard to manage, however the smaller the bird, the easier it seems…if that makes sense (Example: Larger the bird, larger the bite and louder the scream). As a major Amazon lover, I’d love to suggest an Amazon, but they have their own set of complications (Rambunctious, moody during breeding season, complicated diet due to possibility of obesity, very loud – 747 coming in for a landing and so on…). Don’t just look here, do some serious research using Google, read some books and continue to ask questions about the breeds you are considering. There is no perfect bird breed, they all have issues that you will have to deal with that all take time and patience. Visit some breeders and pet stores (not that I’m a fan of pet stores) and let the bird choose you. My wife and I went into a place looking for a Congo African Gray (CAG), we left with a Red Lored Amazon (RLA)…Rio chose us, not the other way around. It just so happens that, Cosmo, our Blue Front Amazon (BFA) just chose us as well two days ago…we went in looking for a Macaw…go figure, we never get exactly what WE want. I've tryed to love other types of birds, but the Amazon's just won't let me! But we have a much easier to manage flock because of it. The only bird we have that didn’t choose us, was Lucky, our Indian Ringneck. I think she secretly plots our deaths while we are sleeping…Just Kidding, but she isn’t near as manageable as the other two…until the little boy that we adopted moved in…Lucky chose him, and our NOW 9 year old son goes everywhere with Lucky riding his shoulder. The only other thing I can suggest is, as you would be an almost first time parrot owner, rescue birds or pre-owned birds might be much to handle. Stay away from anything that is over a year old, or anything that is parent raised. (e.g. go for the hand fed babies) Need more info? Just ask.

Rodney

thanks busere for the info.
yeah i was a bit young and the bird was just givin to me as a little thing. i didnt know about birds or really even care to own one. but i soon grew very attatched to him. but i had a lot of things going on and had virtually no time for him. he is happy now though. and i did alot of things wrong. i have spent the last few days reading everything i can on behaviour. if he bit me i gave him quite a good reaction which i think he enjoyed, he was on my shoulder or above head height at all times so i thinkhe believed he was dominate.
im super into african greys a friend of mine has one named alex and he is super cool and way chill. doenst scream alot, and isnt much or a biter unless in a bad mood.
i think next year once im settled into my new job and place in the tropics ill start looking at getting another bird.
i dont want too large of bird but i dont too small of one either. a grey seems just perfect

i see alot of people with cockatiels and the girl i gave my conure to has two of them. they seem like sweet little birds. hers are hilarious. one whistles songs at you if it thinks your recording it. it loves its own voice.
are cockatoos, the big ones, anything like tiels?

Too's are very neurotic and require more attention then any other bird out there. Understand that the plume on top of their heads, wings and tails is about the only things they have in common. There are a lot of reasons why I own Amazons over Too's. With a too, everything in their life has to be set perfect or they will self destruct...and be careful about gray's as well, though not as neurotic as too's they're next in line for the title of "Most Neurotic Birds". Hope this all helps. Truthfully, I will (don't normally do this), recommend an Amazon. They can be much more "Self" entertained, they don't self-destruct because you decided to wear a "RED" tee-shirt one day, or you switched your shampoo...I'm shouldn't say that they won't, but not near like Grays and Toos. The down side to Amazons is that they can get rambunctious and nippy during play (they play hard). And they get aggressive during the breeding season, which normally wouldn't happen until the age of five, but this year has been a strange year. Rio, our 1yo Red Lored Amazon (RLA) has started doing birdie breeding dances and so on, and they're getting the same thing at Flock Haven of Hampton Roads (our local bird rescue). Any way...And when it comes to sub-species of Amazon...it really doesn't matter for the most part (some might try to argue that point). And always remember, Let the bird choose you. You might go into this looking for one breed and leave a breeder/pet store with something completely different.

Rodney

haha. funny stuff.
i dunno so much if i want a big bird. maybe just a tiel. theyre funny. i dont want to get destoyed by one of these birds. amazons are hella loud. screech!!!!!!!!
ah....i really want a big bird though. they seem like the ultimate campanion, a friend vs. a pet. they inquisitive and charming as hell. straight steal your heart. african grey babies could entertain me for days. nice adult greys aswell.huh.......ill think on it awhile. thanks for all the info. how long does the nibby last during sexual maturity. do they naturaly become more aggressive?

I don't know how your work or lifestyle is but a bigger bird is a lot harder to take care of. A bigger bird of any kind can be loud. My grey can get louder then my cockatoo some days. My cockatoo can be heard 3 blocks away and my amazon has a high pitch scream that is worst then fingernails on a blackboard. I love all my birds but life with them isn't easy. I think to start out with a cockatiel would be best.
Sorry but had to put my 2 cents worth in.

dont apologize. i appreciate any and all info. so thank you for the two pennies. yeah i just want something a little bigger than a tiel. a sun conure is around the perfect size and amazing looking bird. im just preparing to do things right.
not let them establish dominance, dont give them the reaction when they do bite, and not treat them like a cat or dog i could smother with affection.
maybe ill just get guiny pigs...... and eat them.
but really i would like another bird one day.

Dreadly

After much thought a parrot that fits what you are looking for is a Pionus Parrot. It is bigger than a Cockatiel and they are not known to be aggressive and they come in varies species.I myself have been owned by a few there are Bronze Winged,White Capped,Blue Headed and Maxamillan and there are others.Many people do not talk about them but they make very good pet birds and for someone like you getting back into birds would be perfect for you.Pionus are not loud parrots either so you won't have to worry about noise level.

Marcia