Overall which parrot is better? An African Grey or an Amazon.

[HP48G]

Those are difficult very social birds that require constant attention or they will pluck and mutilate themselves and suffer terribly if they feel ignored. Seriously the best way is to have two so they bond with each other and they are never alone. In my family we've always had amazons in pairs. Never as a single bird.

[chiluvr1228]

My sister has a lot of experience with birds including handfed babies and rescues. The rescue ones had a major plucking problem that she could not correct despite her vast experience with birds. Now she has a purple & red bird (can't recall the breed) that she got as a baby and it is friendly to her but it is a tremendous amount of work. She can't burn scented candles or use a plug-in; she has to be careful of odors from her pots & pans and then there is the cage cleaning. She can't go away on vacation because nobody wants to watch the bird and we are afraid of it.


I also feel bad that a creature that was meant to be free and fly is stuck in a cage for a person's amusement. Too many wind up in rescues when their owners realize how much work is involved with these big birds. It's a disgrace. If people would stop buying them, there would no need to capture them in the wild or use them for breeding purposes.


We need to stop treating exotic animals as a passing fancy and let them live their lives as nature intended.

[dontaskwhy]

Originally Posted by chiluvr1228

......Now she has a purple & red bird (can't recall the breed) ........

Probably a female Eclectus parrot.

[pvjd]

Originally Posted by dontaskwhy

Probably a female Eclectus parrot.

or loriekeet

[pvjd]

Originally Posted by josesbu5

I've decided to go with an African Grey. I'm just having trouble finding one within my price range.

I managed a local neighborhood petstore and we had a congo on consignment and we bonded so I ended up purchasing him myself!

[Coldjensens]

Amazons tend to be more clowny and are more attention hounds.Funny, fun but demanding. Greys can be friendly but are often one person birds, and sometimes prefer to be left alone. They growl when they want you to go away. They can be fun/playful, but no where near the extent of an Amazon.
Greys are much better talkers except the Double Yellowheaded Amazon which cna come close to Greys.

Timnehs are generally awful pets. Not great talkers, not friendly, of course there are exceptions you might get lucky, but there is a reason the Timnehs are so much cheaper.

If it comes down to a Double Yellow vs. a Grey, pick the one the you think is prettier. Or if you do not have a ton of time to dedicate to your bird get a grey. They do better than amazons going a few hours without attention.

[Coldjensens]

Originally Posted by chiluvr1228

She can't burn scented candles or use a plug-in; she has to be careful of odors from her pots & pans and then there is the cage cleaning.


I also feel bad that a creature that was meant to be free and fly is stuck in a cage for a person's amusement. Too many wind up in rescues when their owners realize how much work is involved with these big birds. It's a disgrace. If people would stop buying them, there would no need to capture them in the wild or use them for breeding purposes.

The problem with pots and pans is if you overheat a pan with non-stick coating. The fumes will kill a bird.

Basic cage cleaning is easy and takes about 5 - 10 minutes. Deep cleaning is harder but rarely needed unless the cage is too small or badly configured.

Depending on the bird, you can leave them alone for a few days. If you are gone for more than a cople of days, someone needs to check on them and refresh food and water, give them some veggies etc. Some birds cannot be left alone much at all, especially cockatoos, but it depends ont eh individual bird. My Cockatoo does not seem to mind being left alone for a while, in fact he sometimes seeks solitude (if you met his girlfriend, you would understand why).

Some birds are not much of flyers anyway. The seem to prefer to climb or walk. Our Cockatoos prefer to be in their cages unless they are playing or interacting with humans. If they get stressed or scared or tired, they make a beeline for their cage and sometimes even pull the door closed. In the wild, the live in hollowed out tree trunks and the like. That is their "cage" Not all birds soar like eagles or flit around for miles like sparrows. For many birds, flying is just a panicked means of escape when things get really bad. Many birds are not interested nin flying form location to location unless they have to for safety or to find food. They like routine. They like everything to stay the same. It is comforting. Change is stressful and can make them sick.

Some birds would not exist in the wild if they were not bred and kept as pets. Many pet birds have a better and longer life than they woudl in the wild. In Australia Cockatoos are pests. they used to be killed en masse - not sure if that is till true. But life in the wild for a bird is living in a constant state of fear, constantly under stress, rarely comfortable, relaxed or happy.

I do agree that far to many people get a bird with no idea what they are getting into and insufficient feeling of responsibility to properly care for them. They want a living tape recorder to show off to friends at parties and ignore the rest of the the time. "Look at me, I am a pirate!" They should just get one of those robot parrots that repeat what is said around them.

However the bond of love and trust that can develop between a human and a bird is amazing. It easily rivals dogs or cats. My bird feels more comfortable around me than he does around his girlfriend (he knows I am not going to suddenly bite him for no apparent reason, or scream at him).

[Veganature]

Checkout rescueme.org they are nationwide and have many birds. You can even set up email alerts so whenever anyone posts the type of animal you're interested in you will be notified via email.