looking for macaw or ****atoo

I have a 16 year old DYH Amazon who only loves me. He will tolerate my husband but doesnt like anyone else and thats fine with us. But Thor does NOT like to be cuddled. I can handle him, play with him, kiss him but try to cuddle him and he gets nippy. I recently got a Congo African Grey, (CAG). I was with him at the shop where I volunteer from the time he was born. He is now home with me. His hatch date was May 18th. Bandit is cuddly, for now, but thats because hes a baby. As he grows up, he is not going to want to cuddle. Theyre natural instincts come out. They will love us, allow us to do silly things to them but thats it. I also have tiels. They can be cuddly when THEY want to be. On their terms only. The only birds that I know of that are cuddly are some toos. I thought about it but their ear piercing screams made my decision for me. I agree with definitely doing research, talk to bird owners, go to a bird shop or go to see a breeder. Watch, ask questions, learn. Then make a decision if you want a parrot or a nice cuddly kitten. blessings, Laurie

DON"T get a ****atoo (or a Macaw) as your first bird! I did, and did not know anything about birds beyond parakeets. He was SOOOO destructive. Rowdy demolished one room, chewing up doorframes, and window frames, and ate holes in the sheetrock! He also would not let anyone except my sister get close to him. We even sent him to stay with a breeder for a couple of weeks in hopes that a girlfreind would tame him down. HE ATE HIS WAY OUT OF THE CAGE! Through 2 layers of chain link and was squashed under a tin roof when the guy found him, he was almost dead in the TX heat. Breeder guy called and asked us to come get him. I found out from the vet that Rowdy was not 6 months old like the pet store had told me, but a wild caught bird and more than 6 years old! He is with another breeder now in West Texas. Like you, I thought ****atoos were so beautiful and elegant, AND I had always heard that they were loving and could be tame. NOT Rowdy. My second bird was a Conure. She was soo precious. She bonded with my Mom and when my Mom died in '92, Cricket greived herself to death. We couldn't do anything about it. Now we have a 13 yr. old Blue & Gold Macaw named "Bones" and a 15yr old African Grey named "Riff-Raff". They are way to smart for their own good. Bones carries on conversations with you and has a memory like an elephant. He amazes me sometimes with the thing he says. Riff-Raff is much quieter but more musically inclined than Bones. We have had both of them since they were in pin feathers. Good luck in your search, and whatever you choose, stay away from parrolets (pocket Parrots) which are so beautiful, but are little demons in feathers! Valencia

I started out with a parakeet when I was 10 years old and as a young adult had a ****atiel then on to more birds. Tika, My female 2 year old Blue and Gold Macaw does not care for men. She bonded with her previous female owner. All of my birds give me hugs and kisses on their terms and love to cuddle. My Quakers can be biters as well on a bad day. I was lucky I knew the owner of Tika and she has not been known to have ever bitten anyone. This dear sweet lady was able to show me how to handle Tika and share likes and dislikes and food preferences. Someone mentioned licorice in another post, I would not give it to my birds it has sugar in it. Black licorice would not be a good idea at all. Other than parakeets, I think ****atiels are a nice bird to start out with, then a quaker for more experience. ( some states do not allow Quakers) If you do get a Quaker and want to move out of that state you may need to consider this. I had a Nanday Conure in the past that I was able to walk with on my should outside and a tiel that would ride on the handlebars of my moped; that was about 30 years ago, dang how time flies! Not having a bird clipped is risky, none of my birds are able to fly over my head. Eve

Parrots are an extremely popular breed of bird for individuals who are looking to acquire a house pet and even for those who are simply interested in admiring the beauty of this species of bird and the parrot information that coincides.

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