Lately I received emails seeking for my opinion on which parrot is better and quiet. They were planning of bringing home a parrot because they were impressed with the abilities these parrots can do. Furthermore, having a parrot is so entertaining and fun.

True, I do admit that parrots are really cute and fun companions. Many people only see the positive state of parrots but they failed to see the negative state of parrots. They failed to understand that parrots aren’t domestic pets like dogs or cats. Even parrots that are captive bred, hand-fed by humans still have their own wild instincts within their blood. There are time these cute fellows can go cranky or even turning to real devil which turned the whole house upside down.

It’s pretty sad whenever I read articles of parrots had been abandoned, re-homed or even sold away just because their owners don’t love them anymore. Just because they screamed, go cranky and totally out of control. It’s really heart-breaking.

Why do parrots have to stuck in these scenarios and going through these pains? In fact, the owners are to be blamed for bringing their parrots into these scenarios. Only if they had made serious considerations, understanding and accepting the possible problems of the parrots, these scenarios can be prevented.

Thus I decided to write this post to highlight the key considerations to take note to assist new and future parrot owners in making a wise decision rather than stranded in painful scenarios of abandoning, rehoming or selling the parrots away.

Accept these facts:

1. Noise
   Parrots are flock animals, they vocalize everyday. So don’t expect them to be as quiet as an aquarium fish. Some species vocalize a lot when the sun rise and set. Are you able to withstand with the extra noise in your household? Sorry to say this, there isn’t any quiet parrot in this globe. Seriously if you are still looking for one, get a stuff toy instead.
2. Mess
   Parrots are messy-eaters and their feathers and powder feathers (especially parrots like greys, cockatiels and cockatoos are dusty birds) contribute to the extra dust in your household. Extra mess means extra work in cleaning. Do mind the “little” extra mess in your household?
3. Time
   Since parrots are flock animals, they love attentions from their owners. Are you able to commit to 1-2 hours daily of quality time spent with your parrot? Are able to commit the extra hours for preparing meals for your parrot and the daily/weekly cleaning routines?
4. Space
   Macaws and other big parrots need very big cages. Even a smaller species like Senegal need at least 20 x 20 inch base size cage. Do have the extra space for your parrot?
5. Money
   Many tends to have a misconception that parrots are low maintenance pets. That’s totally untrue. Expenses on food, cages, toys, accessories and visit to the vet, all this need money and I guaranteed to you none of the items are cheap. A good and durable powder-coated or wrought iron cages can cost from 80-200SGD (Singapore Dollars) onwards and a visit to the vet can cost you from 70SGD onwards. Have you plan and draft out the expenses?
6. Demanding
   Since parrots are flock animals, they love attentions from their owners. There are times even when you are busy they will call for your attention. Are you able to answer to their needs and calls?
7. Maturity*
   Baby parrots tends to be cute, well-behaved and most important “relatively quiet”. Sweet moments don’t always last forever. Behavior Problems like screaming and biting start to surface once parrot start to reach their sexual maturity at around 1-2 years old depending on species. Are you able to accept it when your parrot is no longer an angel but a devil?

Selecting the right species for your home:

Next getting the right species is definitely important too. Many people tend to fall in love by the affectionate and cuddliness of a cockatoo and the majestic appearance of a macaw, but they failed to understand that cockatoos and macaws are very noisy birds. They do scream and vocalize loudly throughout the day and you have to accept this. It’s already “pre-programmed” within their genes, you have to accept it. If not, probably I will suggest you to look at other pet alternatives.

There are other parrots that are labeled as loud and noisy birds like Indian Ringnecks and Conures. Both species tend to chatter a lot throughout the day, that are their characteristic. Thus don’t expect these birds to be low in volume.

Not all parrots are loud and noisy all the time, there are parrot species that are “relatively quiet” like the African Greys and Senegal Parrots. These species are labeled as “quiet” because they rarely vocalize or scream like Cockatoos or Macaws. Thus they are ideal as companions for apartment dwellers.

Although they are considered “relatively quiet”, they still can be loud and noisy if they want to! Like I had mention earlier in the post, there’s no such thing as a quiet parrot!

Furthermore, the household environment do contribute to the noise level of the parrot. If the household environment is noisy, you can end up with a noisy parrot!

Final Words:

Having a parrot at household definitely will change your lifestyle completely, and parrots have longer lifespan than any other pets, this means you have to live with the current situation for the next 10 years or more. So asked yourself, are ready for the change?

Do take your time to do ample research, planning and take careful considerations on the possible problems ahead. Taking these necessary steps can prevent you ending up scenarios of abandoning, re-homing and selling your parrot away.