I have a problem.  I grew up around parrots.  My dad is a bird nut and at one point had 5.  



I have an African Grey named Sarah.  She is a great bird but a typical bird.  She is loud, messy and demanding.   In other words a typical parrot.  She was a rescue from someone that was afraid of her, which is surprising considering she is the easiest bird I ever handled.



A friend of mine was the recent recipient of an Umbrella Cockatoo.  I should say it was dumped on her after mainly being ignored.  It has a minor plucking issue.  Since being dumped this bird has been pretty quiet and reclusive.  Today I had the chance to spend some time together.  I speak enough parrot that after a few minutes I had him playing around, letting me scratch his belly, talking and generally being a parrot.  



I was offered the bird on the spot and the current owner offered to split the cost of a new cage.  The current one is in really bad shape.



My house is 2 dogs, 2 aquariums,  1 kid and one on the way and 1 bird.  



Wife is stay at home mom and I work full time.  Bird would mostly be mine to deal with as wife is a little afraid of the beak.  



Am I out of my damned mind to consider another bird?

We have five dogs ( 4 pit bulls) a cat, saltwater fish and a tortoise. And we just took in a African gray, blue fronted Amazon and a quaker. The gray is a bad plucker. If you have one bird another isn't that much more work!

Quakers are the assholes of the bird world.



 

My wife's laughing. The quaker will run over to my wife and attack her. But for me she's the best bird we have huge personality.

Fixed it for you

I love quakers

My dad has a Quaker.  I used to spend a lot of time with her.  Her favorite game was being "bounced" on a bed sheet.  Now she is out for blood for everyone by my dad.  She managed to poop on my wife and hates her.





SOP for a Quaker.  



 

I've noticed that some birds are REALLLLY gender specific....others are not.



I had one cockatiel that just loved women.  Loved their hair and their jewelry, etc.  She also absolutely was psychic about people who were afraid of birds.  I had a buddy who was terrified of them...she'd chase him all over the place.  It was actually hilarious to watch a full grown man run screaming from a bird not much bigger than my hand.



Had another that was absolutely jealous of any woman that came near me.  God damn she'd get seriously hostile.



 

Some birds are like that, like the aforementioned Quakers.  Others don't care as much.  
 

I had a Quaker foisted upon me. This former friend neglected to inform me that her mother had 0 intention of ever returning for the bird...fuck be upon her

 There should be a sign on them at pet stores stating " I'm a Quaker parrot. I'm a dick that will shit my body weight per day and I'll bite the hell out of you for no reason. There's a chance I might like one random person,but I'll remove chunks from them too for the hell of it"


 I hate the damn thing but nobody else would ever deal with it. I think I'm the 6-7th home it's had so I'm doing the best I can. I would never,ever,ever have taken it in if I knew just how big of assholes they are.

 My 2 cockatiels are great little guys but honestly,I wouldn't even suggest them for most people and they're as easy and nice as birds get.

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  You're probably out of your dammed mind to consider a cockatoo!   Great birds under the right circumstances but they DEMAND attention! And they DEMAND it all of the time! Unless you're prepared to take it with you EVERYWHERE you go and to let it spend it's every waking moment with you, it won't be happy!  But beak shouldn't be a problem. Cockatoo and most big birds are very gentle with people that they like.  Which brings up kids!  Most kids like to tease animals, that's NOT a good idea with any parrot! They have LONG memories and they WILL get even! My son used to tease my quaker parrot and even YEARS later it would sneak up on him and bite the hell out of him! it was fine around everyone else but it NEVER let him forget that he used to pick on it and scare it! Even a quaker can do some damage but I'd HATE to meet up up with a pissed off U2! I DO NOT recommend having kids OR THEIR FRIENDS around large parrots unless you watch them EVERY minute! Kids can RUIN a pet bird in five minutes! I've seen it happen!

  Large Toos also make a LOT of dander/dust. And when I say A LOT I mean like a Buffalo, NY snow storm!  For that reason alone, I would strongly recommend NOT having it around a baby or young children or anyone that has ANY kind of breathing trouble. If you think a Grey is messy, Well, JUST WAIT!  The mount of poop, feather dust, seed husk, food scraps, and chewed up furniture that a U2 can produce will be an eye opening experience!

 Current fid list:

   Two Caiquies,  Five Eclectus and a new baby, a Moustache parakeet, Hahn's Macaw, Blue and Gold Macaw, two Lorikeets, African Gray, Lilac crowned Amazon, Double yellow headed amazon. All are fully feathered and all are trained to wear a harness when they go out.  My Grey and my B&G are two of the nicest birds that I've ever had!

   LOL!   You should see my 2 ounce 6 inch tall Rainbow lorikeet chase my wife around the house!  Bird was fine with both of us when we got it but then got jealous of my wife and bites her every chance it gets. Bird has a tiny beak and can't do any real damage but it intimidates the hell out of my wife and she RUNS for cover any time that bird gets out!

Funny how something sooooo small can cause soooo much terror, ain't it?



ETA: of all the birds I have been bitten by, you'd thing something like a Macaw would be the worst.  Nope.....an Australian Rosella.....looked like my hand got stuck in a can opener!!!!  Long story...but it was my reward for saving her from a street gang of Amazons.  No good deed goes unpunished, I tell you.





 

I grew up around parrots.  I will never own one.

Well, I know I am a retard, but the bird is mine.  Scheduling a vet visit now, after that time for a new cage and then home.



Poor bird doesn't even have any toys.  Who the hell does that to a bird?  

Assholes.





I spoiled my birds rotten.  They had cage toys and playpen toys.  I always get big, rectangular cages and on top is a big, open playpen that they can play on when I am home.





I only caged my birds when it was sleepy time, when I was cooking ( for safety ) and when I was gone.  Other than that, they spent most of their time on a nice high, playpen where they had a commanding view of everything.





If you own a pet but spend no time with it...you don't deserve to own a pet.





 

We can't take the bird yet but we stopped by last night.  It didn't even occur to me, but the bird didn't even have a perch in the cage.  I installed a perch and huge chew toy.  As of this afternoon the toy was almost gone, I guess it wasn't cockatoo proof.  



 

Question from a non bird person..

Birds will pull their own feathers out of frustration/boredom.   In severe cases the bird won't have any feathers except on their heads.  



 

        And?

  Welcome to the world of cockatoos!  You'll either go broke buying toys or you'll soon learn to make your own! Read up on which kinds of wood are safe for them and start looking for (or growing) wood for toys.

We took a conure because no one could stand him.
He can be a jerk but  is a good watch bird.

I bought a YNA, Bart,  25 years ago as a fledgling.   oy.   At least he's a lazy fuck and does not fly around the house like a squawkatoo.  He's very aggressive towards my sister; a couple years ago he flew across the room and tried to chew her ear off when my mom was visiting.   "He ain't never dun that afore!"

He's hot/cold with the gf.    He's a little cuddle muffin with me.    Don't know what will happen to him when I die, as I expect him to outlive me.
I told the nieces that the one who pisses me off the most gets the bird.

I have long wished I could get a cat, but I'm afraid the cat would eat Bart and I love him for all of his peabrain personality

bart and me on week three of No Shave November.

That is pure win!!!  ...a man and his birrrd!!!  I love it!

My QP.




 Her 3rd/4th owners were college kids who used to get her drunk,fifth owner was a woman she never bonded but her husband who she did like foisted her off on his daughter when the divorced. She came to my house "temporarily"...


She's legitimately a horrible creature but figure somebody's got to give her a home... I take her outside with me gardening and when we're dining outside etc. I can't present bare skin to her though. She won't bit through a long sleeve T or thin gloves but if she sees my flesh,I bleed...

I rescued an Orange Wing Amazon that had been neglected for about 20 years. She was SOOOOOOOO fucking mean.

She died a few years ago of old age, but it took years to get her to not bite the fuck out of me.

Oh, if your friend is paying for half of the cage you should asshole it up and get an Avian Accents.

I wouldn't worry about the bird.  My wife had an asshole cat when we got married.  I mean a real first rate asshole that had attacked multiple people.





We get the Grey and the cat is really curious.  I come home one day and cat has de-assed the area and the bird was really wound up.  I finally found the car hiding in the back bedroom and would NOT come out.  We put two and two together.  The cat gave the bird wide berth after that and would go hide when the bird was out of the cage.  








 

There are several large, wild colonies of Monk/Quaker parrots in Austin.  

There are many Quaker populations around the US.  In FL there are huge flocks.  As I mentioned above, they are the assholes of the bird world.  



 

Our sunny chases our seven year old daughter around the house booking for some head scritches.

Most loving bird I have ever met.

However, when strangers come over, the little bastard turns into an AIM-9.

Good watch bird

My spoiled squawking chicken.  She just loves to have her head scratched in the evenings or mornings.

I live in a house with 4 birds......3 of them talk.
If i get called a pretty bird one more damned time.........
Lots of wild quakers in dallas also

I would love to rescue a few more parrots.

ETA: Our rescue loving her head scratches. She would hide at the back of the cage when we got her last Jan.

My wife's cockatiel is an asshole. Fucker will chill on top of the cage or perch on me if he gets tired flying around, but if I try to get him out of the cage or put him back in he turns into a little bastard.


Did teach him to cat call at women, so I at least get some entertainment from him when he whistles at her 85 year old grandmother.