Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Ok, so i'm completely new to the bird hobby... well not completely new, i had a parakeet once for about a year like 7 years ago.

***for those of you that don't want to read this short story, i've summarized my questions in a short list at the end of the thread***

My hubby wanted me to look into getting a larger bird that will fit us, so here's a good one for you. He's allergic to everything... to wheaton terriers, poodles, cats, anything that has any type of hair. We haven't really had him around any birds besides my grandmother's cockatiel, but he stays in a room in her house that my hubby really stays out of. His buddy says that he has a parrot, and that bathing him regularly has completely aleviated his allergies to the bird. I talked to the local specialty store around here, and they told me that conures would be good with bad allergies, as they're smaller and not a "powdery" bird. She also said that they bathe their birds daily and that i should do that as well, and that would eliminate a LOT of the dander. Now if all that is true, i would love to get a conure. I get home at 5 daily and i would have a lot of time to play with it. I know that some birds attach to just one person. Are conures those type of bird? If all of this is ok so far, here's one more kicker. I want to start having kids in about a year or so. When the baby comes later on, i'll obviously not have that much time for the conure, but i will dedicate time to him/her still. I'll make sure he gets attention, but it won't be as much as it is at first. Will this be a big problem? i know they have a lot of attention requirements, and i don't want to get a bird if i have to just give it away in a year and nine months... I also want to know how well they'll adapt to a new baby. I obviously won't let him/her walk all over my infant, but will he get territorial or pissy because i'm devoting some of my time to the baby?

for those of you that don't want to read this whole thing, here's a summary:
***Are conures the best with allergies if bathed every day?
***Do they attach themselves to just one person, or will it attach to my husband and i?
***How will it react to having a new baby in the house in a year?

***Are conures the best with allergies if bathed every day? Some people are allergic to all types of birds even with bathes etc. People with very bad asthmatic allergies shouldn't own birds without talking to a doctor first. That being said a conure is probably one of the lease likely to cause allergies. African greys, cockatoos and cockatiels would be the worst because they all have great amounts of dust which can set off a person even with minor allergies.

***Do they attach themselves to just one person, or will it attach to my husband and i? Conures can go both ways. Most generally they are an easy to get along with bird that will accept everyone as long as worked with but every bird family has its exceptions

***How will it react to having a new baby in the house in a year?
I could possibly see a couple problems with this. A conure is a very noisy bird which can cause big problems when it is babies nap time. They will holler and scream to get attention and may actually start doing so more when they see a baby getting attention for the same type of behavior. Next when your baby is old enough to start toddling around a conure can be quite nippy and little fingers can get easily hurt if not watched carefully or unless the bird cage is really out of reach. Again the bird may start screaming more out of fear of the little one or wanting more attention. I have known plenty of people with babies and small children who have happy avian companions as well but that is not always the case and it really depends on your household as to how that would work out.

Let us know what you decide and good luck!

Thanks for the info. Is there another bird besides the conure that would do well in our situation that might not be so noisy?That's the one thing i was a little concerned about with having an infant, or even a toddler for that matter... i can't imagine screaming contests between the two. HAHA! i'm not too savvy with the different types of birds. I do want one that's cuddly and sweet like a conure, though. I know i can't be too picky, but i don't want a bird we can't care for properly for the entirity of it's life.

It's really going to be the hubby's bird. He's still going to pay a lot of attention to the bird if and when we even have kids. I just want a bird that won't just attach to my hubby because he's going to be spending more time with it.

Well as far as noise level I might suggest a parrotlet. They do not have feather dust. They are a smaller bird quite trainable. They can learn to speak some words. The only problem with them is some people judge them to be more nippy. I haven't really had a problem with that on most parrotlets so I think it is the individual bird instead of the species as a whole. Being a smaller bird they would have to be kept safe from a toddlers reach as they could be quite easily squashed by curious hands and also bite when those hands made a grab for them. For a small bird they have a sharp beak. I would have suggested cockatiels but they are quite allergy causing with their feather dust. Next might be either the Jardine's or the Senegal. I have seen a few be quite noisy but on a whole they seem less noisy then conures. If really wanting a conure I would suggest a Green Cheek conure or a Maroon Belly conure as they seem to be the quietest of the conure group. Definitely do not go for a Jenday or a sun as they seem to be the noisiest.

Hope this helps!!

Wow! you're incredibly knowledgable! Thanks for the input! I don't want a cockatiel anyway. My gramma has one and he is MEAN!!! Just from that alone, I wouldn't ever get a cockatiel. I really do want a conure, but I'll look into a parrotlet. My local bird store had one, and it was pretty cute. Thanks for the help!!!