eclectus

Question
I use to own a Sun conure and the bird was great for the first few months and then it  become very lound. Virtually, ALL the time, when I would wake up in the morning it would screech, when I left the room it would screech, generally speaking if I wasn't with the bird it would screech so I got rid of it. I was looking for a bird that had the great colors/personality of the sun conure and at least the possiblility of mimicing human speech and I came across the eclectus. I've read different things about this bird. some say it's very loud others say it's a lazy and lethargic bird that sleeps 10 hours a day and dosen't do much of anything. Anyway, I live in an apartment and I would like to get a bird that is fun and has a good personality but also quiet. The eclectus is a very pretty bird but expensive from what I've seen $1000+, do you know of any birds that are fairly cheap that would be good in my case?

Answer
Hi, Justin.  Thanks for posting your question.

Most parrots make noise during the day; some species more than others (and this also depends on the personality of the individual bird).  It's just the way parrots are made!  If you live in an apartment and need to have a quiet pet, but want a parrot, your best bet would be to stick with something like a parakeet/budgie, a cockatiel, parrotlet...something small.  These birds may be small, but their size doesn't mean they don't have personalities and can't be fun.  Some of my favorite parrots are parakeets!  These smaller species of parrots aren't so loud that you would get thrown out of your apartment, although they can make their fair share of noise.  The larger the parrot, the better the chance of having problems with loudness.  However, this is a risk you take when you buy a parrot.  For example, conures are famous for being loud parrots, but this doesn't mean that every conure is loud...it's a chance you take when you buy.  There are no guarantees when it comes to parrots (including whether they will learn to talk).  Each parrot is as individual as humans are.

I recommend you do much research into parrots BEFORE you decide to buy another bird.  There's plenty to learn before making that final purchase so you don't end up with a parrot that you cannot live with (or vice versa).  In other words, if you had done enough research, you would have learned that conures are loud parrots and you could have saved yourself and the Sun conure you had, some disappointments.

Come back if you have other questions.  Thanks.

Chrys