Deciding upon a parrot pet purchase is a difficult task and requires serious consideration as it may involve a long, very long term commitment :). Having parrots as pets can be as rewarding just as it can be exhausting or painful (physically painful for our fingers). Below I put together a list of my parrot suggestions that can make great pets but which are different based on various characteristics. In my review I will consider the following: size, lifespan, noisiness, cuddleness and other considerations.

Budgies

Probably the most common and fastest moving of them all are the cute, little budgies. They are mostly blue and green but can also be yellow or white.

While for most of the parrots it is difficult to tell whether the bird is a male or female representative, with budgies the decision is simple: look at the nose! If their nose (the soft portion immediately above their peak) is blue, then you are looking at a male. If however the nose is pink or light orange then you’re looking at a budgie lady.

Even though they are not the best speakers in the parrot community, the male budgies are very well capable of repeating some words and even short phrases. Be aware however, that before the bird wold be able to repeat anything it will need to hear it a few good amount of times. The possibilities here are either letting the budgie listen to the prerecorded word or phrase that he is to repeat, or become a mini-budgie ourselves and keep repeating the word or phrase. You will be surprised at the amount of interest these birds will show and how carefully they will listen!

• Size – about 18 cm
• Lifespan – 5 – 10 years
• Noisiness – they tend to make quite some noise but they are not very loud
• Cuddleness – not very cuddly while they might enjoy a peak cuddle or cheek cuddles
• Other – suitable for apartments (your neighbors will probably not even know that you have a bird), suitable for small living areas, can make good companions, including children

Cockatiels

Cokatiels are a smaller version of the cockatoos but bigger than the budgies, they are cuddly, very friendly and social.

They are commonly known for being mostly quiet but when they do chirp, it is mostly a song-chirp. The male is mostly gray with a yellow-orange head. Cockatiels can also be yellow or white colored.

• Size – 30-33 cm
• Lifespan – 10-14 years
• Noisiness – not very noisy but you need to love them singing
• Cuddleness – yes, they love head scratches and cuddly interaction with humans
• Other – very social, interact with everyone from the household, can make good companions, including children, suitable for apartments and small living spaces

Lovebirds

Just as big as a budgie (but with a considerably shorter tail), these little friends will color your day with any color you please, as they are probably the most varied in colors from light bright to black color.

Same as every pet parrot, they can be very friendly and sweet companions after getting to know you. Lovebirds are not the best talkers of the parrots, but the same as budgies, they can mimic some words or short phrases.

• Size – 13 -17 cm
• Lifespan – 10-15 years
• Noisiness – mostly quiet and not a loud parrot (however somewhat louder than the budgie)
• Cuddleness – not very cuddly however very friendly
• Other – suitable for apartments and small living spaces

Conures

Conures is a generic word that is applied to a group of small to medium-sized birds. The same as for the lovebirds above, conures can have various colors, different characters and make great companions. A few examples are:

-> sun conure parrot: mostly yellow body with orange cheeks and green wings;

-> green cheeked conure parrot: mostly green cheeks and wings, gray head, red belly and tail.

• Size – 25-50 cm
• Lifespan – 10-30 years
• Noisiness – green-cheeked conures tend to be much quieter than the sun conures. For example, a flat neighbour would get to hear your sun conure while the green cheeked one might remain a secret (considered to be one of the quiet parrots).
• Cuddleness – while I have seen the sun conure making a great cuddler, the green counterpart will be more of a companion than a cuddler
• Other – because these birds are small to medium birds, considerations need to be given regarding a bigger cage, a potentially bigger mess and bigger poop

Related: Green Cheek Conure Care

Cockatoos

Gorgeous and elegant cockatoos are among the smartest parrots out there. They do not only mimic human speech, but they are also able to reason and reply to you, just like a toddler of around 4 years old. Cockatoos are mostly white but there are also black cockatoos. These birds are large ones, with big bodies, heavy grip (can scratch your arm with their feet nails), strong peaks and extrodinary friendly companions.

• Size – 45-60 cm
• Lifespan – 20-60 years (depending on the species)
• Noisiness – can be very loud, this bird you will not be able to hide from your neighbors for too long
• Cuddleness – exceptionally cuddly, looooove being among people and receiving cuddles
• Other – large birds with a larger need of living space, larger potential damage, large mess and large poop

Below is how I made friends with a wild cockatoo in the absence of a pet one (yet) 🙂

Conclusion

While parrots can be adorable to look at in the pet store and in the wild, parrots as pets require much more consideration. The choice is of course, personal, depending on a variety of factors (apart from those above): your life style, amount of money you are willing to pay, commitment expectation, etc.

Please be aware that the list above is not extensive and does not include all and every parrot species.

Feel free to share with me your experience with any of these amazing birds in the comments below. I would love to hear your story!

To all the Parrot Lovers,

Tatiana

Founder of Best Parrot Toys

Disclaimer: I am not a parrot expert therefore the information in this site represents my opinion based on my experience. Please do not make decisions based solely on my articles. It helps to do further research.