Opinions between IRN's and Cockatiels! I feel so silly!

[RedNado130]

Ahhh!! I feel like I'm going in circles!
I'm getting ready to get my first bird, hopefully this coming spring or earlier, but I just keep changing my mind on what I want!
I had my entire heart set on an IRN, and I still do really, but I'm just worried about the noise. I live with my boyfriend, we've been together for over a year now, he owns the house that we live in but there is one tenant upstairs (But is a friend we know). I'm just worried about how loud an IRN would be for 'apartment' living. This is really the only reason that I keep switching between that and a cockatiel.
I'm worried if I don't end up staying here, if this relationship doesn't work out (Knock on wood!!!) that if I have to move to a big apartment complex, or to my parents for a while, if having the IRN around would be an issue. I know it has a lot to do with how you raise it, but I know birds will be birds!
My dad used to have a cockatiel when he was younger and he's said nothing but awesome things about it! I know they are less vocal but I love their singing as well. In my mind I think it might be best if I get a cockatiel as my first bird, and perhaps an IRN later in life when I have my own house, when I'm fully settled.
Is there anyone who has had both a cockatiel and an IRN that can give me some type of comparison? or something of the sort?
How loud are your IRNs on a typical day?

[ellieelectrons]

Hi RedNado and welcome

I haven't had both birds but I would say that IRNs will almost certainly always be louder than a cockatiel.

Ellie.

[ellieelectrons]

I looked at this video today: http://youtu.be/CB4SL1yi_Tw

In the comments section, someone asked about having a parrot in an apartment and she suggested a Myers Parrot or a Senegal parrot because they are smaller birds but have big personalities and tend to be quieter.

I don't know if you can buy those where you are. I've never seen them for sale here in Australia, but then I've also never looked.

I know SixtyFever on this forum has a Senegal Parrot so he may be able to shed more light on the subject for you. You could try PMing him.

[RedNado130]

I can't believe that bird room!! If I ever have a spare room...

I'll have to look up those breeds!! I haven't heard too much about them before! I'm going to do that right now Thank you!!

[ellieelectrons]

Agreed, one day if we're ever rich and we build a house, we'll be building a bird room into it!

Ellie.

[Sixty Fiver]

I looked at this video today: http://youtu.be/CB4SL1yi_Tw

In the comments section, someone asked about having a parrot in an apartment and she suggested a Myers Parrot or a Senegal parrot because they are smaller birds but have big personalities and tend to be quieter.

I don't know if you can buy those where you are. I've never seen them for sale here in Australia, but then I've also never looked.

I know SixtyFiver on this forum has a Senegal Parrot so he may be able to shed more light on the subject for you. You could try PMing him.

My Senegal is fluent in IRN and never has an issue being heard over her feathered housemates... She is generally quieter and more easy going although a Senegal alarm call is akin to a smoke detector going off.

Senegals are a fairly easy companion to have as they are not that demanding and do well at entertaining themselves... but when they want attention you will know about it.

My Senegal is a much bigger bird than my Ringnecks but relative to other species, they are all rather petite.

Cockatiels are wonderful companions and tend to be very quiet and their dispositins are generally wonderful... Conures tend to have very big voices for being such small birds and when you leave them they make a contact call that will wake your neighbours.

I live in a house with a tenant downstairs that used to be my housemate upstairs... he does not mind the birds and and comes to visit them every day... when I go away he also takes care of them.

[RedNado130]

Yeah, it's the contact calls and the alarm calls that I'm worried about! I'm lucky to work in a place where my schedule is very flexible, I can take off whatever days I'd like a week before hand. But I can work anywhere from 5 to 9 hours on the days that I do work. My boyfriend works 9 hour days, but we always work different shifts for the most part. I'm worried when we do work during the same hours about how loud an IRN would get while no one is there.
I'm pretty sure that I'm going to get a cockatiel. But then I just got an email this morning from a breeder who lives around the corner from me and she just got her two breeding pair of IRN's in this week!! AHHH!!
I'm don't want to get an IRN just because I REALLLLLYYYYYY want one though... and boy do I want one!! I want to make sure that I have a good environment, that I'll have enough time for that type of bird. Plus I know that they require a lot of attention and there is only my boyfriend and I in our house, although I do plan on taking the bird, whatever I decide to get, over to my parents very frequently.
How many people do you guys have in your house? It seems like most people here have other birds as well. This bird would be the only animal that I have in my house, besides fish My parents do have two dogs though that the bird would be around as well though. When I go on vacations, I visit friends in Ohio for about a week long maybe 4 times a year, my parents would be happy to birdsit! My dad LOVES birds.

Compared to a conure how loud are ringnecks?

I really hope I'm not bothering anyone asking all these questions lol I just don't even know what to think it seems like

[ellieelectrons]

I think a cockatiel sounds like a good idea.

I don't have a conure or know anyone with one but my impression of them when I see them in pet stores is that generally they are quieter than IRNs but when they do make noise they have a very high-pitched noise that they make that is way more difficult to take than IRN noise. The only noise I've heard my guys make that rival that would be when I take them to the vet and the vet is man-handling them. I fell in love with a little conure once at a pet store and was trying to think of a way to convince my husband to let me bring it home, when it opened it's beak! Then I knew there was no way I'd be able to convince him! lol

How many people do you guys have in your house?

We just have my husband and I. We have problems with ours in that they are scared of other people. We will have someone over for dinner or if someone is in the garden or we have workmen in the house, they freak out.

It seems like most people here have other birds as well. This bird would be the only animal that I have in my house, besides fish My parents do have two dogs though that the bird would be around as well though. When I go on vacations, I visit friends in Ohio for about a week long maybe 4 times a year, my parents would be happy to birdsit! My dad LOVES birds.

We have two birds. We started with one and then got a second one a year later. It is my opinion that birds are better off with another birdie friend but not everyone has this same point of view.

With dogs, you have to be careful. Firstly, they can harm the bird and secondly, even if they are bird-friendly they can be really scared by them... and it's no fun living in fear all the time. Given that the dogs don't live with you, this could make it worse because the dogs and the bird may not have enough time to get to know each other properly. Having said that, there are plenty of people who have dogs and birds that get along fine but it is not always the case and they do need lots of supervision. My aunt's beagle once caught and ate his babysitter's budgie!

It's good that you've got your parents to parrot-sit. We continually have the problem of where to send our guys when we go on holidays. I believe it's also a good idea to disrupt your bird's routine quite often, moving perches around, swapping out toys, taking them new places, etc. Birds don't like new things and they need to be constantly introduced to change so that they can learn to cope with it better. Because we don't do this, ours don't socialise with other humans well, when they went to bird boarding they were too scared to venture out of their cage during out-of-cage time, etc.

Ellie.

[RedNado130]

Can they be that loud! I have heard conures making quieter sounds, that is why I asked lol I guess I haven't heard the loud ones!
Yes, I do want to try to have my bird around as many different people as I can. I birdsat my uncles lovebird for about three months a year or so back, this was back when I was still living at home with my parents, the dogs seemed great with it! Curious at first and then they couldn't care less But We didn't, and I won't, let the bird out and on the ground around the dogs. We kept the cage up high ontop of our entertainment system. We would put the two dogs outside when we wanted the bird out and venturing around for the most part. But of course the lovebird seemed to think it was bigger than the dogs!
I never thought about the bird being scared since I don't live with the dogs. But I feel like I'm over at my parents enough, that the bird will get used to travelling there and having the dogs around. When I'm not at work, I'm either home fiddling around, or I'm at my parents. I'm usually over there 3 to 4 times a week in a good week.
I do figure that I'm going to get another bird in due time. I know it's best to get two together, but I know I'll have enough time outside of work to have the one bird to be out and playing, and having it meet other people often. So, I want to start with just one, see how that goes and then introduce another one at some point in the future.
I've only had experience with raising a sparrow and watching over my uncles lovebird, so I want to just start with one bird and get myself used to it again! Focus my time with that bird before I think about adding in another too soon.
I never thought about frequently moving perches and things around! I know you have to trade toys out every so often, but I never thought to keep changing the cage around so they adapt to new things. I like that!

[MissK]

Good luck!

[Melika]

Did you get and IRN or Tiel yet? If you haven't, I have some belated notes to add:

Birds have voices. They were made to use them. They can all be loud. Some choose to be loud more often than others, regardless of species. Individual birds vary.

IF you get a 'tiel and want a quiet bird- get a female. The males can be QUITE loud when they mature and perhaps decide to spend the day calling for a mate. Very loud and high pitched call. And extraordinarily repetitive. That's from experience. If you are looking for the outgoing, active, playful parrot personality you might find a 'tiel lacking. They are also dusty- a consideration if you have asthma, allergies, or other breathing problems. They're great little birds though.

IRNs can be loud (all parrots can be) and moody (again, all parrots can be). My husband swears that Hane screams at him when I leave the house for work.

Pionus, Senegals, Myer's parrots- these are all known as "apartment birds" because they are, in general, quiet and reserved creatures. They do have a sharp alarm call.

For conures, you would want a conure in the Pyrrhura genus such as the green-cheeked conure (as opposed to the usually louder Aratinga conures). If you want a small, 'tiel sized bird but with a parrot personality, the Pyrrhura conures are my top choice. Pyrrhura conures are also dubbed "apartment birds".

I have also read good things about Rock Pebblers, a.k.a. Regent Parrots.

Remember that noise is relative. A short morning or evening chorus doesn't bother me. But a simple shriek in a higher pitch drives me CRAZY. My mother cannot stand budgies; the constant chittering/gurgling drives her nuts- but I love it! What isn't loud to you might bother someone else, and vice versa.

[RedNado130]

Oh yes lol I know it's in a birds nature to make noise and to call for mates! I'm not worried about a bird being loud here and there, It's just the level of loudness really.
I've visited a few nice pet stores and everytime I've gone the tiels have been so quiet for the most part!! Buuuttt at the same time, I was playing with three baby sun conures and they were super quiet... I was told they can be quite loud little things!! GORGEOUS though! =)
I haven't gotten one yet! I'm actually looking at cages now! I think I'm going for a cockatiel, but I would like to get a cage that an IRN would be comfortable in... jussstttt in case I end up getting one instead =P
Do you think a 24" by 22" would be a good size for an IRN too?( 1/2" bar spacing) Either way, the bird will be spending a lot of time outside of the cage when I'm not at work, I also usually only work between 5-8 hours a day. Do you think that is decent space to accommodate both a 'tiel and IRN's long tail feathers? I feel like they are close in size, with an IRN being a bit bigger?

[Jen&Bug]

OMG, if it's not too late, I'd like to advise you NOT to get a sun conure if you're likely to live in an apartment.

I can say this because I do have a sun conure in an apartment. We've managed to make this work, but it's been a huge challenge. We had to carefully consider acoustics when choosing our place, and it took us ages to find somewhere with high ceilings, thick walls and lovely, tolerant neighbours. We own our place, and I think it's even harder if you're renting.

The hardest thing, though, is being cooped up in a small space yourself with a little orange air-raid siren screaming for your attention. As the other posts have said, all birds use their voices sometimes, and a sun conure going full volume is enough to drive you (and anyone you live with) absolutely crazy. We love Rufus dearly, but one of the quieter conures is definitely a better idea if you're still not certain where life will take you. Having to re-home your bird would be heart-breaking.

I also have an IRN, who is quiet in comparison (other than having learnt to make sun conure noises from Rufus!) He does have his squawky moments though, so if noise is a real concern perhaps a green-cheeked conure is the way to go. I've also read good things about Senegals, but haven't met one (Elllie - I tried to source one in Australia once, and was told it would cost $12,000!) Anyway, good luck with the choosing.

[Melika]

I haven't gotten one yet! I'm actually looking at cages now! I think I'm going for a cockatiel, but I would like to get a cage that an IRN would be comfortable in... jussstttt in case I end up getting one instead =P
Do you think a 24" by 22" would be a good size for an IRN too?( 1/2" bar spacing) Either way, the bird will be spending a lot of time outside of the cage when I'm not at work, I also usually only work between 5-8 hours a day. Do you think that is decent space to accommodate both a 'tiel and IRN's long tail feathers? I feel like they are close in size, with an IRN being a bit bigger?

Pic of my cage is here: http://www.indianringneck.com/forum/vie ... f=5&t=5022 . Our Tiel is also in an identical cage. The tiel uses the space much less than Hane. I find him to be a much more active bird and he uses every bit of the cage. Toys fill up a cage really quickly along with foraging opportunities and perches. I like to have extra space for him to exercise his wings if he wants to without breaking feathers. For me, this is the smallest cage I would permanently house a IRN in, even if he was only locked in for five hours. But really everyone here has different cage sizes. Get the largest cage you can afford- save if you have to. Don't forget about toy costs. And remember if you're thinking of upgrading later- nothing more permanent than temporary! XD