i know i agree...i feel very bad for birds that are kept in cages all day long. every bird i've ever owned i always leave their cage open...thru out the day they were either on top of their cage, on their branch perch or on my shoulder. Seriously it affects the bird's personality very much...they are used to being free and able to fly wherever they want in the wild and then they are made to live in tiny cages...its not right. i never locked mine in a cage....my cockatiel that i had as a child was so tame i would take him to the park with me...he never even wanted to fly away. some bird owners just are afraid to deal with and touch their birds so they keep them locked up...its sad. oh btw tho my godmother doesnt keep him locked up...the thing with him is he is very attached to her and only her. so when guests come over she does lock him in the cage, otherwise he will fly at you and try to bite you. He almost did that to me once lol but other than that she always has him with her..hes really sweet..only to her. i think they are one person birds...im not sure

ok omg guys i have to share! i think i know which bird i am getting...im so excited! So i went to the bird store downtown...its not even a bird store really...a mother and son run the business and most of the birds there they are boarding for their customers but anyway i initially went to look at the baby cockatiels cause i was thinking of maybe getting one..depending on how they acted with me. But they were way too skittish. They are handfed there but i dont think they handle them too much. I held this one male and he kept flying off my hand and eveywhere soi didnt really want to get him. So then i was looking around, they have every kind of bird in there, even a macaw, gosh it was so big. He was just chilling outside on the cage, very sweet. So im looking at the conures...there were 3 baby ones and in their cage was a PIONUS! I never even heard of a Pionus before!!!! Omg they let me hold him and he was sooooooooo sweet! I really want him! They said they are like the quietest and most laid back birds they have, all the staff said he was their favorite. When i held him he just looked up at me and loved being scratched on the head. They are very observant the guy said. And he even turned him on his back with his feet in the air and he stayed there...its so hard for a bird to do that. So they gave me a magazine about Pionus so i can read cause i was interested and have never heard about them and they sound like the type of bird for me. He is 6 months old and i think i am going to get him...has anyone heard of one before or have one? It was a white capped Pionus...very pretty. He was green with blue growing on his chest...they are a parrot...similar to an amazon but not loud like them or as big...they more often make little noises thru out the day like cockatiels but not screech like other birds. Oh and they want $650 for him. :rolleyes: They can live 30 years tho so that is not bad actually but this place charges more than breeders but there are no breeders around here..what do ya think? All i need is a cage....too bad i gave all my cages away..now i need to get another one

That is actually how my favorite cockatiel died....i was in my room doing my homework and my mom was cooking something in the oven and there was smoke in the air...my dad told me he was eating and just died:( i was 9, so im all awayre about that now...never happened again with my birds

I looked up pionus parrots and they look like a really neat bird. I love their colors and the fact their not so noisy. I hope you get him

That's great news, I've heard of them, don't know much about them, but it sounds like a sweetie. I understand they are not a real loud bird, I think lots of people end up rehoming birds because the noise can be too much, so that's a plus!
Hope to see pics soon!
Martha

yes thats def. a plus..im so excited if i do get him..they seem so laid back. The one i went to see today was raised and handfed with african greys..so he gets along with all birds basically. its just so funny how he was looking up at me, like studying my face...i love when they do that and he loves kisses too! One thing tho...i heard they smell..i didnt smell anything at all but when i was reading the mag. i heard some ppl dont like their smells and some ppl do...i wonder what that smell is..i personally love how all my pets smell, every one ive owned so im sure ill prob like it anyway

They have very loud voices.

I am happy that you may have found your birdie :D I just wanted to throw in my two cents and say that the Green Cheek Conures are perfect little birds that can be little clowns but also little cuddle bugs. They are not loud at all like the other conures and are so much fun. I used to take Puck shopping on my shoulder and he'd just sit on my shoulder and nuzzle in my hair. He passed away last year and we have no clue why...I still miss him. We have Demri now and she is just as sweet. Just wanted to let you know in case the Pionus doesn't pan out. Good luck!!

What!!!I have a Green Cheek Conures and he is so loud. And Sun Conures are louder. They are lots of fun and can bark like a dog and talk so much but I cant sugar coat this, they are very loud if you are not giving them your total attention.You need to clean thir cage every day. Papi is about 9 years old now..I do love him but I'm just being honest. As a matter of fact he is flying around my den torturing the Yorkies. lol

They do make noise, like any bird, but compared to all the other conures their noise level tends to be lower...they are not screechers. I have also had an African Grey and a Green Wing Macaw (the BIG red one) and in comparison to many other birds, the Green Cheek's noise level is much lower. Now Demri does tend to make more noise than Puck did, especially when she knows it is time for the household to be awake or when someone comes in or out of the front door (she chimes in when the dogs are barking....LOL!) but she still isn't overly noisy...they don't tend to be screamers and are known to be the quietest of all the conures. I would go nuts with a Sun Conure...I think they sound like monkeys...:eek: I wish I could let Demri fly around the house like you do, but with two cats, it's impossible. Papi sounds like a riot!!:D

We had to rehome Haans, an Umbrella Cockatoo. Talk about a loud voice. He loved my husband and hated me. He bit me and flew at me. He was very jealous.Has a great home with a very nice family. I think they have about 10 birds.

yes i heard cockatoos usually get rehomes a lot due to the noise they make. They are very loud and like a toddler...very active and veryyy jealous...if they get attached to one person in the house forget it...they clain them as their mate...unless that person trains them somehow. they are very cute and sweet though.

Anyway i went to see the parrot today again to interact with him some more. He is a little unsure cause he doesnt know me....very observant also like i said. He also was playing with my hair, grooming me, it was sweet. One cool thing about them, you know how i read that they smell? i read that they either smell musky or sweet and ppl love it or hate it and this one def smells sweet! omg he smells like flowers, its such a nice smell! i am still deciding tho and am going to return tommorrow again..i already got the cage, toys.

I love the smell of Pionus! :) They are wonderful birds and should be handled by everyone if you don't want them to bond to one person.

He is very pretty!!! Yes they smell sooo good!! Like flowers!! Does yours talk or anything?

I'd say from what I have read the green cheek conures are much more quiet then all their fellow "conures".

I live in an apartment and I have had mine for a year now, we got him when he was a baby and we got him from a breeder. he was handfed and tamed. He is still very tame. I can't say he is too noisey, he does get his moments but if you spend enough time with him he is not loud at all. Before we got our big dog he was out most of the day, now we need to be a bit more careful so he isn't out ALL day but he gets lots of time out of the cage. We keep his cage in the kitchen and I am usually in there doing something so I am always talking with him. He is really good doesn't scream much, he will yell if he gets bored and he will call me. He knows how to said "hi", "kiwi" ( thats his name ) and do a little weird laugh lol He also knows how to dance when you say " Kiwi dance! " He knows how to give kisses, he loves to have showers and most of all he just loves to cuddle and hang out on my shoulder! If I am in another room and I call him he will fly to me. He had his wings clipped but I've let them grow back in. If you don't decide on a cockatiel I say get one of these, they are great, I've had cockatiels and I have to say I love these way better, we are actually thinking of getting him a new friend soon. They are extremely smart and funny!!