sarettah - I have 2 parrots now (an 4 year old African Grey named Hugo with a vocabulary of about 75+ phrases plus other assorted words and sounds including phone ringing - he and my 2.5 year old son have interesting talks)
The other parrot is a Red Lored amazon named Bogart who is about 15 (and was a basket case when I got him, he now lives in my office and is fairly tame)
also have raised and trained parrots in the past (one of my other lifetimes)
Conures are a close relation of Macaws (think of them as a little cousin - they even have similar shaped bodies) some can be very noisy particularity at sun rise and sun set or any time they "call" the flock
http://www.petoftheday.com/archive/2003/May/15.html
has a pic of one
here is a Military Macaw
http://www.whozoo.org/Intro2000/melibear/M...litarymacaw.htm
Most parrots will "bond" with one person (parrots are monogamous) but some birds will tolerate others in the "flock"
The fault really lies with the pet store for allowing kids that behavior with the bird
Parrots can make great pets, some are very loving, very funny (I think parrots are one of the few animals that have a sense of humor- my grey will crack up laughing at things) but can take a lot of emotional investment and a lot of time.
Parrots really become one of the family provided you have the time for them
and the bird could well out live you, I know the African Grey Hugo will outlive me but Sebastian and Hugo get along well (Hugo asks" Where's Sebastian, where's the little boy")
Personally I wouldn't have a dog or cat
I'm forgetting a lot of stuff but if you have any questions or concerns please feel free to ask me and if I can I will help you
Overall that is a great price for the bird but the bird is a basket case now and will take time, love and effort to realize his fullest potential
But if he's does you'll have any amazing companion and a wonderful addition to your family
Not to be gloomy I wouldn't suggest getting the bird if you have house cats or very active dogs in your home
Too much stress, you'll want to have time with the bird out of the cage working to tame him and train him to get on your arm and spend time with you and it can be stressful with other animals (especially predatory types) in the household (yes you'll have to get his wings clipped - well really just one wing's primary feathers)
Also 2 things you can't avoid working with parrots - getting bitten and getting defecated on
edit becaue the macaw pix was screwy
Last edited by Vick at Feb 23 2004, 09:37 PM