By the way... Jared Workman... your bird is gorgeous especially that picture!

The first big difference is $$$. You are talking about $10-12,000.00 versus about $1200-1500 (retail).

My B&G is an absolute mush. I could give him to a 2 year old, walk away and not worry. My BF's B&G only likes him, but more so me (can't blame her!!)

Hyacinths, in general, have a sweet, gentle personality, but I will leave that response to those on here who are fortunate enough to own one. I only "own" them for about 5 months at the store until they are weaned and ready to go home to their new parronts.

you got very good advice from everyone....i also live in a condo and owned by a male ekkie and he has his moments of vocalizing like all birds do but i dont have a problem with hearing him outside like i did my sennie...i also work 7-3 and he has no problem being left alone until i get home ...i might be bias cause i love ekkies!!!!
but hopefully getting my 2nd dream bird...an african grey

Thank you very much.

PS Eclectus might be the most stunning looking birds in person. They look liek they are covered in fur rather than feathers.

Hys are gentle, sweet, loving, playful birds if they are well cared for. They should have extra large cages, lots of play room, and expensive high fat diets. Blue and Gold macaws can also be gentle, sweet, loving and playful if they are well cared for. As Kathie said, they are less expensive.

Wow, guess I missed this thread. Lots of great advice. Our macaws are a lot of work but also provide a lot of love. As JR stated, Hys are super sweet but the initial price tag also carries a higher upkeep cost with them. A well socialized macaw can be a great member of the family.

Z paid $8,500 for Mikey at age 5 months--in other words, unweaned. We paid an experienced professional handfeeder another $1500 to wean him for us. He is currently on one handfeeding/day in the evening, taking about 40 ccs. So total cost for the bird without counting mac nuts and other food, the SS Kings 506 cage, toys, regular visits to the AV, and gas going to and from the hired handfeeder (Mikey actually lives with us) was $10,000. That's exactly what the breeder would have charged us for Mikey had she kept him 'til fully weaned. The only reason we purchased him prior to weaning was so that he could get to know us, and because a good friend of ours with tons of handfeeding experience (including another Hy) offered to be his handfeeder for the above-mentioned price.

Mikey is a DNAd male, and the breeder charges more for DNAd females. Prolly closer to $12K. At the time, she had only males available, which was fine with us. I didn't care which gender we got :-).

I think that senegals make excellent pets. They are soooooo quiet. They love to be near you. They're underrated in my opinion.
If you want a larger bird, I think eclectus are a great way to go. Aside from a somewhat specialized diet. They aren't as destructive as other large birds. They love to eat and play with toys. My eclectus is my friendliest, easiest going bird. He isn't loud but loves to chatter. He adores toys. He is the only bird I have (larger than a lovebird) that has never drawn blood. He's never bitten me or anyone else that handles him. I have nothing but good things to say about eclectus!
I do think that when you find the right bird (well, when the right bird finds you) you will know it. Good luck and have fun!
Rebecca

Actually, we have a happy ending to afckjr's original post. She bought a very sweet little tiel and posted pics in the Cockatiel forum if anyone wants to see them!

I haven't read all of the posts, as there are 89 of them. However, I recommend that you consider a mini macaw, such as a Yellow Collar or Hahn's before you jump in with a big one. Macaws are very different from other parrots because of their size. A mini macaw has all of the wonderful macaw qualities in a smaller and more manageable size.

I have a blue and gold that I can hear him well down our block street. I would say the 5 miles is an exaggeration.... But a full macaw scream can well be heard for a city block and makes them inappropriate for condos, apartments, and close neighbors. Cheers, Pamela