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Libby

I think that any of the birds that you mentioned would make a fine pet. However, you must be careful and find the right breeder. A good breeder will allow you to interact with your baby before you bring it home. The facility will be clean, the babies will be played with and they will receive some training. The breeder will give you references and will permit their veterinarian to speak freely with you. Good breeders will not force babies to wean, they will allow them to wean at their own pace.

You should visit a number of different good aviaries and see which baby seems to likes you and your family the best. Once you bring your baby home, it will be important that it has short, fun training secessions every day. All family members should work with the bird. In the beginning baby birds, like humans, have a short attention span and the training session should not be over three minutes. The training sessions can be extended as the bird matures and its attention span increases. The more people there are working with a bird, the higher the chances are that someone will not be consistent. So, it will be important to coordinate with all family members and one adult should be responsible. Everyone should know the exact vocabulary that you will use with your new bird and remember to praise the bird every time it does something right. Training sessions should always end on a happy note, even if the bird did not do well.

Play warm potato with the baby. This is a time that the family gathers together in a circle and passes the baby round the circle, petting it and talking to it in a sweet voice. Three times a week for the first two weeks, then twice a week, finally once a week for the rest of the bird's life.