Hi, I was wondering if anyone could help me to decide on which bird to have. I have always wanted an African Grey but know that due to the cost etc, I will never be able to have one. I really want to have a bird but it will have to be something smaller. I know that it is going from one extreme (the African Grey) to another but I was brought up in a family that always had budgies, so have been thinking of maybe keep up the tradition and have a budgie of my own or a Cockatiel. I have read many books and searched the internet but cant decide which to have. If anyone can give me any pointers that would help me to decide or even suggest a different breed altogether, I would be very grateful. Thank you

Depends on the amount of time you have available and the space. I recently got given a Goffins cockatoo - I have to say I never considered a psittacine of any description before - but having had one at such short notice i have to say I really like the little bird, but it was a steep learning curve as I've had pretty much every other kind of bird just not a parrot!!
I said yes to her as I work from home, I'm a wildlife artist, so she is out of the cage pretty much all of the day and sits on my shoulder or flying about the place chasing cats while I paint. However they are a huuuuuge time waster and a huge responsibility, they are basically a toddler with feathers that requires attention all day otherwise they do have a tendency to scream, so if you do consider a bird check you have understanding neighbors no matter the type you choose!!
There is a big difference between an african grey and a cockatiel or a budgie, a cockatiel/budgie is happier with buddies and not so demanding time wise and also far quieter, also less of a tie, my little Goffins attacks my Mum and my sister so I really will have to think twice before going away!!!
African greys are VERY attention hungry - I don't think I would have the time for one to be honest - they are very prone to stress and pulling all thier feathers out.
I've also had to rewrite my will to make sure she is looked, after just incase, as the larger birds live upto 60+ yrs so not to be bought on a whim!
I currently have what is considered a large cage for mine which she came with - I hate keeping anything in a cage to be honest, so I will be building an big aviary when I move house, so you need to think of long term costs too - the cheapest thing is buying the bird in the first place - have you seen the cost of parrot toys and feed?!!! - I've already spent nearly a hundred quid on toys, chewy things, cuttle fish, organic complete pellets, sandy rough perches etc as her beak/nails were overgrown and she had nothing in her cage other than a perch, a bell and mirror!! She loves cardboard boxes and branches too - so I change her cage round every day for her time outs - she gets cranky after a while so has an hor chill out evry so often to eat and do her thing!!
So do think really carefully and be brutally honest with the amount of time you have to spend on a bird as that will tell you what to get!!!!!!!! - good luck!!

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I work part time and do 5 hours max on a Monday, Tuesday and a Wednesday, The rest of the week I am at home, so I have ample spare time to spend with any bird I have. Because of my health, I dont get out and about much, so any bird would be a companion. I do remember growing up around budgies and there always seemed to be lots of little feathers everywhere (outside of the cage as well as inside) is it the same with Cockatiels? I dont have a problem with feathers, dust or seeds etc but books dont really tell you that type of thing.

You should be fine with either kind of bird then as you are at home so much, sounds ideal. And yes they do put dust everywhere and little feathers - all birds produce large amounts of dust especially the cockatoos apparently, they need daily mistings, and mine has a shower twice a week at the moment while the weather is warm - helps keep the dust down a bit and gets rid of dead skin!!
Have you tried advertising what you are looking for - there seem to be loads of birds about at the moment from people who bought on a whim and get rid of them when they realise just how much effort they take and how noisy a bored bird can be, even more so when they pick up swear words!, or reach sexual maturity and become aggressive if not handled properly!!! - worth a try!

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