Bird or Turtle?

[dkny_stylez]

I went to the petstore today, and saw this little 4inch red foot tortoise for $700, I fell in love with the little guy...I know how much maintenence they are in which they tend to grow up to 20" so he would need a huge enclosure, and it might be hassle when he becomes fully grown....

Then I saw an african grey parrot, he is only 4 months old, and won't be for sale for another 1-2 months since he is so young...I always wanted a parrot, I've had budgies before, but it would be a pleasure to train/have one of these. And again I'm pretty sure they would be high maintenence as well...The price tag was pretty steep($2000)...So I'm debating...

So I'm intrested in getting one or the other, just not sure, the price difference is a lot..They both live a long period of time..

So can anyone give me some advice/opinions?


*Prices are in CDN dollars*

 

[sick4x4]

depends

one hand the parrot will talk...the other ,the red foot will not sooo depends on what you like??? i would get the red foot ????but thats me..bird flu man!!!!lol the bird is way dirty....

 

[tacoma0680]

they are both alot of money i think you should go with the bird cause you can train it and do more stuff with it i owned 2 turtle and i like them at first but they got really boring cause they dont do a thing

 

[YouLosePayUp]

$2000 for an African ??? Where are you shopping?? I would vote for the African, but you would be far better to find a breeder and probably get it for less than $1000 US

 

[dkny_stylez]

that's canadian dollars, sorry!, I'll edit the post

And if you can find me a dealer, pm me

 

[tyrel]

Well, you have to decide what kind of pet you want. A tortoise is a fair bit of work care-wise, a fun pet, and an interesting specimin.

Getting an african grey on the other hand, is like adopting a three year old child. They need to be cared for and loved all day, just like it's your own offspring. You have to reward them when they are good, scorn them when they are bad, and generally be the parent of a toddler with an extremly powerful hook beak.

If you want a fun pet, go for the tortoise.
If you want a lifetime companion that loves you, then be prepared for a lot of patience and go for the african grey.

 

[dkny_stylez]

^^^sounds like my dog....lol

Hmm, I'm leaning towards the bird, as the tortoise got older, it may get boring?

 

[kraken]

Well, you have to decide what kind of pet you want. A tortoise is a fair bit of work care-wise, a fun pet, and an interesting specimin.

Getting an african grey on the other hand, is like adopting a three year old child. They need to be cared for and loved all day, just like it's your own offspring. You have to reward them when they are good, scorn them when they are bad, and generally be the parent of a toddler with an extremly powerful hook beak.

If you want a fun pet, go for the tortoise.
If you want a lifetime companion that loves you, then be prepared for a lot of patience and go for the african grey.

I agree 100%.I know 2 people that has large parrots,and they are a DEDICATED time consuming commitment.And they get attached to you,its hard to just get rid of one if you grow tired of it.A turtle on the other hand..is not as time consuming or doesnt get attached to you. Just be sure to think about it long and hard...

 

[Midnightrdr456]

personally i would get a parrot but not an african grey. Amazons are great parrots and so are Cockatoos, i had a cockatoo that would cuddle up at night with whoever was holding it and it was just like having a puppy more so than a bird.

BUT parrots need ALOT of attention or can start to pick their feathers which can lead to alot of problems, we didnt have time to attend both our african grey and cockatoo enough (yea we had a grey too and was great just the cockatoo was incredible), so we gave them to a wildlife place that had them with others and they have been doing MUCH better

 

[Sheri]

I was really hoping this was an "ID Me" thread.

 

[billopelma]

As a long term parrot owner, (16 yrs) I have to agree with the previous posts about the comitment aspect of these critters. Look into this subject very thoughly before leaping, get on a parrot board and talk to people. It would take a few books to cover the various aspects here, but one big thing to consider is that many of these birds will bond to you like you're their lifelong mate. If you decide in the future for some reason you need to abandon the bird, it can take literally years for it to recover emotionally, some never recover at all, remaining bitter, miserable and hostile. Hell hath no fury like a parrot scorned. Don't take this decision lightly.

Bill

 

[Tleilaxu]

greys are also more sensitive than other parrots, get the turtle. I have worked with several parrots and they require A LOT of time AND money. The turtle will be much better for you.

 

[ta2edpop]

Red foot. They are not as boring as you might think. The ones that I've had in past are very personable and care is fairly easy. I've had amazons too. The key word is HAD. It's like having a two year old with ADD that will never grow up. Two cents....pay up.:razz:

 

[konrad16660]

i have owned a lot of tortoises. they are very nice creatures and become exeedingly personable, especially my desert tortoises. but you have to remember personable for tortoise. your not going to call for it and have it come. they are great to have around though, and i mean, you are on a scorpion forum so remember...YOU LIKE SCORPIONS i usually don't kick it with my israeli gold for obvious reasons. I say hi to him and he assures me he will sting the crap out of me. but the point is you will be able to bear the attenton you have to give to the tortoise. i would recommend against the bird. My parents had a parrot and they got rid of it when i was born some 22 1/2 years ago because they said it was like a child, and that true. PARROTS ARE YOU HAVING A KID. you must be willing to dedicate more timeto this thing than anything else you ever had. the parrot will be very life changing and will take time away from many other things. Go for the tortoise dude. Not so much responsibility and itwon't take away from other things in your life!!!!

 

[thisgal]

Personally, I'd have to go for the parrot. They are alot more work, but they are alot more rewarding as a result. They're extremely intelligent birds with an immense vocabulary.

 

[Tleilaxu]

Personally, I'd have to go for the parrot. They are alot more work, but they are alot more rewarding as a result. They're extremely intelligent birds with an immense vocabulary.

While this is true not all greays wil talk. A grey is a poor choice for a begginer, as are cockatoos.

 

[Tim Benzedrine]

I was really hoping this was an "ID Me" thread.

That's nearly EXACTLY what my response was going to be!

My advice was gonna be to toss the animal in question into the air, and if it fell with a loud "clunk", it was a turtle. If it soared out of sight, a bird.

 

[hermitman64]

Hi. It's really up to you, but I'd like to say that my Leopard tortoise is extremely personable - he has the yard to himself and comes when I call his name. He's a pretty amazing little guy who loves getting his head rubbed, and his shell scratched. You can't go wrong with a tortoise.

That being said, the only bird I have is a diamond dove, which is way different than a parrot.

It's your call. You'll likely have more interaction and maybe even more fun with a parrot, but tortoises make worthy pets.

And I may be wrong, but from what I've seen, you can get a better price on Red foots at reptile shows. Good luck.

 

[Shelob]

I would say the red foot, but $700 is a LOT of money for one, we had some Cherry Head Red Foots at PETCO for $169, but they went on sale for $99.

They were 4-5 inches.

BTW if you do get the RF, the book Turtles and Tortoises for Dummies is a good read

 

[MrT]

Greys

I bought a Grey 10 yrs ago and have never been sorry about it for a second. They're like having a 5 year old around the house, but they don't take as much time as most people think. Their great talkers and they love their owner. Yet if your a man you should get a female. A female should get a boy. I brought mine home while it still needed to be feed by hand twice a day. Bring you bird home long before 6 months. Look them up on the net.. Look up Alex at U of A . He's the smartest bird in the world. GET the GREY!!!! Good luck Can't git right, MrT, Ernie.

Ps. My Girl cost 800.00. Cage was 500.00. Plus lots of toys.