When I think of a “starter” anything, it brings to mind something temporary from which you would eventually move on or move up (a “starter kit” or a “starter home”). Birds are long lived pets and even “starter birds” like a cockatiel can live to be 30 to 40 years old. I’m hoping that your intention would be to keep and care for this bird throughout its life. They can have wonderful personalities and many owners become extremely attached. I just ask that you make a commitment to the bird and yourself before you adopt any new avian family member.
While each nanday is an individual, a nanday could make a nice parrot for a prepared, new bird keeper. I use the word “prepared” because any pet bird owner requires knowledge to ensure their pet’s health and safety. Please spend some time researching pet bird household dangers so you can become familiar with them. If your home has any plants, you might do well to research their safety compatibility with your pet as well. Accidents in the home is one of the main causes of premature pet bird deaths. I would also research some about nutrition and learn about the kinds of things you should not feed your pet bird. They need a variety of perches of varying diameters and I'd suggest having a few different kinds. A pedicure perch or cement perch is always nice to have by the food/water cups as you know they have to visit there regularly. A "comfy perch" is nice for an upper rear corner of the cage (I hope you don't have a round cage). Another nice perch are the cholla cactus perches (they're chewable and destructible and you have to plan on replacing perches, they're not going to last forever). They need varying diameters for good foot health as they spend nearly their entire lives on their feet.
One other thing I’d really recommend reading up on would be “parrot behavior & psychology”. Nandays have loud voices and they are going to make noise on a regular basis. You will need to make allowance for this noise and try not to become angry because you can’t “hear yourself think”. A happy bird can make noise. If he wants something, he can make noise. If he’s trying to tell you something, he can make noise. A parrot that is bored may make a lot of noise, so please research suitable toys and buy him a variety (destructible toys, non-destructible toys). A book on parrot psychology can help you deal with times in which you can’t figure out what your bird is trying to tell you. For example, your bird may just want your attention. Had you walked into the house and greeted your bird, spent a few minutes with it and let it out to play on top of its cage, it might not have been screaming for the past hour. That is just an example. A book like this would recommend ways to handle parrot behavior so that you don’t accidentally reinforce bad behaviors. This makes life with your parrot much more enjoyable for all involved (including your neighbors <grin>). But it can offer suggestions for dealing with issues like biting and how to gain your bird’s cooperation. It never fails that you want your bird to get in it’s cage because you have to leave for an appointment and your bird just isn’t cooperating. A book like this will offer tips and suggestions on how to change YOUR behavior in order to get the behavior you want from your bird. This is especially an important area for any new bird owner.
OK, with all that said, I would suggest you go out and meet several different nandays. You might find one like I did. I walked into a pet store to pick up some fish related items and this store happened to have birds. My husband walked over to visit with the birds and as I glanced over this nanday and I were immediately drawn to each other. There were several other birds inside that cage and I opened the cage and the nanday stepped right up. I reached my other hand up and it grabbed my finger, pulled it up close to its head and began rubbing its cheek on my finger. It snuggled up under my ear and in my hair. As hard as it was, I left the store without the bird but kept thinking about the bird. I kept thinking about the bird. I told myself that if it was still there by a certain date that I’d bring him home. Luckily for me, it was, and I did. I’m so glad that she’s part of our family. They told me that they originally had the bird and hand fed it. A couple bought the bird but were moving to Europe and in the process their bird would need to be quarantined for 90 days. They couldn’t bear the thought of leaving their bird in a quarantine warehouse for 3 months so they gave it back to the place from where they bought it in order for them to find it a new home. That was where I came in. This bird is around 10 years old now. I’m telling you this story to let you know that you do not need a baby bird in order to end up with a wonderful pet. I also want to instill in you that not all nandays will have the same personality. You need to find one that is compatible with you. Go out there and meet several nandays. You might get lucky and just know that a particular bird is right for you after your first meeting, but take your time and don’t be in any hurry. You will just “know” when you find one with whom you have a instant connection.
I have acquired birds in the past which I purchased because I liked the way they looked (a particular mutation), but they haven’t always been the best pets. I have also been given birds by people who no longer wanted them. Some came home because they were “buddies” with other birds that I acquired. Some birds have been given to me as “breeder rejects”. Without a doubt, my favorite birds are the ones with whom there was an instant connection with, the ones who “picked me”, like that nanday. If I had it to do all over again, those would be the only one’s I’d bring home – and I’d stop after my first dozen. LOL! I have about 25 parrots here and 6 are conures. The conures are my favorites. They’re like small macaws. Our first parrot was a severe macaw.
