Amazon in a dorm? Tell me I’m crazy!!

[Minor_Arcana]

It’s been a few months since Lexa passed and I’ve been visiting my local parrot rescue to meet all the birds and see if I connect with any that I can adopt.

For background, I’m a full time university student and I live in a dorm. I have no roommate and have permission from my school for a bird to live with me as an ESA per recommendation from my therapist.

As much as I love bigger birds, given my circumstances I was planning on playing it safe and going for a quieter species like a cockatiel. Unfortunately the rescue doesn’t have any, and over the last few months with multiple visits, I’ve found that I’ve absolutely no doubt in my mind fallen head over heels for an Amazon.

Amazons are the type of bird that I’ve wanted for a while but I’m not one to get an animal I’m not equipped for and so I wanted to wait until after I’m out of college and settled down before getting a bigger bird like that. But this bird!! Ahhhh!! She’s perfect!!!

Right now most of my time is spent doing homework and I have a surprising amount of free time that I will be glad to put towards a bird—but that’s right now. I don’t anticipate having any lack of time in undergrad but after I graduate here I’ll be moving onto medical school and that’ll be a whole different ballpark. By then, I’ll have housemates who will be able to help care for the bird and if not, my parents would be fine to have her while I’m in school. I’m really not worried about all that.

Here’s what I am worried about: noise. Now, this bird is the quietest Amazon you ever did hear. The parrot shelter is LOUD and this bird stays quiet. I’ll take her away from the other birds and spend some one-on-one time with her and she’s still quiet. She makes her little Amazon noises, of course, but no screams or anything. It’s miraculous. And it’s giving me a glimmer of hope because the only way I can have a bird on campus is if I can avoid a surplus of noise complaints from the people in my dorm. Presently, my room only shares a wall with one other room and there’s only one person living in that room, and she’s ecstatic about the idea of me getting a bird so I don’t anticipate any complaints there, and every other room near me is detached enough that normal bird noises aren’t going to bother anyone—I’m only concerned about long bouts of screaming, and it seems like just that’s not something this bird does.

So I’m about to make a really big decision because I’ve completely bonded with this bird, I have everything I need for her, I have everything figured out with my school and the rescue and the vet and everything. But I want to make absolutely sure that I’ve thought this through and I’m not making a blind decision just because I love her so much. So please, PLEASE tell me if I’m crazy. And if I seem like maybe I’ve got this all somewhat figured out, I’m open to advice!!

 

[DonnaBudgie]

You're not crazy. I wish I could tell you this is a good idea but I can't. Your current next door neighbor may love the idea but the next person who lives next door or above or below may not. When I lived in dorms people moved rooms and dorms pretty frequently and I usually had the same neighbors for only one or two semesters.
The most likely thing that will happen is that your parents will end up taking care of your bird and that would be really sad for both you and your bird. I imagine him sitting there waiting for you to visit. Unless your parents want an Amazon as much as you do. It rarely happens.

Once you are a medical intern working at a hospital, you will be lucky to see your bird for a couple hours a day, and that's if you live with him. Most landlords are very intolerant of noisy parrots. Most roommates are too.

You say this amazon is quiet but you won't know for sure until you bring him home and leave him alone for hours while you're in classes. If you set up a microphone to capture any noise he makes when he's alone, lonely, and calling for his flock (you) you may be very surprised at how noisy he will be. You don't want to have to pack him off to live with your parents or send him back to the rescue.

At this stage in your life, please keep trying to adopt a cockatiel. They are wonderful companion birds and much quieter than Amazons. Or a green cheek conure- they're one of the quietest conures and resemble Big Birds like Amazons.

I think you have a great future ahead of you with the bird of your dreams. Now just isn't the time.

 

[PeentPeent]

This sounds tacky but you can use egg cartons against the doors as noise cancellation! Unfortunately I agree if you are going into medical that poor Amazon will definitely feel the hurt


Also my Budi Conure was the quietest bird in the store.

He is our loudest bird after a week . They can definitely open up once at home!


I had cockatiels in college (still with me now!) they were very content I would suggest a pair though to keep eachother company and a big roomy cage filled with toys