I'm glad that you've chosen the responsible thing to do and NOT get any bird until you're able to provide it with at the very least 5+ hours a day, every day, of out of cage time and direct attention. And getting 2 birds isn't really a solution, as usually when you get 2 birds at the same time, assuming that they were clutch-mates and are certain to bond with each other, what tends to happen is that they end-up being closely bonded with each other, and have little to no interest in a person being their family, and they end-up being something that you look at but never interact with.
Parrots are extremely intelligent and unlike any other type of "pet", including a dog, as all species of parrots, whether we're talking about a Parrotlet or a Cockatoo, have the intelligence of a 3-4 year-old human child. This includes Budgies, Parrotlets, Cockatiels, etc. There is no such thing as a "beginner" parrot/bird, it just simply doesn't exist, and this is a common misconception of people who have not ever had a parrot, or that have only had a pair or multiple birds who entertained each other and had little to no interaction with them. Budgies are one of the most intelligent parrots there are, and if you only have a single Budgie, then just as a Macaw, a Cockatoo, a Conure, etc., you must provide it with at least 4-5 hours every single day of out-of-cage-time and direct attention. Otherwise they will become terribly bored, lonely, and typically they start self-mutilating. Most of the general public think they can buy their kids a pet Budgie at the pet shop for $30 and it can live in a cage with a few toys, will last for 5-6 years at most, and that will be it. And unfortunately when a single Budgie is locked inside a cage it's entire life, alone, and gets no attention, no out of cage time, and no mental/psychological stimulation, it's health goes downhill quickly and they do die young...When in reality, the lifespan of a healthy, well-cared for Budgie is on-average around 15-20 years, with the oldest Budgie on-record living to be 29 years old. So regardless of the "size" of the parrot, how common the parrot is, or what the common perception of it's "level of care" is, Parrotlets, Budgies, Cockatiels, Conures, Lovebirds, Macaws, African Grays, Cockatoos, Amazons, and every species of parrot in-between requires at the very least 4-5 hours of your day, every single day.
The other factor that you need to keep in-mind is that if you cannot keep your parrot's main-cage located in the "main room" or the room where the "action is" in your home, the room where the people who live in the house spend most of their time when they are at home, but rather have to keep your parrot in a cage in your "bedroom", a spare room, a "back" room, etc., then this not healthy or stimulating for the bird either, and tends to cause self-mutilation and much more noise (screaming) from the bird than they would create if they were located in the main room of the house. Whether the people who live in the home are watching TV together, reading, playing video games, eating a meal, talking to each other, playing a game, having visitors over, etc., the bird needs to simply be among it's family/people, able to see them, and feel included in the family. Otherwise, if the bird is located in your bedroom, and they can hear that people are home but they can't see them and are not being included, they become frustrated, bored, agitated, have a feeling of being left-out, and this is typically what causes a parrot to start screaming and squawking all day long, every day. In contrast, if the bird's cage is located in the main-room of the home and the bird is always in the presence of the people of the home when they are at home, the parrot is going to feel safe, secure, like they are a part of the family (or "flock"), and not only will they have a feeling of contentment, they are far more likely to entertain themselves with their toys, and stay a loving, tame parrot. You must always remember that parrots are "flock animals", and the people who they live with are their "flock", so if you are not able to keep your parrot's cage in the living room, family room, TV room, Den, etc., whatever room of your home is the place where the people spend their time when they're at home, and the place where visitors spend time when they come over, then it's not fair to the bird at all, and it is not a good idea to bring one home, regardless of the fact that you cannot spend at least 5 hours or more with the bird and the bird out of it's cage each day.
****A good rule-of-thumb when it comes to the decision of whether or not to bring home a parrot or not is that if the entire family who lives in your home is not on-board and they all don't want to be involved with and responsible for the bird, and the bird is going to have to be kept inside a cage most every day, all day long, in your own bedroom locked away/kept away from the rest of the people who are at home, then please don't get one. You wouldn't keep a dog locked inside a cage in your bedroom for 8+ hours every day, with no interaction from the other members of the household, so why would you do the same to a parrot who's intelligence is much greater than that of any dog? That's the way you have to look at this situation. And I'm glad that you are doing so, you're doing the responsible thing, and making the decision that is going to be best for the bird. Thank you for that...
I'll definitely be waiting till I'm out of school.
