Does anyone else do this?

[HalfInsane]

I tend to assume other people should not own parrots. It is a rare person whom can make me feel otherwise. I haven't always felt like this, but the multitude of ignorant comments I've gotten from friends, family, and acquaintances has made me quick to judge.

I've just gotten too, too many stupid comments. People would always be so delighted with my little bird, they just desperately wanted to have one. Which is fine. But as soon as you try to tell them that, no, they don't come tame (in fact, my first bird was parent raised. Earning her trust, while not as hard as some sources may lead you to believe, was a long process), Yes they're messy, yes they can be loud, Yes they need attention, and, by the way, they're more work than a dog. Tell people this, they act like you're crazy. I've been called a liar and a hypocrite, many times.

I've had two friends buy birds because mine was just so awesome, stuff it in a little cage, neglect it, so on and so forth. Then they comes crying to me, "fix my bird", "what am I doing wrong" (I could write a novel), "you must just have gotten a good bird. Mine is awful". I tried to warn them, suggested they do some research."It's just a bird. I'm not gonna read a book about it."

It wears on my nerves and makes me wish people were required to take a course before owning a bird. Or any pet. I don't like instantly jumping down peoples throats, and I shouldn't, but its sometimes hard not to.

 

[roxynoodle]

Well, I don't try to actually discourage people, but I do try to let them know exactly what to expect, and I pass on reading materials and website suggestions. Most people want to listen and find out more information. Some think they know absolutely everything there is to know in the world and don't want any advice. One of my friends is like this and now she wants a cockatoo. She once had a budgie as a child so she is a bird expert and I'm not after 43 years of owning them, in her mind. I know there is nothing I can do to get her prepared. I am only hoping she never gets it because she is always broke. She is the kind of person who spent $6k on her son's first communion and didn't make her house payment for 6 months instead.

A few years ago she wanted to get her son a horse. He didn't want a horse but she has this thing in her mind that having a horse puts you in the upper echelon of society. She was convinced he should get a baby horse so they "could grow up together". We had several arguments because that is exactly the worst idea she could have concerning a horse for a child who had never even been on one. I kept trying to tell her she needed a quiet, older 4H horse that had been around the block a few times, and her son needed lessons for at least 1-2 years before getting one. She basically kept calling me an idiot. Well, I've been riding since I was 4. I finally said, listen this is something I happen to know about. And the last thing I'm going to say about it is, don't call me when he is in the hospital or dead because I don't want to know! She thankfully never did get the horse.

I have told her already that is she gets the 'Too and it doesn't work out, I will not take it.

 

[suncon97]

When my grandfather passed away my grandma couldn't take care of herself.So we built another section on to our house put a door in the middle and told her that she can do what she wants to,to that part of the house.When we got Pearl and she found out how we got rid of our non stick cookware,she comes over and starts something with me almost every single day.I don't even get it because she uses stainless or ceramic cookware.But everyday I get a big lecture about how I'm full of it and I don't know what I'm talking about. 0_o

Another thing is perfume.She seems to think she has to walk through our part of the house wherever she goes and she of course puts perfume on which I don't mind but if your gonna do it go out your part of the house.Thankfully that isn't an issue anymore because we had a long talk with her and she saw an example when my aunt,that has a cockatiel, sprayed air fresheners in the birds room and found itan hour later in the bottom of the cage gasping for air.

Now,she likes the bird but it's a confrontation with something everyday.As for the rest of my family they like Pearl but when everybody comes over I feel like I have to monitor them so next time,Pearl is going in her carrying cage and put in my room.

 

[mnkeastman]

I understand where you all are coming from. Most people I know, my family included shouldn't be allowed to have a goldfish to be honest. I can remember my mother getting a small brown terrier when I was a kid and joking with her friends that the other puppy in the bunch was much sweeter and fit her personality better but this one "matches my living room carpet" .

I also have a cousin that got a free German Shepard puppy from a friend who allowed his dog to become pregnant and even though I tried to tell her over and over that with her and hubby both out of the house like 10 hours or more a day, loving to be gone when they are out of work so most of the time they go home to sleep, having 2 young kids who also take a lot of time that I didn't see where a puppy would be a good decision.

She ignored me cause it was cute and I was lying about how much work it would be so she got it. Not even 3 wks go by and here she is at my door with the poor puppy telling me it keeps pooping in her house and ripping stuff up while they aren't at home could I take it and train it (potty train and house train) and give it back?

I couldn't believe what she was asking! I explained again about the schedule the puppy would need to be potty trained successfully and be house trustworthy. What kinda time that would take, that I would take the dog but I wouldn't be willing to give it back in a few months because I would be to attached by then and it would be bonded to my family.

A couple weeks later I went by there and no dog, I asked what happened and she said that they decided to put it in craiglist cause they could still get "something" for it so they could use the money they had spent on shots.

I still wonder what happened to that baby!

 

[mcw009]

I definitely do. Frankly all the birds getting rehomed or abandoned are all the proof I need.

For all I'm kind of a "government please stay the h*** out of my personal life" kind of person, if I could, I'd mandate all kinds of restrictions on pet ownership. Outlaw cockatoos as pets (and a variety of other exotics), require licenses for other parrots, require spaying/neutering cats and dogs unless given a license to breed. It's one thing for government to tell an adult what they can and can't do; it's another to protect those without a voice.

I guess when you've spent significant time in places like animal shelters you get kind of reluctant to give people the benefit of the doubt.

 

[FutureDVM]

I totally know where you're coming from. I have wanted to be a veterinarian since I was 4 years old, and I always strive to take the best possible care of my pets. It drives me absolutely nuts when someone just decides to get a pet because "it's cute" without doing the proper research. I spend hours and hours researching before I make the decision to get a new pet, because I want to be as prepared as possible.

Most people don't seem to understand how complex parrots are. I like to call them "toddlers with wings". They aren't the best pet for everyone, and I wish people would understand that.

I also own a chinchilla, and I'm a member of a chinchilla forum. I see the same thing ALL the time with chinchillas. People see them at the petstore and say "oh my goodness, it's so cute! I HAVE to have it!". Then they listen to the crappy advice the pet store employees give them and waste their money on supplies that are often dangerous for the chinchilla. A big part of being a responsible pet owner is doing research before you take on the commitment of caring for an animal. I could go on and on about this topic... but I think I'll stop ranting now, haha.

 

[IcyWolf]

I do the exact same thing, it may make you feel a bit cynical, but from what I've found, those feelings are usually well founded. I have a good friend that comes over fairly often and everytime he is here he tells me that he wants "a parrot". I showed him the budgies and told him that they are good birds to start out with, and I got the typical response of, I don't want one of them, I want a parrot. :20: It literally took me explaining to him for 3 of his visits that budgies are, in fact, parrots, and that the term parrot really has nothing to do with the size of the bird. I tried to explain to him the difference between the terms parakeet and parrot(that all parakeets are parrots but not all parrots are keets, etc.). Despite the fact that he is a good 15 years older than me, no matter how much I try to explain to him just how much work goes into having a bird, I can tell that he isn't taking much of what I say seriously. He's one of those people that isn't home very much, always on the go, and he doesn't usually get up until about 2 in the afternoon. A parrot is the LAST thing he needs. What scares me is that he does have the kind of money, that if he really wanted one, I'm sure he would have no problem getting one, I'm just not going to encourage it. So I try to nicely discourage him the best that I can.

While everyone has the ability to learn to properly care for a parrot, I don't think that everyone has the want to. Over the years, whether it's reptiles, birds, or any other "exotic", I've found that it's pretty easy to tell right off the bat those that are sincerely interested and are willing to learn all they can and really do it right, compared to those that just want a bird or want a snake so they have something "cool" to show off to their friends and I have learned to just treat each situation accordingly. Regardless, the best thing you can do is remain civil with the person, don't push, or they will just push back harder.

 

[suebee]

most ppl annoy me, they see i let nut out of her cage etc an they think my house is filthy, they hear i leave heating on, when its cold and nuts in on her own, its a waste of money??

i simply tell them, when i agreed to take the nut on, it became my responisblity to give her a good quality of life, best thing for the nut would be if she was wild, within a flock, she would be happy and she could breed.

but since i cannot offer her that, i must do all i can within my means to ensure she has a good quality of life, 20yrs plus is a long time to be miserable, i came to understand this when i bonded with the nut.

when i tell ppl she is the second child i never had, they seem to accept that eccentricity better then, because its what you do for an animal in your care!

 

[roxynoodle]

Well, sometimes the people asking me questions about the birds I don't know well enough to know if they would be a good parrot owner or not. So I don't want to tell someone, "No, you should not get one." And I think if I have that attitude with them, they won't ask questions and might just run out and buy one. So I tell them about my birds, what it's like to live with parrots and I offer them information to read.

I do wish people wouldn't bring their "stage trained" parrots on shows like America's Got Talent. People see the wonderful performing parrot on the show and then they want one assuming it will do all the things they saw on TV. Even my mom, who is anti-amazon for whatever reason, asked me what kind of bird one of them was and said she just loved that bird. I told her it was a DYH amazon and they are not the easiest birds to own. I can't help but think many people watched those shows last summer and ran out and bought parrots.

After my mom and a friend of hers went to see "Warhorse", her friend said she wanted a horse. I think this friend is in her 70s. I said well, tell her everything about horses is HEAVY. Bales of hay, bags of grain and 50lbs of poop a day, and 10 gallons of urine.