First bird

[Birdman666]

ugh - why do you have to be "done with your life" before you own a parrot?

Who cares whether or not a parrot owner has figured out life, i doubt many if any of us ever do no matter what age. What matters is, will you love your bird? Seriously.

exactly.

Just understand what you are taking on. This bird's gonna be around, and you're going to have to adapt and work around some things as your situation changes...

That's the real problem. My situation has changed. I've gotta get rid of this thing...

 

[Birdman666]

another consideration that many first time bird servants don't consider is dust. Certain birds are dustier than others. Size isn't always a good measurement of dust and dander.
Of what you listed the macaw, the largest, and the eclectus being less of a dust bomb than the grey. Greys and cockatoos are literally dander generation machines.
In my experience one of the biggest reasons for rehoming a bird is due to "allergy" reasons due to the dust and dander.

Just another thing to consider in a multi decade decision.

Even in the smaller birds there's a big difference. Ie. Lovebird vs cockatiel, the tiel being the dust bomb.

i disagree about the whole dustbomb thing with a cag...

Cags are nowhere near as bad as toos.

Bathe them once a week and they're fine.

I've had mine for over 12 years, and i've never had a dander problem with him.

 

[Birdman666]

well first of all i wouldn't get a large macaw or an african grey as they need an awful lot of attention.i wouldn't recommend an eclectus parrot. I would say you should look into conures as they are known as the mini macaws. They are very playful and do not require as much attention as their larger cousins.another bird would be the caique parrot as they are the clowns of the bird world. Another bird would be the rock pebblers they are pretty large.i myself have a little green cheek conure called rio. I always wanted a macaw or a grey but do not have the time or space.so i got rio and she makes my day.i breed rock pebblers and i think their gorgeous birds.i really hope you make the right decision and you and your bird will be very happy, .all the best,sean

i disagree.

Mini macs can sometimes be harder to work with than big macs...

Especially if that mini mac is a severe!!!

 

[Birdman666]

I believe your best option is to go and meet as many birds as you can. It's an option I don't have here, but I am looking into ways to remedy that.

With the larger birds, it is doable...you'll just have to put a lot of focus and training into the bird when you are home. They require so much attention and time.

Welcome!

EXACTLY.

Go and handle them. Figure out what you really like. Figure out if you want to work with one. Then pick the one that also picks you... and you've got a lifetime companion.

 

[Birdman666]

Regarding mess.. You can train some birds to be a little less messy, but the real trick is to make your setup one that is conducive to not getting so messy in the first place. And easy to clean. You can probably get lots of wonderful pointers here, but it is definitely something you will have to experiment with.

Under normal circumstances, a parrot isn't going to be screaming at night and waking you up.

I'll echo the advice to visit parrots of the species you are interested in and see how you like them in person (and how they like you).

I personally think you can make your schedule work with one of your dream birds, but of course you have to want to make it work. You know your priorities better than anyone. A parrot is not like most other pets, they are much more like a young human and do best when you treat them as such, with respect and thoughtful interactions.

Exactly again.

Everything in a parrot household should be arranged for ease of cleaning.

If you press the cage, or the playstands within beak range of your woodwork, guess what happens? Yeah, that's a bird toy. It's not the bird's fault if you put him there. So you check for things like that when placing cages.

Carpets and birds SUCK!!! Tile and Linoleum are wonderful things.

A macaw is the closest thing in the world to a feathered toddler. You raise these birds very similarly to how you raise a toddler.

They are independent minded creatures. Interaction is NOT optional.

It's daily. And there are things like "feathered toddler tantrums" that come with the territory. You need to know how to handle them.

 

[Birdman666]

I actually like that article, though I have to agree the tone of your post was a bit on the condescending side.

HERE is WHY YOU DO get a parrot:

"To say that I love parrots—and birds in general—would be a gross understatement. I’ve lived with birds for the majority of my life, and they’ve brought a quality to my life that I think only a close relationship with one of the most intelligent animal species is capable of providing. The depth and intensity of the bond that forms between a parrot and its keeper is unrivaled by any other pet."

 

[Jacobslagle018]

Sorry I have not replied in a while. Been a little busy the last few days. I have read every post so far and wanted to thank everyone for their input. There were a lot of questions asked, and I will try to answer them as best I can. Again I cant thank you all enough for the help. It will be AT LEAST six months up to 18 before I can find my feather friend.

As far as my schedule goes, it rotates on a 28 day basis. Four nights, three off, three days, one off, three nights, three off, four days, seven off. That never changes unless there is overtime or vacation. I am proud to say that it is a VERY secure job at that.

My girlfriend and I are very secure in our relationship. Hoping in the next few months that we can go to the next step. Right now she is a travel nurse, but will be settling down later this year. The local hospitals she has looked in to are 12 hours shifts that she can usually set up to match me. Yes we do a lot of running around, but we are also what I would call relaxed for our age. We dont really go out or stay out late. Every now and then we have friends over for a cookout, but thats about it. She is on the fence about a bird, but I was on the fence with a dog. We both agreed that when the time is right, we are willing to let the other get their dream pet no matter what. When she is in town (three or so days per week) she lives with me. Hopefully soon, that will be a permanent thing.

As far as trips or vacations, my dad has already been more than happy to come play with the birds. He was around a few growing up, but never really had the desire to own one. He is all for playing with other peoples though.

As far as the why, it has always been an animal I wanted to own. I have been to a few places where you can feed them at parks and whatnot, and have just come to love bigger birds. I am not 100% on a big one, but thats where I wanted to start my search. I would love to go to a rescue/shelter, but unfortunately in my area there is nothing around. I did the next best thing. I found a local exotic pet shop. There were birds from finches to macaws there. The AG that was there was full sized and a beauty. There were three macaws, one of which that walked up to his cage and said hello. The other two were in really rough shape. Even though I could not have them out of the cage, I at least got to see their size in person

As far as getting my first companion, am I better off getting from an online breeder or a pet shop? I would look in to a rescue if there was a close one. I know pet shops are not the greatest sources, but I would like to help one out of a bad spot. I would just hate to have another brought in its place. Sorry for the long winded reply. Tried to get in as much as I could.

 

[plumsmum2005]

Hello and thanks for your reply, it was nice to read about your life and what you want in it. I really don't have an opinion in terms of which bird to choose but I do bother about the fact that it will have a home for life, you will be as committed to the bird as any kids that come along and if problems do arise you will work on them and no just toss the bird.
If you and your girlfriend sync you shifts the bird will be the loser IMHO in terms of being on it's own a long time which is unnatural. Wouldn't it be better to try an overlap for the birds sake? Just food for thought and no criticism meant.

 

[Piasa]

Where do you live, Jacob? Perhaps we can help with some resources.

 

[Jacobslagle018]

Im in upper east Tennesse.

 

[Piasa]

I'm in WNC right now, PMing you some info in a moment.

 

[Jacobslagle018]

I tried to send a pm reply, but my post count is to low. Is the organization you sent a place you can go any day of the week, or do multiple people have the birds and they bring them together every so often? I would love to drive and spend the day to learn the personality of the birds. Im about 70 minutes away from ashville.

 

[JerseyWendy]

I tried to send a pm reply, but my post count is to low. Is the organization you sent a place you can go any day of the week, or do multiple people have the birds and they bring them together every so often? I would love to drive and spend the day to learn the personality of the birds. Im about 70 minutes away from ashville.

You can receive PMs from members who have enough posts, but yes, you are not quite yet there to send messages. Please know, that if you want to send someone a PM, any moderator is more than happy to forward it for you. Just message any one of us (moderators), include whom the message is for, and we'll send it.

 

[Piasa]

Check their calendar, there are 1-2 Saturdays a month that there are free classes offered and you can meet the birds that are housed at the facility. There are more birds in various foster homes too. If you email, perhaps you can schedule a visit.