First Parrot

[DoubleTake]

Yeah I just spent $600 on a new cage and toys for a new lovebird I am not even getting anymore due to bad test results. Things happens...

 

[itchyfeet]

Lovebirds! I wonder if you could consider lovebirds...

Firstly - I'm not going to write you off as a parrot owner. I waited until I was married, kidded up, owned my own home....and still sh*t hit the fan and turned our worlds upside down. It was an effort with the birds, but as long as their care is your priority, it can be okay. Listen to what people are saying, make back up plans, find someone in your household who loves your bird as much as you do...it might just be okay.

My nine year old saved for two years, did her research and built up her relationship with a breeder that she sought out. We are a parrot family and I was and always will be 100% committed to being her back up. The result? Skittles. My bird interests lay in Quakers, African Grey's & IRN's. When I decided to add to the flock, I sought to adopt one of these three and it just so happened Henry was the first 'right' match.

But she saved her own $$, and so it was her call (Although I would have probably put my foot down at a macaw or 'too). Skittles is brilliant! He doesn't take up a stupid amount of space, doesn't do massive poops, and hasn't got a massive scream. He is ballsy enough to hang out with the IRN's (he genuinely rules the flock, under supervision), he talks up a storm and he is super portable, a trip to Nana's house is in a small pet carrier on her knee. He'll snuggle up in her hoodie hood or pocket. They come in amazing colours - and I'm a convert.

If you had to move, a lovebird will make landlords far less nervous than a conure.

Also, this thread would be worth your time http://www.parrotforums.com/macaws/72943-have-you-ever-found-yourself-discouraging-parrot-ownership.html

 

[BoomBoom]

OP, you have your whole life ahead of you. Enjoy the follies of youth and don't shackle yourself just yet! I highly suggest waiting a few years, maybe after college.

All that said, life with a bird is truly rewarding and joyful but it comes at the cost of tons of your personal time. Time that you should be spending on growing, learning, looking for jobs, landing apartments, vacationing... Be young for a few more years!

~ a 38 year old

PS. If you do decide to get a parrot, then I wish you the very best and know that you have the awesome people at these forums to help you with any questions.

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

All I can say is avoid a sun conure at this time.


They are VERY loud and very demanding. They are like a toddler that never grows up.



I can only speak of suns, but I must echo most of the posts here. A conure is really not a good match for a college student. They can live for decades and your life is likely to change significantly in that period of time.


I got Skittles in my mid-30s. I live alone and am home MOST of the time, so for me, a sun conure is ideal. But even in my situation, it required a LOT of sacrifices and adjustments to accommodate Skittles needs (which ALWAYS come before my own).

 

[EllenD]

I hope that the OP realizes that the only reason that people here are telling him to wait to take-on the responsibility of a parrot is because we were all 18 once, we all thought we knew what the near future held, and then college, relationships, human children, jobs, moving, health issues, etc. popped-up without warning for every single one of us. And that is the #1 reason why there are literally tens of thousands of pet parrots on Craigslist right now across the country that need new homes. If you read the reasons for having to rehome parrots, it's usually something like "I'm moving for a new job and can't take him with me", or "My fiance is allergic", or "I just don't have the time I used to for him, and it's not fair to him"...

This is why we are telling you this, not to just dismiss you getting a pet bird...And no matter how set-in-life you think you are at this moment, at 18 years old, you have absolutely no idea what awaits you my friend. I didn't know I was going to develop endometrial cancer at the age of 32, but I did. Had to stop working for 2 years, and if not for my mother and step-father I would have lost my house and had to rehome my birds, my dogs, and my bearded dragon..I was advertising and interviewing prospective new homes for them when my mom agreed to help me with bills...Once again, life happens...it just does...

 

[MGMork]

I hope that the OP realizes that the only reason that people here are telling him to wait to take-on the responsibility of a parrot is because we were all 18 once, we all thought we knew what the near future held, and then college, relationships, human children, jobs, moving, health issues, etc. popped-up without warning for every single one of us. And that is the #1 reason why there are literally tens of thousands of pet parrots on Craigslist right now across the country that need new homes. If you read the reasons for having to rehome parrots, it's usually something like "I'm moving for a new job and can't take him with me", or "My fiance is allergic", or "I just don't have the time I used to for him, and it's not fair to him"...

This is why we are telling you this, not to just dismiss you getting a pet bird...And no matter how set-in-life you think you are at this moment, at 18 years old, you have absolutely no idea what awaits you my friend. I didn't know I was going to develop endometrial cancer at the age of 32, but I did. Had to stop working for 2 years, and if not for my mother and step-father I would have lost my house and had to rehome my birds, my dogs, and my bearded dragon..I was advertising and interviewing prospective new homes for them when my mom agreed to help me with bills...Once again, life happens...it just does...

Here's my only irk with this point that keeps getting made: everyone keeps saying "life happens", and I know, trust me. So much stuff has been thrown my way in only 18 years, and I've dealt with it. But life happens no matter how old you are, where you live, what you do, or which animals you have. Nothing will change that fact. And you yourself said that at 32, you almost lost everything. You're basically saying no time in life is it good to get a bird. Because if I waited until years after college, got a job and settled down at the age of 30 with a pet parrot, 2 years later something could hit me just as it hit you. And not to mention, it's rare anyone ever knows exactly where they're going to be 5+ years from now. And the people rehoming there parrots? There are probably thousand of them that only got them recently. Not just teenagers who made the choice to care for a bird.

I'm not trying to dismiss anyone's points or fight back, because I'm really just here's to get advice, but those points are kind of invalid. I know being a teenager is probably the most confusing time in ones lifespan, but if I live with the fear and worry of not knowing what'll come tomorrow, I'll never have any kids, buy any home, and definitely not bring a parrot into my life. I've had confidence/self-esteem issues all my life, and I've been to lots of counsellors, and the number one thing I've learned is that you can't dictate your life on the 'what-ifs'. What if i am hospitalized with medical issues? What if I lose my job and can't afford luxeries? What if my spouse, that I haven't even met, doesn't like birds? The list goes on and on, and it can ruin things that have the possibility to change your life in positive and amazing ways. Again, not dismissing your advice, but that point just doesn't work. BUT this also doesn't mean I'll make the jump to get a parrot just yet. I really do appreciate everyone's point of view, opinions, and advice to help me make the right decision.

 

[chris-md]

First - you’ve taken the advice given to you very well. Do understand we only have your best interest at heart here.

The “fear holding you back” is completely unrelated to what we are telling you here. Which says you’re missing the larger point.

Yes life happens. You’re positing you can’t foresee the future, so go balls to the wall!. Well, we’re telling you here you can see what’s coming. . Every human being who has left their parents house has experienced it. And so have the millions of birds currently dead in the ground or living in rescues.

There are no surprises coming. You’re going to move out of your parents house, go to college (maybe?), renting, roommates, housing that does t allow pets.

This is not about the ambiguous “fear of the unknown”. What you are confronting is a well blazed path of known unknowns. Which is why you’re getting the advice you’re getting. Get through the known tumult, then you are better situated to making a long term decision and commitment.

You’ve already had a handful of people saying they had birds at your age and regret it. HEAR THAT. My own bird died from neglect as a result of me going away to college.

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

The point I made with regard to suns is because they WILL become screamers if they don't get adequate attention. When you are young and have a lot going on, it can be hard to find the time. BUT, if you can and are willing to make the necessary changes and sacrifices then you're heading in the right direction.


I was advised NOT to get Skittles because I live in an apartment building. Truthfully, there is a LOT of truth to the fact that suns are NOT good apartment birds. BUT, because of my lifestyle, it works.



A lot of it also depends on the individual bird. Skittles used to be VERY noisy and yappy, back when he wasn't allowed to be out all the time. But now, he is free-flighted and the quietest bird I've ever owned.



My advice to you is this- do as much research as you can possibly do on the species you want to get. Talk with different bird owners in order to get a variety of input. See if you can visit the bird you are interested in and spend time to see if you are a right match. Keep in mind that if you do NOT live alone, then everyone else in the house has to be on board as well and willing to contribute when needed.



We all just love our fids to the moon and back and want nothing more than what is best for them. Some of us may be more cautious than others (like myself) but it all comes from good intentions.

 

[MGMork]

First - you’ve taken the advice given to you very well. Do understand we only have your best interest at heart here.

The “fear holding you back” is completely unrelated to what we are telling you here. Which says you’re missing the larger point.

Yes life happens. You’re positing you can’t foresee the future, so go balls to the wall!. Well, we’re telling you here you can see what’s coming. . Every human being who has left their parents house has experienced it. And so have the millions of birds currently dead in the ground or living in rescues.

There are no surprises coming. You’re going to move out of your parents house, go to college (maybe?), renting, roommates, housing that does t allow pets.

This is not about the ambiguous “fear of the unknown”. What you are confronting is a well blazed path of known unknowns. Which is why you’re getting the advice you’re getting. Get through the known tumult, then you are better situated to making a long term decision and commitment.

You’ve already had a handful of people saying they had birds at your age and regret it. HEAR THAT. My own bird died from neglect as a result of me going away to college.

Thank you! This is a much better way to look at it...

 

[LordTriggs]

I thought I posted the other day but looks like it didn't upload

It's good to think about it and by no means take any of what's been said as bullying or whatever. I myself am only 24 so not that far removed from you in age and I can say the next few years for yourself will be a haze of things going on with your life completely changing.

There's immediate concerns regarding a parrot being, are your family prepared to do away with Teflon in any and all forms (cookware, heaters, hair dryers, straighteners, Irons ETC. Are they prepared to give up usual cleaning supplies and give up all air fresheners? Perfume and deodorants need to go out, if anyone smokes that would need to stop. They would also have to understand what foods are toxic so a bird doesn't get anything by mistake, train themselves to check for the bird before opening a window or door, keep windows closed in summer. They'd also have to deal with the 5AM song of their people which sounds fine on a normal day but a sunday morning after a heavy night previously it becomes very different. They and you would also have to be aware that any bird could potentially choose any family member as their mate and actively attack anyone else who is nearby and that you can't start shouting and lashing out at a bird.

Then looking ahead to when you move into your own place you would have to contend with possibly room mates and/or a significant other who may not want to give up those luxuries I stated above that need to go, or who don't want to have a small creature biting them because they decided to wear yellow that day. Or deal with landlords who refuse pets. Neighbors who deem a bird making any noise at all, even beak grinding as a horrendous racket and of course as the sad truth is right now an extreme lack of money. Like others have said the upkeep of a bird is expensive, especially the bill of a good vet. Plus you may end up with a job where you frequently end up working 13 hour+ shifts which it isn't fair on a bird to keep them alone for that long and will result in screaming and plucking behaviors.

I'm not saying "don't ever get a bird" what I'm saying is give yourself like 5 years, maybe less, maybe more but wait until you're on your own and settled in life so you don't have to sit there thinking "What will my family be like? I need to find a suitable apartment on this job, does my life give me enough time to be with a bird? Do I have enough money for my bird?"

Just some thoughts for you to think over as I know they're thoughts I didn't have when I got my bird and as you can see I made mistakes which cost him his life. I'd just rather not see you make mistakes resulting in heartache and wait for the time to be as right as it can be. You'll be surprised how quick the next handful of years whiz by

 

[Pampa]

I voted green cheek because they are quieter then a sun conure. I haven’t researched Sun Conures but I know from my research that GCC can be good with multiple people in the family which I think would be good in your situation.
I don’t disagree with the folks that said no, but I also think it can work and has worked with young adults. Also younger people often have the time to spend training and playing which established adults often don’t have.
Good luck

 

[EllenD]

I understand the "Life Happens" at any point throughout your life, but you're missing the big point...YOU'RE 18, AND A LOT MORE LIFE WILL BE HAPPENING IN YOUR NEXT 4-5 YEARS THAN AT ANY OTHER POINT IN YOUR LIFE! That's the point we're trying to make...I don't know you, I don't know what you've been through personally, nor do I know that about anyone else on this forum. What I do know, and everyone else here knows, is that between the ages of 18 and 25 EVERYONE goes through the biggest changes in their lives they ever will, whether they go to college, or just start working and move-out of their parent's house, or they move-in with friends or a significant other, etc. So many changes and big events in a person's life happen at your age and for the next 4 or 5 years that there is no way for you to be stable, AND THAT'S A GOOD THING!!!

Maybe this will help you out a little, since you keep getting upset at the posts that are trying to recommend responsibility and waiting before taking-on such a time-consuming, needy type of pet, and you're loving and praising the 1 or 2 people who are telling you to just go ahead and get a parrot because "it will be a great experience", or essentially telling you what you WANT TO HEAR! You say you came here for the opinions and advice of experienced bird owners about whether you should get a baby parrot or not right now, at 18 years old, but you don't want to take the advice at all...So here's something to chew-on...

If you are truly as responsible and as stable in your life as you say that you are, and I'm not saying that you're not, then can you take a step-back from your "wants" for a minute (which it seems to me that you haven't done yet, as evident by your automatic loving of the 1 or 2 members who are telling you to just go ahead and get the bird), and instead, can you think first about the wants and needs of the little, baby parrot you're thinking of bringing into your life right now? What's fair to him? Let's say you go out and find a breeder and you bring home a hand-raised, baby Green Cheek Conure (because getting a Sun Conure is asking to get evicted, both from your parent's house and any apartment you might want to move into in the future, they are probably the loudest parrot you could choose)...And you love this bird, you spend every free moment with it for the next couple of years, and your family helps out when you're in class or you want to go out with friends, etc. You form an extremely strong-bond with your bird, and everything is right with the world...Then after a couple of years you meet a person and start dating them...and you fall in-love with them. They're the person that you are meant to spent the rest of your life with. So you decide to get an apartment and move-in with this person, who loves your bird too. So you and your significant-other, and your Green Cheek, move into your first apartment together, and everything seems perfect in your world...Until after you move-in together...suddenly your bird starts attacking your significant other. Every time you let him out of his cage he dive-bombs them and starts biting them. Why? Because this is a different situation. HE HAD YOU ALL TO HIMSELF FOR 2 YEARS, AND NOW HE'S SHARING YOU WITH THIS OTHER PERSON THAT USED TO JUST COME OVER AND THEN LEAVE...NOW THEY DON'T LEAVE ANYMORE! You try everything, you try training, you clip his wings so he can't dive-bomb them, but it gets to the point that the bird is spending all of his time in his cage because he can't come out and have your significant-other be safe...and this situation is causing extreme stress in your relation with them. You love your bird very much, and you love your partner very much...BUT THIS ISN'T FAIR TO YOUR BIRD ANYMORE...What do you do? And if you had WAITED TO GET A BIRD UNTIL AFTER YOUR FIRST MAJOR LIFE-CHANGE, WOULD THIS HAVE HAPPENED?

You might think this is extreme, but there are several current posts on this forum right now regarding similar situations, and the owners don't know what to do...Now, I'm 38, I've lived with partners before, I've lived in apartments before, and I've gone through similar issues before. I've always had birds and at least one dog, and they have caused huge issues within relationships before, specifically AFTER I have moved-in with another person, because big changes in my life equal big changes in the lives of my pets...dogs recover quickly, they aren't as fickle or nearly as sensitive as parrots are. But the bottom-line here is that I'm old enough to know that my responsibilities lie first with my pets, as I have chosen to bring them into my life, I have made that commitment to them, they're my family and that's just the way it is. If someone else doesn't like them or the situation I'm in with them, then that's their choice, and though it may hurt me to have to make that choice, it's already been made, well before I met the person...

That being said, you're only 18 years old, and you haven't even begun to start living yet. You've never lived outside of your parent's home. You've never been in such a serious relationship with another person that you have moved-in together with them. You've never had a real job with real income. You've not ever had ANY responsibility to anyone else but yourself (well, and your family that you live with, by default). So you really need to take a step-back and forget about this burning desire that you have right now to get a bird, and instead think about what is going to be fair to that bird when one of these HUGE LIFE CHANGES happens to you in the next few years. It could happen tomorrow, it could happen 2 years from now, but it's going to happen. And I'll say it again, HUGE CHANGES IN YOUR LIFE EQUAL HUGE CHANGES IN YOUR BIRD'S LIFE! And once again, a parrot is not like a dog or a cat or a reptile or a ferret or a rabbit...Parrots are SOOOOOO effected by every little change that happens to them, they are just like human beings in that respect.

This is where we all are coming from. We think of the birds first. And that's the difference between us and all of the people rehoming their parrots on Craigslist right now. Not that those are bad people or anything, they're not. As you wisely said, "Life-Happens at any age", and you're correct, it does...

HOWEVER, the difference between life-happening at 18 and life-happening at 30 is that YOU KNOW LIFE IS GOING TO HAPPEN IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS AT 18!!! IT'S AVOIDABLE, IT'S PREVENTABLE!!!

 

[Pampa]

Cockatiels are really sweet, I have two, but they don’t have that bold cantankerous personality of the conures and amazons. I know very little about the other breeds. From what you wrote the cockatiel is easier and quite but I don’t think it will satisfy you. I got my first cockatiel when I was off work and couldn’t afford what I really wanted. My cockatiels were given too me. I love them but I still wanted a Conure.

 

[charmedbyekkie]

I think what most people are saying is there's a reason why the terms fid and parront are used. If you read around here, having a parrot is like having a toddler. Now if you're cool with being tied down with a human toddler, dragging a human toddler through the most transitioning years of your life, centering the rest of your life around a human toddler, by all means you might be ready for a bird I guess. Because these birds have that level of emotional and intellectual capacity - they don't emotionally bounce back like cats or dogs or horses do, they tend to self-harm instead. If you think you'll do right by that bird toddler (not for selfish reasons of 'I want a bird'), then by all means, go ahead.

But the community here wants to put the life of that innocent little bird child in the forefront of discussion, hence some of the questions being asked of you. I think most of us have been in your position before, and so just some reassurance regarding positioning of the little one in your life will help the conversation and perhaps after the reassurance, some of your questions can be tackled by the community members. Otherwise, I just anticipate more back-and-forth where some members aren't sure you understand the gravitas and you getting frustrated that your questions aren't answered directly.

Cheers

 

[MGMork]

@EllenD

I'm not praising the people saying the positives, I'm praising those who give me actual advice. Almost the entire first page are people shutting me down simply because of my age. That's not what I came here to hear, I actually came here for the purpose of recommendations for an actual parrot. Which, many people are not providing. I don't disagree with your points, or anyone elses, and I never said that I did. I just don't appreciate people practically nagging on about the same points, over and over, and to not to mention points that I've already thought of myself. 'Life happening' was literally the first thing I thought of when I began seriously considering brining a parrot into my life, acknowledging that it's a 20-30 year commitment. Again, I never dismissed any of these points, but I only chose to acknowledge people giving me the advice I originally asked for. But it's worth noting I never got upset by certain responses, so I think you may have misjudged the tone of my responses. Like I said, I've been researching for months, and I belive that understand the situation completely.

 

[DoubleTake]

MGMork, did you ever set up that "meet and greet" with the breeder? Was curious if your family got to experience sounds of these feathered toddlers.

 

[MGMork]

MGMork, did you ever set up that "meet and greet" with the breeder? Was curious if your family got to experience sounds of these feathered toddlers.

I did! He didn't have any GCCs available at that time, but he did have Suns which we got to all interact with... Everyone was very pleased, to say the least! Instant love all around.

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

Sunnies ARE loud, thats species-wide. There aren't any sunnies that are not loud. HOWEVER, some sunnies are "noisier" than others. The noise can be curbed, but the loudness cannot. Unfortunately, their loud 'ear-piercing' screeches leave humans (including bird-lovers) with limited tolerance.

I find that having Skittles free-flighted has made an enormous difference in his noisiness. It's virtually non-existent now. When he gets noisy there is ALWAYS a reason and addressing that reason is, the issue is curbed. There ARE times where he gets noisy to get his way, but timeouts take care of those. He 'tries' to get away with naughty things on a daily basis. As cute as it is to see him try to be 'sneaky', my persistent re-direction and limit-enforcing keeps that from getting out of hand.

That's why having a great deal of 'free-time' to interact with your sun conure is so essential. The more time you spend with them, the quieter they are likely to be. As such, given my routine, going out for 2-3 hrs each day doesn't cause an issue with him. He gets PLENTY of out-of-cage time so he is fine while I'm gone, I just leave the radio on.

 

[MGMork]

Sunnies ARE loud, thats species-wide. There aren't any sunnies that are not loud. HOWEVER, some sunnies are "noisier" than others. The noise can be curbed, but the loudness cannot. Unfortunately, their loud 'ear-piercing' screeches leave humans (including bird-lovers) with limited tolerance.

I find that having Skittles free-flighted has made an enormous difference in his noisiness. It's virtually non-existent now. When he gets noisy there is ALWAYS a reason and addressing that reason is, the issue is curbed. There ARE times where he gets noisy to get his way, but timeouts take care of those. He 'tries' to get away with naughty things on a daily basis. As cute as it is to see him try to be 'sneaky', my persistent re-direction and limit-enforcing keeps that from getting out of hand.

That's why having a great deal of 'free-time' to interact with your sun conure is so essential. The more time you spend with them, the quieter they are likely to be. As such, given my routine, going out for 2-3 hrs each day doesn't cause an issue with him. He gets PLENTY of out-of-cage time so he is fine while I'm gone, I just leave the radio on.

Good to know! I think, after hearing what I've heard, I'm leaning towards a GCC... If I do end up chosing a conure at all, that is! But thanks for the info!

 

[itchyfeet]

MGMork I'm not trying to be pushy...just want to make sure you saw the post that described our lovebird?