Good beginner Amazon

[Kaduking]

I am an older teen. And have a plan .I Know of the loud noise and have a college that allows them and the perfect household. Which species and I am fine with noise

 

[SailBoat]

You are not going to be happy with me! College Life, regardless of whether the place you are staying (living) is Pet (Parrot) Friendly is not Parrot Friendly!

There is a huge disconnect between what time you will have and what time your Parrot will need and that means that the one that will get the short-end of this enterprise will be the Parrot (any Parrot).

Your job for the next four to six years is to obtain a quality education that will service you well across your long life! That will mean that your targeted study will be in the Hard Sciences, Hard Engineering, Hard Medical, and Hard Foundational Studies! In short, you will be targeting two Majors, and likely, also a Minor. The term 'Hard' does not define the difficulty, but the 'Marketable Strength' of the Major(s)!

This means, that every spare minute you have will involve Studying, Studying and more Studying! College will not be a Social Event for you, it will be a daily load of extensive work and little else!

Your future will find you changing /seriously up-grading your skill-sets every five to ten years and you will need to have the strength of a Strong Education Foundation to support that reality.

You will not have the time to properly care for a Parrot (any Parrot). If you're plans are a light course load with like light Major and easy Minor, you will be buried in Loans beyond what the Major can provide funding to support, if you can even find a job and likely living in your parents house. And, you will not be able to afford the Parrot.

Every year, tens of thousands of people graduate from Colleges with huge Loans and an education that cannot provide a job or the income to pay for it! Do Not Be That Person!!!!

 

[MosaicMadness]

I'd suggest working with a parrot rescue group and try fostering, you'd be able to see different species' personalities and how the particular bird may work in your life without a full commitment first. JMO.

 

[Kiwibird]

I never went to college, but I did adopt my amazon in my late teens. He is a monster. An adorable monster I love very much of course, but (like any parrot) he's a whole lot of work, a whole lot of expense, a bottomless pit with food and a poop making machine. Mine happens to be a quiet individual, but he's still a parrot and even after over 8 years, he still acts up occasionally and still needs constant care and attention. It never ends!

In my experience, ask yourself if you would be prepared to be a full time parent to a mischievous toddler with limited communication abilities and a large beak who will never ever mature past the mental age of 2 (and will likely outlive you). If not, you probably should hold off on a large parrot until you are. I won't tell you not to, but I will say that while I was willing to make sacrifices to share my home with such an amazing animal at a young age, not everyone is. And there will be many sacrifices to make!

 

[wrench13]

'Boats is giving the best advice. Owning a parrot is not for someone who has not gotten their stable life lessons done. It literally is like having a perpetual 2 year old toddler. That goes for pretty much any parrot, not just Amazons. LOL, Amazons can be like having a 2 yr old who also has full time acces to a sharp pair of scissors! They need mental stimulation , in the form of one on one time with their person, for hours , every day. That means no spring beaks, no going home for x-mas etc etc. We can name AMazons who make excellent first time parrots, but you should take 'Boats advice, and Mosaic advice. Volunteer at a rescue. You will get a lot of experience for when you finally can afford the time and $$ having a parrot requires. This is likely not what you want to hear, but this forum is more about the birds well being then anything, and advising a teen in school yet about which parrot would not be in the best interest of any bird. Stick around. Read. Ask questions. And when your ready, the folks here will connect you with breeders or other source of your perfect parrot.

 

[sonja]

I'll agree with everyone else - now is not a good time for you to get a parrot. You don't care about noise? What if your next door neighbor does? You have a college that allows parrots? Where are you going to live after college, and for the next 50 years, that allows parrots? Most apartments don't allow them because of the noise.
They are expensive, and enormous time commitment, and messy.
As was suggested, volunteer at a parrot rescue !!! This is an amazing way to learn what it really takes to care for a parrot, learn what type of personality is a good match for your, and give you a solid foundation for getting the right parrot for yourself when you are living in a stable place, with stable income and can provide a stable life.

 

[Ladyhawk]

I am an older teen. And have a plan .I Know of the loud noise and have a college that allows them and the perfect household. Which species and I am fine with noise

I actually did this, but it didn't go completely smoothly. Gabby got kicked out of college twice. Luckily, my mother loved him and took him in when he got into trouble. He did live with me in the dorm room some of the time and I believe that was actually good for socialization because he got used to lots of people coming and going. When I studied, he hung out with me.

Despite the constant studying, I made plenty of time with him. It was during these first years I taught him multiple tricks. He won a pet trick contest in Fresno. The prize was a year's supply of dog food. XD Luckily, my family had dogs.

During a particularly rough time in my life, Gabby was my only friend. Despite my busy schedule and being shuffled between my dorm and my parents' house, he still picked me. When I went home, suddenly my parents weren't good enough for him.

I managed to raise a very well-socialized bird AND study hard enough to be first in my class, but it was a lot of work and as I mentioned, Gabby was kicked out of college twice. So it really isn't the best idea. Dorms are packed so tightly there's a good chance someone won't like the sounds your bird makes or will just take offense in general. The worst part of it for me was that the people who didn't like him actually made more noise than he did. At least Gabby was quiet at night, unlike those who complained. They slept during the day when Gabby was feeling his oats.

So, yeah, you could very well have a problem. I certainly did. And even if you have nurturing parents who could take him for awhile, the bird could decide he likes one of them better than you. You never know. It's best to wait until you're out of a dorm room situation.

 

[Kaduking]

I could also live at home I have that option. But my neighbors don't mind noise they have rock concerts at their houses literally I've been to one. But anyway they are fine but I guess if I can't keep an Amazon. Any good parrot rescues in Indiana or fostering

 

[mh434]

I'm with the others on this...and I'd add that, IMHO, a lot of Amazons aren't an ideal "first bird". Personally, I'd suggest starting with one of the smaller, less "volatile" parrot species, perhaps a budgie or cockatiel. They can be wonderful little birds, lovable & social, without some of the issues that can arise with some of the 'Zons...

 

[Ladyhawk]

I could also live at home I have that option. But my neighbors don't mind noise they have rock concerts at their houses literally I've been to one. But anyway they are fine but I guess if I can't keep an Amazon. Any good parrot rescues in Indiana or fostering

If your parents love animals, too, it's possible this could work out for you, but an Amazon has a very strong tendency to pick one person. My DYH chose me rather than my parents, but it could certainly turn out otherwise in your situation.

I fell in love with parrots during a summer job at a pet store. My first bird was Gabby, a male DYH Amazon and we loved each other intensely for 30 and a half years. I lost him back in February and it nearly destroyed me. Right, wrong or indifferent, he was my primary partner in life. He stayed by me through everything when human friends broke their promises and deserted me.

Instinctively, I managed to do all the right things to turn Gabby into a truly wonderful companion. Working in various pet stores with many large parrots of all sizes, I learned that what works well for one bird may not work at all for another. Each parrot is an individual. It worked out well because I got a very good Amazon and had parents who cared about him as much as I did.

I absolutely adore Amazons. I would much rather deal with a bit of aggression than feather plucking, but that's me. Some people prefer greys, cockatoos, conures, caiques, macaws, fill-in-the-blank. I love them all, but an Amazon knows how to entertain himself and tends to be less upset by changes if he is well-socialized. I admire that in a bird.

Somehow, I instinctively did all the right things to teach Gabby not to bite, not to yell (as much) and be a well-adjusted little fellow. For the first five years of his life, he would go to anyone. He was used to it because he lived part time on a college campus. After five years, he would only go to family members. After my father died, my mother could handle him for awhile, but when he turned ten or so, he finally decided I was his mate and that was that. He would definitely bite anyone else who tried to handle him. My mother had a relationship with him anyway because she loved him, but it was a strictly no-touching kind of relationship.

That was my life with Gabby. I loved him, but at barely 19, I had no idea what a lifetime commitment really meant. I thought I did, but I was 19 and way too young to realize all the things that can happen to a person during a lifetime. Despite everything, I'd do it again. Sometimes you don't know what you've got until it's gone. I thought I knew how much I loved and counted on Gabby, but again, I had no idea just how deeply he was in my soul until I lost him.

RIP, Gabby. I miss you.

 

[Ladyhawk]

I never went to college, but I did adopt my amazon in my late teens. He is a monster. An adorable monster I love very much of course, but (like any parrot) he's a whole lot of work, a whole lot of expense, a bottomless pit with food and a poop making machine. Mine happens to be a quiet individual, but he's still a parrot and even after over 8 years, he still acts up occasionally and still needs constant care and attention. It never ends!

In my experience, ask yourself if you would be prepared to be a full time parent to a mischievous toddler with limited communication abilities and a large beak who will never ever mature past the mental age of 2 (and will likely outlive you). If not, you probably should hold off on a large parrot until you are. I won't tell you not to, but I will say that while I was willing to make sacrifices to share my home with such an amazing animal at a young age, not everyone is. And there will be many sacrifices to make!

My experience with Gabby was similar. In some ways, he was a little monster, but I wouldn't trade my memories for anything. I don't regret having him, but he required a deep commitment. Everything I did, everywhere I went, I had to consider Gabby. Could he come with me? If so, could I keep him safe? Is it safe to use this product? If someone came into my life and insisted I get rid of Gabby, would I have regrets if I told them to stuff it (which would have been my response)? Gabby had proven his loyalty, after all. Can I take this job? If I do, will Gabby be lonely? I've discovered I'm disabled for life. Can I continue to do everything necessary for Gabby? Every life decision and problem meant taking Gabby into consideration because he was family.

This is NOT a decision to be made lightly. I wouldn't change my decision. There are trade-offs regarding every major life decision and there will be some definite "downs" when you allow an Amazon parrot into your life. To me, it was worth it.

Also, I expected Gabby to outlive me and unfortunately, he didn't. I loved him more than anyone except my mother. A bond between a parrot and a person transcends most other bonds. Speaking only for myself, that connection was deeper than any bond I formed with a dog or cat. If you lose a much-loved parrot, it feels like someone scraped your soul out with a melon baller, one piece at a time. Not only is there grief; there is recrimination. Did I do something wrong? I'll never know for sure. Can I live with that? If only I had done ______. What if I'd done ______? It's like losing a very close family member. It is agony. Whenever you allow yourself to love, the downside is the possibility of loss, but if you don't love, you aren't truly alive.

I just adopted a three-week-old blue-fronted Amazon (yes, I've had experience raising parrots). I got her yesterday and already my mind won't shut up. What if X happens? Should I allow her to fly? If so, will she get hurt? What if I don't? Is that wrong? Yada yada yada. It's like adopting a child. I learned I can't live without a parrot in my life. I wish I had known that prior to Gabby's passing. I think deep down I knew, but somehow when it really, truly happens, it makes you realize what is truly important. Gabby was truly important.

 

[Kiwibird]

This is NOT a decision to be made lightly. I wouldn't change my decision. There are trade-offs regarding every major life decision and there will be some definite "downs" when you allow an Amazon parrot into your life. To me, it was worth it.

Couldn't have put this better! Parrots are just so much more...needy than other pets. Toddlers is a very apt comparison, given their intelligence (and behavior!) being very similar to young children. I was also 19 when I got Kiwi. I actually grew up around and helped care for parrots my whole life, including amazons. I STILL wasn't prepared for what I'd gotten myself into, mostly due to my age. My parents thought I was stupid and/or lost my mind having seen how much endless work their birds were/still are. They were very upset that I ran out and got a bird at that age. As long time parrot owners, it was as though I'd gone and had a baby at 19, if not worse. At least a baby eventually grows up! A parrot never will. In hindsight, I see where they were coming from.

Kiwi was a big feathery heap of responsibility and financial burden I brought upon myself being young and a freshly minted adult. Even so, I would never trade him or the extra years I've had with him for anything There is no wrong or right path, but you should choose your path in life carefully. Parrots are a BIG and LIFELONG commitment!