Have you ever found yourself discouraging parrot ownership?

[Oliver17]

Volunteering at the shelter I can’t tell you how many times I ask potential adopters to come in and volunteer. But truth be told they really don’t want to and they just go somewhere else and buy a parrot. It’s not a requirement I just suggest it. You would be shock to hear how many people don’t do their homework about diet, screaming or just care. The mess alone should detour some people.
Sorry venting

But we also have a lot of happy parrots when it does workout. Those are my favorites.

 

[AmyMyBlueFront]

There have been times when Amy and I have been out and about,and people meet him for the first time and see how "charming" and pretty and well-behaved (mostly) and tell me they want one etc etc..then when I mention how old he is,how long he has been with me,how long he can LIVE..the doc appointments,trying to go on vacations,feeding,cleaning,toys etc etc,they usually think twice,or three times lol.

Even myself..while growing up,my grand parents had Budgies,and I "was gonna get an African Grey,dammit! :04:"
I'm glad I got a taste of what it takes to properly take care of a fid before I took the plunge,years later.




Jim

 

[psychocircus91]

Maybe keep this link handy as a bookmark, and advise anyone considering becoming a parront to watch it:
Parrot Confidential | Full Episode | Nature | PBS

I do enjoy watching this documentary. It is a little PETA-esque, and has an agenda, but a lot of it is accurate and eye-opening.

 

[Jferrand526]

I’m going to add something to this as well. I volunteered at a bird store that leaves the birds out on stands so people can come in and socialize with the animals, I volunteered there because I was thinking of getting a bird and I spent time with many types of birds there. I got bit by a Macaw, got bit by an African Grey, and many others but I realized after volunteering there that I turned into a bird person. I loved the animals and respected them. Now I was discouraged from getting a bird, I had long nights thinking about it, very long nights and I decided that instead of ignoring the person who had warned me I would address them and ask why they had discouraged me.

The answer I got was simple, “My bird is too much trouble. She destroys all of her toys, has to go to the vet, makes noise, and nips. She is a pain in my butt. I have to pick up after her and clean all of her belongings and give her a bath. I would give her back if I could.”

After I heard that, I got a little irritated, everything explained to me by that person is something that a dog or cat would do as well. I have a dog, she has torn my clothes to shreds, goes to the vet, destroys all of her toys, I need to pick up after her, and she can get noisy when she wants to. I didn’t reply to the woman in a rude way but I asked her very kindly if she had had animals before and she said “no, my parrot is the first pet I have had.” Then I asked her if she had any kids and she also replied with “no.”

See after owning my birds for a while I realize that yes they are a little more work than my dog but I love my birds like crazy. I would do anything for them. After thinking again about what the woman had said I decided to go ahead and adopt my friend’s bird and from there it was just love at first sight. I did discourage that woman from owning another bird because she wanted to get a Lorikeet for the “pretty colors” but after hearing all of her complaints about her current bird, I said it wouldn’t be a good idea.

I did as much as I could to make sure I was ready to own a parrot, research, volunteered, birdsat for some people I knew, and cleaned some of the house to make sure they would have a very healthy enviroment. Of course my house was still cluttered but in the last two days I have basically solved that problem. I enjoy my birds and when asked about owning a parrot I tell people everything I have experienced, the good, the bad, and the ugly but I make sure to let them know that birds are not domesticated like dogs. When i volunteered kids would come in and mess with the African Grey I had gotten bit by, they would snap fingers at him and move their hand around quickly across his line of sight then shout “boo” at him and obviously one of these kids got snapped at before I could jump over and tell them to knock it off and the mother got mad at me, asking why the bird had bit her son, first I stated the store has a sign that says “Although these birds are mostly still young. They can bite. Touch at your own risk.” and then I went to tell her “Birds are not like dogs. They are not domesticated. Birds take a lot of patience, time, money, and can very much bite if they feel threatened and it does hurt. I would be very careful if your son or you want a bird in the future. Do not do it on a whim, think about it for two or three weeks. Try volunteering at a shelter or a bird specific place.”

 

[Sunnybirb]

I used to work at a chain pet store. People wanting to "hold" the birds was an everyday occurrence. You can imagine how traumatizing that would be for an untamed budgie or a flighty finch. I even had a little girl come up and ask to hold the conure. I asked her mother if they were planning to buy, and her answer was, "we just came in to pet the animals, and she likes birds." I explained to her that the conure was a biter and that the other birds could die from being handled. She just kept saying, "we still want to touch one. Can't she just touch one bird?" After telling her no again, she told me they were going to buy a hamster (yeah, right...), so by policy I had to pull one out for her. I intentionally gave her the meanest one. Her daughter got nipped, started crying, and they left the store.

I always told people no. They would even go to another employee and ask them, and they would generally also say no. People are extremely selfish when it comes to animals, as though they are alive purely for the amusement of people. There were so many children who came in wanting to get a conure or a budgie, with parents who had no idea what they were doing, or the frailty of small parrots. I got to the point where I hated being called over to box up an animal because I knew that most of them were going to the homes of people who didn't care. I tried to give them as much instruction as I could, but the parents would wander off half listening, and then I would find their children would be much more interested in learning.

Having Sunny has made me even more aware of how parrots really aren't right for most people. I'm completely invested in all of my animals, while other people are too busy with their human life. Not to say that that lifestyle is wrong at all, it certainly isn't, but it just is not the best situation for an animal like a parrot that needs very focused attention. I've chosen not to have kids and fill my life with animals. Other people can manage to do both (which is amazing to me), and even other people walk through life thinking they can just "have" a parrot and let it sit in its cage all day and it will be fine. There are a lot of different people in the world, and unfortunately most of them aren't the type for a parrot.

 

[Cthebird]

Thanks for the additional responses! I will definitely watch the video in a little bit. It's also so nice to read about people volunteering at bird rescues, and even in shops doing their best to educate people.

 

[bigfellasdad]

Ive only been asked a couple of times and I try and give the best advice i can but ive never told people to not get one, although, one person I know who asked me *really* isnt the type of person a bird would get on, far too noisy/erratic!, I just explained the type of person a parrot likes and asked if that was him..... he smiled and you could see that he dropt the idea in his head.

 

[bigfellasdad]

I used to work at a chain pet store.........

Sunnybirb your post here is spot on, thank you very much. I think you are totally on the money with what you say. Here on the forum it appears we are all a little different from the normal as we appreciate our delicate animals possibly above most humans, I think its a gift we all have.

 

[chris-md]

Ive only been asked a couple of times and I try and give the best advice i can but ive never told people to not get one, although, one person I know who asked me *really* isnt the type of person a bird would get on, far too noisy/erratic!

Sounds like this person would get on famously with a caique

 

[Carl_Power]

So I'm new to owning Parrots, only 5 months experience. Knowing what I know now, I would most certainly explain to someone everything it takes to own a Parrot and I think that just comes from loving them in all honesty. We want the best for every single Parrot out there and that's a trait that just stems from being a good owner, loving animals, having a heart. I would certainly tell somebody they are not ready if I thought they wasn't or the Parrot wasn't going to get the care it needed. On the other hand we have all got to start somewhere. You have to be the right type of person to own. There is nothing wrong with having an honest opinion that will benefit any of gods creatures love and care and I think its actually a service to Parrots telling someone they maybe are not ready yet or cant provide for them ect x

 

[Soyajam]

Thought it might be amusing for you all...

I took Remi out in a pak-o-bird for the first time the other day and we went to have coffee* at the cafe around the corner

* by 'have coffee' I mean drink coffee in front of her carrier and get stink-eyed....

Anyway a lady with a dog came up and coo'ed at her and asked how old she was and stuff. Without hesitation, the first thing I said was "they're a lot of work."

Thankfully she said "I bet they are" and that was it.

But see, I'm out there championing the 'no-pet' cause!

Huge props to those that did volunteering and bird-sitting before deciding. There's only one (well advertised) bird rescue in Australia, some shops do adopting but most places were a bit far to do volunteer work at. Honestly? I should have made the trip, at least once.

Oh well, she's here now eh?

 

[MacawMomma]

I discourage it all the time also!!! I swear I could camp out in front of Petsmart and Petco because that’s where I think a lot of these “rash decisions” take place. I’ve overheard many conversations about how cute a parakeet or Conure or cockatiel is. I always interject on my experience, might get kicked out one day for making them lose business [emoji85]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Our rescue birds~

23 yr old Katie - Catalina Macaw
39 yr old Max- GW Macaw
1 yr old Nibbles- GC Conure
ADOPT DON’T SHOP [emoji172]

 

[DiscoDuck]

I tell people if you dont have grown children, you need to really think the idea through. It is a lifetime commitment. I then add.. But hey mine is a lot smarter than kids, sleeps for 12 hours, doesnt eat much, takes showers with me, his crap dont stink and he talks waay more than my kids did at 2 years old.. oh! and a hell of a lot cheaper!

 

[rosieonfire]

I have been researching parrot care for several months now and am preparing to purchase my first bird (parrotlet fyi, maybe within the next 6 mos). I remember the first time I met a large parrot. It was a green winged macaw, and it seemed so sad. Its owner, the current caretaker's mother, had died some time ago. I was only about 12 or so at the time so I wasn't really able to ask about how things had been going with the bird but my impression was that it was very lonely and had not bonded to any of the new family members. It really made a big impression on me and as I got older and learned more about the emotional and cognitive abilities of these birds my feelings on the subject have certainly grown even stronger.

I really think it's a travesty that any pet store can just sell an animal that is emotionally and cognitively equivalent to a 3 year old child to anyone with a few bucks in their pocket. The sale of parrots, ESPECIALLY the large ones, should be much more restricted, either to specialized dealers or perhaps there should be a licensure process required to purchase one. Very few people are responsible enough to actually do the research prior to acting on a whim. Almost none of these people realize the kind d of commitment they are making. We really need to do something to address this issue as a country.

 

[DiscoDuck]

Rosie, you are passionate about this subject. I am surprised you don't have a parrot in your profile listed.

You are right on many levels. I approach parrot ownership differently. Multiple thousands over the last year and half have heard my spiel regarding what it is like to have a parrot. In retrospect, I am relatively sure that I diffused most people interest in someday having a parrot.

THese pets are not for everyone, no doubt. However as long as there an industry and a market for this product there will be demand. You wont be able to do much about it any more than people who complain about climate change who have huge carbon footprints themselves.

So what I have done, is simple. I educate. Do that.. Anymore IMO is an endless form of activism with little to no results. Best of Luck!

 

[Cardinal]

I definitely do not encourage and often actively discourage most people (who show inclination to get a parrot ) from getting a parrot.

As most of you have mentioned, they are not cut for everyone. But also here in India, despite being protected by law, many species are still traded and the trade has contributed to the decline of many species in the wild, most notably the charismatic Alexandrine Parakeet.



Cheers

Avin

 

[chris-md]

I tell people if you dont have grown children, you need to really think the idea through.

Wait I’m confused. Are you saying only people with adult children can take good care of parrots?

 

[Karlys]

We go every other day (or more) to visit our baby cockatiel that's still being weaned. To get to the babies, you have to walk through a room with about 10 different macaws in cages or on stands. There's a scarlet macaw on a stand closest to the door that is always very interested in me. I've been fantasizing about saving up the money for him but this post has really sobered me up. I'm not regretting our decision to get a cockatiel but I definitely now realize I shouldn't even think about a bigger bird for years to come.

 

[DiscoDuck]

I tell people if you dont have grown children, you need to really think the idea through.

Wait I’m confused. Are you saying only people with adult children can take good care of parrots?

Nope, I said nothing about "ONLY" read exactly what you quoted.. its simple math and simple human lack of understanding about many things they dont know.

I think its called a preconceived notion. Very similar to what you just did.

 

[chris-md]

Huh? What’s this about preconceived notions? I only asked for clarification on a strange statement.

I read what I quoted, that’s why I quoted it.

You say if you don’t have grown children, rethink parrot ownership. The implication being only people who have raised children would be the ideal owners.

It’s there in black and white, and frankly a baffling statement. Hence why I’m asking for clarification in case I’m missing something