I have school for 10 hours and I need to plan a schedule for my green cheek conure

[clydend0r]

So, I have school for about 10 hours a day and I'm thinking of getting a green cheek conure. I can't play with it in the morning cuz after I prepare the food for my GCC I have to go. But what if I let it watch TV and when I come back at 4pm I'll give it as much attention possible. Will my schedule work or is it not doable

 

[ConureGuy]

So, I have school for about 10 hours a day and I'm thinking of getting a green cheek conure. I can't play with it in the morning cuz after I prepare the food for my GCC I have to go. But what if I let it watch TV and when I come back at 4pm I'll give it as much attention possible. Will my schedule work or is it not doable

First off welcome to the fourm,

And to awnser your question, Parrots are pretty good at adjusting to your schedule ''Some better than others'' as for Conures they require a lot of attention and interaction ''one would say they like to attention seek'' so I'm not sure leaving it caged for 10 hours a day would be such a great thing to do,

Is there no one else around to care for or be social with the little one while you attend school? If so that would be a much better solution in the long run.

 

[noodles123]

Welcome and so sorry this is so long!
Your parrot will need a minimum of 3 hours out a day and 10 hours sleep in a quiet, dark space each night (on a schedule)...You must also keep in mind that if a bird doesn't want to be touched, you still should be letting it walk out of its cage, play on the top etc etc --SUPERVISED at all times when out (assuming you can do so safely) but that also means that you cannot chase or towel your bird to get it back in the cage without seriously destroying trust...so if you let the bird out before school and can't get it back in, what then? If you already wake up early, know that you will have to get up at least an hour earlier to play with the bird, and if you wake the bird up at 5, it has to go to bed at 7pm because those 10 hours of consistent, quiet sleep regulate hormones, behavior and most importantly, immune health. Think about all of the times when you might have somewhere to be from, say...6-9, or 5-7 etc etc --depending on who your bird bonds with, there will not be substitutes for that person/people...So it's very hard to get someone to sub in for that preferred person. You will need someone to cover and uncover your bird at roughly the same times each morning and night...Birds also don't understand weekends, and their cycle will remain the same even if you are sick, or stayed out until 3AM etc. Sleeping in is not really a luxury you (or your family) will have most days if you get a bird....and your bird will scream --- if your bird does scream, no one can react to it or go into the room, or talk about it or anything...you have to wait out attention screaming and in a family, it just takes one person to screw this up. EVERYONE must be 500% committed.

I would seriously wait until you are settled and have a secure job/ know where you will be living and what you will be doing very long term (4 years=not long term), because 1. they are expensive long-term in terms of veterinary care etc. 2. They require structure and a lot of time. 3. They are way more involved than a dog or cat. and 4. They have the intelligence of human 3-4 year olds and require a ton of knowledge about hormones, behavior, enrichment and diet. 4. the lifestyle changes are tremendous, so if you live with your parents, they will have to completely revamp their cooking and cleaning practices, as the fumes from teflon/ptfe/pfoa/pfcs can kill and/or permanently damage air sacs on totally separate floors of a house. 5. They are super sensitive to changes -- you can't just go off on trips or to college and leave your parrot and you cannot safely house a parrot in most apartments (a. because of fume risks etc, but mostly because of noise risks and the potential for eviction).

If you couldn't handle a kid, please wait on the bird (kids are more complicated in some respects, but much simpler in many other respects). I am not saying it is impossible, but this has to be a whole family commitment (in terms of lifestyle changes, interaction, behavioral responses, trust building etc). It is not healthy to keep a bird in one person's room...and if you have your bird on the main floor, then bedtime will be tricky--especially if people are still up etc and you don't have a separate sleep room for the bird. In terms of lifestyle, you are looking at very early mornings and then someone to wake the bird and put the bird to bed at the same time nightly. Your bird may or may not bond to you (and/or your bird may not like everyone in your family-- so you can't bank on them). You can no longer use any heated products containing teflon/ptfe/pfoa/pfcs, candles, incense, glad plug-ins, oil diffusers, wax warmers, fabreeze, air fresheners, essential oils, 99% of standard cleaners, smoke from cigarettes-marijuana- or burning foods, paints-plastics- or glues that give off fumes etc etc etc. Anything scented is unsafe (unless declared avian safe). Furthermore, the non-stick/teflon/ptfe/pfoa/pfc issue is unscented and still extremely deadly. Sources of these fumes: irons, ironing boards, new furniture (scotch guard), drip trays, self cleaning ovens, toasters, popcorn poppers, air fryers, curling irons, straighteners, hair driers, light reflectors for utility lights, some foil types, certain light bulbs, panini makers, electric skillets, George Foreman grills, waffle makers, toaster ovens, microwave popcorn bags (many contain a clear coat), space heaters, poaching pans, air fryers, pans, cookie sheets etc etc etc

They also are all sweet as babies, but at puberty, they change a ton and will often push away from whoever they were close to as a baby (so you can't assume a baby that likes you or is sweet will maintain the same preferences or behaviors at sexual maturity-- they will not stay the way they are as babies). Just like human babies are chill, so are baby parrots. If you compare an infant to a 16-year-old human, there is a MAJOR difference (same with parrots). There is also a ton to know about hormones and so many people make the mistake of sexually stimulating their birds by stroking, cuddling, providing huts/tents/boxes/access to shadowy spaces etc. You do NOT want to do this. No shadowy spaces and only ever pet on the head and neck...They don't need a special sleep hut (those are so dangerous)

They live for a long time, and if you haven't finished college or whatever you plan to do, then it's too soon to commit when you don't know what your housing, roommates, travel, pay etc etc will be. Don't bank on leaving the bird with your family when you go off on trips or to college because, unless your bird bonds more closely with one of them, the bird will be traumatized by the absence and potentially develop problem behaviors. Furthermore, knowing what you now know about cleaners, teflon etc, a dorm is 300% unsafe for a parrot (even if allowed).

they also need to eat more than just seeds--a few seeds (not sunflower or peanuts ideally) and pellets are fine, but you will need to give fresh fruit and veg (more veg than fruit) and even cook for your bird as well (there are a lot of unsafe human foods out there, including salt, avocado, onions, garlic, chocolate, caffeine, decaf or regular coffee etc etc...the list goes on. It's also super important that you never allow your bird to eat after something you have eaten off of (so if you are eating pasta, and your bird grabs some off your plate, that is no good, as humans carry gram negative bacteria all the time, and parrots system's are not equipped to handle it, as they naturally have gram positive bacteria only.

If you have any other pets (or plan to) that is another major consideration, as dogs and cats are both very hazardous (dogs have eaten and/or killed parrots) but cats are THE MOST dangerous due to their high prey drive and the multiple toxic/bacterial components in their poop and saliva (as well as on their claws). Rats are also very dangerous..the list goes on.

 

[SailBoat]

Great advice provided above!

 

[Flboy]

Hi, and welcome!
I would say, wait at least a week into your new schedule and then start thinking about a bird! THINKING only!
You never know what the instructors will be throwing at you! I have had teachers that made it clear, "My class may only be a ‘minor’ course in the syllabus, but I will prove differently!"

 

[noodles123]

Hi, and welcome!
I would say, wait at least a week into your new schedule and then start thinking about a bird! THINKING only!
You never know what the instructors will be throwing at you! I have had teachers that made it clear, "My class may only be a ?minor? course in the syllabus, but I will prove differently!"

but also remember, that a bird like this can live over 30 years, and just because you have an easy load one year, doesn't mean you wont be completely overwhelmed the next. That is why I say make sure you have a steady job, predictable income and your own permanent living situation before getting a parrot. There are so many periods of extreme transition between the ages of 5-25 for most people and no one can predict where their work, education etc will take them, or what their living arrangements might be during college or after graduation during that period of time when one must find a job and decide whether or not they will stick with it/how much it pays etc. With proper veterinary care etc, a well-cared-for parrot is thousands and thousands of dollars over time. In some cases, for the really long-lived ones, 80k is not unreasonable. At 30 years, you could be looking at an overall cost of $30,000 long term (some people may spend slightly less, but many spend more due to medical emergencies etc)

 

[Scott]

Welcome, respect for considering potential difficulties of living with a companion bird while attending school! Appears from another thread you have a GCC, so we can focus on making the best of potentially challenging situation. Some excellent guidance in this thread: http://www.parrotforums.com/new-mem...-students-should-ask-before-getting-bird.html