Poll! Who grew up with parrots?

[Kiwibird]

Just for fun, I'm wondering who else out there grew up with feathery monsters in the home? I grew up with 3, a female DYA , male green cheek amazon and male goffin cockatooo (all whom my parents had before I was born). I LOVED having parrots as a kid, it was like growing up in a zoo! I felt deeply empty the first few years after I moved out of my parents home before my husband and I adopted our feathery baby Kiwi 5 years ago. I don't think I could ever live again without the noise, mess and general chaos of a parrot at home. I posted a pic of me with Alfie when I was about 2 and an especially cute pic of my baby enjoying a bath outside last summer. Feel free to share your own stories and pics of a childhood with parrots, or whatever else you love about parrots!

 

[Blue]

My mom had a pair of Indian Ringnecks, a pair of Rosellas and an abused Nanday conure. She raised canaries for a few years, and we had lovebirds, parakeets, cockatiels and finches

 

[happycat]

I got my Kakariki in December and im 13.

Lol, does that count?

 

[Featheredsamurai]

I wish I had grown up with birds. I got Rosie when I was 21, and I'm just 3 months shy of being 23.

 

[SandyBee]

No we didn't have any birds when I was young. These are our first birds and I'm in my mid forties LOL

 

[barw33zy]

My sister and I each had a cockatiel, they died though My mom told me later that they were in the bathroom while she was cleaning, I also remember we had all teflon non stick cookware. I wish pet stores would educate people before selling a bird, and also stop sending them off with just a big bag of seed mix. My 'tiel would whistle and say pretty bird, but he bit a lot because we didn't understand anything about them.

 

[NWQuakers]

My grandma had a parakeet named TweetyBird. And I gal I went to grade school with had an Amazon of some sort. It was old back then and mostly sat on its perch and watch people.

Otherwise I didn't live with a parrot until my 20's, a feral Nanday named Mr. Goodbird.

 

[kc_y0]

I had birds growing up too! Got my first bird, a budgie, for my 5th birthday and from then on had several more budgies, an indian ringneck, a lorrikeet, finches & doves (I know they aren't parrots lol)

 

[Camille]

I had a VERY talkative Sulfur Crested Cockatoo and a couple of Cockatiels.

 

[Oedipussrex]

My mum had a little corella, but i was a few years too late to meet him. My uncle had a large walk-in aviary with finches, doves and various other kinds of small birds, and he also cared for a Galah which he found injured in his backyard (they aren't protected here so he got to keep it since it needed a human home from then on anyway).
In our actual house before pickle there was: my sisters cockatiel, and the (separated) lovebirds and budgies that we kept outside in flights years ago. And i had a couple of quails once but the neighbours cat 'stole' them

 

[ConureCrazy]

I know I had 2 budgies, but they died of medical problems (respiratory ) when I was 4. Don't remember them though. Tweeters I had when I was 6, and he passed away last year. Domino, another tiel, we had for a year, when I was 10, until he died of old age. (He was 20+)

 

[LoryLover]

I grew up in a family of 7 kids, we had a couple dogs and a cat. No one even mentioned a bird. When I was living on my own at the age of 20, I got my first birds, a pair of finches. A year later, my neighbor needed to rehome her pair of lovebirds, so I took them. I'm 53 now and have had birds since then.

 

[Abigal7]

I had a adult budgie (from Walmart) when I was a child (around eight) I tamed it enough that it would sit on my hand. My parents also got me a tame cockatiel a year later and when the budgie died (after 6 years) I got a green cheek conure who loved me. The conure and cocktiel both died when I was at college

 

[LoveMyParrots]

Yes, the first parrot(s) I ever had was a pair of tamed budgie called Rose and Coco, I had them when I was 5. My parents gave them to me as a gift, (and my parents told me about it before I got them, parrots make bad surprise gift, especially to a first time parrot owner). They were my birds, but my parent was their care taker, because I was too young to look after them, and didn't know what to do.

The second parrot was a peach face lovebird named Peaches. She was rescues from a bad onwer that use to punish her, she was hand raised, but then she became scared of hand. It took us a while until we can handle her, and I think I was about 7-8 by then. After 2 years, she passed away, she was very healthy during the time I had her, so I think she dyed of old age.

By the time when I was 10, Coco dyed by a cat attack. It was my bad, I left my house's front door open and my neighbors cat came inside, and killed Coco. I felt very bad leaving the door open knowing that there were cats around my house. Rose was not eating and drinking after Coco pasted away, she would just stand on her perch inside her cage and sleep, I tried everything I can (include going to the vet) to save her, but she just would not drink or eat. And then my vet suggested putting her down, which my parents agreed. At lease she didn't staved to death

And during a few years, ive had conures (both pets and aviary), cockatiels (total of 6) and a goffins cocktoo. And now I have Ozzie, my alexandrine parakeet. I have learnt a lot from all the parrots I've had before, and I'm sure I will take much better care of Ozzie now, and will not make the mistakes I've had done before.

 

[Thingamagigs]

When I was very young my parents had a sulfur crested cockatoo. It used to scream "MUM" and it drove my mother crazy. So they gave him away. I hope he went to a good home, because my parents kept him in the cage they got him in, one of those traditional cocky cages.
I was pretty heart broken about it, so they bought me a budgie. A little lutino Aussie budgie I named "goldie". Goldie and I were best friends for about 9 years before an unfortunate event with my sister that led to Goldie flying away. Again devastated, my parents got me a cockatiel, named "tiel" lol He was not a friendly bird though and although he enjoyed being out of his cage he did not enjoy being touched or even being on a person. After my father broke his neck he could not stand any noise at all and my parents ended up giving tiel to a friend who had an aviary.

I didn't get another bird until I left home. Larry, my first galah. My parents were far too irresponsible and discarded pets when ever they felt like it, so I specifically did not make it known I would like another bird.

 

[Kiwibird]

Thanks for your great replies everyone! Seems like keets' and teils' have blessed most of your lives at some point, they are such cute little birds.

Parrotlover- Ozzy sure is a handsome little guy, with his big red beak I'm not too familiar with alexandrines, but I think they're a larger parakeet species right?

 

[wwendy104]

Ive always loved birds but my parents hated them. I had budgies as a kid they were all mine my mom wouldn't touch them and my sisters could care less that they existed. I wasn't out of the house but a couple of years when I got my conure Nina. I loved that darn bird my kids were very young and my son loved her. We moved from San Diego to Indiana in very cold weather and was worried she wouldn't make it. So I made the decision to give her up my son never forgave me so he saved all his money up and bought one of the same species of conure here in Indiana.

Now we have three birds all of my kids love them and Im sure they will have birds as adults too Once you love them its hard not to have them!

 

[henpecked]

Who grew up with parrots? I did, that's me in my avatar, 1959 with my mother's amazon, "Juanita". We also had other amazons and macaws. I got my own amazon at age 14, Jake the YN is still with me, although my flock has expanded a bit, LOL.

 

[ruffledfeathers]

No birds in my childhood. I bought Percy (my budgie and first bird) when i was just about 22 (i bought him as my birthday present to myself) and had no idea whatsoever what an amazing experience it would be. I thought birds were just sweet and pretty and stood on a perch!!! It was an incredible journey and there are no words for how i fell in love with little Percy! It is because of him that i love birds so much.

 

[JerseyWendy]

We had a budgie "Juppi" when I was a wee small child in Germany. He was THE cutest, friendliest, happiest and most fun loving birdy in the world. I remember how devestated the entire family was when he died....and he was with us for 14 years.