Story Time!!

[Jferrand526]

I totally agree with what everyone says. I don’t like the term because it implies they deserve less care and less respect than other birds. In terms of biting, Ducky has never bitten me hard enough to even say “ouch”. Cockatiels are the perfect bird in my opinion. My conure is more of a handful than Ducky is, but it’s all the more reason to love him. My budgies are great but not as interactive as my ‘tiel and GCC. Also, I get very annoyed when I tell people I have parrots and they expect them to be large colorful macaws that talk. “Do they talk” is a very common question from people who don’t have birds.

Oh I totally understand this one. I get very very annoyed when my family learns I have birds and they ask “Does he talk? Do they all talk? Are they all tame? What words does he say?” When I respond that my birds have not learned how to speak yet they just walk away and lose interest. These are not my parents I’m talking about but my aunts and uncles at parties and such.

 

[Jferrand526]

I didn't think you used the term in a disparaging way at all

Back to your original post, what drives me crazy is when I tell someone about my birds, and they say,"Oh, can I have one?"
It's as if because we have a large flock that we would just give one away because someone doesn't have a bird.

Oh my gosh. I get asked this question constantly on instagram. They answer is always, ALWAYS, no. I have my birds because they are my family. I can’t just give family away. Someone asked me to have Arrow(cockatiel) and Martini(ARN) the other day and it just irritated me and made me angry.

 

[Jferrand526]

I can see "starter bird" being used to describe a 'tiel or budgie,as a lot of people get one of those as their "first" fid. My starter bird was an English Sparrow at age 13..lol..but my FIRST REAL starter bird was Wally the Budgie

Budgies and cockatiels are relatively cheap...geez I think my mom bought Wally for $4.95 but for the too short time he was with us ( he was on mom's shoulder,as she walked out the back door one night :02 I learned a wealth of info from him.

Beeb's was a mere $150,bought from a reputable breeder,who has been in to Parrots for almost 40 years,and BB was tame and eating properly,where a pet store budgie or tiel would most likely not be.

If I knew back then on how and what BB would turn out to be,I would have gladly paid $1000.00 for him :10: He does NOT deserve any less proper treatment,love,and consideration,than Amy,or HRH,or RB..or or or! BB is not a throw away bird...and budgies are not throw away birds,and I believe that's what most people think when someone says "starter birds"...sighhhh



Jim

I would never ever consider a budgie or cockatiel a throw away bird. Never. People who consider birds in general as “throw away pets” are horrible.
In fact I know a breeder who said that he sells his Parakeets for $5USD because they are not entertaining and people just buy them for the noises. My eyes widened at that comment in shock, luckily all of this breeders birds even the babies got taken away last month.

 

[Jferrand526]

When I was a little kid, my grandma had a budgie that came from a pet store and wasn't very happy being handled. To my little kid brain he was basically a goldfish, but without the water. My dad had an Amazon, who was my responsibility to feed and play with. I was only 8 or so though, so I didn't really know much about what I was supposed to do. I only lived with my dad part time (divorced parents). We fed him good food, cooked brown rice, pellets and mixed veggies. He didn't get a lot of handling though because:

1. I was the only one that handled him
2. I was only there half the year
3. I was 8 years old and Pickles was very big compared to tiny little me. Bites hurt. A lot.

I loved to play with him and carry him around on his perch when he was in a good mood, and I liked to talk to him, but that's about all I knew of bird care. I wish I could go back in time and change so much...

That's more experience with birds then most people and still, I never thought birds were affectionate, loving, cuddly, or sweet. Birds were pretty, interesting, and maybe fun to talk to and look at.

I'm SO glad I did a lot of reading and learning before I got my Yoda, and I LOVE reading posts on these forums from other potential Parronts looking for information. I feel like I've learned a truly precious and amazing secret, with this new discovery of how wonderful a parrot can be as a companion. We are SO lucky to have this amazing little feathered family member to trusts us, loves us, stays with us, and brings so much joy to our lives!

I wish this weren't such uncommon knowledge, I wish the pet stores gave better information about parrots than they do now. I wish nobody anywhere thought of ANY parrots as 'starter' birds, or worse yet as 'throw away' birds. That just breaks my heart. Not that I am criticizing anyone, I am in fact criticizing MYSELF for ever thinking the same. Budgies and tiels are smaller, gentler, quieter, more widely available and less expensive. Less effort is required to buy one and keep it alive, so many people don't value them as much as they should. Obviously if you are paying $5,000 for a Macaw and $1000 for it's cage, you are FAR more likely to value it and put more effort into caring for it and learning about it. But a $5 bird from Petco, along with a $20 plastic cage and $5 bag of seed... that's the same price as a trip to the movie theater. Is it any wonder that people get them for their 8 year old kids and don't lose any sleep over it if they poor thing doesn't last long?

Sorry... I'm just ranting and rambling now. I guess all I am trying to say is that I understand how and why people would think of some birds as 'starter' birds, or think of a parrot as basically an interactive decoration for the home. However, that man who offered $500 for Tango has just learned something new about birds, he's just learned that there is more to Tango then just looking pretty in a cage. Maybe he went home and read more and learned more. Maybe not.

But I for one thank YOU and I thank everyone else here, and everyone else who has tried to teach those less informed masses about the joys and complexities of keeping a parrot.

Tango is a lucky bird, and you're lucky to have Tango also. I hope many many more people see Tango and become inspired to learn about and love these feathered miracles like we do!

I am actually in the fault for saying Starter Bird. I don’t really think of any birds like that because I understand the time and effort and money needed but I guess Starter Bird was a term I used regarding the bite and the mess. I don’t want anyone to think of a parakeet or cockatiel as a throw away bird. I thank you to all of you for correcting me on my mistake.

I think budgies and cockatiels should be given more respect. Its just horrible seeing them abused. My parents have birds they cannot hold at all, I buy them toys and try to stuff the cages but it just hurts looking at them. Their last owner had hit them and done other things that they had started plucking their feathers. My parents didn’t save those babies in time but thankfully some of their feathers are now growing back after a very long time. More and more toys and some love goes a long way. As I type this I’m currently making my flock and my parents’s flock some rice.

 

[Jferrand526]

I actually used to think of some birds as 'starter' birds - but I blame that on lack of education. None of my family owned birds, really.

With some research I realised the level of care is identical for all species regardless of size, that is to say 'as much as you possibly can'. In fact, rather than say 'starter bird' I'd probably refer to tiels and budgies simply as 'small scale' birds.

I'd be inclined to say the reason people use the term 'starter' birds with those is that all the unpleasant behaviours are scaled down due to their size.

I detest that people are of the opinion that small birds (in fact any birds) are there merely to be looked at, and that sitting alone for long periods is any kind of existence. It seems stupid that it's ok to think that for birds but also understand that dogs and cats can't be left alone.

But the lack of education is widespread. My partner was against having a parrot, but it wasn't until we'd had remi a while that he confessed he didn't think he could snuggle birds like he was doing with ours. The inference he made was that he thought I was buying a parrot to just look at and to talk to - that we'd get no physical interaction. (She's a velcro bird to him so wasn't he wrong on THAT score?!)

Anyway back to the OP - I will be endeavouring to take Remi out in public much more and I am a little paranoid about people reaching to touch her - thankfully she's pretty good at non-bite language (she's great at growling when she wants you to back off) - and my hope is that massive beak should be a fabulous deterrent.

I don't know if it's just me but Female Eckies with their white irises can look a bit crazed when they eye-flash so that should help people back off too. I can teach her to go all "mad scientist" with eye flashing and wing flapping to scare off people?

Errr, I wrote a lot. Sorry. I do that

Its okay! I don’t mind you writing a lot!! I love reading everyone’s reply, that is why I take a while to reply to all of you. From now on I will use the term “small scale” instead of “starter”. That was really my fault. In the moment Tango has actually said “F**k off” today. He says it quietly but I’m guessing in the future he will start yelling it. Lets just say my sister plays a lot of video games

I’m hoping he will just yell that at other people and not me lol

 

[FlyBirdiesFly]

Ducky was only $125. He picked me. He begged to come out of the cage every time I visited him at the pet store. After so many visits, I just decided I had to take this little bird home. He was hand fed and extremely tame, loving me and everyone in my family from the very start. His first hour at home was spent sitting on my lap. He didn’t even want to go into his cage after such a long day. I wish more people would appreciate cockatiels for what they really are. As I type this, Ducky is gently nudging my cheek and closing his eyes as I scratch him.

 

[Jferrand526]

Ducky was only $125. He picked me. He begged to come out of the cage every time I visited him at the pet store. After so many visits, I just decided I had to take this little bird home. He was hand fed and extremely tame, loving me and everyone in my family from the very start. His first hour at home was spent sitting on my lap. He didn’t even want to go into his cage after such a long day. I wish more people would appreciate cockatiels for what they really are. As I type this, Ducky is gently nudging my cheek and closing his eyes as I scratch him.

I appreciate cockatiels. I really do. Arrow, my cockatiel, was grabbed and handled very roughly by the people I bought him from. It irritated me. Nobody wanted to buy Arrow because he would lash out. Arrow was $175 with tax. He wasn’t ready to leave the store because he was too young so i would drive half an hour to go visit him every day. The first day I saw him and actually decided to buy him was when a young girl started crying because Arrow had bit her, the mom of the girl got mad and said that birds that bite should be put away or put down because it is considered a violent animal. I let Arrow come to me that day and decided right there and then I would pay for him and would come visit because it was love at first sight.

The same mother and child came back the day after I bought him and saw me handling him. I was talking to him and he was singing happily and the mother just gawked at me. I told her “All birds can bite. They especially bite when they don’t like what is going on.” Arrow to this day is sorta skittish but when he decides he wants to come out of his cage he is a cuddlebutt. I love Arrow. He’s an amazing bird and family member.

 

[bigfellasdad]

I think there is confusion around the word starter, I think of the word as first introduction and definitely not 'throw away or upgradeable'

I've grown up with budgies and play and hang out the same with my cag. I also adopted a flightless and aggressive cocktail for a good few years and although more difficult due to the situation we still got along fine and I gave him a better life than he ever knew.

It hurts so much when they pass on I struggle to want a replacement....

Without these birds i would have never considered taking enzo into my family. They started and continued to keep my love of birds growing.

 

[Jferrand526]

I think there is confusion around the word starter, I think of the word as first introduction and definitely not 'throw away or upgradeable'

I've grown up with budgies and play and hang out the same with my cag. I also adopted a flightless and aggressive cocktail for a good few years and although more difficult due to the situation we still got along fine and I gave him a better life than he ever knew.

It hurts so much when they pass on I struggle to want a replacement....

Without these birds i would have never considered taking enzo into my family. They started and continued to keep my love of birds growing.

I know how you feel. I had depression for a while and just didn’t feel good about myself at all. Now, my birds have all helped improve my health. I feel more healthy and just feel good about myself in general. I’m happy and thankful for all of my birds for helping through difficult times. Seeing them every day just makes me happy. So very happy

 

[Squeekmouse]

Jferrand526, I love how you take the time to reply to each post. That's awfully considerate. I know exactly how you feel about the health benefits of our little feathered love-bugs. I work from home so before Yoda I used to feel very cut off, like I was some kind of hermit. Other than my husband, I didn't have much personal contact with anyone and I felt very, very lonely. I wanted to get a dog but my husband has allergies. I thought that a parrot would be "better than nothing" when I first started doing the research to get one.
Boy was I wrong!! ...in a GREAT way!! If I knew then what I know now, I would have been wanting a parrot all along over getting a dog. Not to say anything bad about dogs at all, I still love dogs and wish we could have one. But the love of a parrot is a whole different level. There's only one other being in the world that has made me feel so loved, so needed, so valued, so appreciated, and that's my husband. Yoda has filled a hole in my heart that I didn't even realize I had, or that it could be filled so perfectly by a little feathered treasure. We certainly see him as a member of the family, he's not just some pet.
Yoda can certainly get crabby and bite when he's in a bad mood, but I still love him even when he's Mr. Crabbypants. Vacuuming up food bits, cleaning up the occasional 'accident', cleaning his cage, and prepping his meals... sure it's work, but I don't mind it one bit. Dog hair and dog smell is MUCH harder to clean up, dog food more expensive, dog 'accidents' FAR more horrible.
It's funny the way you talk about your birds as your children, it oddly reminds me of how Daenarys from Game of Thrones talks about her dragons as her children. Ok, silly analogy, but I think we all feel that way, right? I'm never going to have kids, but Yoda is going to be in my life for nearly as long as a kid would at my age. He sure acts like a 3 year old most of the time, both good and bad.

 

[Jferrand526]

Jferrand526, I love how you take the time to reply to each post. That's awfully considerate. I know exactly how you feel about the health benefits of our little feathered love-bugs. I work from home so before Yoda I used to feel very cut off, like I was some kind of hermit. Other than my husband, I didn't have much personal contact with anyone and I felt very, very lonely. I wanted to get a dog but my husband has allergies. I thought that a parrot would be "better than nothing" when I first started doing the research to get one.
Boy was I wrong!! ...in a GREAT way!! If I knew then what I know now, I would have been wanting a parrot all along over getting a dog. Not to say anything bad about dogs at all, I still love dogs and wish we could have one. But the love of a parrot is a whole different level. There's only one other being in the world that has made me feel so loved, so needed, so valued, so appreciated, and that's my husband. Yoda has filled a hole in my heart that I didn't even realize I had, or that it could be filled so perfectly by a little feathered treasure. We certainly see him as a member of the family, he's not just some pet.
Yoda can certainly get crabby and bite when he's in a bad mood, but I still love him even when he's Mr. Crabbypants. Vacuuming up food bits, cleaning up the occasional 'accident', cleaning his cage, and prepping his meals... sure it's work, but I don't mind it one bit. Dog hair and dog smell is MUCH harder to clean up, dog food more expensive, dog 'accidents' FAR more horrible.
It's funny the way you talk about your birds as your children, it oddly reminds me of how Daenarys from Game of Thrones talks about her dragons as her children. Ok, silly analogy, but I think we all feel that way, right? I'm never going to have kids, but Yoda is going to be in my life for nearly as long as a kid would at my age. He sure acts like a 3 year old most of the time, both good and bad.

I try to be as courteous as I can. I’m glad your bird helped you so much! That’s the thing some people don’t understand is birds really do help, sometimes even more than dogs or cats can. My birds show so much love towards me, sure they bite and can get moody but they cuddle and everything when they are in the mood. My birds all yell to greet me when I come through the door. I love them all dearly.