I need some advies

[Nir]

see i think thats bad. the parents buying the parrots for the children. i would put kids/young adults in 2 categories. 1 where they do their research (the original poster), goes to forums, and is preparing for the bird and pays for it him/herself. And 2nd where the bird is given to them because they really want it. I think the success rate for the first group is not that bad especially since they put in the work and cost of the bird so they probably will put in the work afterwards as well. But the 2nd group of kids didnt work hard for it and since they have nothing invested probably just gets overwhelmed with whats to come and gives up. then again the adults might be put into 2 categories as well. 1 group that really wants it and another group that just wants it the same way she would want a nice painting or jewelry. Anyway buying parrots for kids is a horrible idea.

[paper_lantern]

I'm 23. When I was 17 I wanted my first parrot too. I grew up around parrots (my aunt always had them), so I thought I knew what I was getting into. I had a good amount of money, and I was SURE I could handle a parrot for the next 40-50 years. My mom wasn't so sure, she told me to do another few years worth of research before she would let me get one. And you know what? THANK GOD she did.

I did years of online research as well as hands-on experience with different types of parrots. When I was 17, I wanted a Cockatoo (that would have been a big mistake). After years of research I finally decided a Conure was right for me, and at 22 I got my first parrot. Even after ALL that research I'm still surprised by him sometimes (and a conure is way smaller and more predictable than a CAG). His $300 cage? He is already peeling the coating off of it and now I have to save up for a stainless steel that will run me close to $2,000 (because it needs to be big enough, he has a lot of energy). I can't go away for weekends like all my friends do unless I'm sure I have a trusted sitter for him, and even then, I don't like to be away long. I get up every morning and cut fruits, veggies, and grains for him (in addition to his pellets which run me close to $25 a bag). When I wake up, my attention goes to him, when I get home from work or classes, all the attention goes to him.

What I'm trying to say is that, even after years of research I still get surprises. I LOVE him to pieces, but I'm so glad I waited those extra years before deciding to get a parrot, because I'm more stable and grounded now, I've change so much since I was 17 (even though I thought I never would). I know how desperately you want a parrot, but for the parrot's sake don't make this decision just yet. Wait a couple of years, become an expert on CAG's through reading and experience (maybe find a bird rescue and volunteer). The last thing you want to do is realize you made a "mistake" at the cost of an innocent life.

[Cockatielsongs]

Anyway buying parrots for kids is a horrible idea.

Not always...
13 years old probably counts as a kid and I think I've done pretty well with my cockatoo. Mind you I adopted him VERY untamed and I stuck with him not matter how many times he made me bleed (Which was a lot before he became tame) , I kept trying until he became what he is today, a loving, talkative and happy bird. I'd give up anything to keep my cockatoo healthy. Some of us care more about our pets more than adults. Sure a majority of kids and teenagers end up giving their bird away but not everyone. Not all teenagers/kids are all about texting, facebook, celebrities and parties.

[mrbowlerhat]

Okay so I just wanted to chime in here too, this probably won't bring anything to any discussion but I wanted to share my personal experience.
I don't know if I've told anyone here, but I'm 18. I don't mention this much because I'm afraid this will somehow invalidate my opinions or make me look irresponsible, which of course is the last thing I would want.

I've personally been a parrot owner for about 3 years now, my first own parrot being a lovebird who was given to my mom but I shortly took over all the responsibility and he bonded with me. A while after he had passed away last year, I had the chance to get a senegal parrot. I was 17 at the time, but seeing as I reeeally missed being a parront, and that I grew up with another Poicephalus, I decided to go for it and I got Alaska. She's the most amazing little girl ever, so obviously everything went really well.
Three or four months after I got her, I was given another Sennie, my Miley, by a family who really wanted her to be able to somewhat interact with another senegal since they had seen how much happier their caique got when they bought him a friend.
Since everything had turned out so well with Alaska, I agreed and went and got Miley. Now, this could have turned out so much worse, I realize this. I've been unbelievably lucky that they get along this well and still both really enjoy my company.
Gettig Miley could have been a really bad choice, but I understood that at the time I got her too and I was ready to (I even expected to), only give them separate out of cage-time and only let them see eachother when they were both in their cages. I had the time, I had a fair amount of knowledge and learned new things every day (still do, of course!), and I felt ready to handle two separate parrots and whatever came with.
I didn't have to, though, since they pretty much fully ignored eachother for the first few months and could due to that be out in the bird room together while I was there, and now they're great friends instead.

Okay well so, we don't really have college in Sweden, instead we have this, which I won't be going to since the education I'll get from this will be able to get me a job I'm comfortable with.
So, I was in school for two years but I didn't like my programme etc etc, so I took a year off. That's where I am right now, and have been for the last year. Now, I probably will be going to school in a few months, and I will be in school for three years which is awful because I don't really like school and I've got a slight social anxiety and whatnot, but I will be going, since if I don't, that'll just mean more and more years of school eventually, haha.
The thing is, when I'm in school, I will still be able to spend at least 5-6 hours/day with my parrots, and I will still live at home, where my mother's almost never out of the house, so they still won't ever be alone. They've got pretty big cages and some days they'll hopefully be able to be in the bird room with my mom checking in on them now and then, and my weekends will be spent hanging out with them aaall day, I would never want to spend my weekends any other way.
I do have a few friends that I meet up with once a month or every other month or so atm, and I will probably see them a bit more when I'm in school, but every time I hang out with them I make sure to be home in time to hang out with da birdies for a while before I put them in their cages for them to eat and sleep and for me to clean the bird room - and they all know that. Sure, they think I'm crazy, but they know I love my birds and take parronting very seriously.
When I eventually move in a few years, I am going to be able to leave my parrots here for a while, when I settle in, to reduce any stress. They will be with my family, aka people they know, in an enviroment they're very familiar with, until I'm ready to bring them to my new place - which I think is a good plan.
I have never liked children, and I've got a huge phobia of anything squishy or sticky or gooey, so I probably won't be getting any kids either. I honestly can't ever imagine having a baby. I know what you're thinking, it's easy for me to say now and that I can't know how I'll be thinking in the future, but I guess we'll all have to trust me on this one: I won't ever have a child if I in any way suspect my parrots won't like it getting a lot of attention. You can't simply rehome a baby, and I'd honestly rather have the birds I've loved for years and years, they're the most important beings in the universe to me and if keeping them happy means giving up having a baby, then that's what I'll do.
(And with that said, even before I got parrots I've always thought adopting an older child sounds way more appealing, since, like I said, I don't really like babies. At all.)



Um, I guess my point is that some younger people might be a better match for parrots than some adults, but whatever your age, you have to be ready to give a lot of things up, and especially if you're younger it's very important with a good plan. It's not so much about about age, but maturity and understanding and if you are ready to give up or change certain things in order for your parrot/s to be as happy and healthy as possible.

[Pajarita]

LOL - My daughter said the same thing about not liking kids and never having any up until she was 25 years old but she has two now. But, let me ask you something, what will you do if you fall madly in love with a great guy who cannot stand parrots? Or, if he likes them but cannot live with any because of allergies? My female sennie came to me because she loved her daddy with a passion and hated his wife with the same passion. She used to fly off his shoulder to attack her so they kept her clipped but she still managed to bite good chunks out of the lady by walking real fast on the floor or jumping from his shoulder to the back of the sofa and rushing over to her side. So they kept her in a cage and only took her out when the guy was by himself and then she started plucking...

She is my little sweetheart now (she is standing next to the computer so I can touch her head with my left pinkie as I type and she can kiss my hand -while trying very sneakily to chomp on the keys -LOL) but she also used to attack my husband -only my husband has been with me for many years so he is not only used to parrots, he knows for a fact I would never get rid of one because of a few bites but not everybody is as lucky as I am and has a very kind and patient spouse. One of my umbrella cockatoos had been kept in a closet for two hears because she would bite the husband (the bird had lived with the woman alone for years and he was the usurper) and, if they put her in cage, she would scream non-stop, thus the closet.. she became a plucker and a self-mutilator.

My point is that everybody has a good plan in mind but things happen and the changes they bring are much more drastic when one is young and doesn't yet have an established career, job, personal relationship, etc. And dogs and cats adapt but parrots, especially single parrots that live with single people, not always do.

[mrbowlerhat]

Lol, so basically what you're saying is no single people can ever get a parrot? Or, what if you separate and meet someone new? I mean, a 40+ year old can still "fall madly in love with a great guy who cannot stand parrots". No, I'm sorry, I get what you mean, but being young does not always automatically make things way worse. It could, but it does not have to.
I know there's a chance you won't believe me, but I couldn't ever fall in love with a guy (or girl for that matter) who can't stand parrots. A really great person isn't that great at all if s/he doesn't like my birds - they're, like I said, the most important beings in the universe to me and nothing could possibly change that.
As for now, I'm not interested at all in a partner - I know I will be in the future, but there's never any rush. I'm confident I will be able to find someone who's up for a parrot lifestyle. Since my parrots are a huge part of my life, I expect a future partner to respect this, and if s/he doesn't or if s/he's being a douche about it and is not willing to work with my birds if they don't like or accept her/him, then s/he's obviously ignoring a part of my life and I don't think a person like that is worth being with tbh. The parrots were here first, and they're not going anywhere.
As for allergies, there's air purifiers and pills for that and it'll be something we'll have to work out if that happens.

I am aware of the fact that parrots aren't as good at adapting as dogs and cats etc, and that's why I will be shaping my life around them, and not the other way around. I wouldn't want it any other way.
I won't be getting any more parrots until I've settled in somewhere nice and got myself an actual job with which I know I will be able to both afford everything and spend a lot of time with everybirdie, and frankly, both of my girls have proven to accept changes really well actually, and though I will do everything I can in order to keep as much stuff as possible as they are now, I am confident they will adapt okay when we do face changes in the future. I will do everything in my power to keep them as happy and as healthy as possible, and I know that is a lot for me to say right now, but I know in my heart that it is true.

There are a lot of really responsible actual parents my age, and there are a lot of irresponsible older parents. I'd say it's the same with parronts.

Now, I know I can't in any way convince anyone that what I'm saying is true, but I don't really quite care, since I also know that it is, and that's obviously the most important thing.
♥



(I do, however, realize that going away buying a parrot at age 17 wasn't the most clever choice I've ever made, but I wouldn't ever change it seeing how much I love my lil' girls. Adding a second bird after only a few months was really stupid of me and I know it could have turned out horribly, and if I only had one bird now and was offered a second, I don't know if I would have said yes and pushed my luck, since there's so many things that could have gone wrong. Still, I don't regret that either since it did turn out fantastically and I love having them and them having eachother. Like I said, I definitely won't push it any further and I will not get another parrot for at LEAST a few - four, five, six years.
I also would not recommend anyone doing the same, knowing how lucky I was and how much I will have to give up, and how much I had to change. Now, I haven't ever had many friends, so before becoming a parront I didn't meet up with friends that often either and I obviously have no idea how it would be like giving up something like that for a parrot. The one friend I do get together with once every two months or so totally understand that I need to be home at certain times to hang out with my birds (and she's also aware that I am not that comfortable in social situations, which also is a big reason as to why we don't meet up that often - since she's got a lot of friends and I.. Just.. Eh. Yeah.) and we keep in touch through the internet instead.
It's almost the same with the rest of my friends, except they live miles and miles away and we actually got to know eachother on the internet to begin with, so I only see them once or twice a year.
The two times (yes, two times in a year) I've actually been away for more than a day, my parents have been really helpful with feeding the birdies and letting them hang out in the bird room a few hours a day, and that's something they don't mind. Both parrots and parents have nothing against it, since the birds are used to my parents, and my parents were the ones who got me into parrots from the start. My dad would totally keep Miley forever in a heartbeat if I let him, lol. Of course I won't, but he'd sure love it, haha!
I guess what I'm saying is, I have no idea what it would be like to give up a busy social life or make any huge changes in order to have happy birdies. Yes, I've turned down a LOT of hanging out with friends with the well used "oh I can't, I have to keep my birds company"-line, but to be honest I would probably have turned down almost half of these times even if I wasn't a parront.
That's not to say I haven't given anything up for my parrots, I sure have, just not so much of your usual teenager-stuff.
I am not in any way suggesting myself to be special or totally awesome or anything, I'm just stating that with my slight social anxiety, my education plans, my parents, and my unconditional love for Miley and Alaska, I actually feel quite fit for the parrot lifestyle.)

[Nir]

i will say 1 thing. your future bf/gf/wife/husband not liking birds is like the most idiotic reason i ever heard which gets thrown a lot.. That should never matter. just like i would never tell my gf to quit going to malls for me, she needs to accept birds. you know why? because without birds i wouldn't be happy and if my gf or future wife loves me then she needs to accept that. My gf right now has a PHOBIA of birds. so she hates them pretty much or did. When i told her about me wanting a little budgie she was petrified but we worked through it. for first couple months she didnt even try to touch him but right now she allows both birds to perch on her . she still is scared every time but she is getting better. does this mean i will full fill my destiny of getting every parrot i ever wanted? of course not. just like how she is giving in to my want for birds, i will have to given in a bit and possibly have a cut off point. Which i am going to anyway. We did work out a deal of me getting at most 1 more parrot in the future but honestly i dont even want any. but if i did then she would be okay with it.

if it was up to any site online including this, NO ONE would ever own a parrot. Everyone thinks that only they were the exceptions and that no one will most likely be able to do it.

In my opinion raising a bird is EASY. Everything i read and was told was true but i never thought it was a big deal. And since i got mango, it really is easier then i thought it would be honestly. The key is how you expect things. to me my bird was going to be my buddy /friend. So nothing i had to do was hard. the return of our bond and everything else is well worth it. so i am kinda tired of hearing same thing of how its a horrible idea to get a bird. Fact is it has nothing to do with OP's age or anyone else because i got the same treatment and i had a IDEAL situation since i did wait till i finished college AND had a good job along with my own apartment. I understand that we should educate people but a lot of the posts on the forums really plain ol scare the person of from ever returning. and what do you think is going to happen? Yup, he will just end up getting the parrot and never returning to the forum because he is scared of how we are going to view him. similarly how couple posters here hide their age.And the bird will be the one who is affected.

Like i said its not so much about age but rather yourself if your ready for it or not. You are never totally going to be ready but as long as you prepare yourself as much as you can and you have the right mindset then everything should go fine. You just gotta realize that a bird is more then just a pet. he is your family member. And i think most people who goes with that mindset will be successful.

ps guys i am pretty sure the original poster is gone. he has not responded in ages after he replied to my post.

[Nir]

Anyway buying parrots for kids is a horrible idea.

Not always...
13 years old probably counts as a kid and I think I've done pretty well with my cockatoo. Mind you I adopted him VERY untamed and I stuck with him not matter how many times he made me bleed (Which was a lot before he became tame) , I kept trying until he became what he is today, a loving, talkative and happy bird. I'd give up anything to keep my cockatoo healthy. Some of us care more about our pets more than adults. Sure a majority of kids and teenagers end up giving their bird away but not everyone. Not all teenagers/kids are all about texting, facebook, celebrities and parties.

reason i said that is because most kids thinks they want a bird but then doesnt really do their work (i am sure you did your work) and the parent just gets them a bird. This is different then a 13 year old who actually wants a bird and does her research and joins a forum like you did and prepares herself . Or even if you didnt come to the forums right away it would be okay as long as you saw your bird as family and did everything necessary to give him a good life . and all he really needs for a good life is you and your time for the most part. the reason i said its different when the person buys it is because the most likely did their own research and is prepared. when parents buy the bird, they probably are not aware of all the things a bird needs and the costs that can come. but i guess it is okay as long as the kid knows and educates them.

[Cockatielsongs]

I suppose the original poster isn't coming back anytime soon. It's a shame, a lot of experienced owners are giving advice and sharing their experiences...

[Pajarita]

The key to the success of a very young person owning a bird successfully is his/her parents so, in reality, it's not so much the young person's commitment but the parents' and their willingness to sacrifice/pay up/etc. Look what happened to Daisy... she might have been alive today if the parents had agreed to take her to a vet as soon as her accident happened -maybe not but now we will never know, will we? The point is that young people don't have the money or the lifestyle that keeping a parrot healthy and happy for years and years takes. It's not their fault, it's the way things are. It's easy to say 'Everything has been going OK' when it's only been a few years, the bird is young and even if it's not getting good care, it will still remain healthy for a while but when the bird gets older and sick or has an accident and you need $3,000 on the table to pay the vet or when you are not able to go on vacation or stay overnight or go to the shore for a weekend year after year after year for 5, 10, 15 and 20 years then it's a different story.

I love birds. They are my passion and my entire life revolves around them. My children are all grown and well situated in life and all but one have families of their own so I don't have to worry about that but I don't even hold a full time job any longer because of the birds (and I made pretty good money when I did!). I used to travel a lot when I was younger and I don't really miss it now that I am older but I have family overseas and my husband and I travel separately so one of us is here to care for the birds. And I am lucky that I have a good, patient husband who spoils me but even he complains about the expense ("We would be living like kings if it wasn't for the birds! We can't even take vacations together any more!" -and he's 100% right!)

We are now planning on moving back home in another 8 years or so and, in order for me to be able to take all my birds, we will have to get two cabins (one for us and one for the birds) in one of the two cargo ships that take passengers and that go to my country which, if we did it now, would cost over $10,000 just for the trip (meaning, not counting the health certificates, import permits, transportation to and from the ports, etc). Not every spouse is willing or able to make these type of sacrifices and it's easy to say "If you love me, you will have to love my animals" but it's not so easy to find somebody who would be willing to be attacked by a parrot every time he walks into the room where his/her spouse is for the rest of his/her life... And who can blame them?

Our lives are not just 'ours' they also belong to all the people around us and a parrot is HUGELY demanding as a pet and, sometimes, asking the people around us to accept them is a bit too much to ask...