looking for right bird for me?

[Grey_Moon]

Shelby is right...again, I was very young when Jacko came home to me. Knowing what I know now---I would not do it again, mind you---she was bought off (no joke ) the crackhead wife of a man my father worked with because my dad 'wanted a cool talking bird' and I took her when my dad got bored and started neglecting her.
Due to her past---she's a plucker and a bit special-needs (doesn't do well alone *
at all) but I think the same applies to any bird. I will vouch that 8-10 hours out of the house continously all day on a regular basis is *way* too much time to be out of the house and should only be done if absolutely necessary. Sure, the smaller birds are less able to express their displeasure in ways that bother humans enough to change something about their lifestyle, but for a flock animal-- 8-10 hours a day, locked in the same cage with the same things to do without their people or a birdie companion...gets old really fast.
I've spent a week bedridden in the same room with the same tv, laptop and the same 4 walls in an empty house while my partner was at work from 7-5...I was a clingy, needy mess by the time he came home. The experience really opened my eyes to how companion birds feel.

All this to say, I really don't think pre-teens to 20-somethings are in the right stages of their lives to provide for a parrot. I mean, if you already have a bird, its different, I wouldn't rehome Jacko because this is her home and rehoming her would no doubt be worse than a few years of craziness and I'm willing to be 'the crazy bird lady who takes the parrot everywhere'. My college years have been a bit easier---I can plan my classes so i'm only out of the house for a few hours, but high school was hell. When I was 14 I had no problem doing 4-6 hours a day, now its a bit more challenging---I think one always has to remember that---even though as young people we have problems seeing how things could develop, right now you have the time and it seems like you always will---but is that always going to be the case?

It really honestly is like having a baby. She sleeps at the head of my bed, takes showers with me, eats with me and demands to be able to see me at all times, and will crawl under the covers for cuddles. She's not as hands on as a 'too and doesn't demand to be touched all the time (if she's given things to distract her----otherwise she can be pretty demanding with scratches ), and sometimes all she wants is for me to put the radio on to the station we always listen to and she dozes off on her favourite chair---occasionally opening her eyes to check I'm not sitting too far away and I'm right where she left me---but I'd better be there.

[theparrotletdude]

I completely disagree.

I had parrotlets when I was 10, and took full responsibility for them, and they did tricks, talked, and were extremely healthy.

It sounds like you are ready to have a parrot.

I would recommend a parrotlet. They are very, very affectionate (especially males). They can be a bit nippy at times and can be stubborn, but after a year and a half of having mine they stepped up, ate out of my hand, would go through a hoop, would come to me when I called them, and said several different words. ("you're a silly bird!") They sound like good birds for you.
I have a website about parrotlets with a forum and articles here (http://www.parrotletworld.webs.com). I go on a lot more than I do here, so if you have further questions post on the forum there

[pennyandrocky]

my friend in highschool had a baby when she was 14 and is a great mom,who loves her son i never once heard her say it was ok for a teenager to have a baby. parrots stay babies for 30-100 years depending on what kind you get.i inherited mine when i was 16 because no one else would take him i called him both a blessing and my curse.i had to sacrafice alot of normal teenage things to care for him properly.

[marie83]

It depends on the person though, for me taking care of my pets was a normal teenage thing. I had no interest in going to netball practice, youth club or going out with my friends every single night. I had no intentions of going to uni.Don't get me wrong I still went out a couple of times a week, did my homework, revision etc but theres no reason why these factors should stop a willing young person owning a lower maintenece bird if things like how long is the parrot on its own for, if I go to uni am I able to pay for somewhere to stay that allows pets rather than living in halls etc. Things change certainly but as long as the pet always comes first it doesn't matter, life can usually be worked around with little impact on the pet. Not always the case and children/teenagers aren't always commited to stuff but some are. Parents support is essential in case there are any problems or vets fees to pay and the animal in question shouldn't always have a set routine so it gets used to changes. For me, I did everything myself including pay vets fees, I worked as soon as I was legally old enough (14) at weekends and saved nearly all my money I earned to pay for my pets care. I would get up early to feed, water and clean out so my free time in the evening could be spent interacting with my pets or training them. Some kids are responsible, are capable of taking on a lifetime commitment and from my own point of view I wouldn't have had it any other way. Quite a few of my friends were the same.

[DanielA]

Well, I just got a Tovi parakeet ( Brotogeris genus) and, well he doesn't seam to mind me away, zbut goes crazy when I come home, I think that you should get one of these, or a cockatiel, a budgie or a parrotlet, as someone else was saying, but you have to understand that you will have a non-normal teenage life, have no teenage life, loke pennyandrocky was saying, but it shouldn't go down on your spirites!!

[Acka]

I reccomend a green cheek conure, they can tend to be nippy but it doesn't hurt. They should grow out of this nippy stage if you put your time into it. They love humans mine follows me around the house.... Look into these, (: