Is a Senegal Right for Me?

[Rokin'Rats]

So would a Senegal parrot be right for me? I'm 11, have two brothers and live with my mom. Everyone will most likely want to spend time with the parrot. I will have to go to school for 8 hours a day, another hour for homework, I have to go to my dads house every other weekend. I won't be getting a parrot for another couple of years though. But not much will change. Also I've never had a bird of any kind before, so are Senegals good for me? I appreciate your answers!

[Michael]

So would a Senegal parrot be right for me? [color=#408040]I'm 11, have two brothers and live with my mom.

No, sorry. I cannot recommend parrots to children and especially Senegals. Parrots are very messy, noisy, flighty, costly, aggressive, and difficult pets. They are the most unsuitable pet for children.

[Nir]

So would a Senegal parrot be right for me? I'm 11, have two brothers and live with my mom. Everyone will most likely want to spend time with the parrot. I will have to go to school for 8 hours a day, another hour for homework, I have to go to my dads house every other weekend. I won't be getting a parrot for another couple of years though. But not much will change. Also I've never had a bird of any kind before, so are Senegals good for me? I appreciate your answers!

Not sure about a sennie but what about a budgie? Also how old are your brothers. Just remember that your life will go through a lot of changes and a sennie will most likely live through it.

[Polarn]

I'm going to drop somewhat of a bomb here: there are no pets that should be owned by kids!

Now let me explain, I do think it is enriching for kids to take part of a household with pets in it and the interaction, training to take responsibilities etc etc. however I do not think a pet should ever be given to a kid by a parent or who ever who then say "it's yours and I won't deal with it" we always had pets when I grew up, but these were my parents pets, I took em for walks and one of the dogs shared its bed with me and followed me around all the time, was still my moms dog though and she would take excellent care of it if I decided to ignore it. Birds however has a tendency to bond to a specific person and they expect and deserve a lifelong relationship (I think this should be true for most pets but lets face it, few species live in monagomy). This said if your mum or dad truly wants a bird and you get the opportunity to interact with it I think that could work. But you getting a bird of your own... First off you have to consider the commitment, will you be able to care for it when you go to uni? Could you imagine dating with a bird around? (I know this sounds silly but the bird do affect it, they get jealous, cranky and whatnot). And on a side note is your pain threshold high enough to not raise a biter (especially while talking bigger birds) ask one friend to bite your hand as hard as they can while another punch ya in the tummy... No noise, no pulling back and you might be ready for a sharp little beak with a tremendous force behind it.

Kidding aside: you will bleed, but may not show fear, pain, reaction or noises when it happens. And it's not a question of if, it is when and how frequent.
You will feel lost, happens to all of us, they occationally regress, hold grudges etc and it makes us feel a bit bad. And we have to work through it.
Feel ready to get married already? The lifespan of any bird is longer than the average marriage.

I might consider someone ready to get a bird at the same time they have decided their not gonna have kids or when they've had kids and know the responsibility involved. Owning a bird is like having a 2year old kid around with any letter combination diagnosis that pops into your mind.

And yes there are tons of kids taking excellent care of their birds, but usually with their parents pockets and the birds will make an effect on their social life's unless they decide to start neglecting their bird.

[Elizebird]

I don't want to bombard you, but I don't think it's the right starter pet for you. However, I think it's a really good thing that you posted here ASKING and at least tried to get some info before just jumping ahead and getting one!

I think you need to approve getting a bird with your mom first, and as long as your parent is aware of what SHE is getting into (since it will probably be her pet for the day you are at school) and is willing to pay the expenses, ect. I think a smaller bird (such as a tiel or budgie) would be a good starter bird. But if you've never even had a pet...I would not recommend getting a bird at all. :/

[Polarn]

I think the smaller birds are somewhat overlooked tbh, and I can admit I was the same. Prolly couse we had toos and Greys when I grew up as tame birds and small birds in a "rescue aviary" and they were never tame. And I think when especially someone new to birds think of a fun bird to own that will be the bird they immagine, a Senegal is as small as it gets pretty much.

And to be honest... Geez I woulda shaved off a lot of costs only keeping small birdies, my roof is due to a change (wooden roofs with patterns Polarn has chewed off) all wooden trim has been removed due to chewing. Wallpapers are a shared effort though. Most handles for the wardrobes I made a couple years back I need to make new ones... I love em to death and most destroying other things than toys is under control but at times I've thought I might as well have accepted a roommate known to occationally throw knifes inside and who has a knack resculpting items with a chainsaw and I woulda gotten off easier.

[Elizebird]

I agree with you Polarn. But UNLIKE Polarn, I grew up with small birds and am just now getting into larger birds. I love my tiels, and I still think they rock. I had one budgie too, and she was the sweetest, but unfortunately she had a virus caught at the petstore (I didn't know better than ) and the vet could do nothing for her and she died.

Conures, in my humble opinion, are the best birds ever. XD I only have GCC now ... well, it's my sister's, but she always leaves it with me as she travels a lot...but they are the best if you spend a lot of time with them. Again, I don't have a lot of larger bird experience, but I was perfectly content with conures (had one growing up, have that one now) just felt like branching off.

[AlbertaAviary]

No. Seriously, do not get a Senegal. Maybe you could get a budgie or lovebird but no. No kind of parrot is good for a kid. I'm fourteen. Of course when I'm older, I'd love a parrot. I've done lots of research on parrots and would love to be an avian veterinarian.

I have two budgies. Get something smaller like what I have. Not a Senegal.

[Nir]

Since you never had a pet before, get a budgie. I think having a pet is great for kids with the responsibilities it bring. Also birds are fine first pets as long as you choose the right bird (budgies or other easier birds). Buy a pair since you will not have as much time to give it attention.

[marie83]

I disagree that no child should have pets as I've been keeping them from a very young age, however I do agree that a bird is not the best first pet, particuarly the more demanding species like the senegal. If it has to be a bird please consider a budgie or a cockatiel but personally I would get some experience with other animals first, maybe small rodents like rats or hamsters?
I don't know what support your parents are going to give but theres a million things that need considering and what I've wrote below doesn't even begin to cover it.

- are you prepared to always put your pet first? even if it means missing a night out with friends? not having new jeans or trainers so you can afford the vet/new toys etc?

- what happens when you go on holiday? can you find someone to take care of him? what if the birds aggressive and nobody wants to look after him?

- If your at school 8 hours and doing homework for 4 hours then thats half the day gone, if your in bed 8-10 hours as well then you only have a spare 2-4 hours a day for meals, showers, watching tv or whatever else you like to do so you really really won't have enough time for a bird or indeed most other pets.

- What happens when you leave school? You probably don't even know if you want to go to college or uni yet but what if you do? Its going to be so so hard to find accommodation that allows pets because very very few do, plus if you end up sharing accommodation will you be able to trust the people you live with not to accidently hurt the bird? what happens if you leave him/her at home with your mum? will she have time to look after him? what about how it will effect the bird when part of his flock ''goes missing''?


- Then you will need to find a job, you will be completely broke for a while until you do, can you afford the vet bills, good food, new yoys etc? then what happens if you work long hours and the bird is all alone all day? or if you can't find property that allows parrots? What if you can and then the neighbours complain?