Should I Rescue This Parrot?

[skeleo]

My friend has a beautiful flighted Indian ringneck parakeet. She's in a small dirty cage in the kitchen, gets little interaction, has no bird friends, and is never let out of her cage. I met her yesterday and fell in love. She's so sweet and great at eating fruits and she just wants let out. From what I saw, everyone in that house hates her and wants to get rid of her. I feel like I could give her a better life.

But I'm already adopting two baby peach-faced lovebirds very soon. I wouldn't adopt the parakeet until I bond with the two lovebirds. I definitely have time for three parrots. But I'm also young and I'm not sure what my future will be like. I'm not sure if I will have a lot of free time then and I'm not sure if I will have room for three parrots when I go to college. Keeping two lovebirds in college would be less of a problem because they can interact with each other while I'm busy.. I could leave the bird at home with my mom, but I don't think that her situation would be much better than the home she's in now (but it would only be two years and i could get her a larger cage). If my mom keeps her in the future, she would either be in a bird-proofed room to be free or downstairs with the family but stuck in her cage (i have a baby brother and cats and dogs).

I'm not sure what to do, I just want to help Lili (the parakeet). I've tried helping my friend to make Lili's life better, but my friend and her family want nothing to do with the parrot. She's three years old and will be harder to tame than the parrot that I had before, but I barely care about bonding with her, I just want her to be happy and be able to fly and eat good food and have a clean cage.

[Wolf]

You know, I would probably take the bird even if I did not want it, just to give it a better life, while I worked with it to socialize it so that I could find it a better home than what it has now.

I currently have a pair of budgies that originally came here for another couple and I took them back from them because they would not give the budgies a better home, even with my help.

[liz]

Wolf's budgies have been in multiple homes but because they have each other they seem to take it in stride. I rescued them and Wolf rescued me when I realized my care was not good enough for them.

Never doubt your heart. That dirty little bird needs help. You will have to quarantine for a month anyway. If it was me I would take him and help him in every way I can. Like the budgies you may decide that you can't keep him but you will get him healthier and clean. His transition to you should be easy if he is being ignored where he is. He knows where he is and will be grateful to have your care even if he does not bond with you but I am sure he will.

[liz]

The fastest way I have found to clean a dirty cage like that is to knock the chunks off and put it in the shower to soften the poop and dirt. After that they clean up much easier.

[Pajarita]

Hmmmm, it's a quandary, no doubt about it. I, like Wolf, would take the bird even if I am not planning on keeping it just to make it better and find it a good home but this depends on the relationship you have with the current owners and how they would feel about your doing this... I mean, would they be OK with you rehoming the bird after they gave it to you? Most people tend to be - I don't know what word to use, uncharitable? when it comes to these things. They don't really want the parrot but they don't want anybody else to have it, either, unless it's somebody they chose or sold it to. You would have to ask them first...

Your going to college in the future is a problem because, although you can easily get away with keeping a bonded pair of lovebirds (please make sure they are male and female or two males, you can't house two female together) happy and healthy, IRNs require A LOT of daily handling which means a lot of free time -something college students don't really have. Keeping her in the family would be great but that would require a firm commitment from another member of the family because you can't keep a parrot in a cage or a room by itself.

Would you be willing to take her in, rehabilitate her and then find her a good home?

[ParrotsForLife]

Im glad ill be able to stay with all 4 of my Parrots when I go to college.

[skeleo]

I could rehome her. I might be able to get my mom to commit. Two years is a lot of time to teach her how to take care of a bird. I guess I'll just figure it out when the time comes.

And apparently my friend's dad doesn't really want to get rid of the bird, but my friend made it seem like everyone was okay with it. I just don't understand why people have animals that they neglect.. I'll try to convince him.. hhh

[Pajarita]

Most people who describe themselves as 'animal lovers' are, in reality, 'animal enjoyers' - they like to have 'access' to the animal and what the animal gives them, but they don't really love the animal so if the animal is happy or not is irrelevant to them.

Tell him that he can come and visit as often as he wants. To give you a chance to show him that the bird will be real happy with you... But, I might as well tell you that I don't see this selfish man as been agreeable to your rehoming the bird later on.

[ParrotsForLife]

Most people who describe themselves as 'animal lovers' are, in reality, 'animal enjoyers' - they like to have 'access' to the animal and what the animal gives them, but they don't really love the animal so if the animal is happy or not is irrelevant to them.

Tell him that he can come and visit as often as he wants. To give you a chance to show him that the bird will be real happy with you... But, I might as well tell you that I don't see this selfish man as been agreeable to your rehoming the bird later on.

True ^^