Odd hours, unpredictable schedule, possible to care for a pa

[romc14]

Hello Everyone,
Im currently new to this forum so I hope I posted this topic in the right category. I really want the company of a large parrot such as an african grey or eclectus however Im not sure if its possible with my current Job. Im a working high school photographer that does some traveling. Its a "part time" job however I usually average 30 hrs a week over 3 days of working. So on average im working nearly 10 hrs a day. I usually dont get back home till 7pm however for the rest of the week unless I have a wedding gig, I have no other commitments. I heard its possible to change a parrots biological clock so it doesnt have to sleep at dusk and wake at dawn? The cage I have been looking at is 24 x 36 x 66in and I plan on filling it with foraging toys, chewing toys and have a radio outside the cage. My partner works similar hours but she arrives much earlier around 5pm. My schedule is always changing so im never working the same days everyweek. Is it possible to own a grey or eclectus with these hours? Would it cause behavioral problems? Does anyone have a parrot and work similar hours like mine? Is there another parrot more suited to my life style? Any advice is greatly appreciated!

[Pajarita]

Welcome to the forum! I don't know where you heard or read that you can artificially reproduce a solar schedule but it's not. Things would be so much better for pet birds it this was so but it's not. Think about it. A bird needs exposure to twilight both at dawn and dusk in order for their endocrine system to be healthy but how are you going to do that with light bulbs? See, the thing about twilight is that you are talking about many specifications. It's not only that the light wavelengths change constantly along with the spectrum, it's also intensity AND angle of refraction. How are you going to achieve that? You would need a light that moves up from the floor and that changes in intensity, spectrum and distribution every few minutes and there is no such thing.

You are also aiming a bit too high, in my opinion. Grays and ekkies are very difficult birds to keep happy and healthy and neither is recommended for somebody who has no prior experience or plenty of time in their hands. Grays require a very steady schedule/routine with many, many hours of one-on-one every single day and a quiet household because they are naturally quite high-strung and the smallest thing makes them anxious. Ekkies are a nightmare to feed right... it takes many hours of research to learn about the right foods they can eat (you can't feed them any commercial food) and you need to prepare it fresh for them every day of their lives because they have a super specialized diet in the wild. You are a young person starting your life and, as such, your life is not what one would call stable and with lots of extra time in your hands to spend with a parrot, do research or cook for them. I am not trying to dissuade you from getting parrots but I would strongly urge you to reconsider the species and your expectations... you could keep a pair of cockatiels, parrotlets, lovebirds, budgies, beebees, etc. Basically, any aviary species that you keep in a bonded pair and a very large flight cage because it's entirely doable for them to live at a solar schedule while you don't as long as you make sure they are following it and have fresh food for the morning, protein food for dinner, a clean cage (which you can clean any time of the day) and your company when you happen to be there and have the time for them. But I am afraid it won't work with a companion species like you want.