Adopting my first parrot!

[Jstew320]

Hi I've been researching Parrots for the last seven or eight months and my application to adopt was recently approved by the bird sanctuary in my hometown. I've had alot of trouble deciding on a breed of parrot and have been flip flopping between Budgies, Lovebirds, Green Cheek Conures, Parrotlets, and Senegals. I'm 23 and live with 2 roommates so while noise wouldn't normally be a factor for me I need to take them into consideration. There is a 17 year old male senegal at the sanctuary that I've really fallen in love with but I want to be sure I can provide him with a good forever home before I adopt. His last owner surrendered him because she was pregnant with her second child and he was beginning to pluck his feathers out because she no longer had the time for him. He's stopped plucking since he's been at the rescue and has white patches of down on his chest now. After meeting him he's obviously a little shy but not extremely aggressive or terrified which really surprised me given all the stress he's been under. I feel like with a few months of work and a major change in his diet (His last owner fed him primarily seeds) he could be a great companion. I was leaning towards getting one of the three smaller breeds before I met him because I felt that they would be a little easier to care for. I'm in my last year of college and I waitress part time 2 or 3 days a week. So on days that I waitress I could only spend 1-3 hours with him. The other 4 or 5 days of the week I'll only be on campus for a few hours in the morning and then can spend the rest of my afternoon and evening at home probably alternating between training him, cooking for him, and doing homework. We had a cockatiel and several parakeets growing up so I have experience handling birds but this is the first parrot I'll be caring for completely on my own. Am I biting off more than I can chew? I would love to get some feedback from people with a little more parrot experience. I'm sorry this post is so long I don't want to make a decision unless I'm really sure that I can provide him with all of the love and time that he deserves.

[pionus]

If you have doubts that you won't be able to care for this bird, than maybe just spend some time with him at the sanctuary, get to know him as best you can before you bring him home, and get to know his personality. if you need to, wait until you graduate. that will give some more time to prepare and learn (cuz there is always more to learn ) and than you might not have your roommates to factor in to noise and maintenance, whether they want don't mind noise, mess and poo, or if they even want a parrot in their home.

i wish you the best of luck in your decision! and well done for adopting!

[Michael]

Sounds fine. Don't spend more time with the bird than you expect to be able to provide for the rest of its life. Read up on Senegal Parrot aggression and make sure it's something you're aware of and prepared to deal with if it comes up. Also, even if the bird is clipped, it is your responsibility when adopting it that A) You are prepared and willing to let it become flighted in your home as it grows feathers back B) Your home is safe for a flying bird. If either of these are not met, I would not recommend a parrot to you at all. If you're not looking for a bird because you want a bird, then you won't be happy with it anyway. Here are a bunch of informative topics about Senegal Parrots that you should definitely read beforehand:

viewtopic.php?f=12&t=348
viewtopic.php?f=18&t=768
viewtopic.php?f=15&t=285
viewtopic.php?f=15&t=228
viewtopic.php?f=7&t=1905
viewtopic.php?f=12&t=8704
viewtopic.php?f=12&t=8716

[Jstew320]

Thank you both so much for responding! I read over all of the articles you posted and it is all really great information. I'm trying to prepare myself for this as much as possible and I think I've decided to dive in and make the commitment. I'm still a little nervous but I think that it's normal because I realize this is a huge responsibility and I'm going to be giving up a lot of my free time. I'm going to get him this weekend so I'll update you with pictures and I'm sure I'll have tons of questions once he's here and I start trying to begin training him. Also I am prepared to let his flight feathers grow out It's part of their natural state and I don't really think we have the right to take that from them personally.

[pionus]

Yay! I hope everything goes well! Do keep us posted!