Hello, from UAE!

[3alya]

Hello everyone!
My name is Alya, 19 yo from Dubai.
So, I've always loved animals. As a kid, i used to watch Animal Planet while my cousins (we all lived in the same house- 10 kids, almost all the same age) played outside and whatever.
So, I loved animals and i had dogs and cats as 8pets, but they never really worked for me because there are a looot of people in my house, and they were not necessarily animal lovers themselves.
Soon, i just stopped thinking about animals and all my dreams of becoming a vet vanished. Last year was my first year as a university student, and i started with no ambitions or dreams.
One day while visiting my family in Abudhabi, i went with my grandmother and cousins to Al Mina, a port market area. As a kid i loved going there to see the animals, but when i went that time i was shocked at the bad living conditions of most animals. Later on i discovered that people have complained and slowly but surely those shops are being shut down or replaced.
Anyways, i was looking through the windows and saw 3 little baby birds. One was moving while the other two were still and looked dead but i am not sure.
I asked the shop owner and he told me they were perfectly healthy but he will sell them at a discount. Instead, i bought the healthy looking one for 200 AED, including baby food formula, which was all i had since i was not planning to buy anything.
I took the parrot home and searched all night long.
It was a baby IRN, and i had to feed him every 4 hours. The responsibility was not a burden, i actually loved it.
I knew nothing about parrots, but i learned, and each passing day made me love them even more. Soon, Kiwi started flying a bit. I always took him outside so that he can see the other birds, including a flock of IRNs.
One day, while that flock was on the neighbors' tree, Kiwi suddenly flew towards them. I was literally frozen in shock, and honestly i felt betrayed.
By that time he was almost fully weaned, but i was worried he will get hungry. Later on that same day, i went to where i always sit with him and called and he answered back from the tree behind the bench.
After that day he completely refused to go into the cage, so i just let him do what he wanted. I don't know if i did the right thing or not, but i went to that tree everyday to sit with him and feed him, until the day he didn't answer back.
I don't know if he is alive and flying with the flock or dead.
I felt empty after that and busied myself by studying. But this interest in parrots never died.
One day while using Instagram, i found a man who opened a pet store recently and he sold his parrots online. The most recent post was of a cute baby sun conure, he was importing 15 babies.
About 4 months later (it was suuch a long wait!) I finally had my new parrot.
By that time (2 months ago) i knew a lot more about parrots, and sun conures were perfect for me. For the first 2 weeks i just worked on bonding with him.
When i started trick training i was astonished at how smart these creatures are! The first trick i taught him (after clicker conditioning and target training) was 'spin'. It took less than 3 days for him to learn the trick, and it felt amazing.

At the beginning my family were asking me why i got this tiny bird and not a "real parrot like the big white ones or the colorful ones", but now they love Kiki almost as much as i do. And yes i do live with my family, we are very traditional and close, as a result.
The only thing that is less than perfect about having Kiki at home is the kids. Now we have 5 annoying little brats who scare Kiki by there sudden moves and loud voices. I think they annoy me more than they annoy little Kiki, I have become a bit possessive, but that's just my maternal instincts kicking in.
My family loved Kiki so much that it made my uncle want to buy a parrot for himself. He had an African Grey a couple of years ago, but he honestly did an awful job taking care of it. Cleaning the cage and feeding the parrot were done by a servant, and the parrot was alllways in the cage. The only interaction we had with it was through the bars, and i think it became a little bit crazy. In the end my brother accidentally opened the cage and the parrot flew away. My uncle actually cried! To be fair, he loved the bird, and although nobody else could safely get close to it, he could and it never bit him.
Anyways, he wants to get another one, and there is nothing i can do to stop him. God, the kids will make it go crazy! But i will help it as much as i can. I really love african greys, and the only reason i got a sun conure instead is because of my huge family, God bless them <3

Lol i have probably talked too much. I would've loved to share some pictures but the files are too large and i am too sleepy right now =D

[Periquita]

Well hello!! I read your whole story and it was amazing! Do you still want to become a vet?
I'm sure your Kiwi is alright, Parrots are incredibly smart as you said it yourself, I believe he is now with his new flock :] Even thou I know it's not easy to overcome our little baby flying away..

As to your new sun conure, I'm sure he has a wonderful home! Birds love the noise, and if you have lots of kids in your house he will probably never get bored! If you ask me, I'd rather have my bird surrounded by noise and attention than locked in a cage all day.

I'm Andrea btw, I also knew I loved birds and parrots at a very young age. I can't say no to a bird in need.. For that reason, besides my 3 little birds I got from my family, I've taken 4 birds from different people.

The first 3 where from an old lady who just couldn't take care of them anymore, 2 large amazons and a little Parakeet. Their cage was a little dirty and they looked like they needed a good bath, but they're great now. The fourth other one, a small parakeet too, was given to me as a rescue bird, because some kids in a friend's school were going to kill it (rough, I know).

Well now look who's been talking too much haha, hope to see a picture of your birds soon! Greetings!

[Wolf]

Women!! Don't you know this is a Parrot forum and you get to talk about parrots all you want to , we actually like it. And pictures, too.

[Pajarita]

Welcome to the forum, Alya. I, also, have been an animal lover since I was a little girl. Please try to convince your uncle not to get another gray, they suffer neglect more than other species and keeping a parrot in a cage all his life is not only unnatural and unhealthy for a bird, it's also quite cruel. I don't think he meant to be cruel but although people talk about love, they forget that love is not just a feeling, it's also an action and the feeling without the action is not really love. Please try to talk him into getting a pair of some pretty aviary parrots and a large aviary for them.

[3alya]

Lol ok i dont know how to reply to replies here, so i'll just improvise.
(Andrea) Actually i just finished my first year in a university that is more business oriented (like most universities here), but last year one of the best universities here just opened a major in veterinary medicine. I'm just waiting to see what my family has to say about it, and hopefully ill go study there. If not then ill study environmental science and do my best there.
I wish i can rescue some birds, but so far there are no animal sanctuaries here yet. We have a lot of shelters, but they are for cats and dogs. Something needs to be done about parrots. First people need to realize what they are doing wrong, they need awareness. Or else no one will do anything to help. If i tell them i am ready to adopt their parrot, they will sell it instead of wasting all the money they spent. Not everyone is like that though. I forgot the name of this guy, but he realized people would buy lions and tigers then when they grow they want to get rid of them. He started a wildlife sanctuary, with all the professional help he needs and it is amazing.
(Wolf) Men! Haha i'll post the pictures soon.
(Pajarita) The problem is, it is not just my uncle. A lot of people here own african greys, they are definitely the most common, and certainly the cheapest. In the end, they "mysteriously" become aggressive, so they are kept in cages for the rest of their lives. I've seen it happen, but i am helpless to stop it (so far). We need people to understand that the fact that you can afford to buy a parrot does not mean you should. This makes me really angry and frustrated!!

[Pajarita]

Welcome to the 'angry and frustrated' club! I've been a member of it for many years when it comes to the way people treat animals.

[Wolf]

Me too !! By the way what does UAE stand for ?

[Harpmaker]

Welcome to the forum, Alya!

We have a lot of people in the US of A who treat their animals poorly as well. This forum tries to educate the ones who want to do better. (Like me.)

By the way what does UAE stand for ?

Something I know that Wolf doesn't! I have to enjoy it while I can. UAE is United Arab Emirates. Dubai is the best known of them.

[Wolf]

What is Emirates?

[Pajarita]

It's a political division ruled by an 'emir' - kind of like a state, a province, a department, a county, etc. Depending on the country and its culture, it's how the different political regions are named. In my country, we call them 'departments'; in Argentina, they call them 'provinces; in America, states, etc.