.....

[Pajarita]

I was born into a home with birds. My grandmother was a bird lover and she would buy quaker babies from a farmers market every summer to raise and release back into the wild because, in the country where I was born and raised, it's legal to kill them and farmers knock down the nests with tiny babies inside and they would sell the babies. I hand-fed my first baby when I was ten (under the supervision of my grandmother who actually did more of the work than I did ). I got my first purebred Hartz Roller canary for my 13th birthday and the very first thing I did when I moved to the States was to get a budgie. I've always loved birds and have always had canaries in my house until 1992 when my ex-husband's new wife asked me if I wanted a parrot that a co-worker could no longer care for. That was Pretty Bird, a female red lore amazon. And the whole thing grew from there until I opened a rescue when I moved to Pennsylvania. I never told anybody I had a rescue, never advertised and never even got my tax exempt status but, of course, my family, friends and co-volunteers at a dog and cat rescue I worked at knew about it and, through word of mouth, I ended up with around 240 birds!

I started doing research on parrots natural diets, biology, their physiology, avian medicine, etc as well as nutrition in 1994 when Pretty Bird was diagnosed with high uric acid and I haven't stopped yet although I don't do it most Sundays. I also had my own website for a few years where I gave advice on birds, I gave chats and presentations at schools to teach children about parrots and wrote articles on them.

Do NOT get a cockatoo! Not yet. Cockatoos require company all day long and somebody with a very stable situation and HUGE patience because they are always chewing on something or getting into trouble so, unless you can dedicate yourself 24/7/365 for years and years and years, it will not work out for the too.

[IAmEagerToLearn]

Ok I see where you are coming from. Until I get used to taking care of birds, I am unable to get a cockatoo. So volunteering is the best way to get a first look huh? Quick question, where do you buy your cages and bird toys? Can I get the website?
Do you think a cockatiel is the best choice for a beginner like me?
And is it good to be young and plan out these things for the bird I may want?
Also do shelters have young birds? (I read online young birds are a bit easier to tame if you are consistent) Or would you recommend me getting a young bird from a breeder?
I've been reading up on the bird I may want, and I still haven't made my final choice, so I can prepare.

[Pajarita]

I think that anybody who thinks is a bird person and wants a parrot should start with a pair of cockatiels because they are easy to care for, beautiful little birds, smart enough to learn to talk and train and super-sweet. The thing is that although everybody thinks they can take care of parrots, the truth is that only bird people have the commitment and love to make it work and there aren't that many true bird people out there... Everybody likes birds and anybody can give a dog or a cat a good life but very few people can give a bird a good life - it's too hard and it lasts way too long. People start with lots of enthusiasm but, as the years go by, they get tired of the sacrifice, their lives change and the poor bird ends up being severely neglected for a couple of years until they rehome it.

I would never recommend buying a baby from a breeder! And not only because there is a huge overpopulation problem and buying only makes it worse but because newbies do better with a 'what you see is what you get' bird while babies are a lottery. And yes, you will be suprised how many young and perfectly good birds you can find in a rescue! John's rescue has a 3 year old macaw - which is the equivalent of a child in a macaw!

[IAmEagerToLearn]

I do hope I still have that enthusiasm, like I said I want to make sure I'm doing the right thing. Ok, so the rescue is the best option, thanks. Would you recommend me buy cages and supplies before hand?
Where would you recommend buying a cage?
How do I know I'm for sure the right person to get a bird?
Will volunteering at a rescue prove that I have enough commitment?
Do you think I'll be a successful bird owner?

I do know I should start small. I also know not to buy from a pet store where they sell animals or from a breeder. So it's better to adopt instead. Does the rescue only sell birds or do they sell supplies to? I think I'll start volunteering, early so I know what to expect, I'll also consider volunteering beyond 3 to 4 months, is a year a good? Or is that not the best choice? 2 years? I do hope I'm ready for this! I'm deciding to plan all this before hand. Anything else I would need to learn about being a newbie? Other than the endless cleaning, the hours of spending time with a bird, the specific diet, knowing owning one is very different from a dog (even though I don't own one and don't know what to expect from a dog), and knowing about the basic steps and adoption and first getting the bird?
Is it ok for me to plan before even if I'm still in highschool? Should I wait until adulthood?
Anything else you want me to research? I also know, knowing is one thing and having experience and commitment is another thing.
But, how do I know I'm a true bird person? (Maybe I can get a degree in cleaning so I can be ready to clean up after the bird? Or is that going too far?)

[IAmEagerToLearn]

I really want to be ready. I should volunteer at a rescue, I might try it for a couple years, I also want to try working there. Take college classes for certain stuff that might help me. I need to prepare my life for this bird. So since I'm a young person still in school, I will start planning ahead. Working at a rescue is probably a great option, so I know what to expect. I'm planning this at a young age, since it's a commitment, I want to do the right things. Setting up a savings account for my bird sounds cool. I most definitely won't be having children, and I will continue to research. I'm not considering a bird now, definitely not because I'm not ready. So I at least should try to live for taking care of birds at a rescue. Working there should be a good start, maybe that should be my first job for a few years? And then I could learn all I can. Like I could learn to get used to bird behavior and the cleaning process. I could study for the research and take tests on the knowledge I know. But the most crucial is well volunteering! I really want to test my skill and dedication! I need to prepare my life for a bird, I know it's more than just having a "pet" it's inviting an individual into your life. Like a marriage, yes it can be all good and fun but it's a commitment too, and sometimes it isn't always happy times there are hardships too. I know as a newbie I can talk the talk saying I will do all this and that but I really want to walk the walk, do what I'm going to say and have what it takes to live up to this commitment. I really want to be a great bird owner, I do. Saying is one thing doing is another, I know things don't go as planned and you say stuff and you don't do it, it happens. People do have a way of saying stuff and it sounds all good but they don't live up to what they say, I've seen it many times. But I want to actually try, live up to what I say, I'm eager to learn all I can so I can accomplish my goals. I'm eager to at least try and do what I say. I don't want to let any birds or humans down, I'm being counted own to carry out what I will say. I at least want to try and get the job done, and live up to what I say, it may not be easy but I'm willing to try harder and persevere.

In the end, I just want to be a good bird owner, that person that made their individual feel loved and wanted. I also hope I'm willing to last that long, I do hope I last, I don't want to give up on a bird. That type of person that that's willing to take on the commitment. But it's a life journey, I do hope to learn from many life lessons that will come my way, before I reach my destination I wanted to be.
(Sorry for putting a lot down, you probably lost faith in me from what I said)
I do hope I can be a good person to that bird I'll get, I surely hope.
But yeah definitely considering that rescue job, the perfect thing can't wait to start.

[IAmEagerToLearn]

Also found some good websites for toys, I heard bottle brush wood was good but I'll have to talk to the rescue about that. Until then I'll keep on researching and should I take notes? Welp. Wish me luck! I want to aspire to be a good bird owner one day!
I need to do heavy research. How much research did you do? And what books or sites would you recommend me look at?
Can avian vets also have birds too? Or they can't? I think should go into bird study and become a specialist for these types of things. I hope I'm good enough to meet the requirements. To start I want to work at a avian rescue or be a volenteer then work there, and move on from there. Do you think I'll be a good bird owner?
(I have a some doubt that a person like me I can actually do it, even if I do research and work at a rescue I still feel doubtful).

[Pajarita]

Anybody can be a good bird owner. It's not as if you need to be born with any particular talent to be one. The only thing that is required is that you love birds (and you need to be born that way) and that you are humble enough to recognize that you will never know enough (and this you learn because there is nothing more humbling than caring for a bird!) a not to take criticism as something offensive or a personal attack because we all make mistakes and if other people did not point them out to us, we would never learn to do the right thing. BUT you will not know if you are a bird person or not until you do it. I did not even know I was a bird person even though I had always had and loved birds and did not even believe the person who first told me I was.

Find a good rescue and volunteer and see how it works out - don't worry about taking courses, there really aren't any because nothing you can learn will turn a non-bird person into one. And don't think that everybody who owns a bird is a bird person because that could not be further from the truth.

[IAmEagerToLearn]

I guess it's all results down to volunteering at a rescue. I know I may never know enough but I want to at least to know what I can. At least try to be prepared for what I'm getting into, even though it will never be enough. I do hope I turn out to be a bird person. Will being at a rescue show that I am one?
I do hope so.
Will that also prove that I truly love birds? How will I ever know I'm truly a bird person?
I know that research and studying can help me to everything....
So I will only know if I do it? But will I know that I am a bird person once I do it? Am I even good enough to have the right to be called such a high positioned title?

I had a friend that was sorta a bird owner, when she was younger she had 1 or 2 birds but couldn't spend time with them because she had school and because her mother didn't like when they were out the cage. She had a plan to wait, she liked birds but she wasn't ready to get one. Her mother surprised her with one but she didn't want one right away and she regretted getting one because she wasn't ready. What advice should I give her? And does she deserve to own another bird in the future when she is ready?
She says she really wishes that they weren't given to her at this age. Does she deserve a life sentence or beheaded (is that going to far with the punishment she deserves?) for her actions? Do you think she should never try to own a pet again? What do you think about her actions?

[Pajarita]

I don't know your friend so I would not be able to give you an opinion about her or her actions. One thing I can tell you and that is that a bird person would ALWAYS put her/his birds (bird people don't have just one bird, they always have more because parrots are always happier when there are other parrots to flock with) wellbeing and happiness before her/his own - and that means rehoming them to a good home if and when they can no longer provide a good life to a bird. People who are not bird people usually keep them even when they cannot give them a good life because they put their desires before the bird's needs. They keep them for a while, that is, because, eventually, the neglect the bird suffers affects it to the point of depression and anxiety and they start screaming, biting and/or plucking which the owners put up with for a while but finally get really tired of the whole thing and rehome them - and they always charge money for them (another sign that they are not bird people who would not dream of charging a penny for their babies).

Everybody who owns a bird considers him/herself a bird person but the greatest majority are not bird lovers but bird enjoyers - and there is a big difference between the two!

[IAmEagerToLearn]

Yeah, I think it's better for them to be rehomed so at least her birds will have a a nice place to live. She wasn't that bad a owner (at least she tried, no selling for her she wouldn't accept such money for a loved one), I'm glad she was considering to give them to a rescue. Do you think it's possible to be in between the bird lovers and bird enjoyers? What particular thing is unique about the two that set them apart?
Also thanks for the advice, still haven't got the birds yet but I'll definitely consider volunteering before I get them. Did you want me to come by when I start volunteering or after when I bring them home?
Also will this site still be available in like 5 years? Or more?
Should I get a young bird or an adult? Are there options like that at a rescue?
What do people do when they get their first bird? Do they start to add more birds to their flock? (When they already have a bond with the first ones) Is that what you did when you wanted to increase the number of birds in the flock?