TooLove wrote:I can definitely identify with your situation Matt. I am a young parrot owner myself. My parents had parrots years before I was born (all of which were sold or passed on to other people so their track record wasn't great to begin with). My mom decided she wanted to get a parrot again and fell in love with a baby cockatoo. Being 15, I was just ecstatic at the possibility of getting a pet since we had never been allowed (my brother has asthma and is allergic to all furry things, and it turns out bird dander as well...). So we got this cute little bird, with the understanding that since he would likely outlive my parents he would become mine once I was through school and settled with a house. Several years later it became apparent that the novelty had worn off for them, and they were no longer interested in having a bird. It was a tie-down, because they wanted to downsize and become snow birds and didn't want the responsibility, mess, or noise. So they wanted to sell him, and I was devastated. Being in undergrad and working nearly full time I couldn't afford an apartment but they made it clear that he could not stay any longer. I begged my boss to let him live at the clinic I work at, and he did for 8 months with me stopping in every day before school to get him ready for the day and after school to spend time with him and put him to bed. Then my parents sold the house and bought a smaller one that conveniently had no room for me in it, so I moved in with my boyfriend and brought my 'too along too. Less than a year later I got into vet school and moved to Canada with him and we live in an apartment here. It's been really difficult to accommodate him, and he's been such a great sport about it this whole time. As hard as it might have been for you, you didn't make a wrong decision to give your bird up. I'm not sure sometimes if I should have done that. It's definitely costly (it's going to be roughly $600 just to get him back and forth across the border with me for Christmas, and I specifically pay for a 2 bedroom apartment so he has his own room to sleep in while I'm up late studying) and time consuming (I come straight home after class to spend time with him, missing out on a lot of extra labs and study groups). Unfortunately people don't do enough research when it comes time to get a parrot and the birds are the ones that end up suffering because they can't fit into our lifestyles. Most people would not do what I've done for my bird. You're very mature and strong to stand up and recognize your mistakes and to make a selfless decision for your bird. Hopefully you can arrange to get her back when you are in a more stable situation, since it sounds like you'll be a great parrot owner when you're able to.
Sound like you two have been through quite the adventure! I bet having a cockatoo through all that was tough! Thanks for the compliments to.
