Dumbest questions people ask about your parrot?

[YungAndintrigued]

My personal all time favorite dumbest questions asked are when people comment on Micheal's videos on you tube and ask what kind of parrot kili is.

[skeetersunconure]

oh ya good one natacha! whenever i say i would like to get another parrot one day they always say "they would live in the same cage right? and i always say are youu kidding!?

[miajag]

See, "do they live in the same cage" is something I wouldn't classify as a really dumb question. THE VAST MAJORITY OF PEOPLE (including most parrot owners) KNOW VIRTUALLY NOTHING ABOUT PARROTS. A year ago, before I started making an active effort to learn about parrots, I wouldn't have known there was anything wrong with keeping multiple parrots of different species in the same cage and I probably would have asked the same question.

[Kim S]

To be honoust, I still keep multible birds in one cage. I have 5 cockatiels and one budgie in one cage at the moment (the budgie moves to his new owner next thursday). And I am planning on getting Kika a gf. If they hit it off they will share their cage.

I think this is more of a cultural difference than real wisdom.

[Michael]

I'm going to try to make some multiple responses here.

I don't get dumb questions very often. I'm always interested in education too, so I tend to take time to answer questions - it's nice people are interested enough to ask...

I do try to answer questions but it gets really boring to just get asked the same stupid ones all the time. If someone demonstrates serious interest I try to answer but I get asked "is it real," "how much does it cost," and "does it talk" on a near daily basis.

Oh! If only they knew...I don't even bother putting away the vacuum cleaner unless we have company over...the hose just stays in front of the cages...

Haha! Me too! What's the point of putting the vacuum cleaner away when you just use it every day!

My personal all time favorite dumbest questions asked are when people comment on Micheal's videos on you tube and ask what kind of parrot kili is.

Yeah, that one gets a prize. The type of parrot appears in the title, description, and I even say it in some of the videos. Some people are just so stupid.

See, "do they live in the same cage" is something I wouldn't classify as a really dumb question. THE VAST MAJORITY OF PEOPLE (including most parrot owners) KNOW VIRTUALLY NOTHING ABOUT PARROTS. A year ago, before I started making an active effort to learn about parrots, I wouldn't have known there was anything wrong with keeping multiple parrots of different species in the same cage and I probably would have asked the same question.

I absolutely agree that people don't know and everyone starts somewhere. But the big difference is that some people make an effort to learn and others don't. You and the other people who have taken the time to research parrots and come across this forum are putting in their own positive effort to learn. I talk to many people who have had parrots and never made the slightest effort to find out what to do. I can only assume that they don't care about their birds.

Also, I do discount the experience and age of the questioner. Being asked if they share a cage by a non-owner or someone that would say they "own a pair of keets in one cage," it wouldn't be surprising. However, when you come across someone that wants to stick a cockatiel in the same cage as an Amazon, you can't help but think they're an idiot. It's true that there are exceptional cases but someone who does it with experience and good reason would probably point that out because they know it's not a good idea most of the time. Asking "is it real?" is pretty dumb no matter who is asking. It's living, breathing, moving, talking... what else could it be? Why would I drag a toy on a leash to the park with me?

If someone is looking into buying a parrot and is asking questions like "do they make a mess", "do they talk", "can you put two in the same cage", etc, I would call this good research and reasonable. However, when you talk to an existing owner and they are asking things like this, it really makes you wonder how they treat their bird.

To be honoust, I still keep multible birds in one cage. I have 5 cockatiels and one budgie in one cage at the moment (the budgie moves to his new owner next thursday). And I am planning on getting Kika a gf. If they hit it off they will share their cage.

I think this is more of a cultural difference than real wisdom.

Let's not deny that there is a major species, personality, and size difference here. Would you put an Amazon and cockatiel or budgie in the same cage??

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Let's all realize that when I talk about dumb questions, that I mean relative to the experience background the asker is coming with. Half the time people are shocked to find out that parrots poop the first time they see it.

[Natacha]

See, "do they live in the same cage" is something I wouldn't classify as a really dumb question.

While I agree with that, my point was more when I say no, the total disbelief and dumbfounded expression I face. As if it's something totally unbelievable that I would consider using a cage per bird.

[Michael]

Let me add that I do enjoy answering questions and I definitely know what it's like to be a beginner looking for answers. The problem is more when people are too lazy to do any research themselves so they want me waste my time and spoon feed them the answers. Or they have done so little research themselves that they ask me questions they could have easily learned the answer to if they did the littlest of work. That is why I consider those to be stupid questions. Once again if they are a non-owner and don't intend to be one, it's not surprising that they don't know but if they are one, it's a real shame.

[Brittanyv326]

The funniest, dumbest question I got was from my sister who is 19 years old. Well, a series of questions really. All about bird mouths/beaks/etc. "How do they drink?" (that one wins the prize) "Are their tongues completely dry?" "Is her tongue black?" so I showed her all in one step by dipping my finger in water and letting Sadie lick it off. lol.

I think the average person should know more about birds than they do. You can't walk outside without hearing or seeing one, how do you ignore them your whole life? Some of the questions are not just parrots, but all birds. I've never considered myself particularly interested in birds before a couple years ago, but I would always find myself watching birds for long periods of time, they're incredible. Their mating dances, habits, interactions, the way they play... Just the other day an Osprey amazed me by the sheer power of it by snapping off an inch thick branch flying at full speed. Then I watched as she built a nest. I feel bad for people who miss all of this. How oblivious has the human race become? I don't expect a non-bird-owner to know specifics, but come on... I should have told my sister that parrots absorb moisture in the air through their eyes and that's how they drink.

Another example of the sheer ignorance came up today when I was reading a novel and put it down and did not want to read one more word. It's based in Florida (where I was born, raised, and currently reside) and the author says something like "I saw the white egret picking through the trash". Now Idk how common they are elsewhere, but they are here, and NO THEY DON'T EAT TRASH. THEY ARE WATER BIRDS. They eat fish and if on land, they eat bugs. Then I really got mad when the lady said that Anole Lizards eat trash too. They eat flies/bugs. All this really makes me lose faith in people.

[tacotaco]

My favorite (which surprisingly I get TOO OFTEN!) is ....

I walk on the beach with Charlie often (his leash is on...) and people walk up to me or see him walking on the beach and ask me if it's a wild bird that I found around here. "Is it hurt, why are you walking it?"

I reply nicely always and let them know that he is my pet..and was bred here in the united states and raised from birth, etc.. but inside my head i'm just like "are these people serious?"

[Michael]

Another example of the sheer ignorance came up today when I was reading a novel and put it down and did not want to read one more word. It's based in Florida (where I was born, raised, and currently reside) and the author says something like "I saw the white egret picking through the trash". Now Idk how common they are elsewhere, but they are here, and NO THEY DON'T EAT TRASH. THEY ARE WATER BIRDS. They eat fish and if on land, they eat bugs. Then I really got mad when the lady said that Anole Lizards eat trash too. They eat flies/bugs. All this really makes me lose faith in people.

Perhaps someone was throwing away a large amount of unwanted fish and bugs into their garbage?