Top 3 Things You Would Tell All New Parrot Owners.

[patdbunny]

Also removing an unwilling parrot from your shoulder is like trying peel a piece of double-sided, extra-sticky tape from your hair.

. . . that bites. . .

My conure used to run down my back and do circuits around my body to prevent being removed. I had to put my back against a wall so she had nowhere to go in order to get her off.

[kaylayuh]

My conure used to run down my back and do circuits around my body to prevent being removed. I had to put my back against a wall so she had nowhere to go in order to get her off.

I have to do that with Cheney Bird! I need to back right up against the cage and kind of shoo him off to the cage, otherwise he runs around my shoulders and neck and I can't get him off.

[entrancedbymyGCC]

1) Make sure you really want a parrot. Do your research. Be aware this is a commitment for decades. Be aware that this relationship may seriously interfere with other relationships. Think about this twice as hard if you are very young... your life may change a lot in 20, 30 or 40 years... will a parrot fit in with all those changes?

2) Parrots have their own agenda, more than most other pets. You will get pooped on, you will probably get bitten, and you will almost certainly get your feelings hurt.

3) On the other hand, once you have a parrot in your life, you will wonder what it was like not being greeted in the morning with happy calls, being wolf-whistled at or being summoned like Jeeves by the ringing of a bell... your household will change, for better and for worse. Don't forget to enjoy the better while you are vacuuming or band-aiding the worse.

[Margaret]

1. Don't make my mistakes: if you never have any birds, buy one from breeder. Don't adopt, don't rescue, don't buy re-home your first bird and don't buy it in store- even the one you can trust. Choose good breeder. After a while with birds, after you think you understand their nature, you can adopt, buy re-home, etc.
2.Birds are not mammals: Even if it's obvious, a lot of people expect from their birds to be like their dogs or cats.
3. Noise level is a very personal feeling Go to store, watch and listen. Go to YT and listen, goggle it with i.e:noisy Senegal (if you want to have Senegal). Think before if you will be capable with that noise level and your neighbors too! Somebody said in the forum, that their are quiet- go and check. Somebody else quiet, maybe loud for you.
*Senegal was only example here.

[sora no tori]

1. You will get bit. Period. When this happens, you will have two choices: A. Pull your hand back with a yelp, thereby teaching your parrot that anytime a human gets too annoying, they can simply be scared off. B. Bleed a bit, wince on the inside, but show nothing and teach that bird that it can't get rid of you so easily.

2. Think very hard about the clipping question. It's a hot topic in the bird world, and often people are very set in their ways of thinking. Examine the topic with an open mind and try to figure out what is best for you, and your bird. Which, make no mistake, may include not getting one at all.

3. As far as the cage is concerned, go as big as you can manage. Not only because of the general rule that the more space a bird has the happier it gets, but because if you are starting with something like a budgie, small birds can be very fragile (though I suppose any can really). If tragedy strikes, I know that another bird will be a painful topic for a long time, but people who are really dedicated often end up back in the saddle. If that happens, you don't want to find yourself limited to the smallest possible bird again, or have to shell out more cash for yet another cage.