This is the hardest post I have ever had to write.

[skeetersunconure]

Well as the title says, this is the hardest thing I have ever had to write. I am 15 years old and I have a sunconure named Skeeter who is almost 4 years old and I have had him since he was a baby. I love him sooooooooooooooo much!! he is my baby boy and I just love him with all my heart. My family is very unsupportive of him however and want me to find him a new home because they cannot handle him screaming. But honestly he does not scream that much!! There is nothing wrong with him, sure he could use a little bit of work but he is an amazing bird! he knows a lot of tricks such as wave, turn around, stick em' up, high five, fetch, piggy bank, play dead and he flight recalls. He does not bite very often and loves to cuddle! It is breaking my heart to write this but I do not have a choice, I have to find him a new home. He is flighted and I would like him to remain flighted for the rest of his life. I know that some of you may think that I am irresponsible because I am a teenager and am giving up my pet but I have taken the best care of him as I could. I really have! and I have tried to keep him quiet but birds scream! And my family cannot understand that. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE if you can possibly give him a good home where he can be happy it would mean so much to me. I am seriously crying right now because I dont want to give him up i love him soo sooo sooo much but i dont have a choice. so please if you possibly can please please please help!!

[pennyandrocky]

i'm so sorry my mother got rid of my cat that she bought for me because she hated everyone but me and would hide and wait for my mother and brother to walk by and would attack scratching and biting.it broke my heart. your not irresponsible your parents are they should have researched sun conures before allowing you and the bird to bond with eachother not only is this going to hurt you but it will hurt skeeter.i hope you find a perminant home for him and make sure they are prepared so he does't have to be rehomed again.

[liz]

Put your city in your next post so we can see who is near you.

It is not your fault. It is your parents. Being a daughter is not easy. My mother (85) is still trying to tell me what to do even though I take care of her.

[Shelby]

That is terrible! I think you should call a "family conference" and tell them what Skeeter means to you and how awful you feel about having to get rid of him. Maturely and calmly explain to your parents that you are trying to be a responsible pet owner and want to keep Skeeter. Don't point fingers or they will only get upset. He sounds like a great bird. You must have worked with him a lot to teach him all those tricks and make him a good companion.

I see you live in Georgia. Maybe you could try getting Skeeter an outdoor aviary or putting him in a second cage in the shade on your porch or something, so from inside the house any noises he makes won't bother your family as much.

If your parents are really firm on making you rehome Skeeter, check with rescues or humane societies in your area to see if they can help you find a good place for him. I don't suggest offering him "free to a good home". If the potential new owners are a good home, they will not mind paying for him and his cage and supplies. If they can't afford that, they won't be able to afford his upkeep. My grandma always says that "to most people, free has no value," and I think this is especially true in regards to pets.

[cml]

I don't suggest offering him "free to a good home". If the potential new owners are a good home, they will not mind paying for him and his cage and supplies. If they can't afford that, they won't be able to afford his upkeep. My grandma always says that "to most people, free has no value," and I think this is especially true in regards to pets.

First off, my sympathy for the way your folks are treating you in this matter, I think its awful. I wouldnt want to part with my guys for anything.

I dont agree with shelby though. There is a balance. I wouldnt even think about adopting from someone who was trying to scam you for money with a living being, which is exactly whats happening on our craigslist-equalent with parrots. Find a balance, dont charge too much, it will scare people off, but dont give him away for free either (someone might adopt him just to resell him). Set a reasonable price, if such a thing can be done with your loving pet.

I really feel sorry for you, and the best thing would be if your parents came around .

[Shelby]

I'm in the boonies and I'm not going to lie - there's a lot of crazy rednecks here. Where I live, poverty = lots of pets. It's not always the case, but it is very common. The poorer someone is, they more pets they tend to have and the more they complain about not having enough money. They usually pick up free pets from newspaper ads, or from friends whose cat/dog/etc. had babies. A high price does not make something more important to me, but I have seen plenty animals neglected because they were free. This is why I suggested not giving Skeeter away, but it may be very different where you live.

[cml]

I'm in the boonies and I'm not going to lie - there's a lot of crazy rednecks here. Where I live, poverty = lots of pets. It's not always the case, but it is very common. The poorer someone is, they more pets they tend to have and the more they complain about not having enough money. They usually pick up free pets from newspaper ads, or from friends whose cat/dog/etc. had babies. A high price does not make something more important to me, but I have seen plenty animals neglected because they were free. This is why I suggested not giving Skeeter away, but it may be very different where you live.

I think you are misunerstanding me, let me clarify :

I am not suggesting that she should give him away either!

I am just saying there has to be a balance. Definatly not cheap, as to scare unserious people away (be it the type you described or people looking to resell the bird. But at the same time, not so expensive people think you only care about money, and want to make a good deal out of it yourself.

Afterall, we are talking about a living, loved being!

Again, skeetersunconure, I really hope you dont even have to rehome your bird, I hope your parents come through. Sorry for derailing your thread, I am sure niether me or shelby wanted to draw attention away from the isssue at hand!

I wish I could help!

(Shelby, I hope you arent cross with me, I was just trying to explain how people view certain ads where I live. Some people trade in birds, or just want to make a profit from their pet when they've tired of it. I really cant stand that All the best )

[dorp]

I'm sorry that your parents allowed you get so attached to your pet without realizing that having a bird in the home would cause a lot of noise and changes in the household. They definitely made a mistake getting you the bird but you have to realize that living in a home w/ a bird is very difficult for people that do not like(/appreciate?) them.
I cannot stand my girlfriend's parrots and after a lot of introspection I've unfortunately decided that I'll never be willing to live in the same home as one. I had no idea how much I hated parrots until I was forced to be around them and I have a feeling your parents were the same way. It's easy to become attached to parrots because they instinctively become attached to their caretaker but remember that it's just a bird They don't know anything except how to be a bird. Someone suggested that you give your bird to an aviary, this is a good idea. Your parents will probably be more than willing to pay whatever fees an aviary asks and the parrot will get a chance to be free and not locked up in a cage all day.

[GlassOnion]

It seems that most Aratinga Conures I've heard of are either being rehomed or are rehomed for screaming. I hope you find him a good home.

Dorp, I'm quite saddened that you have become to hate parrots. I largely blame this on your girlfriend/her family on how they didn't know sh*t about properly socializing the Amazon so that he wouldn't be the aggressive bird he is now. It's just like how some people shelter their kids from everything and then the children grow up antisocial and weird...

[Shelby]

Shelby, I hope you arent cross with me, I was just trying to explain how people view certain ads where I live. Some people trade in birds, or just want to make a profit from their pet when they've tired of it. I really cant stand that All the best

Oh, no! I'm not mad at all! In different areas the general attitude toward pet birds is different and I just wanted to explain a bit why I said what I did. I'm glad you put in your two cents about where you are. You have a very valid point about not setting an exorbitant price.

This situation is really so heartbreaking. I wish all the best for the two of you, skeetersunconure!

Oh - I just had a thought. Do you have any friends who have experience with birds, or willing to learn and take care of Skeeter for you? Maybe if a neighbor or friend took him in for a few weeks, you and your parents would be able to work through this. Maybe if they saw how much you miss him, they'd reconsider?