I definitely find myself dissuading people from getting parrots more now. Yes it is true that some things have changed which led to this. One reason is because more and more people are seeing my parrot whether on youtube or outside. This draws more interest but I don't want people to see what Kili is capable of and get a parrot expecting it to be preloaded with the Kili operating system. And on the other hand, the longer I've had a parrot, the more I realized how involved it is. It may be that I've made it more difficult than it has to be but this has shaped my belief of how a parrot should be kept. Now that I pretty firmly believe that parrots should be flighted, it is difficult for me to actually recommend to almost anyone to have a freeflighted parrot. Not only does it require a specialized environment, it definitely requires a lot more patience and knowledge. Also having read many horror stories, rehoming stories, etc, the more cynical I feel about people owning parrots at all. While some people will disagree with my methods, I think most would still agree that Kili is well cared for. Luckily the same can be said for most parrots of folks on this forum. However, this is a very small sample. It is not that uncommon to come across some owner proud of what a huge macaw he has crammed into such a small cage that is rarely let out.
Many people I come across I feel are unsuitable for bird ownership and honestly I don't think they would enjoy it much either. I won't recommend to people with cats, dogs, or small children to get a parrot. I won't recommend to people who wanted a cat/dog but think a parrot is more convenient. I won't recommend parrots to young kids unless the parent is willing to take full responsibility for the bird. So that knocks out about 70% of the population off the bat. Even if I come across someone that is a candidate for ownership, I'd probably tell all the trouble and expense. If they still desire a parrot with full knowledge of the trouble, only then would I recommend they get one. I don't mean to be so elitist about it but they really are difficult, annoying, little brats and for the parrot's sake it is better not to end up in the wrong hands. So while I run a parrot forum and make training videos, I'd say I find myself sooner being an advocate for the parrots rather than the owners.
When I visit my parrot store and people ask me for advice I usually just don't say anything because I don't want to hurt business for the store since they are rather nice to me. It is in my interest that the store be around so I can purchase supplies and play with their babies.
But if I were to be honest and tell the people what I think, quite often it would be "what the heck are you thinking!!!!"
It's not that I don't want people to have parrots but rather that I don't want parrots to be stuck with the wrong people.