So this video was uploaded a few days ago, but I just saw it:
I don't always agree with the Parrot Wizard, but in this video he makes some really good points about what to consider before adding another parrot to the flock. I feel like this video is a really good, reflective tool for those who perhaps want to add another parrot to their life.
It certainly has got me reflecting on my own motivations for wanting to add to my flock. While I continue to plan on testing my patience (for at least six more months, if not for another year) before adopting another bird, I have wanted a third bird for at least two years now (I think). But why? Well, it certainly isn't because my two Indy and Buckbeak "aren't good enough" - they are so sweet, loving, curious, expressive and so, so much more. To say that they have changed my life for the better is an understatement.
And yet, I do plan on bringing another parrot into my life. Part of me wonders if it is because I didn't really specifically choose to have cockatiels - I saw that Indy and Buckbeak were being given minimal care, and I stepped up to become their new caretaker. They were rehomed to me. So sometimes I think there is a "what-if" factor - like "what if I had done all the research and gone to a rescue and let the bird pick me?" Honestly, I think I would have brought home a different species entirely. (Although now, thanks to my two tiels, I feel like I will always have cockatiels in my life! Even though I did not specifically choose cockatiels, they are so right for me in so many ways.) So I do think part of my desire for another bird is because there are so many species of birds that fascinate me. But then again, if things had happened that way, maybe I would not have brought home birds at all. They are a ton of work, after all. My fiance asked me the other day too, if it hadn't been for our current two cockatiels, would I have ever fallen in love with birds, and I honestly don't know how to answer that question.
More so that that, though, I think I want another bird because I know that there are so many birds in need of good homes. The times when I most feel the impulse to bring a bird home is when I stumble across a bird that has endured neglect or was dropped of at the pet store or is posted in a tiny cage on craigslist... That is when I most want to bring another bird in my life, and the only reason I have not yet done is is entirely because I always put my current flock and their needs and their time first. And while I see myself having the resources to maintain the care for my current flock and a third member in the near future, that circumstance has yet to be fulfilled. When it does happen, a new bird would mean an entirely new relationship to build up again - a new individual whose trust would have to be earned.
I'd love to hear your thoughts too, especially since so many people on here have multiple birds. Why did you choose to get another bird? What challenges has your new addition presented? Would you do it again, or, if you were to do it again, what would you do different? I'm just curious.
I don't always agree with the Parrot Wizard, but in this video he makes some really good points about what to consider before adding another parrot to the flock. I feel like this video is a really good, reflective tool for those who perhaps want to add another parrot to their life.
It certainly has got me reflecting on my own motivations for wanting to add to my flock. While I continue to plan on testing my patience (for at least six more months, if not for another year) before adopting another bird, I have wanted a third bird for at least two years now (I think). But why? Well, it certainly isn't because my two Indy and Buckbeak "aren't good enough" - they are so sweet, loving, curious, expressive and so, so much more. To say that they have changed my life for the better is an understatement.
And yet, I do plan on bringing another parrot into my life. Part of me wonders if it is because I didn't really specifically choose to have cockatiels - I saw that Indy and Buckbeak were being given minimal care, and I stepped up to become their new caretaker. They were rehomed to me. So sometimes I think there is a "what-if" factor - like "what if I had done all the research and gone to a rescue and let the bird pick me?" Honestly, I think I would have brought home a different species entirely. (Although now, thanks to my two tiels, I feel like I will always have cockatiels in my life! Even though I did not specifically choose cockatiels, they are so right for me in so many ways.) So I do think part of my desire for another bird is because there are so many species of birds that fascinate me. But then again, if things had happened that way, maybe I would not have brought home birds at all. They are a ton of work, after all. My fiance asked me the other day too, if it hadn't been for our current two cockatiels, would I have ever fallen in love with birds, and I honestly don't know how to answer that question.
More so that that, though, I think I want another bird because I know that there are so many birds in need of good homes. The times when I most feel the impulse to bring a bird home is when I stumble across a bird that has endured neglect or was dropped of at the pet store or is posted in a tiny cage on craigslist... That is when I most want to bring another bird in my life, and the only reason I have not yet done is is entirely because I always put my current flock and their needs and their time first. And while I see myself having the resources to maintain the care for my current flock and a third member in the near future, that circumstance has yet to be fulfilled. When it does happen, a new bird would mean an entirely new relationship to build up again - a new individual whose trust would have to be earned.
I'd love to hear your thoughts too, especially since so many people on here have multiple birds. Why did you choose to get another bird? What challenges has your new addition presented? Would you do it again, or, if you were to do it again, what would you do different? I'm just curious.
