Soon to be doctor and possible bird mom??

[Sticky Feets]

Hi all!

Moving back to home sweet home in California in a few months after 4 years of med school I’m Florida. Can’t wait to start residency at a children’s hospital. Also been contemplating adopting a bird for the past several months and only recently things started to get serious. Have already picked out a rescue group in San Francisco that I can start with once I settle in. Any advice for a first time possible bird owner with busy work schedule is welcome! The bird I’ve been eyeing is a lovebird and he also has a sister that’s also available for adoption.

I also make YouTube videos about my other animals (snakes, tarantulas, geckos, tortoise, dogs).

 

[greys4u]

EEEEWWWWW, dont like your avatar, afraid of spiders.......

 

[Sticky Feets]

Lol I’m scared of most birds surprisingly. What am I doing on this forum lol!!!

 

[fashionfobie]

I love spiders!! So adorable and fuzzy.... especially spiderlings so many little ones bust out to start life.

Also I love them because they eat silverfish. Silverfish eat books. Those meanies!

Bird wise your intern years are going to be hectic! Can you wait 1-2 more years?

 

[Zara]

I commented on your other post Lovebirds as a first bird? | Avian Avenue Parrot Forum

I wouldn´t reccomend a single bird for the hours you listed. Two in a very large flight cage would be ok.

I like your profile picture - I would never have a pet spider, but it´s cute
Maybe you could post a link to you channel in the other thread:
Herp Haven | Avian Avenue Parrot Forum
Bark Park | Avian Avenue Parrot Forum

 

[tka]

I really, really recommend starting your residency and seeing how it goes before adopting a bird. I don't know what medical school is like in your country but one of my close friends is a doctor in the UK, and when she was a junior doctor she worked flat out with an unpredictable schedule and rotations through different departments. Some weeks she was on nights, some weeks she was on days, some weeks she'd start at 6am and others at 3pm, she'd regularly do on-calls and stay overnight at the hospital, and after getting home from work she'd just flop on the sofa or go straight to bed. There was a lot of takeaway and sandwiches involved!

All parrots need consistency, 12 hours of sleep and time out of their cage - at least three hours a day. It's unlikely you can offer that until you're more established in your career. Please don't underestimate how chaotic the next few years will be and how little time you'll have.

 

[fashionfobie]

I agree with @tka.

My partner is a doctor here in Australia. I would wait at least until you know what your speciality is. He is on ortho.. he is worked to the bone. Same when he worked emergency. Lucky we treat our doctors well so it is really not that bad. I hear in the US there are really awful hours. I do not know about Canada.

When he was on renal, derm or rehab he was home early.

His schedule works for us because I am a design researcher /ESL teacher ( who are we kidding dorky art research doesn't pay squat!) and I work from home.

So the birds are out all day. Omg..I love them!

I can understand why you are excited to get a bird. They are fantastic. I just think you can wait a few more years

 

[Hankmacaw]

I like Tarantulas - had one as a pet for a few weeks until he had to go to his real owner. I was the intermediary for buying a Tarantula for a young man who was in the Navy, but was from Alabama. Funny, funny story about sneaking that Tarantula on a plane and flying him from AZ to Mass.

I agree with all of the rest of the comments. The hours you will have to work won't really be compatible with owning a bird - especially with the other pets you own and have to care for. Wait until you are through with your residency.

 

[sunnysmom]

Welcome to the forum!

 

[Sticky Feets]

Thanks for all the replies! I definitely think it’s wise for me to start residency for a few months before I jump into anything. I do know that the more grueling work hours only occur for a month at each time...then we get a break where we just do easier 8-5 work hours. All my other exotics require very little care. I can go through each enclosure and make sure everyone is good within 1-2 hours if I wanted to do everyone in one go. But on a daily basis it really only takes up 5-20 min of my time each day. It’s the fact that I also have 2 dogs that need outdoor exercise. They’ll have a yard to play in and I am open to wheeling the bird cage outside so they can be included. But that doesn’t account for the times I’m not home. I will likely be getting a sitter to come walk my dogs each day and maybe I can find someone that’s good with birds to just talk to them through the cage for 10-15 min. But the adoption process takes months and I haven’t even started yet so everything is very undecided. I just wanted to get a feel and head start on researching just in case I do decide to go forward. Thanks again for the replies!!

 

[Lady Jane]

Yes, welcome spider Doc. Its a great place to be.

 

[hrafn]

to the Avenue!!

It's always lovely to meet another enthusiast of the creepy crawler variety. What species of tarantulas and herps do you have? Is that a G. rosea in your profile pic?

 

[sunnysmom]

Once you're ready, lovebirds are great little birds.

 

[Sticky Feets]

Yup, female G rosea!!! My first one and the one that started my journey into keeping exotic pets. It was her, then a created gecko, and then my first snake. Once you get into snakes, there’s pretty much no turning back haha! I only have new works species though and typically just the more affordable ones. Need to make an update video on them for YouTube still.

3 G rosea
2 Brachypelma vagans
1 Monocentropus balfouri
1 Lasiodora parahybana
1 Brachypelma albopilosum
1 Megaphobema robustum
1 Aphoropelma calchodes
1 Aphonopelma anax

 

[Sticky Feets]

Oh and then 1 leopard gecko, 2 crested geckos, 6 ball pythons, 2 black rat snakes, 1 leopard tortoise, and 2 weird looking dogs

 

[katebf38]

Hi all!

Moving back to home sweet home in California in a few months after 4 years of med school I’m Florida. Can’t wait to start residency at a children’s hospital. Also been contemplating adopting a bird for the past several months and only recently things started to get serious. Have already picked out a rescue group in San Francisco that I can start with once I settle in. Any advice for a first time possible bird owner with busy work schedule is welcome! The bird I’ve been eyeing is a lovebird and he also has a sister that’s also available for adoption.

I also make YouTube videos about my other animals (snakes, tarantulas, geckos, tortoise, dogs).

Bless your heart! Your critters probably get more sleep than you do - or will! My one little birds takes hours of my time each day which is why I have him. That’s the one thing I have to give ... time. Kids are are raised, grandkids are so much fun and I’ve been my hubby’s caregiver for the past 13 plus years. So my fid and dogs are my guilty pleasures. I can’t imagine your busy schedule and the long hours you must keep. Birds are creatures of habit and schedules so good thing is you have youth on your side, and best of luck in all you do! Spoken as the loving aunt to two doctors now doing their respective residencies.

 

[hrafn]

Yup, female G rosea!!! My first one and the one that started my journey into keeping exotic pets. It was her, then a created gecko, and then my first snake. Once you get into snakes, there’s pretty much no turning back haha! I only have new works species though and typically just the more affordable ones. Need to make an update video on them for YouTube still.

3 G rosea
2 Brachypelma vagans
1 Monocentropus balfouri
1 Lasiodora parahybana
1 Brachypelma albopilosum
1 Megaphobema robustum
1 Aphoropelma calchodes
1 Aphonopelma anax

Oh and then 1 leopard gecko, 2 crested geckos, 6 ball pythons, 2 black rat snakes, 1 leopard tortoise, and 2 weird looking dogs

I'm so jealous! What a cool gang you have!!

I desperately want to add another T to my household; currently I only have my mature G. rosea, Wynifred. I had a beautiful little B. smithi sling for two years or so, but she didn't survive to maturity due to extreme temperature.

Currently my only two herps are my Irian Jaya blue tongue, and my C. orientalis newt, but I've previously shared my home with a gorgeous variety of reptiles and amphibians who have since passed. Nothing more beautiful than a room lit up with tank lights.

What's your YouTube channel called? I need to see this collection!

 

[Sticky Feets]

Channel is Sticky Feets, named after that G rosea and Pickle my crested gecko, since they were the first two to introduce me to the world of exotics, and they have sticky feet haha

I love seeing all my enclosures lit up, I have a few that have live plants and are bioactive. It’s a really calm place to be. I can’t decide once I move if I want to put them all in one reptile room and that could be my getaway room to read a book, or have the enclosures around the house so I’m surrounded by everything. If I end up with a bird though I’ll probably just have a reptile room. Someone mentioned in another thread about possible toxic fumes coming from the heating elements, though since reptiles also have very sensitive respiratory tracts I would think they would’ve succumbed to it by now if there were fumes.

Might even dedicate a room for the birds too, at least while they’re still adjusting. We’ll see. I might not even get approved by the rescue.

 

[Sticky Feets]

Has no one noticed my African grey dog and Magpie???? I told you they were weird looking!! Haha!

 

[hrafn]

Has no one noticed my African grey dog and Magpie???? I told you they were weird looking!! Haha!

I don't know how I missed that!