Bird Haters?

[Gustave’sMommy]

My husband came home from work today and told me that he had told people at work that were getting a yellow sided conure and they all apparently were telling him it’s a bad idea, that they are loud and annoying and territorial of one human. I assume they are just not bird people and that they new little about birds and maybe are speaking of some bad birds. I remember back when I knew nothing that I would have probably said the same thing. I don’t know if they are just being negative but I think it’s put some doubts in my husbands mind. He said he hasn’t changed his mind and that makes me happy cuz I’m not backing out of being my boy home. But what is everyone’s opinion on Yellow sided conures personality? And are they the same as a GCC just a color mutation? I’m still learning.

 

[Mizzely]

They are the same personality wise, yes.

And it can be true for sure, especially during hormone time. My quakers right now are going on 10 hour a day screech fests, and today one flew to me specifically to bite my face.

ALL parrots, regardless of species, will be loud at least part of the day, and a lot of them DO choose one person to love. That's because most parrots are only a few generations removed from their wild ancestors. They are not domestic animals. They are slaves to instincts. And instincts tell them that they should pair off with one mate to produce babies.

You can combat this by having everyone in the house help care for and social the bird, and by only touching the feet and head. Petting elsewhere is basically showing the bird you are interested in being more than friends.

When your bird hits maturity somewhere around 18 months, you likely will notice a lot more biting and noise and being a little teenage brat. That's normal. But it will happen to some degree every Spring.

 

[BirdManDan]

Clearly not bird people. All birds can be good or bad depending on what one puts into the relationship! Don't let them discourage you or you husband. Conures are great birds!

 

[Lesley Yeung]

Since you asked, I will freely share my opinion. Just my opinion, not fact, you understand. Birds are not pets. They do not behave like pets. Bird has almost ruined my marriage. No matter what anyone thinks, I have sacrificed more for Bird than anyone ever has for me. Birds are not easy to live with.

 

[webchirp]

A well adjusted and social cheek is a treasure beyond words. Just have everyone interact, start clicker training and enjoy your baby.

Out of all the birds, even though mutations are similar, my yellow sided girls are the most outgoing and people friendly. My turquoise beebs are all adventurous and into everything. So far those are the only things that stand out...

 

[Greencheek Lee]

I think all birds go through a period of testing you. I also think it's never as long as kids test you.

 

[SandraK]

Since you asked, I will freely share my opinion. Just my opinion, not fact, you understand. Birds are not pets. They do not behave like pets. Bird has almost ruined my marriage. No matter what anyone thinks, I have sacrificed more for Bird than anyone ever has for me. Birds are not easy to live with.

They can behave like a companion but if you get a bird expecting it to behave like a dog or cat it isn't going to happen. And yes, birds aren't a fit for all families but it also takes patience on the human family side.

 

[SandraK]

My husband came home from work today and told me that he had told people at work that were getting a yellow sided conure and they all apparently were telling him it’s a bad idea, that they are loud and annoying and territorial of one human. I assume they are just not bird people and that they new little about birds and maybe are speaking of some bad birds. I remember back when I knew nothing that I would have probably said the same thing. I don’t know if they are just being negative but I think it’s put some doubts in my husbands mind. He said he hasn’t changed his mind and that makes me happy cuz I’m not backing out of being my boy home. But what is everyone’s opinion on Yellow sided conures personality? And are they the same as a GCC just a color mutation? I’m still learning.

I've found the personality sometimes depends more on the sex than the colour. My alpha gcc male, Beni, is an "in your face" throw all caution to the winds, want to share your food, drink, snacks and hang with you. Loki, my yellow side alpha girl gcc, is very different. She'll watch to see what's happening, watch everyone else to see what they're doing and then think about whether she's going to get involved and HOW she's going to get involved.

 

[Lesley Yeung]

Companions: 100%
Pets: meh...not so much.

again. just my opinion.

 

[nu2birds]

I got a lot of that when I made the decision to get my Lovebirds. people come out of the woodwork with opinions. Mind you these were all people who had NEVER had any personal experience with birds. They told me how loud and messy and destructive they are. A few were excited for me, but for the most part no one understood. So it's just me and my birds, I never even invite my friends to come see or interact with my birds because they are not bird people.

 

[Lesley Yeung]

Yeah. Giving advice about birds is like giving advise about a marriage or relationship.

 

[LilSprout]

Birds are not pet for everyone, but for the people who are prepared for them and are able to make the massive commitment I think they're great companions.

 

[JLcribber]

The "vision" of having a parrot is nothing like the "reality" of owning a parrot (of any species) 24/7/365 for decades at minimum. If one has never owned a parrot before they have no reality to base their vision on. If one has children then they have some semblance of owning a parrot because it takes as much time, effort, money and everything else to look after that bird as any child (if you want to do right by the bird).

You just don't know what you don't know. Until you know. If you're getting a parrot. You're going to find out. Good luck.

 

[Garet]

My folks don't even think that birds are animals. So yeah, there are people out there who hate birds.

From what it sounds like, maybe one or two of the folks your husband worked with had bad experiences with their birds (due to a lack of knowledge about birds and their emotional and social needs), and just assume that it was the bird's fault and not theirs, when 99% of the time, it's the people who take a perfectly good bird and 'ruin' it.

Seriously, though; if you have any problems earning your bird's trust, this is the right place for it. Especially if you hope to teach your bird that the entire family is his flock. You have to start socializing them very early, or you're gonna have a one-person clinger.

 

[JLcribber]

Since you asked, I will freely share my opinion. Just my opinion, not fact, you understand. Birds are not pets. They do not behave like pets. Bird has almost ruined my marriage. No matter what anyone thinks, I have sacrificed more for Bird than anyone ever has for me. Birds are not easy to live with.

I understand your pain and admire greatly that you had the guts to post that.

 

[SandraK]

Companions: 100%
Pets: meh...not so much.

again. just my opinion.

The trouble is that most people think pet w/four legs. Cats and dogs have been domesticated for decades if not centuries. Birds are much newer to the "pet" forum as a whole. I know that all the fids I have were hatched from "domesticated" parents but they all have free will and an independent streak, some more than others. There are so many ifs, ands and buts with a bird it isn't even funny "ha-ha" let alone funny "peculiar".

Scenario: A sparrow got into my office building and made its way up to the second floor. One coworker ran screaming and pretty much hid because (and I quote) "It'll fly into my hair and get stuck". Another coworker who grew up on a farm tried to help me get it out of the building. True story. The first coworker, however, had no problem in releasing her kid's pet mice in the local park when her kids didn't want them anymore because (and I quote again) "They're mice and they'll know what to do". I only found out the last part after she'd released them.

Then again, the question begs, what do you expect of a pet? It isn't meant at you specifically but each one of us has a different expectation of what a pet will be like and how it will behave.

I asked for a lab puppy so my stepsons wouldn't be afraid of dogs. Hubby in his utmost wisdom, brought home a Basset hound. Lovable dog, not a mean bone in her body, nobody was scared of her. Honey would split in a nanusecond if you weren't watching her. If she was tied up in the yard with people & kids she would howl. Untie her and she'd disappear. People would take her inside their house while we were trying to find her. I'd tracked her in the snow and, very literally, carried her back with one hand by the scruff of her neck. One Xmas eve she split on hubby and I was already in bed; he got a call as to where to pick her up - senior citizen apartment and she was riding the elevator.

All I'd asked for was an intelligent dog I could train. My first question when Fred brought Hunny home was: "Please don't tell me they told you this was a Lab". They didn't, Fred thought the Lab puppies were too active and nippy. Little did he know what he got.

 

[d_msparkles]

People are very weird about birds. I have a lot of friends who are afraid of them and I'm like...uh? We're higher up on the food chain. I would be terrified to handle a macaw with my current level of knowledge/experience, but over time I think I could get there. (also, everyone in my life thinks my tiny conure is going to live to be 90, but that's another conversation.)
I DO understand how they can be startling--I am still used to baby taking off to fly when we are visiting. But we also just got through owning 2 senior citizen kitties, one of whom was a real alpha. They whined, cried, puked, howled, scratched, destroyed, peed, etc etc. In their later years, they both had to be medicated 2x a day. I know cats are a lot more self-sufficient, but I do think people forget all animals are work. Heck, I watch The Dog Whisperer every weekend and I'm always miffed at the people who refuse to walk their dogs and then complain that they behave horribly!
As I read the AA forums, I feel great comfort in the fact all of us are here because we want to be great pet parents. Just like being a people parent, everyone is going to have an opinion. As long as you keep the bird healthy, socialized, and engaged, you're doing better than a lot of other people out there.

 

[MixieMoxie]

I am going to be 110% blunt.

Yes birds are loud. You can hear my Budgies while standing on my front porch with all doors and windows shut. My tiel you can hear out on the sidewalk. My GCC you can hear 2 doors down. Now the houses in my neighborhood are close and right up against the side walk.

They are messy. I have food splattered all over daily. There is a lot of poop and etc.

I hand reared my GCC. He went to work with me traveled with me. He was my buddy. He loved everyone. I am his primary caretaker. I AM NOT his chosen human my 15 yo son is. He actually went through a stage where he was attacking everyone else in the household and drawing blood. It was so bad I clipped his wings to scale back his ability to fly.

Though training and positive reinforcement he is much better. It took a year of training before he would be civil with me. I can reasonably handle him again. He still will not step up on my hands but he isn't attacking anyone. We will keep working on it. He still HATES my husband by the way who has done nothing to him. Luckily hubby is a bird person and doesn't get offended. Oh I still cannot reach in his cage with him in it.

Luckily I have lots of bird experience. I have a degree in Zoology and have worked in veterinary medicine for a decade. But it still was rough.

 

[karen256]

I'm guessing that the people at your husband's work heard 'yellow' and thought sun conure or other louder conure.
Greencheeks can be loud sometimes, but nothing like the suns and other Aratingas. Mine screams when we're loading or unloading the dishwasher, and yes it's annoying right then, but she stops as soon as we're done, and she hardly makes a peep the rest of the time. Just occasional, quiet squeaks and mumbles.
They CAN be territorial of one person - but so can a dog - good socialization with other people is key if it's important your bird is good with different people. They still do typically have a favorite person.
A lot of people just don't really know how to interact with birds.
I have an aunt who loves wild birds, does lots of of birdwatching, but she's scared of my Cheeky. The sad part is Cheeky likes her and wants to be friends. A few times when she's been here and happened to gesture with her hands, Cheeky thought she was being invited to fly to her hand. She would just freeze up until I ran over and picked Cheeky up. Cheeky wasn't being aggressive in any way, just friendly, but for some people even a friendly bird flying at them is scary.

 

[Donna turner]

I prefer to see my life with my gcc as "the glass is half full". Anything negative is far outweighed by the companionship she gives me. I don't want to imagine my life without her