Please don't get mad...

[Nancy B]

Don't be discouraged. You're young. The fact that you're interested in birds and taking the time to learn about them shows that you will be a great bird owner. When the time is right. You don't have to rush into bird ownership. Take your time and really think things through.

I had always wanted a large parrot! As a kid I was amazed by them, but knew trying to get my life started I couldn't care for one. I had always read about them, my husband's friend owns a shop and my husband settled for lovebirds. I was thrilled because I wanted ANY bird! I will always have lovebirds because they are hysterical and good company for Freddy. My husband asked me if anything happened to him would I remarry. I said no, I want a macaw! Lol he remarked that I still want a large bird. He passed away 11 years ago, and I decided the Galah was the right kind of large parrot for me. I plan to incorporate him into our family activities and life, but when I m at work he will be content and happy playing with his toys, and chewing his wood blocks. The Galah can entertain themselves as long as there are things to keep them busy. And if their home is big enough. Freddy's cage is 2'x3'x5', if I decide he should have more room, I am prepared to look into something bigger. I would rather have him out with us than in his home as long as someone is home to watch him. This is something we learn as we go along.

 

[Animallover03]

As a minor who has a bird (currently only a green cheek conure, but I adopted a severe macaw who comes home in a few weeks) I wanted to share my input.

My little bird runs my life. Everything I do revolves around him. I want to go to a friends? I have to make sure my mom is willing to feed Grumbles and if I will be gone for more than a day take him out too. It is a good thing that I am very much an introvert, and would rather be at home than at a party. Luckily my mom loves Grumbles and is willing to care for him when needed. Hopefully Levi (severe macaw) gets along well with my mom too.
I absolutely love Grumbles so much. He is my feathered child. And while I can't imagine my life without him, sometimes he does stress me out even more. And that sucks. But I wouldn't give him up for anything.

I am foreign exchanging during the 2019-2020 school year. I will be gone for nine months. And I will most definitely miss my birds. But I am still going. The main volunteer at the Iowa Parrot rescue/the person taking it over said that I should definitely go, as she wanted to foreign exchange but didn't because of her birds. She said that is one of her biggest regrets. But I will worry about them the entire time I am gone. (But there is no way that they can come)
And for college, with my current plans I should be able to take them with, but you can never predict the future. I plan on going to vet school, which means I have 8 years of college.
And I have no idea what the future will be like. Nobody can predict the future. It is just hard having birds and not knowing these kind of things, especially considering how expensive and how much work birds are to have.
I'm not even sure what I am trying to say here. But if you are going to get a galah, please make sure that you really do want a galah. I have met many people that want a macaw/cockatoo, until they visit the rescue, get bit by one, or realize that they are sooo much work and not worth it (for them). And a bird is a very long living lifelong companion. Just please do your research and be sure that this is really what you want. Cockatoos especially are a ton of work, since they have such big emotional needs.

Also, If I were you I wouldn't rule out other species yet. When I first wanted birds I never in a million years thought I would have a conure and a severe macaw. Ever. When I first researched birds, I wanted a cockatiel. Honestly the first time I saw a green cheek conure I thought they were ugly and wondered why anyone would want one. But little Grumbles chose me, so I ended up with him. And now I find him so incredibly beautiful.
And then I wanted another conure. Mainly a green cheek, but I was up for whichever type of conure needed a new home. But then miss Levi decided that I should take her home instead.

If you end up deciding on a galah, I wish you luck! They seem like wonderful birds.

 

[MagpieDragon]

I have so much to say on this...
And while I agree that you shouldn't get a galah unless you're sure you can handle and provide for it for another 50 years, I don't agree that minors can't have these birds. I know so many other minors that I always am trying to steer out of getting birds cause they think they're 'easy' or cute' or 'just a bird'. But some people are different. I am a minor. I have a galah. Now before you smash me down with arguments, here me out...

I didn't plan on getting a galah- yes, I love them, but I knew how much of a responsibility they were, and that I could never, at my age, be certain that I could provide for a galah for it's lifespan. And I'm still not sure, but here I am. We were offered Nedd by his previous owners at first, and said no, I knew my limitations (instead I agreed to care and provide for him in his current home). But then I heard that they were leaving in just 2 days, and Nedd would just be passed on to the next pair of clueless owners. So, long story short, we got Nedd.

You sound like the perfect person to own a galah, but your age restricts you (us, actually). We still rely on our parents for the most part, and our futures are not set in stone. We have many adventures ahead of us, as well as hard times. And in those times, we may not be able to provide for a bird... But we might!

So here's my advice- don't get a galah until your in a stable situation. If you're ment to get one earlier than that, a bird will find you, like Nedd found me. If you find a galah cramped in a cage with a poor diet about to be passed on and you can stop it, go for it! Please! But don't buy or make the choice to get one unless the universe has set out that path for you. You will know when the time comes, and hey, it might not even be a galah!

I do understand why we both shouldn't have these birds at our age, but if I hadn't got nedd, who knows where he'd be now... And @galah! might just do the same

 

[finchly]

Dude, it's ok. Get some finches. They're great and if you get them from a breeder you can even pet and feed them from your hand. They are much more independant

Finches are not a throw-away bird. They are intelligent and require every bit of the food and care that bigger birds do. And they’re messier! You’ll spend more time vacuuming the floor.

Finches can live 10 years or more. I know of one zebra finch that’s 18. I’ve had cockatiels live less than that.

I am not sure that a finch (or a pair, since you always should have 2) would be a substitute for a Galah.

 

[Nancy B]

Large birds in general just need quite a bit of attention or they will turn wild. My son has had several animals growing up but it's only because I am an animal lover too. The animals my son has owned ended up being mine. So any animal that comes into my house I make sure I want it too. My son wanted our Galah but I have wanted a larger bird for years so....it's really ours. Lol I have put my foot down on dogs, I can't be home to take them out and I know I cannot count on the others in my house. As a mom I don't allow pets I can't care for. What he does when he moves is his business.

 

[M_Riddly]

First off I want to say age, while it does have some weight, shouldn't be a determining factor. It should just be a single factor to consider in making this decision. I was in a similar boat as you. I have owned birds since middle school. I am in college now and started with tiels. Then went to parrotlets. I have always wanted a larger bird to take with me places. Tiels and parrotlets are great and all, but they are very flighty birds and outdoor adventures would only stress animals with such active prey drives out. I recently got a G2. I love my Leo with all my heart. I do, however, live in a house. I plan to always live in a house and not an apartment. That is something you will have to think about. How old are you exactly??? You don't have to answer that in the thread. But just think about it for a moment. I didn't get my goffins til I was a legal adult. And I KNEW I was ready. I knew when I started preferring to be home with my birds than going to social events. No I don't have social anxiety or any sort of social problems. I just found those sorts of events boring because I wasn't with my birds.

Getting a larger bird is a lifelong commitment. You aren't legally able to marry someone until you are 18, at least it's that way here in the US. Just know that what you are doing when you go out and get a bird is essentially signing a marriage contract. I knew that when I got Leo. Just make sure you are ready to metaphorically get married and grow old with this bird. If you are fine with that then be my guest. Get yourself your bird. If your willing to put the time and commitment in you won't regret it. Just be sure this isn't one of those "I NEED TO" teenage moments that we all know about. I don't mean to stereotype that in any way but I can speak from experience that I have had more than my fair share of those moments. Just for your sake and your future birds sake, wait say a year and if a RB2 is still in the forefront of your mind then go for it. Or if you already have had the time to think about it and really reflect on what a bird would mean in your life then go for it! Once you have fallen for your bird, no sacrifice is too great for them. College, future SO's, life will all just end up falling into place around you and your bird. My mom asked me what if I end up liking someone who dosent like birds or the bird dosent like, then what would happen. My response was simple. I wouldn't ever be with someone who didn't share my values on birds or wasn't willing to put in the time to get my birds use to them. Food for thought.