Right For Me?

[beaky.lauren]

hello there!
i am an animal person, just love them so much! i've owned hamsters for about 5 years, and i am currently a proud mother of 2 sugar gliders, a panther chameleon, and a boxer dog. our family used to own 2 budgies (albeit we had no idea how to care for them but i've done better research now : )) and im really looking into getting a parrot, but i want to make sure im capable of this huge commitment. i want to choose the best parrot for me now, but also one that will still suit me 30 years from now.

so some information about me: im still a teen living with my parents, planning to go to college and get an apartment that allows animals. i want to work with animals as a career (maybe something with animal education).

Im posting this thread here because i've been doing research on so many species of parrots and the poi genus really stuck out to me. i am wondering if these birds are right for me and if so which species best suits me, or if i should look into another species, if i should wait to get one when im older, or if anyone thinks i just shouldn't get a parrot at all? id love to know. i also just have a few questions about their different personalities because ive heard a few contradictory statements about them.
i know probably none of the species are going to fit my little list but it's a general thing & im very flexible when it comes to different personalities and such. also i know every parrot even of the same species is going to be different depending on it's past, and just the individual bird in general. : ) : )

A few traits i would PREFER in a bird (just being picky) would be energetic, funny, & playful personality kind-of like a clown, while also being able to mind their own business every once in a while. a bird that enjoys head pets & laying on their back would be nice. id like to just be able to share my living space with them & allow them to explore my room (with supervision of course)

stubbornness- ive heard pois are VERY stubborn. so im wondering the context of this. is it just if they want something they will keep going for it until they have it, or while training they might not want to learn something at that particular time? if they don't get what they want will they bite or nip? also if they do bite or nip how bad is it? i know all parrots bite, but im not going to be shy. it does kind-of scare me. i can handle pain, but how bad can they get? are they more "bitey" than other species that you may want me to look into? people say the size of the beak doesn't really contribute to the pain of a bite. so for example would a cape parrot with a bigger beak inflict the same damage as a senegal?
stubbornness i can handle. its just what may happen if the bird gets upset with me for saying "no" ahaha!

yikes getting long i'll move on i promise oops! haha!

price point doesn't bother me because id rather spend more initial money on a parrot that would best suit me, than get one that isn't going to best suit me anyway.

does being a one-person bird depend on the species or just the individual bird & how it was raised? ive heard cases from all different species of birds attacking someone they don't know because they think of them as an intruder. im okay if the bird chooses me only, but i don't want them dive-bombing my family or friends by any means! (kinda picturing the scene in my head is funny though lol!)

so ive heard of the "teenage years" of parrots and what that may bring. does that last their whole life, or only for a few years or so? is it more prominent to a specific species or do they all kinda act the same during this period? do i have to work to get them out of this behavior, or will it eventually die down?

would these birds be suitable living in an apartment? birds make noise, but would it be enough to get complaints? the noise doesn't bother me at all.

so if you read all this information (which im aware is very specific), and still think a poi is good for me, which species would you choose? senegals, red-bellied, and capes im the most interested in, but ive never owned them so i just want to get other perspectives : )

sorry for asking so many questions! ahh!
again, i do realize all these behaviors will depend on the specific bird, but in general i just want to make a decision to best suit me, so i may have information to make sure i am prepared for what may come : ) : )

thank you so very much!!

 

[MaxieTheBirdie]

The only person who would be able to tell you your type of bird is you, do your research and look around, about the traits you put A Cockatoo or cockatiel seems to fit your Requirements. No matter what bird you get i know you'll enjoy them and hopefully they'll enjoy you to!

What this and see if that helps narrow the search!

 

[fashionfobie]

I agree with the post above. I really think you are the only one who can choose the parrot you spend your life with. Keep researching.

If you are still living with your parents, your parents need to be 100% on bored. A parrot is a loud and time consuming pet. Your whole family will be influenced by this addition to your home. Vet costs, check-ups, toys, and care are very costly for parrots. Avian vets are hard to come by in some places. Are your parents willing to help with costs? Driving you to distant vets? Also giving up a portion of the house to the play stand and toys a bird will require?

I am only being practical it sounds like you are willing to hear this. If I was younger I would wait until I have my own home and am living in a stable situation before I get a parrot. High school, university and young adult life in general are very messy times. Things change quickly and often. I know it is hard to wait if you have your heart set, but I think that is a responsible choice.

You can volunteer at an animal shelter or bird recuse and try to get a good understanding of the birds and the different personalities out there. It may help you decide which bird you get. It may also give you your bird fix, whilst you wait to get your life going.

A parrot is much more like getting a child. They seriously are. Parrots have complex needs and need lots of engagement. Unlike dogs or hamsters, parrots are up all day. So they need something to keep them occupied for hours and hours whilst you are gone for class.

I hope this helps you

 

[fashionfobie]

Also this might surprise you, but sugar gliders eat young parrots and the very least they can kill adults.

A surprising fact that I didn't realise until I watched this documentary on swift parrots. So definitely never let your sugar gliders out whilst your parrot is.

 

[tka]

I think only you can decide what the right bird is for you. However, all parrots need a lot of time and interaction that, as a teenager and college student, you may not be in a position to provide.

I would strongly, strongly advise against getting birds while you're living at home with your parents or while you're in college. I'm a university lecturer and have a pretty good idea of what my students' lives are like; I would say that very few of them have the time and/or money to look after a bird. Depending on your course, you may be out of the house for long periods of time. You may be expected to be in a lab or in the library outside lectures/seminars. Universities often have lots of extracurricular activities which take place in the evening - these include everything from rock-climbing to playing the steel drums. You will almost certainly make friends, and will want to spend your evenings hanging out with them. You may need to earn money while in college, which will mean having an evening or weekend job so not as to interfere with classes during the day.

Birds are expensive. Appointments and treatment from a specialised avian vet can run into hundreds of dollars which, as a teenager or student, you probably won't have. Birds need a large cage, an appropriate diet and toys which they will take great delight in utterly destroying which again all cost money.

You will probably live in a hall of residence or dorm for at least part of your time at college. These tend to be very strict about not having pets - and especially not noisy, potentially destructive pets like birds. You may live in rented accommodation where your landlord doesn't allow pets, or share accommodation with people who will use teflon, candles, not close windows or be noisy all night. I've been turned down for apartments before because of Leia: sometimes letting agencies will refuse to let to anyone with pets and sometimes they've had bad experiences with birds.

You may be offered opportunities to travel - for example, on a year abroad or on placements. I know people who have done their degree in zoology or biology and they've done placements all over the world - one of them even spent a couple of months working in the savanna in (I think) Tanzania. What would happen to your bird if you were on a placement for several weeks, several months, or a whole year?

After university, you may want to pursue a career that will require very long hours at work, travel or something else incompatible with caring for a bird. Many careers involve toughing out a few years of instability before you get more established. Animal education is an area where there are many more people wanting to work in the area than there are jobs, so you will probably spend time building up your experience and contacts in animal education through volunteering or part-time work and holding down another job to pay the bills. This won't give you a lot of free time to spend with your bird.

University offers both hard work, many opportunities and many rewards. It would be a shame to miss out on opportunities that could affect the rest of your life, and there's the danger that you'll come to resent your bird because it prevents you from going out with friends, taking up an exciting hobby, meeting the human love of your life, or doing an internship for a career you desperately want. You will be a better human for your bird if you are balanced, fulfilled and aren't worrying about what you're missing out on.

The next ten years will bring a lot of changes, some of which you won't be able to predict. There will still be birds when you're more settled, have a stable income, and have a better idea of what your adult life looks like. In the meantime, consider volunteering at a shelter or rescue to get some hands-on experience.

 

[Brittany0208]

Also this might surprise you, but sugar gliders eat young parrots and the very least they can kill adults.

Well, that crosses sugar gliders off my list of potential companions in the future. I didn't know they were a danger to birds. Good to know.

 

[sunnysmom]

Welcome to the forum. You sound like a very responsible, mature, compassionate teen who will some day make a great bird owner. However, at this point in your life, I would encourage you to wait. Owning a parrot isn't like having other pets. Many apartments won't let you have birds. And if you're going to have roommates, they would have to be dedicated to having a bird too- no candles, smoking, Teflon pans, incense, etc. Many people can't or wont' do that. And college is very demanding. The time and hours you have to put in aren't always conducive to having a bird. And what if you want to study abroad? You say you want to work with animals. Two of my friends have kids who also want to work with animals- one just spent a semester in Australia doing that and another in Madagascar. Those are once in a life time opportunities that you don't want to pass up. Which you can't really do if you have a parrot. Plus, after college, you don't know where you'll be yet or what you'll be doing. If there are any rescues near you, I would encourage you to volunteer with one. Or maybe even look into fostering for a rescue.

 

[BirdField]

I'm glad to read you've done a ton of research, that's great!
Be absolutely, completely sure that your parents are 100% on board with getting a parrot. You may know what to expect with a parrot, but you need to be sure your parents know just as much, even if they aren't going to be caring for them often. They need to know what to expect and truly understand it. Not "Okay, if you really want to," or "It's your responsibility, we don't want to have to deal with it," or "It can't be that bad, sure you can have one." I've had a long time to think about adoption (I'm still living with my parents, no college yet either, probably pretty close in age to you) and I eventually decided that it just won't work in this house in my current situation.
My parents love animals and we have several pets, but my dad can't handle anything louder than our quiet cat, my mom is very reluctant to give up her candles or harsh cleaners, my dad doesn't want to lose his teflon baking pans, and they've both had very negative experiences pertaining to parrots before (my dad is half-deaf because of a grey and flying birds make my mom uneasy). It's just not a situation I feel comfortable bringing a bird into. It's far too selfish for myself. It took me a long time to finally accept that, even though I may be pretty well prepared on the research side, my parents are not and I don't think they'll ever be.
I've made the hard decision to postpone getting a parrot until I've moved out and am in a stable environment that will last. I love parrots with a passion and want to adopt one or multiple badly, but I know my situation would not allow it. I can't bring a bird into my home knowing that my parents will already be biased towards disliking them because of past experiences and major house/personality changes.
This literally took me nearly 2 years of being on this forum to figure out. I was stubborn and wanted to believe that it'd be just fine, but I knew the whole time that all of this was based on "what if my parents..." and "if I can convince them of..." Please be sure that anyone you live with for the rest of your life --your parents, your siblings, your roommates, your significant other, your kids (if you ever have any), etc-- are completely on board with living with parrots. We are their whole world and they depend on us to give them a home where everyone in it accepts and loves them, in spite of bites, or screaming, or other wild behaviors from wild animals. Know that you should always put a bird's life before another person's want --whether that's your want to get a bird, your parents'/SO's want to get rid of your bird, your potential children's want to pet the bird-- a being's life matters more than any of that. And even that took me forever to figure out and come to terms with.
Good luck, and hopefully you can eventually be able to adopt a parrot. But please be sure that when you do get a bird your life is stable enough for one for the next 40+ years of life.

 

[beaky.lauren]

thank you all so much
after reading all these i will definitely be waiting until i settle down more. but i’m very interested in the idea of fostering or voltunteering with birds!

 

[beaky.lauren]

Well, that crosses sugar gliders off my list of potential companions in the future. I didn't know they were a danger to birds. Good to know.

i wouldn’t be too worried about that. granted, if you take them out at the same time, they will probably fight; but that’s common sense. as long as you keep them in different rooms of the house (because they will definitely know of each others existence if kept in the same room which could frighten them) it should be fine. sugar gliders in the wild are a lot larger than the ones we keep in captivity and honestly, i would see the bird winning in the fight for sure unless it was like a small finch but even then it would be a pretty even fight... (don’t tell my gliders that i said this ahah!)

 

[Brittany0208]

i wouldn’t be too worried about that. granted, if you take them out at the same time, they will probably fight; but that’s common sense. as long as you keep them in different rooms of the house (because they will definitely know of each others existence if kept in the same room which could frighten them) it should be fine. sugar gliders in the wild are a lot larger than the ones we keep in captivity and honestly, i would see the bird winning in the fight for sure unless it was like a small finch but even then it would be a pretty even fight... (don’t tell my gliders that i said this ahah!)

Oh, well then I'll keep my options open, but they would definitely be housed in different rooms. Just want to make sure I'm not introducing any potential threats.

 

[fashionfobie]

Oh, well then I'll keep my options open, but they would definitely be housed in different rooms. Just want to make sure I'm not introducing any potential threats.

Well it is a good thing to know about. Most people understand that cats will eat their feathered loved ones. Sugar gliders aren't as famous in the bird killer category.

I wouldn't underestimate the little sugar gliders, even if they are small. Even the naturalists were surprised that they were the ones killing the swift parrot chicks and hens. We all know how famously protective parent parrots can be. A sugar glider eats them whilst they are on their nest. That is pretty brutal. Separate rooms for sure, but really make sure you know where they are at night.