Why parrots?

[lupe]

...oh dorkie me...I forgot...I really fell in love with the too species when I used to
see that show Baretta..& Fred the sulfer crested too sidekick..

 

[komodeno]

Totally by accident.. An impulse buy in a pet store (originally there to get a turtle, but that's another story!) and bought Lucky. I was hooked. I have had other animals in my life and while I loved them the connection with the birds is on a whole different level.

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Same as me
I went to the local pet market to buy some fish and got a grey.
We had that time 3 untamed and very loud IRN.They were locally bread and the owner was not looking after them so we had taken them and tried to live with them.It was impossible.They were extremely noisy,not screaming but very loud calls.The had a chance to see from the windows wiled IRN's and they use to go banana.
So we decide to give them to a pet store owner who will look after them and make them pairs.
So we were not even planing to have another bird.
That Grey was two months old and he just hug me and we left the store with him.
Im glad we did.He is a lovely bird.Then i got hooked and got Jack- the B&G and after 2 years we adopted Goofy the goffin cockatoo.
Ti be honest i was alway drown to parrots and there amazing ability to talk and learn so i knew one day i will get one...
So i have 3 and i think we ate perfectly fine now!


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[dwright27]

Ohhh my goodness! Sorry guys, I got so caught up in reading the MBS thread that I forgot to come and check this one! I will try to get caught up here tonight after work lol.

 

[dwright27]

My aunt took in rescues when i was a child. I remember growing particularly fond of a sun conure and he always stuck in my memory. Then as an adult we were picking up food @ a local pet store when a poorly taken care of umbrella cockatoo jumped on my fiance and shouted, Hi im Poncho. After the initial shock we both fell head of heels for the poor scissor beaked baby. Soon after we began researching adding a bird into our home.
We were told that Poncho was sold twice since then, each time they brought him back to that awful pet store, and to be honest i don't think my fiance ever forgave me for not getting him but i felt like a cockatoo was a huge responsibility for first time bird owners.
After about a years worth of research we chose greenies, a lot based on living in an apartment, because i still had my heart set on a sun.
So glad we did our babies are our world

Too much for first-time bird owner? I'd say! I'm generalizing of course, but I'd imagine that most people new to birds wouldn't cope well with a raging hormonal cockatoo lol. I'm glad you found the birds you love!

 

[dwright27]

My spare time was spent learning about all thing aquatic or other animals. I came across cockatiels and thought it was amazing how loving they could be. You know, "the bond". Being as I was extremely depressed, that bond sounded amazing! I didn't really do research on what species would be best, but seeing cockatiels first, that is what I went for. Peaches lived 7 years or so and after she passed that was it for a while. A little more than a year ago I started looking into parrots again and came across parrotlets. When researching parrotlets, they seemed to be the whole package, matching what I was looking for. I kept reading all I could and found a breeder....now my life is run by a parrotlet. But, Yoshi has been such a great experience for me that I wanted to add another parrot. We are adding an eclectus soon.

Learning even the basics of all types of pets is very time consuming for sure. Over the years I've researched birds, dogs, ferrets, guinea pigs, rats, reptiles, etc. The prospect of the new eclectus must be so exciting!

 

[Bailey]

Well..quite honestly, I was not drawn to parrots...and I never ever thought I was going to be a parrot/bird person. My boyfriend and I went out one day...and I knew he had had parakeets before. We spontaneously decided we could get a pet together. I asked him if he wanted a turtle and he said no, and we already had tarantulas. Then we stumbled upon birds and decided we would get Kirk. After we got him, I fell in love. I know spantaneous pet ownership is looked down upon, but that was about 2 years ago and I was not as mature as I am now. Ava (one month later) was also spontaneous, but she taught me a lot and we had better pet planning after her death. Point is, becoming a parrot person was pure accident for me. But I am so glad it happened. (WHY CAN'T I SPACE MY POST??) Edit: Just kidding! Okay, when I was younger I always wanted an African Grey parrot. I just knew they were soooo smart! Then in 2010 I met Charlie, a Sulfur-Crested Cockatoo, at a local pet store. He was so funny! He would raise his wings up and i'd go behind him and stick my hands up under his feathers and scratch him real good. Then one time we were up there he said 'Wonderbread' for the first time. He was great. He got sold after about 3 months of him being in the shop. So I guess I always liked and wanted parrots, but I didn't think I would fall in love with my littles.

 

[dwright27]

From as far back as I can remember, I have been enthralled with birds; initially the wild birds I saw outside. My Grandmother Dorman always had a budgie as a pet and I loved petting and handling the soft little bird. My Dad was not a pet person unless it was a hunting dog. So, no birds for me even though I constantly asked for one; and no cats because Dad was terribly allergic. My love of birds continued until I was six years old.

We lived in Baltimore in the old rundown neighborhoods that used to be clustered around the old McCormack spice warehouse. Down the block was an old sea captain who had a large green parrot who the man often put out in his yard on a T-stand. The bird was not tethered on the stand and the kids in the neighborhood often teased him and threw stones at him. Needless to say, the bird came to hate children. Eventually, the bird did attack one of the kids and bit him severely. One day my Mom and I were walking home from the store down the alley and the bird came flying off his perch and chased us up the alley. From that day on, I was terrified of parrots, especially large, green parrots. This went on until I was 33 when my wife and I moved in together and Pam brought her parakeet, Ribbon, with her. Pam realized I was terrified of parrots and always cared for them herself. I found I was just as interested in birds as I had been when I was a kid, I was just also terrified of them. Eventually Pam had brought home six budgies, all different colors, and I loved watching them and hearing their calls. Then, one day, Pam brought home three GREEN lovebirds. I could not even make myself approach their cage. They were terrifying to me. Yet, they were also facenating to me as well.

Fast forward ten years, and Pam broke up with me and moved out but did not take her birds or her cats or her dogs. So I was left with eight budgies, three lovebirds and 23 cats and three dogs. I couldn't let the birds starve, so I started caring for them. Those GREEN lovebirds were blood thirsty little buggers; bit me every chance they got! Yet my interest in them and their behavior and their movement did not decrease or waver. I was researching what I could feed the birds besides seeds and suddenly came across the idea of a handfed, tame pet parrot. About that time, my BFF decided she wanted to get a budgie and hand tame it. It took her only three weeks to tame the little guy. I tried the same techniques on my budgies and, surprise, they tamed as well. The GREEN lovebirds... not so much.

About this time, I met a handfed, tame cockatiel at a bird store and I was hooked. Within a few months, I had found a breeder and obtained Gracie Tiel. She was a cuddly three month old hen and very compliant and loving. I started being less afraid of the green lovebirds and was amazed at how intelligent they were, learning to put themselves in their cage when I announced it was 'bedtime' so I did not have to net them to put them to bed. I got Gracie and mate and between them they surprised me with chicks and soon I had seventeen cockatiels.

Meanwhile, I had found a bird club and went to meetings and met many different species of birds. I had seen a Meyers Parrot at a bird store years earlier and I thought they were the most beautiful birds I had ever seen. But back then, Meyers were extremely expensive and rather hard to get in my area. At the bird club meetings, I met several Senegal Parrots and became smitten with their charm and personality. A year later, I met Sunshine Senegal at a bird club fair and Sunny kept jumping on me until I bought her. Cockatiels, Pois and lovebirds are my favorites.

That is how I got into birds and how I found my favorite species. (long-winded, as usual)

I love your stories! And it's amazing how well you were able to overcome your fear. I know a few people who are terrified of birds as well, and I totally understand. Those beaks are powerful! There are always stories floating around about the macaw who bit a guy's finger clean off. That's enough to scare most people. So the fact that after the trauma you experienced as a kid you were able to house and care for so many birds. Maybe it's the "flooding" that did it!

Ahem.. 23 cats? Jeepers. That's all I've got lol.. just "jeepers".

I am super interested in Pois as well. Red-Bellied and Brown-Headed are standing out for me, personality-wise. Cockatiels and lovebirds, not so much.. simply because of their calls. Strange as it is, I'd rather listen to a screaming cockatoo than a screaming lovebird or 'tiel lol. There's also no way I could handle a sun conure. Ear-piercing, shrill.. You get the idea. I actually just received an email from someone trying to re-home a caique but again, I don't imagine that I could handle that kind of sound either. Ahh who knows *sigh* lol. Either way I can't take this bird because I'm not prepared, I don't have the space or money, and come September I won't have the time.

 

[dwright27]

I've been asked this question many times, and I still don't know the answer. I've just always loved birds. As a child, I was fascinated by the wild birds that would come to the feeders. I was always picking up feathers I found on the ground and one time tried very hard to hatch a chicken egg from the fridge by putting it under a lamp.

But I guess the obsession really picked up momentum when I was six or seven and found an injured sparrow. I cupped my hands next to the little bird and she jumped right in them. My parents let me care for "Tweety" for the entire day with the help of my older siblings. The next morning she jumped out of my hands and hit the cement. My first bird was gone, but the ball was rolling. A year of my begging later, and my mother brought home a pair of wild budgies from the pet store. She cared for them, but I still considered them my own and much to her surprise had "Blueberry" perching on my finger within a few days.

Then on my tenth birthday, my eldest sister surprised me with my first cockatiel. Skeeter was the first bird who was truly mine, and to this day my sister believes my flock is her "fault."


And so there you have it. Parrots.

That's adorable hehe. Love the name "Skeeter" too. At least you have someone to blame! haha jk

 

[dwright27]

I'm not sure either, we had budgies when we were kids, so always remember being around birds but I was definitely a horse person.

I guess our selection for a new companion narrowed down to birds due to my allergies otherwise it would have been a cat/dog/etc, etc. We did several visits to the store we got our lories from and lots of checking on the net regarding allergies, how they needed to be kept etc. J's dad used to keep lorikeets in an aviary so J was used to lories. That's how we got around to having our parrots.
Being an adult now, it truly has taken me aback at just how bonding the relationship is and how amazing these creatures are. Even more wonderous than when I was a child.

Honestly, all the things I learned about lories a few years ago have disappeared from my mind. All I remember is that they eat nectar, and are loud lol. I love that you did so much "homework" before bringing them home though. That's what I'm doing now! =D

 

[dwright27]

I always forget to tell this part of the story because I am not sure how relevant it is...but it is something that sticks in my mind as one of those "moments" in life that you never ever forget.. I was a "hippie" and hitchhiked across Canada 3 times by the time I was 17-and also hitchhiked all through BC from Calgary to Vancouver & back several times. On one of the trips , during a cold snap in October, we caught a ride with a semi truck driver through the Crows Nest Pass. Just as we were getting into the truck I noticed a very brightly colored bird (bright tan and white) bird lying in a snow bank. I scooped the bird up and brought him into the truck to warm up. I held the bird in my hands but it was too late..the bird died in my hands. I held onto that bird until the trucker dropped us off at the next turn, and buried the poor little thing as best I could under the snow at the side of the road. I often wonder if that was like some indication that my life would be filled with birds someday. Anyway it was a moment, that at the tender age of 17, touched me deeply and now at the age of 58, I often think about .

Wow! What an adventurer hehe. Of course now the idea of hitch-hiking is scary, but you must have had so much fun
Touching story

 

[dwright27]

i always found birds intriguing. i never thought they 'liked me'. i didnt understand that birds arent like dogs and cats that will (generally) immediately take to just about any human who shows them kindness. after i got divorced i bought my son a tiel. my son named him Steve. i was so very impressed with Steve. i think the day i became truly 'hooked' was when i sat and watched Steve work out how to get from the floor to the top of a table! PROBLEM SOLVING??? from a bird??? i was just flabbergasted. That was it! i was hooked. today i sit in my living room, i'm surrounded by parrot cages. and i wouldnt change it for anything in the world. i never expected to find a companion in a small feathered creature.

I guess it just took the right bird! lol, Steve. Love it. It truly is amazing, watching them figure things out. Ahh I've got the bird bug so bad lol

 

[dwright27]

I'm a country gal - had animals growing up. My aunt had parrots and I wanted absolutely nothing to do with them, they were quite scary.

Fast forward years and years . . . . . my Aunt passed away and those same 2 parrots were on a porch in near 100 degree heat. I leaned down and looked at them, said hello - and GOT AN ANSWER BACK! MC snared a home for life with a "hello" that was warm, curious and had a "who are you?" quality.

The original intent was to give them some calm and peace and find them a good loving home (other than ours). Within a week hubby knew that they weren't going anywhere. MC is proving to be a very interactive sweetheart - Secret . . . . . well, Secret is my problem child but I'm not giving up.

Gotta love the amazons!

Oh how awesome that you were able to keep those birds. I imagine your aunt would have been very relieved to hear that. What sort of problems do you have with Secret?

 

[dwright27]

We were raised with animals. Dogs,birds, and guinea pigs. I always loved the budgies and canaries my Mom would bring home from work-she worked at W. T. Grants, a large department store, in the pet department.
My wife did not have animals as she grew up. I got her a little green budgie for her birthday ,the first year we were married. She fell in love with Andre,and the idea of having a houseful of birds was born.
That was almost 30 years ago. Now, our house would not feel right without the chirping, squawking, and the flinging of food our feathered companions bring to us every day.

One other thing- I'm not a big cat person. So when I go out to my brother's house, the cats come up and love on me, and sit in my lap, and fall asleep there. It's something I get used to...

I would be worried that I would have the same problem if I worked in a pet store.. I'd want to bring them all home!
Congrats on 30 years of marriage. That's awesome
Cats are weird eh? They always tend to go for the person who is the least interested in them lol.

 

[dwright27]

Hi from Vancouver Island!

Good question, by the way. For us, it all started well over 30 years ago. Seeing a wild caught GSC2 in a local pet shop; we were simply blown away! That magnificent huge bird, with such a beautiful yellow crest - wow!! We were instantly hooked. And very young......and totally uneducated about parrots or how to care for them. But we managed, and Cleo was an amazing cockatoo. Quiet and laid back, and she loved to entertain (like so many 'Toos do!)
Bought the cockatoo and her giant cage, and enjoyed every minute we had with her.
Must add that buying a parrot on impulse is WRONG. But that was years before Internet, and we had no way to educate ourselves before the pet store purchase.

And hi from Ontario! I hear ya.. my dad and step-mom didn't do much research before they got their U2, and again that was before all the resources we have available now. They said that if they had known what they were getting into they wouldn't have brought her home. But at the same time they also love her dearly and have had her for 22 years and counting. And yes, they sure are entertaining! Ohh how many hours I've spent on youtube... lol!

 

[dwright27]

Because birds and me are of kindred spirits.

I understand birds and reptiles and spiders more than I do any other species.

I chose cockatoos because I figured they're like blood to me. THE OATMEAL that makes my morning. My scarlet macaw is the spice I like added to life. Like blue berries that add flavor to the oatmeal.

Ah how wonderfully stated. Annnnnd now I have a craving for blueberries and oatmeal.

 

[dwright27]

Totally by accident.. An impulse buy in a pet store (originally there to get a turtle, but that's another story!) and bought Lucky. I was hooked. I have had other animals in my life and while I loved them the connection with the birds is on a whole different level.

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You've got my attention! What's the story??

 

[dwright27]

Honestly? My hamsters kept dying so my mom got me a bird..lol. It was a budgie I named Pastel. She was a sweetie..very friendly and I even had a hamster still around when I had her and the two of them were best friends. Unfortunately something happened. Still not sure WHAT it was, but her foot was swollen one day and I asked my mom to bring her to the vet. She said we would watch and see first. Next day the swelling was gone and she seemed fine. Went to visit my father overnight and came home to a dead bird. I've never had a budgie as friendly as she was, but I was hooked on birds after that. I've had numerous budgies, a cockatiel and the conures since then. I love their chattering and how curious they are. I call myself a bird person (like cat people and dog people..) and although we do have a few other animals.. I totally prefer my noisy birds.

I'm in a position where I want to laugh but not sure if I should.. LMAO! Poor hamsters. Way to kill 'em! (just kidding!!)
It's so hard to tell when a bird is sick, I know. I wouldn't have had any clue either. I've always had a "take 'em to the vet right away" mentality though, even though a lot of the time it ends up being nothing.. like when I took my skink to the vet because he hadn't come out of his hide in over a week. Turned out he was about to shed lol. DOY!

I generally refer to myself as a "dog person", but really I'm an "every animal under the sun person". Although I'm not sure that I'll have another reptile after this one, since he really wants nothing to do with me. Okay well I still plan on getting a tortoise lol but this guy wants no interaction and is territorial to boot. I don't want a monitor or a snake that I'd have to feed rodents to, as I'm also a fan of rodents lol. Even the frozen ones make me feel bad. At least if I get a tortoise, they're vegetarian like me lol.

ANYWAY, it seems that my future holds a large variety of animals. Not all at once lol but it can be so hard to decide sometimes.. I still haven't decided on a parrot species lol

 

[dwright27]

I too grew up with dogs, reptiles, horses, hamsters, budgies and tiels. Back then though
I was a young girl and I trained two budgies I had to fly from there cage to my shoulder.
I was fascinated by there willingness to learn. The tiels I taught to whistle dixie but I
was fearful of there bites, so they pretty much stayed in there cages. Long story Short,I
am guilty of getting Elvis from a petstore because very simply I fell in love with his
personality after visiting him around 3-4 months...I broke down and am SOOO glad it DID!
He is my heart and soul...

How did you train your budgies to fly to you? I'm intrigued
The tiel I had a long time ago used to hiss like crazy and that was a bit unnerving, but once he was out of his cage he was fine.. he just kept pooping on me
So the next bird I get, I'm going to do my best to potty train lol. I didn't like having to either wear a towel on my shoulders or change my shirt every time I had him out. Sounds like Elvis is a pretty wonderful guy

 

[dwright27]

I always wanted one aince I was a kid. I think there was a show in 80s that a charecter had a parrot. Anyway fast forward a couple decades and I foynd myself in a lorekeet enclosure covered in lorekeets. I had feeling in me that went much deeper than oh a bunch of birds on me. After that i started atudying up on birds in the parrot family. Eventually i wound up connecting with a gcc at the local petsmart. My wife and kida went to get him before christmas for me and they just sold him.
Well the weather in iowa being what it is we waited 5-6 mths. for another gcc. Well worth the wait!

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GCCs are SUPER cute! Most of the ones I've met have been biters though I have never personally been bitten by a GCC but when I'm talking to stores and owners they tend to say similar things about the biting tendencies while trying to get them out of their cages.. and that once they're out they're okay.. but I don't want that sort of a struggle! They are, however, readily available in all their colour mutations. I got reminded of how expensive PJ's Pet Centre is when I saw GCCs for $500-$600 when breeders sell them for like... $200 lol. That place is expensive with EVERYTHING though.. Certain hamsters they have are $30!

Hm. Just thinking about it, I've only ever been bitten by my budgie, and a DYH Amazon. I still have a small scar where he took out a chunk.. There I was, minding my own business, when CHOMP! Ah well, it happens lol. Wow I'm digressing quite a bit here lol

 

[dwright27]

Same as me
I went to the local pet market to buy some fish and got a grey.
We had that time 3 untamed and very loud IRN.They were locally bread and the owner was not looking after them so we had taken them and tried to live with them.It was impossible.They were extremely noisy,not screaming but very loud calls.The had a chance to see from the windows wiled IRN's and they use to go banana.
So we decide to give them to a pet store owner who will look after them and make them pairs.
So we were not even planing to have another bird.
That Grey was two months old and he just hug me and we left the store with him.
Im glad we did.He is a lovely bird.Then i got hooked and got Jack- the B&G and after 2 years we adopted Goofy the goffin cockatoo.
Ti be honest i was alway drown to parrots and there amazing ability to talk and learn so i knew one day i will get one...
So i have 3 and i think we ate perfectly fine now!


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That's good to know about the IRNs.. They are on my list of potential species, especially after seeing videos of Marnie and Bowie on YouTube.

Wow you sure have your hands full with those three, don't you! How do they like one another?