Caique as a College Student in a Unique Situation

[dragon49]

Hey,

So I had a couple green cheek conures up until a few years ago, which had to be given to another family due to medical issues and other extenuating circumstances. Life's gotten a lot better now, and I have a couple of years of college left. I'm thinking about getting a Caique since they seem like they'd be great with my personality and lifestyle, and I wanted to ask whether my plan for keeping one is bad. I spend about 6 months at home just because of how short my college's semesters are, and will be spending my next spring semester at home to work. This is a pretty long time period to be spending at home, which is partially why I want to get a bird. I'll be gone for a few months as I have to fulfill my first semester, but I'll be back mid-December until late summer or early fall. After I graduate, I plan on taking the bird with me and keeping him with me wherever I go (I'm in a well-paid major so I'll be able to find a place that allows birds). My mother loves birds and would take care of him while I'm gone. Does this sound like a bad plan? I have a big hole in my heart from when I lost my parrots, and I really crave their intelligence and affection. I'd appreciate any input on whether or not he would even bond to me or decide to hate me since I would be gone for about a month or two at a time.

 

[Ali]

I'm not totally sure to be honest!

The bird would do fine in terms if care (with your mum whilst you are away) but I am not sure about the mental impact it may have on your bird. This is because, as you bond with your bird in the first six months, he will gain to love and trust him. Then, as his 6 months with you comes to an end, he will move on to your mother. That could go multiple ways: he could accept this and your mother and bond with her as well, get aggresive towards your mother as she is new and you have gone and finally, it is possible with all the change going on, he could develop behavioural issues and start plucking etc.

One way to avoid this would to have your mother bond with the bird and you at the beggining of your time with the him, hopefully avoiding the aggresive changes, but the risk of plucking and other issues when you suddenly disappear for half a year.

Hope this helps

Ali

 

[Ali]

Also, a very happy welcome to the forum. I hope that all on here will be abke to help you with your bird journey if you decide to follow your plan (which I am not saying is bad, just mentioning a couple of issues you may have)

 

[Yoshi&Raphi]

I don’t think it’s the best idea. My maroon bellied conure bonded to me strongly in the first 6 months and I think he would be devastated if I had suddenly left for months. Is it possible to bring the bird with you to college?

 

[tka]

I don't think it's a good idea either. You're going into this knowing that you'll have to leave your new bird after only six months, and this will inevitably have a mental impact on your bird. S/he could end up forging a closer friendship with your mum and not give two hoots about you (this is probably the best case scenario), s/he could become depressed and anxious because of the instability, s/he could resort to aggression, screaming and plucking.

Please don't underestimate that you will almost certainly be graduating in a recession. Even if you're studying towards a well-paid major, there may be more competition for jobs: there a) will be fewer jobs to go around if places have gone out of business or have a recruitment freeze and b) may be more experienced people applying for the same jobs you're applying for. Many new graduates start out in a junior position in their field, and may have long hours, unpredictable hours, travel, study for additional qualifications and so on. There are a lot of unknowns here that you don't seem to be factoring in.

At the moment, this reads as what you want, not what would be good for a bird. I know that you want this, but you're going into this already knowing that you cannot offer stability. That's not a good place to start. There will be many years in your future when you have a better idea of what your life, income, working patterns etc look like for you to welcome a bird into your life.

 

[Zara]

Welcome to the Avenue!

I think waiting until your life is a little more stable and you can be with your bird all the time is the best thing to do.

In the meantime, maybe volunteer at a shelter or bird store?

 

[Ali]

@Zara , that's a great idea! I definetly agree with what everybody has said.

 

[dragon49]

I'm not totally sure to be honest!

The bird would do fine in terms if care (with your mum whilst you are away) but I am not sure about the mental impact it may have on your bird. This is because, as you bond with your bird in the first six months, he will gain to love and trust him. Then, as his 6 months with you comes to an end, he will move on to your mother. That could go multiple ways: he could accept this and your mother and bond with her as well, get aggresive towards your mother as she is new and you have gone and finally, it is possible with all the change going on, he could develop behavioural issues and start plucking etc.

One way to avoid this would to have your mother bond with the bird and you at the beggining of your time with the him, hopefully avoiding the aggresive changes, but the risk of plucking and other issues when you suddenly disappear for half a year.

Hope this helps

Ali

I meant that I would be home for a total of 6 months a year in terms of combined breaks and summer break. I'd be back home every month or so for at least a couple days. It's not as if I'm there for 6 months then completely gone for 6 months.

 

[dragon49]

I don’t think it’s the best idea. My maroon bellied conure bonded to me strongly in the first 6 months and I think he would be devastated if I had suddenly left for months. Is it possible to bring the bird with you to college?

Unfortunately not, the best apartments are University-owned and don't allow pets.

 

[dragon49]

I don't think it's a good idea either. You're going into this knowing that you'll have to leave your new bird after only six months, and this will inevitably have a mental impact on your bird. S/he could end up forging a closer friendship with your mum and not give two hoots about you (this is probably the best case scenario), s/he could become depressed and anxious because of the instability, s/he could resort to aggression, screaming and plucking.

Please don't underestimate that you will almost certainly be graduating in a recession. Even if you're studying towards a well-paid major, there may be more competition for jobs: there a) will be fewer jobs to go around if places have gone out of business or have a recruitment freeze and b) may be more experienced people applying for the same jobs you're applying for. Many new graduates start out in a junior position in their field, and may have long hours, unpredictable hours, travel, study for additional qualifications and so on. There are a lot of unknowns here that you don't seem to be factoring in.

At the moment, this reads as what you want, not what would be good for a bird. I know that you want this, but you're going into this already knowing that you cannot offer stability. That's not a good place to start. There will be many years in your future when you have a better idea of what your life, income, working patterns etc look like for you to welcome a bird into your life.

Yeah you're right, I'll just wait a couple years more.