Possible Future GCC || Questions

[(Dead Acc)]

Ello! I apologize in advance if I posted this on the wrong forum. Recently made an account when I couldn’t find answers to some of my more personalized questions.

Before I ask anything, I would like to note that I am a minor who has been researching birds, specifically raptors and parrots (specifically their husbandry) for over three years now. (Not long in the eyes of older people ofc.) I have been wanting to adopt for nearly as long.

Question #1 - Convincing parent(s)? Price, mess, noise, etc are not the issue (It’d all be coming out of my wallet, the mess would be mine to deal with, and my parents don’t mind sound). As far as I’m aware, my dad would be indifferent. My mom on the other hand, is an entirely different story. For context, she was a backyard breeder who sold tiels. As far as I’m aware, she knew next to nothing about proper tiel care, let alone breeding and genetics. She, as expected when you consider her care for the birds, and the fact that she did it purely for money, and did not have any interest in actual breeding at all, did not have a good experience with parrots in general. Thus, she assumes that all birds make horrible companions. Any advice on how to tell her not to project, without it sounding as rude?

Question #2 - Tips on having cats in the same household? The room the gcc(?) would be in would be closed off from the cats at all times, and the door would have a magnetic curtain as an extra precaution. I’m homeschooled, if I wanted to let the flying toddler on cocaine explore and play downstairs while I do school, I’d obviously need to have the cats elsewhere, though I don’t want to be cruel to the cats and shut them in a room for eight (closer to six, since the first two hours are spent in band/jogging). I was hoping to somehow find a way to close off the stairs instead, so the cats could have all of upstairs instead of a small room. I’m not sure how I would do this though. Any ideas?


Yeah that’s about it, I’m sure I’ll think of more questions relatively soon though.


show me your TAG and CAG photos pls

 

[Animallover03]

I was also once a minor who had to convince their parents, and we did have a cat as well, so when I get the chance I will gladly write out a lengthy response for you! Right now I am crazy busy with college and so it might be a day or two before I get the chance, but this way I'll remember to come back to this thread when I can.

 

[owlsthetic]

I've been a minor with a bird before (my budgie) I don't know if I recommend it if both your parents aren't completely on board since you mentioned you'll be paying for everything yourself but it can be A LOT of money for a minor and you may still have to ask for help from your parents if any huge costs (ie. vet bills) come up unexpectedly.

My GCC (who I only got this July) cost me upwards of a thousand dollars (not including the cost of the actual bird). His cage was $600, initial toys, perches, food - $300, vet checkup - $120, air purifier (some might not consider this a necessity but I personally do) - $150. This is all CAD prices though so prices may depend on where you are but initial costs are definitely not cheap.

Ongoing costs are toys, food, annual vet checkups. I've actually started to make some toys as well due to how fast my GCC is going through them and how much I'm having to replace every few weeks.

Sorry if I keep talking about costs but I really wish I had an idea of how expensive bird care was when I first got my budgie. My parents bought her because they thought she'd be a easy pet lol. But I researched a lot after I got her and it turns out none of that cage/food, etc they sold us at the pet store was adequate. And my parents were pretty resistant to any bird care stuff I reiterated to them from my research (especially the cost of everything) so I really had to pay for everything as well. My first paycheque went to an adequate cage and pellets. And I did eventually have to ask for help from my parents with vet bills for my budgie as well because starting college and moving out was expensive (even with their help). You also have to work out vacations and finding someone to birdsit which can be pretty difficult.

My parents were initially pretty indifferent (my mom less so) to my bird as well but I found talking to them about my bird showing them pictures and cute videos I took really helps them understand and appreciate my bird more (they really love my trick training videos, the first time I showed my Dad he told me:"I didn't know they were that smart!"). I also constantly talked about my research on bird, what I read was bad/good, any interesting stories, etc. and I think that just the constant talking about it helps because at least they do tune some of it in and know how important the subject is to you.

Also, this might be something you're already considering but a GCC's lifespan is about 20-30 years so it's a pretty long commitment especially if you're looking at some big changes coming up like college, moving out, job hunting/training, travelling, maybe meeting someone to share your life with, etc all of which will be even more difficult to navigate with a bird in the mix.

Honestly I would recommend getting your bird at a little bit later. When you're done navigating the major changes coming up in your life. My experience owning my GCC now vs my budgie as a minor is like night and day. No more heated "discussions" about bird care with my parents (often ended with me in frustrated tears), no more concerned comments about how much I'm spending on my bird, no more persuading them about importance of vet care, dangers of scents, chemicals and other household dangers. I can take my bird to the vet whenever I need to and spoil my bird as much as I want to, bird proof my house as much as I need to (no compromises) and my parents can still enjoy any cute pictures/videos I send them

 

[Shezbug]

If both parents are not keen or agreeable (without any nagging or manipulation from others) then I would suggest you hold off.

As a minor, your ability to earn and spend money, make important decisions and act upon them at all hours of the night and day and change many general everyday things in the house that are dangerous (appliances, chemicals, perfumes, pets etc) are not in your hands. This situation often leaves young members in a horrible situation where they are very stressed, constantly in conflict with family and at times having to sit with a bird who is suffering till it dies painfully as the parents either do not want to drive right now, do not want you to spend so much money (avian vets are costly and so is everything needed for birds to live their best life) so often they will override your vet and other care decisions or make you wait till it is convenient for them. We have seen this situation more than a few times unfortunately.

Until you have full control of what you do, how you do it and when you do it I really think it is a bad idea if both parents are not voluntarily and automatically onboard.

Your description of your mum leaves me thinking you will have a constant struggle even if you do convince her.

 

[(Dead Acc)]

If both parents are not keen or agreeable (without any nagging or manipulation from others) then I would suggest you hold off.

As a minor, your ability to earn and spend money, make important decisions and act upon them at all hours of the night and day and change many general everyday things in the house that are dangerous (appliances, chemicals, perfumes, pets etc) are not in your hands. This situation often leaves young members in a horrible situation where they are very stressed, constantly in conflict with family and at times having to sit with a bird who is suffering till it dies painfully as the parents either do not want to drive right now, do not want you to spend so much money (avian vets are costly and so is everything needed for birds to live their best life) so often they will override your vet and other care decisions or make you wait till it is convenient for them. We have seen this situation more than a few times unfortunately.

Until you have full control of what you do, how you do it and when you do it I really think it is a bad idea if both parents are not voluntarily and automatically onboard.

Your description of your mum leaves me thinking you will have a constant struggle even if you do convince her.

Apologies if any of this comes off as aggressive, my brain is currently fried

I‘m aware of everything you stated, in my initial post I asked two questions, both unrelated to whether or not I should adopt. I specifically didn’t ask peoples opinions on whether or not I should adopt a parrot in the first place because I’m aware of what most people here think of minors adopting when parent(s) aren’t exactly on board (holy crap that’s sounds extremely rude. Apologies again, I’m horrible at indicating my tone online djhajsjsh, but no hard feelings on my end)

I should’ve stated that this was all hypothetically speaking (heh, that’s on me, I shouldn’t have posted something late at night when my brain was tired), and I know that there’s a good solid 99% chance that I won’t be able to adopt for another several years. Wishful and naive thinking of a kid, I suppose. I more so posted this just to hear peoples ideas and thoughts on my two questions (specifically the second) out of curiosity/to possibly help other people with problems such as those. Sorta like how I‘ll research Cockatoo husbandry/care, even though I don’t ever plan on adopting one

Your signature is epic, Burt looks like he was accused of something horrible and is playing innocent

 

[Sparkles99]

Beyond what other members have stated, I’m a bit confused as to why you want a GCC when you ask for photos of greys. If it’s really a grey you want, you should hold off until you can get one.

Meanwhile, maybe there’s a nearby rescue you could volunteer at to get first hand experience with different species. Your parents would likely be supportive & what species you’re really suited to might surprise you!

 

[(Dead Acc)]

Beyond what other members have stated, I’m a bit confused as to why you want a GCC when you ask for photos of greys. If it’s really a grey you want, you should hold off until you can get one.

Meanwhile, maybe there’s a nearby rescue you could volunteer at to get first hand experience with different species. Your parents would likely be supportive & what species you’re really suited to might surprise you!

Ah! I don’t currently want a grey, there’s no way I’ve got enough knowledge about them or the money for them. I asked for photos as something completely unrelated to the post, photos of greys make me happy lmao. Apologies, I can see how that could be confusing

And yeah! I’ve been searching for the past few days for nearby rescues, hopefully I can find one relatively close

 

[tka]

I am firnly on the side of not getting a bird until you are an adult and have a better sense of what your adult life (and finances!) look like.

#1
As an adult, who does not live with their parents and who is financially independent, it doesn't really matter to me whether or not my parents approve of me having parrots. As it happens, my parents do like the parrots and I often bring the girls with me when I stay with them, but my parents are not involved with any aspect of their care. It's nice that my parents are supportive but it makes zero difference: I would still have the girls and spend a significant amount of money on their care even if my parents thought they were boring/vicious/horrible companions or whatever.

However, the person who does matter is my wife! She's the person who I actually live with, share my life with and with whom I share finances, a mortgage and a bank account. I had just got Leia when we started dating and we got Kira earlier this year; if she hadn't wanted to share me with a parrot, then our relationship wouldn't have happened at all; if she'd vetoed getting a second parrot, then we wouldn't have a second parrot.

It's the nature of things that our relationships change as we get older. At the moment, your parents are a big part of your life (especially if you're homeschooled) but this will change as you get older and new people and new relationships come into your life. Our relationships with people already in our lives will also change as we age and enter different stages of our lives. I love my parents dearly, but they're no longer the people I live with and see every day. I didn't even know my wife when I was a teenager, but she's since become the person with whom my life is entwined.

#2
I would never seek to have cats and birds in the same household. To me, the risk of something going wrong is unacceptably high and it would be the birds that suffer the consequences. Some people manage to make it work through having strict separation throughout the house, but it only takes one person to forget or be careless. How they use barriers and what the barriers are made of depends on what the space looks like, and without knowing what your stairs look like it's impossible to advise on how to fit a barrier.

 

[Wardy]

I am firnly on the side of not getting a bird until you are an adult and have a better sense of what your adult life (and finances!) look like.

#1
As an adult, who does not live with their parents and who is financially independent, it doesn't really matter to me whether or not my parents approve of me having parrots. As it happens, my parents do like the parrots and I often bring the girls with me when I stay with them, but my parents are not involved with any aspect of their care. It's nice that my parents are supportive but it makes zero difference: I would still have the girls and spend a significant amount of money on their care even if my parents thought they were boring/vicious/horrible companions or whatever.

However, the person who does matter is my wife! She's the person who I actually live with, share my life with and with whom I share finances, a mortgage and a bank account. I had just got Leia when we started dating and we got Kira earlier this year; if she hadn't wanted to share me with a parrot, then our relationship wouldn't have happened at all; if she'd vetoed getting a second parrot, then we wouldn't have a second parrot.

It's the nature of things that our relationships change as we get older. At the moment, your parents are a big part of your life (especially if you're homeschooled) but this will change as you get older and new people and new relationships come into your life. Our relationships with people already in our lives will also change as we age and enter different stages of our lives. I love my parents dearly, but they're no longer the people I live with and see every day. I didn't even know my wife when I was a teenager, but she's since become the person with whom my life is entwined.

#2
I would never seek to have cats and birds in the same household. To me, the risk of something going wrong is unacceptably high and it would be the birds that suffer the consequences. Some people manage to make it work through having strict separation throughout the house, but it only takes one person to forget or be careless. How they use barriers and what the barriers are made of depends on what the space looks like, and without knowing what your stairs look like it's impossible to advise on how to fit a barrier.

Agree with everything in this post