Should I get a GCC/bird? I'm lost.

[Kitbirdy12]

Hello! My name is Kayt. I have been doing research on parakeets (specifically Green Cheek Conures) for over a month and a half now. My mother is very hesitant and all I have received from others is negative feedback on birds. I really need to ask others that have birds what they think I should do here because I am totally lost. My biggest concern is college. I do want to go to college, and I have done research that some colleges allow birds, but not most and none near me, so I would probably have to go out of state (I live in Maine). I also just thought about not living in a dorm and just driving to and from college when I have classes. It's a really big commitment so i am trying to really way all of the pros and cons. A lot of people say that a lot of birds just have really aggressive and mean personalities, and that I'll be screwed over for 15+ years with a grump and irritable bird which I am nervous about.
I really want a bird to train and play with and spend time with and interact with. I would love to have that companionship and it seems like the best pet for me to have. I want to give it this fulfilling life and I don't want to get one and regret it forever like everyone tells me I will. Are birds really that awful of pets? Will I be miserable forever with him/her? What if I don't have enough time or can't keep up with them financially?
I'm just really in a bind. I don't want to want until I finish college. I want to live and enjoy it and live in the moment, but I don't want to make a careless decision here if that makes sense. I think they are so amazing and sweet and cool and smart and I want to have that companion and long term commitment. I'm just really lost. What do I do???

Thank you so much. I appreciate your time reading this.

Kayt <3

 

[budgieluv3]

Welcome to the forum!
Here is a thread on conures

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly about Green Cheeked Conures

The attributes listed in this thread are the experiences of each individual and your experiences may differ with your individual bird. The Good~ Nala is by far the sweetest and most loving bird out there,she is happy to snuggle with me against my neck or hand for hours,or just content to sit on...

forums.avianavenue.com

Good luck with your decision!

 

[Zara]

Welcome to the Avenue Kayt

I have moved your thread to the Bird Boulevard for better visibility (Service Road is for website faults ).

Have you spoken to your parents? If you did decide to buy a bird, it´s a good idea to have your parents agree that should something happen where you can´t care for the bird etc, they can either help you financially or take in the bird and care for him/her.

 

[Kitbirdy12]

Welcome to the Avenue Kayt View attachment 365699

I have moved your thread to the Bird Boulevard for better visibility (Service Road is for website faults ).

Have you spoken to your parents? If you did decide to buy a bird, it´s a good idea to have your parents agree that should something happen where you can´t care for the bird etc, they can either help you financially or take in the bird and care for him/her.

Hello! Thank you for the reply! I have talked with my mother and she is very hesitant on me getting a bird, mostly because of the long term commitment. She said of all small pets (hamster, mouse, guinea pig ect.) she was most willing to get a bird. She says that she doesn't want to be stuck caring for it, which is totally understandable. I think in her mind they are just messy and a big problem, without seeing the good sides of having one. But, i totally get where she is coming from. I've been talking to her about it for a few weeks now. I've been doing quite well recently financially, I have a pretty large amount of money in my savings so I'm not worried too much yet about it, but I want to make sure that I have a solid back up plan if things do fall through financially. I have created an amazon wishlist that added up the total cost of everything, and I was a pretty manageable price.

Thank you so much for the response! I really appreciate it.

 

[Kitbirdy12]

Welcome to the Avenue Kayt View attachment 365699

I have moved your thread to the Bird Boulevard for better visibility (Service Road is for website faults ).

Have you spoken to your parents? If you did decide to buy a bird, it´s a good idea to have your parents agree that should something happen where you can´t care for the bird etc, they can either help you financially or take in the bird and care for him/her.

Thank you so much! I will be sure to look into it!

 

[camelotshadow]

Please wait til you can give them a home after college unless parents will care for the bird til you graduate. Your parents have expressed a desire to not be committed to a bird for the next 4 years. They are a messy loud constant responsibility & need to have everyone make life changes to keep them safe. So much danger lurk in the house from cooking to cleaning.

Dorm & even college is not a place or time for a bird. The noise & the dangers. House rental comes with similar dangers when housed with other college students.

College is stressful & you need to devote all your time to studies & life skills. A bird will be a disability & make things harder in a time that is already challenging.

Many many threads on getting birds while planning to go to college you can research.

I have experience in both college & birds. My strong advice is to put off getting the bird. They don't like being moved every few months during recess/ summer etc. You won;t be able to give them a stable home & you will be putting yourself through more stress.

I understand wants but having a bird is a big responsibility. It needs consistency & schedule to work well & you will not be able to provide that during college. Birds are very needy & I am trying to think for your best interests now & the birds. College is not a good time to get a bird.

Penny says hello. She wants attention like a baby. She can scream & cry if she does not get it when she wants it. Sometimes you don't know what this want is & sometimes you just can't give them what they want all the time. Would you keep a baby in a college dorm. Its not safe. College is unpredictable & can actions of other students can be wild. Someone gets in with your roommate who smokes or lets the bird fly out or hurts the bird. Maybe they wear strong cologne etc. You can't control the environment to keep them safe. They won;t be able to sleep well with a roommate studying til 1AM etc. Even in a house rental situation with college students there are so many dangers from roommates who don't understand or are unwilling to do what is necessary to keep a bird safe & clean the bathroom with strong cleaner & your bird dies. So much can go wrong that it does not outweigh the pleasure you have from the bird that its not fair to them or you to lose precious once in a lifetime college years in which you should devote all your efforts to making studies that will lead to a life long career to provide you a stable financially viable long life ahead of you.

When you graduate you will need to find a job & a place to live. Then a job is a 9 to 5 in most cases it takes you away from home or at least takes many hours a day to preform. Wait til you are settled in a routine so you are able to provide a safe & happy home for a bird.

Many get the bird & run into many challenges & you both get hurt.

I hope this helps. If I were in your situation I would hope someone helped me not make a mistake that would be hard to live with.

Please take great care in making this decision.

 

[Kitbirdy12]

Please wait til you can give them a home after college unless parents will care for the bird til you graduate. Your parents have expressed a desire to not be committed to a bird for the next 4 years. They are a messy loud constant responsibility & need to have everyone make life changes to keep them safe. So much danger lurk in the house from cooking to cleaning.

Dorm & even college is not a place or time for a bird. The noise & the dangers. House rental comes with similar dangers when housed with other college students.

College is stressful & you need to devote all your time to studies & life skills. A bird will be a disability & make things harder in a time that is already challenging.

Many many threads on getting birds while planning to go to college you can research.

I have experience in both college & birds. My strong advice is to put off getting the bird. They don't like being moved every few months during recess/ summer etc. You won;t be able to give them a stable home & you will be putting yourself through more stress.

I understand wants but having a bird is a big responsibility. It needs consistency & schedule to work well & you will not be able to provide that during college. Birds are very needy & I am trying to think for your best interests now & the birds. College is not a good time to get a bird.

Penny says hello. She wants attention like a baby. She can scream & cry if she does not get it when she wants it. Sometimes you don't know what this want is & sometimes you just can't give them what they want all the time. Would you keep a baby in a college dorm. Its not safe. College is unpredictable & can actions of other students can be wild. Someone gets in with your roommate who smokes or lets the bird fly out or hurts the bird. Maybe they wear strong cologne etc. You can't control the environment to keep them safe. They won;t be able to sleep well with a roommate studying til 1AM etc. Even in a house rental situation with college students there are so many dangers from roommates who don't understand or are unwilling to do what is necessary to keep a bird safe & clean the bathroom with strong cleaner & your bird dies. So much can go wrong that it does not outweigh the pleasure you have from the bird that its not fair to them or you to lose precious once in a lifetime college years in which you should devote all your efforts to making studies that will lead to a life long career to provide you a stable financially viable long life ahead of you.

When you graduate you will need to find a job & a place to live. Then a job is a 9 to 5 in most cases it takes you away from home or at least takes many hours a day to preform. Wait til you are settled in a routine so you are able to provide a safe & happy home for a bird.

Many get the bird & run into many challenges & you both get hurt.

I hope this helps. If I were in your situation I would hope someone helped me not make a mistake that would be hard to live with.

Please take great care in making this decision.

Hello! Thank you so much for the honest reply, I really appreciate it. I just get so lost in how great it would be to have one now, so I appreciate you grounding me and reminding me to put safely for me and my bird first. I will definitely take what you say into consideration and will think a lot about the best decision. Thank you lots! Tell penny I said hello

 

[zoo mom]

I agree to wait until you finish college. But you absolutely need to wait until after you finish your first year. Then you will have a better judge of your time and finances etc.

 

[tka]

Hello I'm a university lecturer ("professor" in the UK is a very senior title and I'm a good 15 years away from that!) and I'm here to tell you that this is probably the worst possible time to commit to a bird.

The work you do at college will be a lot more demanding than what's you're doing now. You will be expected to do a lot more independent work and take responsibility for your own learning, so while you may have fewer scheduled contact hours, you will be expected to be doing independent reading, making notes, writing essays or doing problem sets, maybe taking part in study group sessions. We can tell when students aren't putting in the hours we expect from them. You may have opportunities to study abroad or to do fieldwork, depending on your subject. I know people who studied or worked in in Austria, Germany, Ghana, New Zealand and Tanzania. One of my friends is currently doing a masters and is studying Arctic Biology because they feel in love with it as an undergraduate.

Pets aren't allowed in dorms. It is often difficult to find off-campus accommodation that allows birds. Your roommates may be irresponsible and leave windows and doors open, smoke, use candles/teflon/incense or like to play loud music or computer games when the bird is asleep.

You will also have many other commitments that may not give you enough time to care for a bird properly - anything from volunteer work to sports. My students do everything from student journalism, work in a community garden, lead student societies and so on.

After finishing college, many new college graduates will find themselves working long hours, perhaps freelancing or working multiple jobs, doing additional training or moving around a lot. Many people rent an apartment or live in a shared rented house rather than own their own property, and it can be difficult finding a place that will accept pets. All these things mean that it may be a while before you're in a position to keep a bird with you.

Bird veterinary care can be eye-wateringly expensive. I've heard anything between $30-90 for just a consultation. A full health check involves blood tests, faecal tests and crop swabs. These can cost several hundred dollars just for screening. If the bird gets sick, treatment can cost thousands. If you aren't earning your own money you must have your parents on-board, aware of veterinary costs and willing to pay them. You must have a very honest conversation about exotic vet prices and their willingness to pay them, and at what point they deem treatment too expensive. It is absolutely heartbreaking when a teenager posts here about their extremely sick bird but tells us that their parents refuse to take the bird to the vet. The bird usually dies, often in pain or with needless suffering.

Conures make fine family pets if everyone in the family wants a bird and will take care of it. However, if your parents are unsupportive, then you're setting yourself for heartache should the bird get ill and/or if you have to rehome the bird should you go to college. Please think very very carefully about this. You are young and have years ahead of you. When you are living independently and earning your own money you can spoil a bird (or two! or more!) as much as you want.

 

[camelotshadow]

Great answers to help with your decision. I'd like to add...

I am thankful when the birds give me 1 or 2 hours to be able to think & do what I have to do. Birds are so dependent & they don;t understand anyone else has things to do. This is not something you can really handle during the rigors & unpredictability you will be dealing with in college.

 

[Feather]

I got my red-bellied parrot when I was 16, and my pionus two years later.

I absolutely wish I had waited. My research was all from books, I wasn't a member of any forum, I didn't know anyone else with birds, my parents didn't care, and not a single soul suggested I should wait until I had control over my life. Would I have listened? I don't know. But I was being very shortsighted and now would like to travel back in time to tell my past self to cool the jets and wait until my life was truly my own.

Having a bird is going to bring with it more hurdles than you can imagine right now. Four years of college no doubt sounds like a long time, but I promise the wait will feel far shorter than you expect and will absolutely be worth it.

 

[fluffypoptarts]

Everyone has made such good points already!

1) Only get a bird when you have absolute control over your home/environment and can 100% ensure safety, security, and stability for your bird(s). Also, they hate moving and find it very stressful, so the less moving the better.

2) Be willing to do and sacrifice whatever you have to for them. Romantic partners, housing, activities, certain hobbies, being able to spend extended time away from home. The birds and their well-being have to be non-negotiable. Sometimes there are situations in which they have to be rehomed, but you should do everything in your power to avoid it. It happens way too often that a romantic partner comes onto the scene and hates x, y, z about the bird and wants it gone, and the parront actually complies - not okay. Your first loyalty MUST be to the bird, and the bird must always come first. They are entirely dependent on you and when you make the commitment, you have to understand just how serious it is.

 

[birdy.929]

although i have birds while i’m in school, it definitely is not for everyone. i am very lucky enough to have a flexible schedule, parents who care about my birds just as much as i do, and a lot of time on my hands. there are huge sacrifices and responsibilities you have to consider.

 

[BirdWorld]

I’m a teen with birds. I must admit everything here makes sense, but my birds also bring so much joy into my life. I’ll tag some other teens to see what they think on this. @Zonlover @ParrotNuts @Ember-Tiel @scrape @Aves
I do want to say that the best choice would be to get birds after college, but then I wouldn’t be listening to my own advice, so I’ll let the adults say it

 

[taxidermynerd]

Unless your parents are 100% on board, I would wait to get a bird. I got my first bird when I was 14, which wasn't a big worry since I was homeschooled and thus had plenty of time for him. I got my gcc, Jade, not long after I turned 18.

For me, I know I will have a stable place for my bird because my father is on board, willing to help financially and he cares about Jade. I also have no plans (at least for several years) to go to college, so that's not a worry for me.

I think you should go with your gut. If you feel concerned about having a bird during college, wait until after. There will always be time after college, for you to have a bird in an optimal environment

 

[ParrotNuts]

, I am a teen with 3 birds that include a gcc and 2 budgies. If I were in your place I would only carry on if your parents were on board with it. Gladly my parents are very supportive and my younger brother helps me (alot!) or else I would have no idea what I would do . Also I suggest you to do as much research as possible (I was on my computer researching for hours on end, mostly on AA even when I wasn't signed-up.) And keep in mind gcc poops are pretty big, especially the morning ones, and that your family members don't mind that .

 

[Sparkles99]

If your parents aren't committed, from what I've seen it'll end in heartbreak, sooner or later. For your own sake, I recommend waiting.

 

[TheBirds]

You probably have come to a conclusion already, but I know the "me" in university was not able to give the same good home to a bird that the present "me" is. You'll have so much going on in your life in the next few years that any bird (or pet in general) would have a hard time competing for your time and attention! I actually acquired two parrots while away at school myself, and they just ultimately ended up not being my priority at all.

Now I'm in a different place in my life (at home with school-age children), I'm finding more joy in keeping birds as pets. My life is more stable, which means they get more attention and better care. I have no doubt you'd enjoy the companionship of a parrot, but perhaps you could find some compromise until the time is right? Helping at an animal shelter or bird rescue where you can spend time with parrots and then give them back at the end of your shift, etc.