Should I get a pet parrot?

Lastblade · Jul 26, 2004

I really want to get a pet, but I don't really like dogs and cats that much. I like birds and fish, but damn, I looked into doing some tropical fish tanks but they are just a big pain in the ass (although, they are so beautiful, I just don't have the resources to upkeep them).

So anyone here has any experience with Parrots? I know they are pricey, but they seem to live for a long time if well taken care of, and they talk! That's a bonus! I really like the Cockatoos, but the African greys seem cute too. Macaws are too big for us...

laurie · Jul 26, 2004

Hello mate, I had a few pet birds, I would say that sombody will want to be in the house at least 3/4 of the day if you get somthing like a cockatoo or amazon or african grey, They get pretty upset when left alone. Make sure you buy from a breeder and not a pet shop.
Make sure its a hand reared bird and not a wild one or else you will hae to tame it which is not fun. I did it once with an indian ringneck and she got so attached to me after she would attack my family.
They can make wonderfull pets but need more attention than say a dog. Buy some books and read up on it.
Best of luck. Let us all know what you decide.
Dont hesitate to ask any questions,
Laurie.

Kazuki Dash · Jul 26, 2004

Lastblade said:
...the African greys seem cute too.

no way LastBlade...they are the most nasty, temperamental, messy birds I've ever seen, not to mention that they like to bite and they NEVER(yes never) STOP TALKING...
:oh_no:

I don't know how exactly much you want to teach your bird to speak, but I'd recommend a Lorikeet...they're not as big, not as loud, friendlier, and more colorful

laurie · Jul 26, 2004

lories are necter feeders though, And although they have the same name as me... No they are very pretty but the wet shits can be a pain. Sounds like you had a bad grey most I have known have been very loving and clean. But once they talk they will TTTAAAALLLLKKK

Chairman Kaga · Jul 26, 2004

A friend of mine has one of those African greys, it is nasty and stinks up her house. I swear it sounds like a smoke alarm whenever it makes a noise.

In my experience its best to have a parrot if you can keep it in an outdoor cage most/all of the time, like a warm weather environment. That way the parrot gets a more natural place to live, and you get a better smelling house.

Lastblade · Jul 26, 2004

I do have tons of questions.

Example, how do I find a breeder in my area (NYC)? I found a decent pet store recommended from someone... check it out www.parrotsoftheworld.com

I am actually home almost everyday, so it is no problem for me to be a companion to them. The only danger I see is that I don't want it to be overly attached to me and not my wife!

Seriously, I want it to be raised well, with a good temperment (if that's possible). I guess if I can't shut an African Grey up, that might be a problem down the line.

But then again, I want to raise a bilingual parrot! It would be funny to hear it speaks chinese and english LOL!

Btw, how much time commitment is involved in taking care of a parrot? I don't mean playing with it, I consider that quality time, but I mean, like feeding it, watching it poop, cleaning, etc etc.

Chicago Cheeseburgler Crew · Jul 26, 2004

Lastblade said:
Btw, how much time commitment is involved in taking care of a parrot? I don't mean playing with it, I consider that quality time, but I mean, like feeding it, watching it poop, cleaning, etc etc.

I would consider watching it poop "quality time" as well.

Chicago Cheeseburgler Crew · Jul 26, 2004

I had a Cockatoo. Since he was always biting at my shirt I decided to give him an old t-shirt to chew on . A few months later he died and it turns out that the strings off the shirt clogged his stomach . True story. Get a dog they can handle eating some string .

Chicago Cheeseburgler Crew · Jul 26, 2004

FatGuy said:
I had a Cockatoo. Since he was always biting at my shirt I decided to give him an old t-shirt to chew on . A few months later he died and it turns out that the strings off the shirt clogged his stomach . True story. Get a dog they can handle eating some string .

It probably died from the condiment stains.

Chicago Cheeseburgler Crew · Jul 26, 2004

Stinky-Dinkins said:
It probably died from the condiment stains.

Thats what kept him alive as long as it did .

Chicago Cheeseburgler Crew · Jul 26, 2004

Stinky-Dinkins said:
It probably died from the condom stains.

Moderated.

laurie · Jul 26, 2004

Lastblade said:
I do have tons of questions.

Example, how do I find a breeder in my area (NYC)? I found a decent pet store recommended from someone... check it out www.parrotsoftheworld.com

I am actually home almost everyday, so it is no problem for me to be a companion to them. The only danger I see is that I don't want it to be overly attached to me and not my wife! Seriously, I want it to be raised well, with a good temperment (if that's possible). I guess if I can't shut an African Grey up, that might be a problem down the line.

But then again, I want to raise a bilingual parrot! It would be funny to hear it speaks chinese and english LOL!

Btw, how much time commitment is involved in taking care of a parrot? I don't mean playing with it, I consider that quality time, but I mean, like feeding it, watching it poop, cleaning, etc etc.

oh sorry, I didnt realise your in the US. As far as I know a pet shop should be ok there, Just ask to meet whoever raised the parots, If you go for an african grey or another big bird then you could have to wait several months for a clutch. You dont want to buy a bird older than a few months. If you start with a baby one you can train it much better.
Dont let them sell you anything but a young bird from a recent clutch. I love the idea of a bilingual bird!
Looking after it is not quite like a pet more of a little person. Company is the most important part. You can teach it to shit in a cup or somthing, They tend to just shit off there perch. Most like to be out of the cage most of the time, I wouldnt keep it permanently outside if you want a really tame bird, some learn to stay close and not fly away but its best to have the flight feathers clipped just in case. You can always put its cage outside on nice days. Was there anything else Ive gone blank.

Chicago Cheeseburgler Crew · Jul 26, 2004

laurie said:
Looking after it is not quite like a pet more of a little person. Company is the most important part. You can teach it to shit in a cup or somthing...

It worked for me so chances are it'll work for his bird.

PS: My cup overfloweth.

Lastblade · Jul 26, 2004

laurie said:
oh sorry, I didnt realise your in the US. As far as I know a pet shop should be ok there, Just ask to meet whoever raised the parots, If you go for an african grey or another big bird then you could have to wait several months for a clutch. You dont want to buy a bird older than a few months. If you start with a baby one you can train it much better.
Dont let them sell you anything but a young bird from a recent clutch. I love the idea of a bilingual bird!
Looking after it is not quite like a pet more of a little person. Company is the most important part. You can teach it to shit in a cup or somthing, They tend to just shit off there perch. Most like to be out of the cage most of the time, I wouldnt keep it permanently outside if you want a really tame bird, some learn to stay close and not fly away but its best to have the flight feathers clipped just in case. You can always put its cage outside on nice days. Was there anything else Ive gone blank.

Thanks for your insight! At what age do you clip the flight feathers? It sounds horrible.... but then again, I wouldn't want my thousand dollar bird to fly away!

So basically, I can let it out of the cage all the time except maybe sleeping or when I need to be alone?

Amix · Jul 26, 2004

My roommate has a tiny parrot - no clue on the breed/type/whatever - that doesn't say much, but it still is fucking annoying. Besides calling you a "Chicken" every now and again, she can emulate the sound of our phone very well, and since we have crickets in the apartment 24/7 (have a lot of reptiles too), the bugger emulates the sound of a cricket. A lot.

It is very aggravating to get up for the phone and it is that stupid bird - and then she states saying, "chicken, chicken".

Fucking bird.

galfordo · Jul 26, 2004

Amix said:
My roommate has a tiny parrot - no clue on the breed/type/whatever - that doesn't say much, but it still is fucking annoying. Besides calling you a "Chicken" every now and again, she can emulate the sound of our phone very well, and since we have crickets in the apartment 24/7 (have a lot of reptiles too), the bugger emulates the sound of a cricket. A lot.

It is very aggravating to get up for the phone and it is that stupid bird - and then she states saying, "chicken, chicken".

Fucking bird.

That's fekking hilarious. Maybe I should get a parrot. I'm not sure which one of us would out-annoy the other.

laurie · Jul 26, 2004

Lastblade said:
Thanks for your insight! At what age do you clip the flight feathers? It sounds horrible.... but then again, I wouldn't want my thousand dollar bird to fly away! So basically, I can let it out of the cage all the time except maybe sleeping or when I need to be alone?

Check with the shop on that one The first primary flight feathers like the first 4 I think it is. I didnt do it to Green (my bird) Till she was about 2 and had tried to escape. also put her on the same level as the dog, It was unfair on him her swooping at his head all the time. Yes he can be out most of the time he probably wont follow you around all the time just sit on his perch and think. I would put him in the cage to sleep he will feel a lot safer,

laurie · Jul 26, 2004

you should be able to get loads of info from a book. I learnt most of what I know from books then just having a parrot.

BeefJerky · Jul 26, 2004

Parrots aren't worth it.

Why? Their longetivity. Soooooo annoying for like 70 years. If you want something that's gonna live for a longass time get a turtle. Turtle's are laidback critters.

What else? If you neglect them they go fucking nuts. I'm not talking about neglect as in you don't change its cage or food/water. I'm talking about not paying it attention. They can develop mental disorders from what I've been told (a friend's family has 2 parrots).

And how do they show they care? By making a big fucking mess and talking non-stop.

Parrots aren't worth it. Most birds aren't really. I like birds, but not taking care of them, my advice is consider getting a different animal.

Lastblade · Jul 26, 2004

BeefJerky said:
What else? If you neglect them they go fucking nuts. I'm not talking about neglect as in you don't change its cage or food/water. I'm talking about not paying it attention. They can develop mental disorders from what I've been told (a friend's family has 2 parrots).

And how do they show they care? By making a big fucking mess and talking non-stop.

LOL, that sounds like getting married!

Yah, I know about the attention thing. Maybe it is a big pain in the ass, but I think it can be fun too. I know parrots are basically like a 2 year old kid, which can get old, but then again, they can be fun too! I am still thinking about it, but it is interesting to read about people's opinions on them, that's for sure!

BeefJerky · Jul 26, 2004

Lastblade said:
LOL, that sounds like getting married!

Yah, I know about the attention thing. Maybe it is a big pain in the ass, but I think it can be fun too. I know parrots are basically like a 2 year old kid, which can get old, but then again, they can be fun too! I am still thinking about it, but it is interesting to read about people's opinions on them, that's for sure!

Hah, see man. Plus, I don't know how old you are but a parrot would probably outlive you. Who wants something that old around the house?

Actually if you're serious about a bird I'd recommend a Cockatiel (SP?) great fun if I do say so. They don't live as long however, but they aren't as smelly, they're smaller, and most are very friendly. Last I was at the pet shop they were letting Cockatiels go for $70-$100 depending on "options" so to speak.

laurie · Jul 26, 2004

I think your a bit harsh towards the birds. It can be hassle but if hes serious about getting a parrot then it will be more than worth it.

Should I get a pet parrot?

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