Thinking of Getting a Pet Parrot?

Parrots aren’t really “rare” pets anymore. Even small pet stores carry large birds, and most people know at least one person with a parrot. Captive breeding provides a good selection of species at a wide range of prices. Hand-rearing has gives us birds that are apt to see people as friends rather than monsters. It’s easy to find a pet parrot these days. Maybe too easy. It’s not uncommon for people to acquire one in less-than-well-thought-out circumstances. This leads to many unwanted birds. Parrots are ending up in rescue situations almost as frequently as dogs and cats.

One sure way to decrease unwanted parrots is to educate potential owners. Chances are many of you already have a parrot, but some of you are still be mulling over the idea. You’re doing what you should be doing, which is thinking, so good for you! It’s much better to sort things out carefully than to make a snap decision you regret later. While some parrots are bought on impulse, there are people who think ahead of time and still wind up making a poor choice because their motives weren’t in the best interest of the bird, and/or they were given bad information.

Be sure you have the right motivation for getting a parrot in the first place. Don’t think it’s a good way to impress people. Don’t try to complete your tropical island décor with a live prop. Don’t get hung up on the whole “because it talks” thing. Get a parrot because you want a smart, active, engaging pet that wants to be and can become part of your family. And because you don’t mind that sometimes it’s stubborn, noisy, messy, destructive and demanding. Sort of like a kid that will never grow up. If you’re cool with that, then maybe you’re good to go as far as your motives are concerned.

Your expectations about what you’re getting in a bird need to be clear and based in reality. Plenty of people end up unhappy with their feathered pet because of the difference between what they expected and what they actually got. They thought they were getting a relatively low-maintenance pet that didn’t need much in the way of daily care or training, one that would want to be played with and held at their convenience, and always be the sweet big-eyed baby they cuddled back then.

These are unfortunate, common misrepresentations that you hear get tossed about as easily as yesterday’s seed mix. No matter where you seek your bird, you may be told “You just have to feed him this seed and take him out once in a while”. Or “He’s a hand-fed baby so he won’t need to be trained”. Or “You don’t need to give him toys because you want him to focus on you”. Or “Any vet will do”. And you can really get a good story from the people with the “for sale” ad in the paper who claim they’re getting rid of their bird because they a) have to move; b) are having a baby; c) just got a new job; or d) insert various other excuse for getting rid of a bird here. But what they really should say is “We had no idea what we were getting into. We can’t take anymore a) noise; b) mess; c) biting; d) insert various other reason for getting rid of a bird here and just have to get him out of here!”

I’m kinda painting a dark picture here, and if parrots were always bad, no one would have them. But they are one of the more challenging pets to keep if you’re going to do it properly... especially with species like the African Grey and Cockatoo. You need to be prepared to spend money on more than just the bird, provide a varied diet, spend lots of time socializing and training, possibly drive long hours to find a good vet, and be adept at picking up all sorts of parrot-related messes. Parrots may be exotic, they may talk and they may be impressive, but they aren’t low-maintenance, inexpensive or automatically well-mannered. The more you accept that going in, the more likely you are to be a parrot-worthy home. The next step is to figure out what species you might want and where to get it! Looks like you still have lots of thinking to do. Good thing I have more for you to read….