Think very hard if considering a parrot as a pet...
Discussion
Thought I'd give a head's up to anyone contemplating buying a parrot, especially first time owners.
If you are in the prospective market, likelihood is that you have already thought about how it will fit into your home, interact with your family & other pets, taken into account the feeding / cleaning / interaction regimes you currently believe necessary.
Please do it again and seriously assess the level of commitment required, particularly for larger birds such as African Greys, Amazons, Cockatoos, Macaws etc.
Before buying one of the species mentioned above, many people underestimate or don't consider:
Longevity - Young birds can live to the age of 50-80. Its not just you who will have to take care of it for the rest of your life - your kids might have to put in a stint too.
Intelligence - the species above possess a cognitive capability comparable to that of 4-5 year old child.
Social interaction - as the point on intelligence above, similar to a kid of that age they need a lot of attention / mental stimulation daily; only thing is that unlike children, parrots never grow out it.
Noise - if you've not had a parrot in your house before, they are 10x louder than you think possible. They will vocalise at any time - protracted during sunrise & sunset but also whenever someone comes into the room, if they hear a noise, if they are bored - basically whenever they feel like it and there is no off-switch. Forget about watching TV in peace, making phone calls, working from home unless you've got a building at the end of the garden.
Destruction - Birds need time out of their cage daily and no matter how much you watch them, they will knacker everything within reach - skirting boards, door frames, electrical wiring, timber floors, carpets, plaster, furniture legs, upholstery, clothing....
Mess - not just inside the cage, but also what they throw out - surfaces will be covered with a combination of food and water. Also some parrots (African Greys particularly) produce a huge amount of feather dust which gets everywhere (& can cause allergic reactions).
"Talking" - Many people think that all the parrots above "talk" and buy on that basis.
In reality, perhaps 10-15% are very adept at learning phrases quickly and repeating, 10-15% will never repeat anything no matter how much work you put in and the rest are somewhere in-between. No guarantees.
Attachment: The majority of large parrots tend to form a bond with one individual only.
As a result, the bird will behave very differently with its "chosen" person compared to how it acts with others in the household which can be divisive - they are not a family pet.
Behaviour: Need to accept that everyone will get bitten at some point, some more than others but it's always extremely painful.
Anyone younger than (say) mid-teens should not be allowed interact with a parrot of this type inside or outside of it's cage without supervision.
Expense: Not cheap to buy in the first place; add in food, supplements, toys, specialist avian vet fees, pet-sitters who can accommodate a parrot when you go away etc pushes this up.
Domestic adaptations: Parrot's lungs are extremely fragile and susceptible to damage by airborne particles. Forget using any aerosol deodorants, spray bottle cleaning products, perfume, plug-in air fresheners, non-stick / teflon cookware, irons, hair-straighteners, scented candles to name but a few in any adjacent room otherwise run a high possibility of killing the bird
Turned out a bit longer than I thought, but if it makes anyone re-evaluate before buying then worthwhile.
Large parrots are not normal pets; not only might they outlive you but they are also demanding, difficult, hard to live with and will take up far more time than you can ever imagine.
If anyone is wondering why I bothered typing this:
I've had an African Grey since my mid-teens
He is sitting next to me now - I am 51, he is 37.
Has been a total nuisance on a daily basis for the last 36 years but I adore him.
Would I get rid of him now: Never
Would I have taken him in with the same with the knowledge I have now: Absolutely not.
Parrots are amazing, but cannot emphasise enough how much they will change the rest of your life.
If you are in the prospective market, likelihood is that you have already thought about how it will fit into your home, interact with your family & other pets, taken into account the feeding / cleaning / interaction regimes you currently believe necessary.
Please do it again and seriously assess the level of commitment required, particularly for larger birds such as African Greys, Amazons, Cockatoos, Macaws etc.
Before buying one of the species mentioned above, many people underestimate or don't consider:
Longevity - Young birds can live to the age of 50-80. Its not just you who will have to take care of it for the rest of your life - your kids might have to put in a stint too.
Intelligence - the species above possess a cognitive capability comparable to that of 4-5 year old child.
Social interaction - as the point on intelligence above, similar to a kid of that age they need a lot of attention / mental stimulation daily; only thing is that unlike children, parrots never grow out it.
Noise - if you've not had a parrot in your house before, they are 10x louder than you think possible. They will vocalise at any time - protracted during sunrise & sunset but also whenever someone comes into the room, if they hear a noise, if they are bored - basically whenever they feel like it and there is no off-switch. Forget about watching TV in peace, making phone calls, working from home unless you've got a building at the end of the garden.
Destruction - Birds need time out of their cage daily and no matter how much you watch them, they will knacker everything within reach - skirting boards, door frames, electrical wiring, timber floors, carpets, plaster, furniture legs, upholstery, clothing....
Mess - not just inside the cage, but also what they throw out - surfaces will be covered with a combination of food and water. Also some parrots (African Greys particularly) produce a huge amount of feather dust which gets everywhere (& can cause allergic reactions).
"Talking" - Many people think that all the parrots above "talk" and buy on that basis.
In reality, perhaps 10-15% are very adept at learning phrases quickly and repeating, 10-15% will never repeat anything no matter how much work you put in and the rest are somewhere in-between. No guarantees.
Attachment: The majority of large parrots tend to form a bond with one individual only.
As a result, the bird will behave very differently with its "chosen" person compared to how it acts with others in the household which can be divisive - they are not a family pet.
Behaviour: Need to accept that everyone will get bitten at some point, some more than others but it's always extremely painful.
Anyone younger than (say) mid-teens should not be allowed interact with a parrot of this type inside or outside of it's cage without supervision.
Expense: Not cheap to buy in the first place; add in food, supplements, toys, specialist avian vet fees, pet-sitters who can accommodate a parrot when you go away etc pushes this up.
Domestic adaptations: Parrot's lungs are extremely fragile and susceptible to damage by airborne particles. Forget using any aerosol deodorants, spray bottle cleaning products, perfume, plug-in air fresheners, non-stick / teflon cookware, irons, hair-straighteners, scented candles to name but a few in any adjacent room otherwise run a high possibility of killing the bird
Turned out a bit longer than I thought, but if it makes anyone re-evaluate before buying then worthwhile.
Large parrots are not normal pets; not only might they outlive you but they are also demanding, difficult, hard to live with and will take up far more time than you can ever imagine.
If anyone is wondering why I bothered typing this:
I've had an African Grey since my mid-teens
He is sitting next to me now - I am 51, he is 37.
Has been a total nuisance on a daily basis for the last 36 years but I adore him.
Would I get rid of him now: Never
Would I have taken him in with the same with the knowledge I have now: Absolutely not.
Parrots are amazing, but cannot emphasise enough how much they will change the rest of your life.
Thanks for this post. My in laws bought a parrot for my ex father in law.
Was a right miserable thing, barely said a word, was really grumpy and never really got on well with anyone, same could be said about the parrot.
Its interesting you mentioned about the lungs. My wife once burnt some toast and nearly killed the parrot and he certainly didnt last long after poor thing.
Edited to add, they had his cage locked with a combination lock which it could open...
Was a right miserable thing, barely said a word, was really grumpy and never really got on well with anyone, same could be said about the parrot.
Its interesting you mentioned about the lungs. My wife once burnt some toast and nearly killed the parrot and he certainly didnt last long after poor thing.
Edited to add, they had his cage locked with a combination lock which it could open...
Wife would love one but shes not having one.
Last year we looked up after hearing a noise to see a parrot ontop of our garage, she held her hand out and is flew down and landed on her. Turns out some local bloke had lost 2 of them. And he keeps loosing them. Every few months there is a post on Facebook.
Last year we looked up after hearing a noise to see a parrot ontop of our garage, she held her hand out and is flew down and landed on her. Turns out some local bloke had lost 2 of them. And he keeps loosing them. Every few months there is a post on Facebook.
Jazoli said:
I don t believe birds especially parrots should be kept as pets, they are a wild flying animal and to prevent them doing what they were designed to do is cruel and inhumane, why not get a cat instead?
I think a cat is the worst possible pet if you’re worried about cruelty to birds. I’ve had my Blue Fronted Amazon for over 20 years, what you say is largely true. However, the flip-side is they are also loving and intelligent companions. Like all people and pets, some are chilled and highly affectionate, others not so. I suspect we got lucky with our boy. He only really gets stressed when we have people he doesn’t know in the house, we have learnt to leave him be when that happens. He is happily whistling away to ClassicFM as I type.
There is a chap I often see when I am walking the dogs who owns several parrots, not sure of the breeds but all large birds, some grey and some very colourful. He takes them out for walks in a large pushchair which he had adapted with individual cages for the birds and then will have one or two on his shoulders.
They are really beautiful birds and my kids love to see them and have even held one of the tamer ones but this guy is always covered in wounds from where he has been nipped at and from the way he talks about them it seems like a full time job looking after them.
I think he ended up with so many by accident after purchasing one years ago and then gradually re-homing others when their owners couldn't deal with them any longer.
Could a parrot survive in the wild in the UK or is our climate too harsh for it? I know parakeets live wild in parts of London but could the bigger birds survive also?
They are really beautiful birds and my kids love to see them and have even held one of the tamer ones but this guy is always covered in wounds from where he has been nipped at and from the way he talks about them it seems like a full time job looking after them.
I think he ended up with so many by accident after purchasing one years ago and then gradually re-homing others when their owners couldn't deal with them any longer.
Could a parrot survive in the wild in the UK or is our climate too harsh for it? I know parakeets live wild in parts of London but could the bigger birds survive also?
Jazoli said:
I don t believe birds especially parrots should be kept as pets, they are a wild flying animal and to prevent them doing what they were designed to do is cruel and inhumane, why not get a cat instead?
A lot of them fly as a last resort, we had a cockatoo who would rather walk rather than fly .Gassing Station | All Creatures Great & Small | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff