Rant rant rant!!!

It happened again!!!

Someone asks what sort of bird is a good starter bird. It always irritates me but hey, they are new. We just tell them there are only forever birds not starter birds, and move on, right?

Or instead we could do what these people are doing and start screaming for her to get a budgie or a cockatiel BECAUSE THEY ARE CHEAP AND A GOOD WAY TO LEARN BEFORE GETTING A "REAL PARROT"!!

DOZENS OF SUGGESTIONS like this! In a parrot group with THOUSANDS of members! I had to leave the group before I said unladylike things to them.

Oh and one suggested a "pineapple conure" at which point, being already upset, I full on judged them in my head for not knowing the name of their own parrots species. It's hard not to be judgy when already enraged.


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I understand where you are coming from, I feel your pain.
But..
If you ever do a general google search on parrot questions it will lead you to the parrot forum. I think it's only natural we see allot of these questions especial recently.

And there is another side to this as I see it. If you are serious about a parrot as a long term pet/companion is it not better to get one when you are on the young side yourself?
How many parrots end up in rescue/shelters because there owner passed away.
There is always allot to consider when getting a pet and there are special things to consider for a parrot.

I do not disagree with what you have said, not trying to argue. Just putting it out there.

Like I said I'm not really upset by the question, it's the answers by parrot owners suggesting birds in a manner that encourages the idea that they are temporary or "starter kits" and you should "upgrade" from them later that infuriates me.


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I know.. it's natural to ask the question I guess, but it's the answers that get me too. "The Budgie Starter Kit" . I do 'get' the reason people suggest budgies, BUT do people even realize that many people continue to only be Budgie aficionados for the rest of their life, even as advanced bird people?! Many people choose budgies (or whatever small species) as their niche and are satisfied and happy with the species for the rest of their lives without ever feeling the need or the want to "move on" to something bigger, and bigger. As if bigger always means you're more experienced or something . Some people only prefer Chihauhuas .

SilverSage said:

It happened again!!!

Someone asks what sort of bird is a good starter bird. It always irritates me but hey, they are new. We just tell them there are only forever birds not starter birds, and move on, right?

Or instead we could do what these people are doing and start screaming for her to get a budgie or a cockatiel BECAUSE THEY ARE CHEAP AND A GOOD WAY TO LEARN BEFORE GETTING A "REAL PARROT"!!

DOZENS OF SUGGESTIONS like this! In a parrot group with THOUSANDS of members! I had to leave the group before I said unladylike things to them.

Oh and one suggested a "pineapple conure" at which point, being already upset, I full on judged them in my head for not knowing the name of their own parrots species. It's hard not to be judgy when already enraged.


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Click to expand...

As a lifelong budgie and cockatiel breeder and owner I will never know why people think they are "starter birds" or "beginner birds", it drives me crazy too. And I usually have to leave the forum before I go Mortal Kombat on them, because inevitably someone will say "Budgies are great cause you can leave them alone for 10 hours a day and you don't have to have time for them every day if you're busy"...Yeah, that will give you an awesome pet...

We have to remember that these are also the same people that write posts like "Why does my budgie hate me?" and "Why can't I tame my cockatiel?" or my favorite "I've had my budgie for a year and I still can't put my hand in his cage without him going crazy... Should I get him a friend? Will that make him nicer?" Lol, I sit and read their posts while my 7 budgies are all sitting on me getting scritches and giving me kisses. It's a damn shame you can't tame those budgies!

Just the other day there was a post on here where someone said that she had a budgie but she couldn't handle him and she said he was essentially "wild" now because she bought him a friend to see if that would help tame him, and then she made the statement "But anyone here that knows anything about budgies knows that they are all like that, very hard to tame to begin with and once they have another budgie friend they no longer like people at all, they're all like that, everyone knows that"...Again, me and the 7 budgies that were attached to me at the time, preening me and beak grinding away, we all got a good laugh out of that one!

"Dance like nobody's watching..."

I saw that post! Budgies are always wild when there is more than one apparently... NOT!

I first encountered this idea when I was about 12. My pair of cockatiels had produced a stunning lutino baby and a family was at my home about to buy her. Then the dad says that what he wants to do is get a "real cockatoo" but he's going to start with this one and work his way up. I all but snatched my bird back and sent them packing!

When people ask me what is the best starter bird, I say there is no such thing. But the best bird for a beginner is the one you can't live without. If what you truly want is a macaw (and you've done your homework) then get a macaw! "Starting" with a different bird is not the answer.


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You have to be a bird person if you want a bird of any kind.

I think I know what thread you're talking about. I also think that while some people might use the term "starter bird" in the manner in which you describe, a lot of people use that term not fully realizing the implications. If it's the thread I think you're talking about (and the suggestion of the pineapple conure is what makes me think I'm thinking of the right thread), I don't think the OP means it in any sort of derogatory way. In that case, I think the OP wants a bird, but doesn't want to take on more than she can handle while she's still learning, and wants to make sure that whatever she gets, she'll be able to care for properly.

The thread I'm talking about specifically is on a different forum. Like I said, I'm only mildly irritated by the wording of the questions, it was the dozens upon dozens of answers that encouraged the "starter bird" mentality that frustrate me. The people who jump on the "just get the cheapest easiest bird to learn on and then upgrade" band wagon

Seems like most people who ASK the question generally really want to know which bird is right for them, but the answerers in this case were just throwing out words like "cheap" "easy" and "quiet" in ways that really don't correspond to reality but encourage the person to get whichever bird happens to be most convenient and easily disposed of

The forum members HERE don't get that kind of advice, and if I saw it here I would just point it out on that thread. In this case there were so MANY people giving such BAD advice that I couldn't even dip my toes in it.


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I saw something similar on a Facebook group and that's what I thought you were talking about.

I don't like the idea of starter birds, however when people ask that I try to determine what they're looking for, recommend birds I believe are appropriate, and discuss what I know of the pros and cons of each. I had an acquaintance who asked what was a good bird for beginners, and then told her afterwards that based on what she described I'd recommend either a Pyrhurra spp. conure or a Poicephalus spp., even though those aren't usually recommended as beginner birds. She read my suggestions, found a parrot rescue near her, talked to the parrot rescue, and adopted a Senegal which wouldn't even have been on her radar if I hadn't mentioned it. Last I heard she and the bird are doing very well together.

SilverSage said:

Oh and one suggested a "pineapple conure" at which point, being already upset, I full on judged them in my head for not knowing the name of their own parrots species.

Click to expand...

I recently ran across a breeder who said they bred "green-cheek, yellow-sided, pineapple, and sun conures." I think it stems from the misconception people have that "conure" or even "parrot" is akin to "cat" or "dog" so the various species are akin to breeds. Which I find infuriating in its own right, but that's a different issue.

Oh man, I feel everyone's frustration on this. So many people think that birds, whatever the species, are the easiest pets to take care of. One of my coworkers (a 21-year old salesman who is as dumb as he is immature) was talking about 'how easy birds are. You just feed them once a week and---"

I was in earshot of this and had to stop him right there. I was cringing so bad. I literally butted into the conversation and told him no, no, please stop. You do NOT feed birds once a WEEK. I feed my birds at least twice a day. They require just as much care and maintenance as my full-grown Doberman and two cats,. I tried to be polite, but it was so...hard.....