I'm thinking about getting a Mustache Parakeet.

Hello! I'm looking at getting a mustache parakeet, but is it a good choice? I am still in school from 7:50am-3:10pm, I'm concerned that I won't be able to give them enough attention. Not to mention my green cheek conure passed away on the 8th of June and I would get anxiety whenever the parakeet falls asleep. I already have a reasonable cage and a few perches and toys. I have enough money to but more toys and food, plus a play gym. The main problem will be time, as I said I have school and study. I'm worried that I won't be able to give it the proper amount of love and attention, to make it proper healthy meals.

But I love birds, and getting a new one will help me heal after loosing my green cheek who was my closest friend. I just don't want it to die because I may make mistakes.

Does anyone have any advice?

Good evening birdboy15 and welcome to the flock! I too had a darling green cheek called Baci who I lost not so long ago so I understand how you feel. You will know when you’re ready to get another bird, don’t rush into anything because it would be worse if your new bird didn’t “measure up” to your fond memories of your conure & that’s not good for anyone. I wouldn’t get too fixated on a particular species either - it’s great you’ve done your research but I usually find it’s the bird that ends up choosing me & not the other way around! Also have a wellness check with a reputable avian vet at least annually to help with feelings of anxiety about it’s health. Keep your eyes & heart open, there will be a feathery little friend out there for you when the time is right, possibly when you least expect it, and plenty of advice from the wonderful experienced people here when you need it. Good luck & keep us posted!

I am so sorry for your loss. That must be very hard...

I just had a whole reply typed out for you and it got deleted ARG.
I think it is smart for you to acknowledge your limitations as a student and I do think you are right to be concerned, but I want to commend you for being so self-aware.

I have to ask a question and I really hope it doesn't come off as insensitive, because the answer is important. Please know, my intention is not to point fingers of place blame. It is truly a matter of safety....Conures live (on average) 15-20 years. How old was yours when he/she passed and do you know what the cause of death was? If your bird died suddenly and you are unsure of what caused his/her demise, then I would be VERY cautious when adopting a new parrot, as viral contamination can linger within homes (in carpeting, furniture, drapes, cages, toys etc). If it was not a virus, there is also the possibility that there are fumes/chemicals being used in your home that would be unsafe for another bird...So, that is why I ask about your last bird's cause of death....

I am going to post some links below to threads written by other people asking similar questions (most of whom are in college, high school or elementary school). Read through them and your will get lots of good advice. As a rule, unless your parents REALLY love birds and are committed, it is a bad idea to get a bird (even for a college student).

Here are some threads to read (I really would look at all of them and consider all responses):
http://www.parrotforums.com/questions-answers/76907-should-i-get-green-cheek-conure.html

http://www.parrotforums.com/questions-answers/76785-how-convince-my-parents-let-me-get-bird.html


http://www.parrotforums.com/questions-answers/76907-should-i-get-green-cheek-conure.html


http://www.parrotforums.com/macaws/77072-tips-future-mini-macaw-owner.html

http://www.parrotforums.com/questions-answers/76862-help-deciding-what-type-bird-get.html

http://www.parrotforums.com/questions-answers/76822-what-parrot-should-i-get.html#post749002

http://www.parrotforums.com/conures/76611-will-i-ever-own-bird.html


Post on re-using cage:
http://www.parrotforums.com/cages/77145-cage-salvageable.html


Post on cleaning products safe for birds:
http://www.parrotforums.com/questions-answers/28543-there-any-bird-safe-home-cleaning-products.html

Here is a copy and paste of my general response to people in school:
"You sound very responsible and smart. The problem is, a bird isn't like a dog or a cat, in that it really takes cooperation from the whole family to make sure a bird is healthy and happy (and it is often thankless work, as the bird may or may not like everyone in the house).

Birds are flock animals, so keeping them in a cage out of convenience is not fair to them (even though it often works best with humans' schedules)
Birds are easily killed by household fumes from cooking with Teflon, bleach, Windex, Fabreeze, scented candles, you name it...if it has a smell and isn't natural, it can kill your bird or irritate its respiratory system (which is far more sensitive than those found in other animals).
This means that everyone would need to understand these rules and adjust their lifestyles to help the bird....Your parents would have to completely change the way they cook and clean and after many years, that can be difficult (and expensive when replacing pots, pans, irons, popcorn poppers, rice-cookers and other things that contain teflon/ptfe/ptfoa)
Also, birds need bedtimes and routines. If you are out late because of a practice or if you want to see a movie, what happens to the bird then?
Birds' water and food dishes need to be washed well each morning (with soap) and they cannot just eat seeds and be healthy. Feeding and cleaning up after a bird is expensive and time-consuming, as are vet bills.
You are in 7th grade, which means that, if cared for properly, your bird should still be alive when you decide to go to college. Then what happens?
You can't have pets in dorms, and you can't usually live off-campus as a freshman.
Also, as you get older, you will be driving and dating etc and you will find yourself spending a lot less time at home.
I can see why your parents are resistant to the idea, simply because birds are way more complicated than other types of pets. The issue isn't a matter of responsibility, so much as the logistics. Without their help, you won't be able to adequately care for the bird, so they need to be okay with that in order for it to work. This can work BUT ONLY with their help....so they need to want it too.

Does that make sense?"

I'm very sorry that you lost your Green Cheek, I have a 2 year-old myself and he's the love of my life, so I understand how devastating it is to lose your baby. Noodles asked you a very good question, and I hope that it's not too invasive for you but know we're asking it out of concern, but do you know what killed your Green Cheek? The worries are obviously environmental factors such as fumes from gas, cleaners, smoking, candles and scented things like Glade Plug-in's, and of course if your family uses ANY pots, pans, bakeware, etc. that are non-stick Teflon-coated, or any space heaters, blow-dryers, air conditioners, etc. that may contain Teflon coating inside of them; or possibly you have any other pets that posed a threat to your bird, such as dogs, cats, large reptiles, rodents, etc. You certainly need to completely disinfect EVERYTHING that your Green Cheek touched, regardless of whether or not you get a new bird, like the cage, all the dishes/bowls, toys, perches, swings, play-stands/gyms, etc. in very hot water and bleach, and make sure you rinse them all very well after to remove all of the bleach smell (if you haven't already done all of this)...

I don't know how old you are, I'm assuming that you're a teenager though based on your school schedule. So what you need to ask yourself is not only whether or not you have enough time every single day for a parrot right now, but you also need to think about the next few years, because as you know, a Mustache Parakeet should live the same lifespan as a Green Cheek Conure should, around 30-40 years. So due to your age right now, you're probably going to be going to college, university, technical school, etc. within the next couple of years, and you most-likely will not be able to take a parrot with you, at least not for the first year or two. So you really need to ask yourself if you're going to be able to leave a parrot that is bonded closely to you behind in someone else's full-time care for possibly years...Is there someone who will be willing to care for your parrot when you go away to college, and even more importantly, will that person be able and willing to spend at least 4-5 hours every single day with the bird? I know that these aren't the things that you think of when you're a young teenager, but better you think about it now than be stuck in the position of having no choice but to re-home your parrot a few years down the road because it will be forced to be stuck inside it's cage all day long, every day, while you're away at school.

As far as right now goes, you need to keep in-mind that a Moustache Parakeet isn't the same size as a Green Cheek, they are a good bit larger, and they have a very different personality than a Green Cheek as well. So I'm not sure what lead you to wanting one, but you need to make sure that the current cage you have is large enough for a Moustache Parakeet, because they are going to require a good bit more room than your Green Cheek did. Also, he's going to need many, many toys and foraging activities inside of his cage at all times, at least 6-10 different types of toys at all times, with new ones rotated in each and every month; for example, one or two wooden toys for chewing, one or two toys meant for shredding, one or two toys for foraging, etc. So you need to ask yourself if you're going to ALWAYS have enough money on-hand every single month for all of his food (a bag of high-quality pellets, a bag of high-quality seed-mix, then fresh veggies, fruits, treats, etc., plus a mineral block), and then also new toys or at least the stuff so you can make/build him new toys and foraging activities each month....Food alone, meaning both a high-quality pellet and seed-mix along with fresh veggies and fruit, will cost you around $40 or so a month, on average...

Then there is the matter of Veterinary medical care....Avian Specialist Vets are usually more expensive than just your regular General Vet who see's dogs and cats, and you must always be able to immediately take your parrot to either a Certified Avian Vet or an Avian Specialist Vet (please avoid Exotic's Vets if you can, as they have no specialized Avian education or training, and it often is the difference between your bird living or dying). It's not fair to your bird if they become sick or injured and you do not have a special savings fund to take him to the Avian Vet, or if your parents aren't willing to pay to take them. We see this a lot, younger kids/teenagers who come here looking for "home remedies" because their parrots are sick or injured and their parents refuse to pay to take them to the Avian Vet. It's just not fair to the bird, it's irresponsible as a bird owner, and it's something that you should always think about BEFORE you bring home a new pet. Figure a regular wellness-exam with a CAV or Avian Specialist usually costs between $60-$100, and then any blood work, x-rays, cultures, etc. are on top of that. So if your bird become ill, say with an infection of some kind and requires a wellness-exam and then a fecal culture to determine what kind of infection it is, and then also needs the correct medication to treat the infection, all of this is going to cost you on-average around $200 a pop. So if that's not going to be a possibility for you to do at any given, sudden time, then the responsible thing to do is to not get another bird...But I don't know your situation or your family's involvement in this, etc., so I'm just putting this out there...

noodles123 said:

I am so sorry for your loss. That must be very hard...

I just had a whole reply typed out for you and it got deleted ARG.
I think it is smart for you to acknowledge your limitations as a student and I do think you are right to be concerned, but I want to commend you for being so self-aware.

I have to ask a question and I really hope it doesn't come off as insensitive, because the answer is important. Please know, my intention is not to point fingers of place blame. It is truly a matter of safety....Conures live (on average) 15-20 years. How old was yours when he/she passed and do you know what the cause of death was? If your bird died suddenly and you are unsure of what caused his/her demise, then I would be VERY cautious when adopting a new parrot, as viral contamination can linger within homes (in carpeting, furniture, drapes, cages, toys etc). If it was not a virus, there is also the possibility that there are fumes/chemicals being used in your home that would be unsafe for another bird...So, that is why I ask about your last bird's cause of death....

I am going to post some links below to threads written by other people asking similar questions (most of whom are in college, high school or elementary school). Read through them and your will get lots of good advice. As a rule, unless your parents REALLY love birds and are committed, it is a bad idea to get a bird (even for a college student).

Here are some threads to read (I really would look at all of them and consider all responses):
http://www.parrotforums.com/questions-answers/76907-should-i-get-green-cheek-conure.html

http://www.parrotforums.com/questions-answers/76785-how-convince-my-parents-let-me-get-bird.html


http://www.parrotforums.com/questions-answers/76907-should-i-get-green-cheek-conure.html


http://www.parrotforums.com/macaws/77072-tips-future-mini-macaw-owner.html

http://www.parrotforums.com/questions-answers/76862-help-deciding-what-type-bird-get.html

http://www.parrotforums.com/questions-answers/76822-what-parrot-should-i-get.html#post749002

http://www.parrotforums.com/conures/76611-will-i-ever-own-bird.html


Post on re-using cage:
http://www.parrotforums.com/cages/77145-cage-salvageable.html


Post on cleaning products safe for birds:
http://www.parrotforums.com/questions-answers/28543-there-any-bird-safe-home-cleaning-products.html

Here is a copy and paste of my general response to people in school:
"You sound very responsible and smart. The problem is, a bird isn't like a dog or a cat, in that it really takes cooperation from the whole family to make sure a bird is healthy and happy (and it is often thankless work, as the bird may or may not like everyone in the house).

Birds are flock animals, so keeping them in a cage out of convenience is not fair to them (even though it often works best with humans' schedules)
Birds are easily killed by household fumes from cooking with Teflon, bleach, Windex, Fabreeze, scented candles, you name it...if it has a smell and isn't natural, it can kill your bird or irritate its respiratory system (which is far more sensitive than those found in other animals).
This means that everyone would need to understand these rules and adjust their lifestyles to help the bird....Your parents would have to completely change the way they cook and clean and after many years, that can be difficult (and expensive when replacing pots, pans, irons, popcorn poppers, rice-cookers and other things that contain teflon/ptfe/ptfoa)
Also, birds need bedtimes and routines. If you are out late because of a practice or if you want to see a movie, what happens to the bird then?
Birds' water and food dishes need to be washed well each morning (with soap) and they cannot just eat seeds and be healthy. Feeding and cleaning up after a bird is expensive and time-consuming, as are vet bills.
You are in 7th grade, which means that, if cared for properly, your bird should still be alive when you decide to go to college. Then what happens?
You can't have pets in dorms, and you can't usually live off-campus as a freshman.
Also, as you get older, you will be driving and dating etc and you will find yourself spending a lot less time at home.
I can see why your parents are resistant to the idea, simply because birds are way more complicated than other types of pets. The issue isn't a matter of responsibility, so much as the logistics. Without their help, you won't be able to adequately care for the bird, so they need to be okay with that in order for it to work. This can work BUT ONLY with their help....so they need to want it too.

Does that make sense?"

Click to expand...

Hi! I actually have no idea what killed my green cheek. He only showed signs very late in the night before but i assumed he was just tired because he did have a big day. Then when i woke up he had passed away in his sleep. My baby was only 8 months old. I would do a complete cage clean every week and would replace the newspaper every day. I frequently cleaned his bowls and perches. I kept him away from any fumes as well. We called the vet to see if we could find anything on why he passed away but they only said that they could dissect the body and see if they could find anything, but i didn't want that. I wanted to bury him. So I have no idea why.

I am sorry SO hard...


You seem to be very conscientious and wise beyond your years....
If I were you, despite the fact that I think you will make an excellent FUTURE bird-owner, I would wait.


Without the necroscopy, you don't know what happened to your first bird, and if it was viral/bacterial, it could still be in the house (not just the cage)....And things like vinegar (bird-safe) won't kill it....


If it was chemical, then it likely is still there from time-to-time...curling irons, popcorn poppers, drip-trays,self-cleaning ovens, bake-in-a-bag meals, microwave popcorn bags, space-heaters, humidifiers, curlers, cookie sheets, cake pans, rice cookers etc etc (THE LIST GOES ON) - all FREQUENTLY contain deadly Teflon/PTFOA/PTFE.

Additionally, pretty much anything with a scent can cause a bird to die of respiratory distress--- and even things that we cannot smell, can kill a bird (markers, paint, bug-spay, perfume, ALL cleaners (except vinegar+water or a avian veterinary disinfectant), air-fresheners, candles, nail-polish, burning food, hot oil, smoke, incense, sunscreen, insecticides, weed-killer, bbq grilling near an open window, irons, ironing boards, ozone/ions from a germ-killing air purifier)....the list just keeps going...

It is VERY hard to control a group of people living under one roof. I am 30 and when I bring my bird home, I get EXTREME eye-rolls over what can and can't be used around my "baby".. (even though I am right, my parents just want to compare my bird to a dog/cat, and mammals are 500% different)---people, as a rule, do not understand that BIRDS CANNOT BE COMPARED TO OTHER PETS...they are harder than children .Fighting these battles at 30 is WAY easier than fighting them when you live under your parents' roof at 15 (and it still is very anxiety-inducing)...

What will you do about vacations...college...vet...travels? Many people are TERRIFIED of birds.. and you can't just drop a bird (your bird) off with a friend while you travel, unless you want to tell them they can't clean or use Teflon, or candles, or hairspray etc etc (super awkward!!!)

My bird is EASILY the most complicated addition to my life, and I teach kids with EXTREME behavior problems who can no longer attend "normal" school....I have been attacked as a part of my job (BY HUMANS) --Not because I am bad at my job, but because I am dealing with people who have SERIOUSLY DANGEROUS BEHAVIORS...


My bird is harder to manage--I do a decent job (vets say she is SUPER WELL-ADJUSTED), but I am telling you, these birds can be EXPENSIVE, FRAGILE, NEEDY AND VERY VERY EMOTIONAL/SMART (including screaming and self-injury when needs aren't met)--ESPECIALLY AS ADULTS/DURING PUBERTY!!! My degree is in behavior/Applied Behavior Analysis...
I THOUGHT that being a good "parront" would be hard, but I had no idea how much I would have to change my life....sleep schedules, wake-up schedules, makeup, apartment living, cleaning...it is all INSANE.

Again, baby birds are all nice(ish)...compared to ADULTS!

During and post-puberty (+every mating season) you will be dealing with a very very cranky bird who bites and changes his/her personality.