Is it possible to research too much or talk to too many people?

So we've talked to so many people. I've posted on numerous forums. I've tracked down everyone I know on Facebook that ever owned a bird.

When I actually go see the birds, I'm certain it is the right move to get both birds we've fallen in love with.

Then I come home and read forums and stuff and start to get scared. I start thinking about everything that can go wrong and everything that could be bad.

I'm starting to wonder if I'm talking to too many people and thus letting too many fears dominate my thinking. Has this ever happened to anyone?

go with your heart. its your choice if you really feel you want both, GO FOR IT! if you dont follow what you want, you may really regret it. do research, yes, but a gut feeling is often the best way to go. you know the pros and cons of the birds you are looking into getting (ive been silently following the thread ) and i think you'd be a wonderful flock for the two birds.

in the end, the forums arent the ones making the choice, only you can and none of us can really say or do anything about it. we just love birdie pictures and stories and love seeing them go to good homes

The hard thing about talking to many people is getting tons of different views. This can make it confusing and overwhelming. Everyone has their own way of doing things, their own recommendations and most will push their own ideals because they feel it's right.

If you want both birds and think that you, not what other people have said, feel you have enough time and commitment go for it.

Yes, I was really scared when I got my galah that she'd "hate me" and I'd be ruining her life taking her from her "mother".

Bear in mind that people don't usually post to forums saying "nothing happened with my pets, all is smooth sailing". They'd get a "yeh, so why are you posting?". People post more when they have a problem. 80% (or whatever) proportion of a forum might be nightmare stories or problems when the proportion of all of the pet owners in real life is 5% (or whatever).

Get the info you need (how to look after, how not to choose a clydesdale when you live in a bedsitter, etc), get opinions, and then make up your own mind.

Whenever I go see the macaw, she's awesome and I feel confident she would be a great fit in our family. When I watch videos of people interacting with their parrots, it looks like a really fun, wonderful pet.

Today I was reading a forum where people were saying that you can't really potty train them or reduce their destructiveness or other bad behaviors with any sort of training. You just have to take them like they are.

And then I read it is bad to rub their tummies (or back, or tail) even if they like it, because that's an errogenous zone so you're messing with their breeding instincts.

I am starting to feel like I'm reading stuff that is totally contradictory, and I don't know what to think.

I am so terrified of making the wrong decision here. This feels eerily similar to deciding to get married or have kids.

I think the best way to take forums and research is they allow you to go into making your own decisions fully informed. The nature of forums is there are always a lot of conflicting opinions and a lot of people who seem determined to talk you out of everything but so many people take on parrots for the wrong reasons and where they're not properly equipped to care for - it's natural for those with experience to try to hammer home the worst case scenario when there's an opportunity.

If you do end up taking both birds, the fact that you have read everything you can, understand the pitfalls and are prepared for the issues that might come up puts you in a very different position to someone who went into the pet shop and thought "well, the yellow one's cute but, oh, look at that lovely blue one! Let's get both!"

Lots of people told me not to get a cockatoo as a first bird, but I fell in love with one that desperately needed a home and it was the right thing to do to take her. It was hard work and here were times early on where I wished I'd gone with my head not my heart, but I went in knowing what a challenge it would be and I've not regretted the decision.

Getting a bird is a big commitment like marriage! So it's great that your'e "dating" the information.

You really have to look on both sides and determine it from there. There's a lot of the "negatives" but when you read of stories of people's birds you get a lot of the positive reviews--videos are my favorite for positive things. We can't really tell you to not get a bird, or trying to discourage you at all. It comes down to trying to help guide you to your own choice with the most amount of confidence.

The bad things about it will bring you down but its how you make of it.

About the petting the back and everything, it can become dangerous for female birds because they can get too attached and start getting territorial and laying eggs. The best place for petting would be around the head and under the wings.

I have to have a lot of reassurance to make decisions as well and it gets so conflicting at times, but it's 10x more easier when you have your pro's and cons. Take the information that really stands out from both view points and keep comparing them until you reach a final verdict.

If you make a decision and things happen, you deal with them. Nobody can predict that something might be bad and nobody can predict that it might be the best decision you ever made.

Even if there are "negatives" they might not bother you too much, or at all. My bird bites. I don't care (I was told before I adopted her, so it wasn't a nasty shock). My dog is "crazy" and has "issues". My previous dogs were very "easy". I don't care, he's my dog and I love him.

It can be very rewarding overcoming an "issue", so dealing with something doesn't have to be bad, it can be a challenge with a sense of reward when you overcome it.

If you did get the two and they really couldn't get on and you couldn't deal with it, you can always consider rehoming. There was that member on here who posted that she hadn't bonded with a bird and she swapped it, I think and both owners were very happy because they were better suited to their new adoptee.

Don't worry too much, just reach the decision you feel is best.

All those things you've read or heard "can" be true with macs. You can't potty train them the way you can a kid and it's possible that they may decide all your trim and doors are chew toys and you really should leave all the petting to the head or neck area whether it's boys or girls. A boy can't last eggs, but they don't need to be stimulated.

On the flip side you might end up with a mac like mine who isn't destructive and likes to do their business in one spot, so I have a mat there.

You just have to be comfortable with the idea that if they do have a bunch of issues that you'll accept them and work through it regardless. There are no guarantees with birds.

I will say though that you can't underestimate the mess. They really are very messy and a dust pan and cleaning cloth will become your best friend. It's in a bird's nature to chew and destroy things. Hopefully you'll provide enough toys and entertainment that they won't feel the need to chew on the house and furniture.

Only you know you, and your family's, tolerance levels. Are you the type of people who tackle unforeseen issues head on and work through them? Then get both!
If you are the type of people that will give up at the first sign of an issue and dump the birds, then don't get either!
Also remember, there are more than one way to solve an issue. Just because one person had success with method X doesn't mean that it is right for your situation, and method Y might be the answer for you.
Are you flexible, and willing to address issues? Or, do you expect everything to follow a plan and become unglued if you hit a snag?
I know I am a "deal with what comes my way" person and I've never had a problem that I couldn't fix, deal with or work around.
So, what is your family's temperament?

I do know what you mean. It's very confusing trying to figure out what to do and what's "right". What's right for one person/family is not necessarily what's right for another. You know what you and your family can and can't do. It's good that you are not taking this decision lightly! It is a lifelong decision and should not be on a whim. Do what you think is best for you and your family. I think if you feel the 2 birds are doable...then do it. And it does very much depend on the birds also. Good luck in whatever you do.

Yes, it's called 'Analysis Paralysis."

I'm not suggesting you or anybody is over analyzing to the point of a standoff, but at some point a decision is helpful after performing due diligence AND yes, allowing emotion to creep into the decision. Choosing a pet, particularly your first bird, is the first step toward a very close emotional bond that will in many cases outlive you. That so many birds are serially rehomed reflects the daunting task and potential difficulties of living with parrots. I'm quite impressed by some the associated threads reflecting the deep thought many give prior to purchasing an avian.

I have no answers, but only a suggestion that you seek a wide variety of opinions, carefully assess how a bird would mesh with your family, and have as much contact with potential parrots as you can before either accepting their love or moving on.

Yes.

Getting feedback is nice, but form your own opinions based on ACTUAL INTERACTION AND HANDLING...

To hear some of these places, the most viscious attack animal on the face of the planet is a macaw. (Don't tell mine. They think they're lap birds!)

Never let an amazon on your shoulder - they are far too unpredicatble and bitey... (Don't tell mine. I've had 8 of them, and they were ALL shoulder birds.)

Etc., etc., etc.

Some of this also comes down to your own personal skill and comfort level handling them. Other people cannot give you insight into that. You are the best judge of that.

I can't tell you the number of times I've been told not handle a bird, because "it" bites, only to have it step up just fine for me... (I've even had a few that bit their owners, but not me.)

Form your own opinions, and base them on actual facts.

Volunteering at a rescue gives you the opportunity to handle hundreds of birds, and see them day in and day out at their best and worst...

and most places could use the help.

That's true Birdman, you need to be deciding on the "parrot person" involved and not on a hypothetical bird, or somebody else's bird. If you feel a rapport and the potential adoptee responds to you (or doesn't maul you), it doesn't matter what others' relationship with it is. You're the ones that will be living together, not them.