To adopt or not to adopt

Hello! As of today I have been faced with a bird dilemma, and I thought this would be the best place to get advice! My apologies if this is not the right place for this thread.

Anyway, yesterday I was offered a blue crown conure.. for free. I agreed to meet the bird today, and what I learned/saw has very much put me on the fence as I have less than a year's experience with avian matters and am unsure how to continue. The conure (who was assumed female) was a wild caught bird and is anywhere between 10-20 years old. She was intended to be used as a breeder so making her a pet was not a huge priority for her former owners. She isn't necessarily afraid of hands but it was obvious she was rarely handled and her owner outright told me the only time she was let out of her cage was when she escaped. I offered her an almond and whether she was moving to bite me or take the food at first was unclear, but still eventually moved to the far side of her cage instead of accepting (which is understandable). She moved around and came back to the perch several times and occasionally responded to me when I talked to her. I was allowed to put food in her dish and she didn't run or tense up when my arm entered her cage.

I'd like to note that the cage conditions were rather appalling. It was maybe 1 ft tall and 2 ft wide, and had a single wooden perch going across the center. The cockatiels in the neighboring cage had the same. The woman admitted she had not cleaned the cage in about 3 weeks, but that was obvious on its own.

The bird had bonded to her husband, who had taken a job as a truck driver and was rarely around anymore, hence the reason the bird is being given away. I badly want to adopt this bird and put her in the conditions she deserves. However, I rescued my first bird roughly a half a year ago, and she had more or less the same situation. A rescue and never handled, and deathly afraid of people. Building trust with her has been a very slow process and I'm not sure if this bird will be the same. I will be purchasing a new cage and toys and the right food for her if I do decide to take her in. I won't be making money until spring (HS student) but my stepmom is very willing to participate in this with me.

So does a bird her age have potential to be sociable again? Would I be making a bad decision for myself by taking her in? Thank you!

I don't have any conure experience but I'd take her. If nothing else she will be better off with you.

I have parakeets I haven't bonded well with. They still get to free fly in my room every day. They go back in their cages on their own each night.

I haven't given up on bonding though.

Oh and I would quarantine. I haven't quarantine d every new bird but my newest and last outside addition was quarantined because she was found in a yard.

Welcome to the forums!

I commend you for wanting to offer this bird a better life. All birds are different and none come with a personality guarantee. Many of our members have rescued birds that arrived at their new homes in terrible physical condition and brought with them a lot of behavioral issues. Some birds thrive with good care, bond with their new owners and become wonderful family members, others struggle but eventually respond to good care and attention. If you are fully committed, up for the challenge and willing to put in the time and energy, rescues can be very rewarding.

Some things you may want to think about. How much time do you have to work with a challenging rescue? Will the new bird fit into your future plans, graduation, college, relationship/s, marriage, children. Will you be able to quarantine the new bird? Can you afford vet visits, it can be quite costly, it's always wise to have an older bird thoroughly examined by an avian certified vet, especially if you already have a bird. It's great that your stepmom is willing to help out.

It's never a good idea to adopt a pet because it's free, there are no free birds, rescues can turn into very expensive birds very fast. That said, buying a hand raised chick from a reputable breeder also doesn't guarantee a problem free relationship, any bird can develop behavioral and health problems.

It's obvious by your first post that you are not taking this decision lightly, you're already being a responsible parront. Best of luck with your decision, please share with us when you decide. We'd love to hear more about the bird you rescued a few months ago. We're a nosy group, we'd like to hear more about you too.

I agree, please take her!

If there are any parrot rescues, sanctuaries or clubs in your area, perhaps you can contact them to see if anyone would want to take in this conure if you decide you cannot. She sounds like she is in an unhappy situation.

We just ordered the cage! My step mom was just as unhappy about her conditions as I was and so now we're preparing for two new arrivals instead of just one. Thank you all for assuring me

Welcome to the forum!
It seems with time and patience she may be your friend however, she may not want to sit on your hand. But for the birds well being, I think you should to give her the life she needs and deserves! Also she is free so you aren't paying a bunch for a bird that may never like you. But I have had birds who sit in their cage because they are mean or afraid, but they are still my friends! Like Maggie a macaw at the rescue I work at. I never hold her because she is aggressive. But we always play and sing together! I hope you do decide to take her and give her a chance

I started out with budgies when I was 12 years old. By the time I was 13 1/2, friends of the family bought me a young, weaned cockatiel. A month later, a stranger was at our door, noticed we had birds, and offered us a "red headed" conure.


Although I no longer have budgies, I still have my very first cockatiel! She's in her mid-teens now. The conure however, unfortunately, passed away a little over 8 years of having him. He was previously attacked by a ferret and had multiple health issues. He was not what one would describe as a conure, as he didn't talk, he wasn't cuddly and he wasn't goofy, either! That said, I still feel as if we had a special connection and he did learn to accept minimal handling - mostly preferred me if I transported him around since he couldn't fly.



It may be tough winning over this blue crown and she may never be what is typically described for conures, but that doesn't mean she can't be a great companion in her own right. It's great that you have your stepmothers support in this! Just be sure to try and include her in your life in some way as you continue to grow and mature into a young adult. Too many birds often end up getting left at home with the parents as the kids move out and go to college or discover a new life altogether!










(NOTE: I do not recommend taking birds outside unrestrained - clipped or not!)

I have no regrets about adopting this bird, and it seems none of my family does either. After watching her owner roughly transfer her into the transfer cage, I was sure we'd get a bird that would want nothing to do with us. But this is very much not the case. She took an instant liking to my dad, and voices her displeasure(very loudly) anytime he leaves a room and although she takes food from all our hands, is much less wary about his. She trills and makes a noise that sounds somewhat like a small dog barking (she lived with one) and even though her owner claimed "she'll never eat anything but sunflower seeds since that's what she's used to" we've already discovered a variety of vegetables and fruit she likes and she was more than willing to eat the food we got for her. Instead of her original name "Stupid Bird", we've dubbed her Bella and she has settled in very nicely already.

Oh I am SO glad you took her in! HUGS! You made an excellent decision! I commend you for doing this!