To Own or Not to Own

Hi everyone! My name is Jonathan. I am a college student in Florida. Growing up I have been around birds/a bird my entire life. When I was around 3 years old my parents inherited 2 beautiful macaws (catalina, military), since them I have been mesmerized by birds. Sadly, roughly 14 years later we decided to donate the birds to Butterfly World as the money, time, and noise were taking a toll...
Oddly enough a few years later I stumbled upon a baby European Starling which had fallen (Or was kicked out I believe) from the nest. I took her in and raised her to a pretty little full grown bird who actually mimic'd everything my family would say! Sadly her one leg was never strong as the other and I feared she may have had some type of brain damage...a few years later she passed away as she was having seizure type spasms. I believe this is why she may have been kicked from the nest and not fallen...
After the Starling had passed, our dog had passed away as well...Lo' and behold 3 days later my grandmother called me saying a cockatiel was on her balcony singing to her...18 stories high on the beach! So being the bird lover I am we took the cockatiel in as family for about a year. One day my sister was rolling the cage outside to give him Sun and the cage door was left open....and his wings were not clipped at that time, you can imagine what happened next.

So basically with all these birds, I was at my happiest with them. I miss having a bird. Holding and cuddling them. My parents and family hated the dander (especially the tiel) though as it can cause numerous health hazards. But I want to own a "normal" bird. Not a fallen nest baby, or a rogue cockatiel . But I fear my parents would be strongly against it. I miss them.

Hi there Jonathan, and welcome to the forums.

I honestly don't know what health issues you mean. Sure, some parrot breeders and/or hoarders 'can' develop bird breeders lung (hypersensitivity pneumonitis), but if you only keep one (or a dozen) parrots, and are diligent in cleaning up in/around them, that will greatly reduce that particular risk. Frequently giving your bird a bath will reduce the dander. Yes, cockatiels, cockatoos and African Greys certainly have more powder than other birds, but even that powder can be maintained quite easily with efficient air filters if need be. Of course if your family has allergies to feather dust, then that will put a huge hamper on things.

Do you live at home while attending college? What type of parrot are you interested in?

Wow fast reply! Haha thank you . My family doesn't have allergies, I mean sure anyone would sneeze or choke breathing in a feather. But I would be willing to get a good air filter for the room if need be. I do Live at home attending college yes. To be honest any parrot. One that likes to be held, like when I'm at my desk or relaxing.

If dander is an issue, maybe consider a new world parrot. If you google it you'll see lots of species. New worlds parrots have don't produce as much dander due to oil glands.

I've say give conures a look for but they can be noisey and cuddly/clingy.

Thank you guys! The new world parrots like amazons, conures, caiques seem really cute! I may look into those. Though everywhere I'm looking they are quite...pricey. 500 dollars and up? I know it may not seem like a HUGE amount to some but I'm still just a student

Jonathan, look at Green Cheek Conures and their mutations. They are not super costly, and many have really sweet dispositions. Any parrot you decide on will have his/her challenges, but lots of TLC and appropriate training methods will get you through the challenging times.

For price comparison and overall pricing guidelines you can go to BirdBreeders.com - Bird Breeders Directory of Availability and Parrot Breeders There you can do a search in your State.

Welcome Jonathan . I enjoyed reading your post!

Are there any specific characteristics you're interested in? As mentioned, the Green Cheek conures and their color mutations are extremely popular due to their practical size and affordable price. They are said to make great pets if trained properly and consistently, but conure species have a tendency to vocalize for attention and become clingy, so extra care needs to be taken in training to inhibit these traits. If you do that it shouldn't be a problem. Because of their previous experience, I'm thinking your family would be more likely to accept a small bird, rather than something medium sized or a little larger?

Have you seen Parrotlets? They are so incredibly cute. They are the smallest true parrot, and have a personality to match, so training is imperative regardless of size. Depending on color mutation the prices seem to be a few hundred more or less.

Jonathan, I believe you have answered the premise of your question! Being a parront results in a clearly beneficial relationship between you and a bird. The guidelines seem to be respecting your parent's concerns and affordability. As others have posted, a good many species will have minimal dander, be relatively quiet, and docile. Depending on your location, a rescue may be a great alternative to a conventional purchase. Good luck!!!

There's so many choices!!! I'm used to one falling from a tree or such. Not going to choose! Haha :09:

Thank you guys! I will definitely look into rescues/adoptions and the above mentioned species. I don't mind a clingy bird as I would most likely play with him everyday. Noise would be a slight issue...but all birds make noise. That's all they CAN do. But each one does it with different personality.

As for size...most likely would have to be medium to small. The biggest would probably be a hahns macaw. Anything bigger we don't have space indoors. With south Florida weather constantly changing and asper I never really agreed with keeping a bird outside in a cage. In my opinion.

Conures are considered a noisy species but green cheeks are considered one of the quietest of the family. But any bird can be noisy.

Hell Jonathan, and welcome!

I'm very surprised people haven't brought up this point: if $500 is making you flinch, how will you afford monthly maintenance? Most species will be above this price point. It's a critical question: a hahns is $800+.

You seem really young right now. If your having to pay for it all, and a $500 bird is giving you sticker shock, it might be out of your price range for the time being, and might not be in your best interest to get more than a little parakeet for now.

Something to consider.

Good point Chris... Jonathan, will your family be helping out while you and the bird are under their roof, or will they expect you to be 100% financially responsible for the bird? Even a budgie which is initially inexpensive to buy, will still cost the same as a large Macaw at the vet's office. Another thing to consider is that vet care can be expensive.

I agree with those suggesting you work out the finances beforehand. But, I also wanted to suggest that if you decide to get a parakeet, you can often find them in regular animal shelters.
Good luck with your choice.