AAOtero
New member
Hello! I’m a 16 year old sophomore, and after much research I’ve decided that a parrot would be the right pet for me. However, after narrowing down my choices to a small list of birds I’ve found myself in a labyrinth where I cannot decide which of these amazing species would be better for me. Now, a little background into me and my present/future situation:
I was born in Brazil and throughout my childhood I’ve owned and helped to take care of a lot of different animals, as I’ve lived on a farm with my aunt for a big part of my childhood and she was one of the workers that took care of both the plantations and the small animals. In that farm I’ve became well acquainted with guinea pigs, rabbits, horses, cows, quails, cats, dogs, chickens... at that time my personal pets were a rooster, two budgies(they were already seniors when we got them), and a betta fish. I also have two uncles that have always kept birds. One of them had what I believe to be an Amazon (in portuguese we call it “papagaio verdadeiro” which translates to “true parrot”) which I’ve known since I was very little and that now is under the companionship of my cousin as my uncle passed away, and the other keeps a variety of small birds such as canaries, and my grandpa owns 3 cockatiels. I’ve also gone to an aviary in Iguazu Falls and had face to face contact with a Red and a Hyacinth Macaw. After socializing with not only these birds but also my own budgies I’ve come to the conclusion that a medium/small sized bird would be the best for me. Now, yes, I know that I’m at an age where owning a bird is not the most advisable choice. However after thinking and rethinking throughoutly and analyzing both the pros and cons I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m ready. All of my family is on board with me and my father specifically has told me that the idea of owning birds again is lovely. I do realize that I’m going to college soon, however, I’m looking into colleges where medium sized birds are allowed and I’ve already found great options! In case that for some reason it doesn't work out and I’m not accepted in either of these colleges (I’m a pretty good student and I’ve always had above average grades so much that I’ve earned a scholarship and I am now in Germany as part of it, therefore it’s real likely that I’ll be accept into these colleges, nonetheless I’m already working out my “ifs” as animals are living beings that deserve the best care that they can get) I plan on moving into a shared apartment, and in case such college demands that I stay on their housing during freshman year I know with no doubts that my dad is on board into taking care of the bird for a limited amount of time. I’ve also been working in my family’s café since I was 12 and plan on continuing to work there throughout highschool. I also plan on working during college. I’m an introvert and I generally value the company of animals over that of people, I’ve been to raves, “bailes funk”, the famous Brazilian carnaval and I’ve not enjoyed myself. Welp, I’m sorry for the size of this text, I just want to give you guys a somewhat clear picture of where I am now.
Now, these are the birds that have attracted me the most:
-Cockatiels
-Green Cheek conure
-Caique
I know that bringing a bird to be my companion is not all smiles and roses. I’m aware of how moody and nippy Caiques are known to be and how they’re generally not considered a good species to start off. Out of these three I’m leaning more towards Cockatiels, and I’ve already found bird rescues near my area on the U.S where I plan on visiting some of them. I also wish to attain an adult bird as I can be more sure of their personality. I’m also open to more suggestions!
I was born in Brazil and throughout my childhood I’ve owned and helped to take care of a lot of different animals, as I’ve lived on a farm with my aunt for a big part of my childhood and she was one of the workers that took care of both the plantations and the small animals. In that farm I’ve became well acquainted with guinea pigs, rabbits, horses, cows, quails, cats, dogs, chickens... at that time my personal pets were a rooster, two budgies(they were already seniors when we got them), and a betta fish. I also have two uncles that have always kept birds. One of them had what I believe to be an Amazon (in portuguese we call it “papagaio verdadeiro” which translates to “true parrot”) which I’ve known since I was very little and that now is under the companionship of my cousin as my uncle passed away, and the other keeps a variety of small birds such as canaries, and my grandpa owns 3 cockatiels. I’ve also gone to an aviary in Iguazu Falls and had face to face contact with a Red and a Hyacinth Macaw. After socializing with not only these birds but also my own budgies I’ve come to the conclusion that a medium/small sized bird would be the best for me. Now, yes, I know that I’m at an age where owning a bird is not the most advisable choice. However after thinking and rethinking throughoutly and analyzing both the pros and cons I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m ready. All of my family is on board with me and my father specifically has told me that the idea of owning birds again is lovely. I do realize that I’m going to college soon, however, I’m looking into colleges where medium sized birds are allowed and I’ve already found great options! In case that for some reason it doesn't work out and I’m not accepted in either of these colleges (I’m a pretty good student and I’ve always had above average grades so much that I’ve earned a scholarship and I am now in Germany as part of it, therefore it’s real likely that I’ll be accept into these colleges, nonetheless I’m already working out my “ifs” as animals are living beings that deserve the best care that they can get) I plan on moving into a shared apartment, and in case such college demands that I stay on their housing during freshman year I know with no doubts that my dad is on board into taking care of the bird for a limited amount of time. I’ve also been working in my family’s café since I was 12 and plan on continuing to work there throughout highschool. I also plan on working during college. I’m an introvert and I generally value the company of animals over that of people, I’ve been to raves, “bailes funk”, the famous Brazilian carnaval and I’ve not enjoyed myself. Welp, I’m sorry for the size of this text, I just want to give you guys a somewhat clear picture of where I am now.
Now, these are the birds that have attracted me the most:
-Cockatiels
-Green Cheek conure
-Caique
I know that bringing a bird to be my companion is not all smiles and roses. I’m aware of how moody and nippy Caiques are known to be and how they’re generally not considered a good species to start off. Out of these three I’m leaning more towards Cockatiels, and I’ve already found bird rescues near my area on the U.S where I plan on visiting some of them. I also wish to attain an adult bird as I can be more sure of their personality. I’m also open to more suggestions!
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