Bird-related careers?

[CavySpirit]

I love working with and around parrots. I've had a passion for parrots for awhile now and I'm always learning new stuff.

I would love to breed parrots but I know there is no profit in there(I just love the idea of raising sweet baby birds for good homes). I own two small parrots but I know enough to own and handle even the biggest macaw.
I have handfeeding experience and always want to provide the absolute best I can for my birdies c: ..I love feeding baby macaws! They're just super sweet! lol

I have been struggling with career ideas, and I have to decided what to do soon because next fall I will be going to college. I was thinking veterinary medicine but after working in a petstore filled with sick puppies, giving shots, dealing with some deaths.. I'd rather not go into veterinary medicine. I have only worked at the pet store for about 5-6 months but already I am so tired of it :c I'd rather not have to deal with the pressure of animal's lives or anything like that. But I am open to studying/breeding/caretaking of parrots. I know I could probably make breeding work if I was lucky enough to get a producing Hyacinth pair lol but that would be a miracle.

Does anyone know any good parrot-related careers out there that I can make a good enough income from doing? I would like to be a hobby breeder on the side, but need to afford that lol I'm not into animal training, though, either. Or if anyone knows how to make breeding work as a career? I don't want to make it a job.. if I can profit enough from it but keep it fun and focused more on raising babies that would be great, but I don't want to do anything like cut costs and reduce health of the birds just to make profit :c it's sad that some people do that. I know it costs a lot just to get some breeding set up, from the birds to the cage, etc.. and even then there's no guarantee there will be babies. So I'm not too focused on making breeding work but I am opened to suggestions.

Thanks for reading! c:

 

[Klaery]

Depends what you mean by good enough income.
If you expect to make a living breeding birds you will be pretty dissapointed unless you have money to begin with (land, avairies, expensive birds, food bills, zoning etc). Not saying it is impossible.. But it isn't likely.

Other parrot related jobs tend to be very much lifestyle jobs rather than something you are going to make a decent living doing. Zoos, parrot research etc are not typically high or even low paying jobs (often much less!). At least that is how it is here. Over there may be different.

 

[CavySpirit]

I would love to breed parrots, but as a hobby, not a job. I was just curious if there were any parrot-relating jobs out there.

By good enough income I mean enough to maintain a living and some extra for the birds c:

 

[Featheredsamurai]

If you have several birds and train them very well you could do shows on cruises.

 

[JerseyWendy]

What about a Certified Avian Behaviorist?

I have NO clue what they make a year though. I am quite sure it would depend on location and clientele.

 

[ohmyhi]

One thing I'd like to point out is there are a ton of unwanted parrots that began in good homes. Breeding only makes the situation worse. Also hand rearing babies has been proven to have problems later on in life. The best thing to do is if you must breed (know that the babies may end up on craigslist, petfinder, rescues, abandoned) is to socialize the breeding pair so that the baby will know you're ok and will be people friendly. It's the healthiest for everyone.

Also you'll have to do something animal, biology, or zoology related to do an animal related job. There aren't many jobs out there so you might need to find a support job and do something else on the side. Currently I'm Animal Science and I'm going to start looking into internships with zoos and go from there.

 

[thekarens]

You could be an ornithologist or field biologist, but again, not many jobs. If you love it though it's worth it.

 

[SilverSage]

If you want a career working with any kind of animal, you need to be able to deal with heartbreak. If you cannot handle that and keep moving, get a totally separate career. Animals, especially babies, get sick, they die, etc.

If you want to work with parrots, I suggest volunteering with a rescue organization socializing and helping parrots who do not have homes. I don't know how much money you can make at that, but I find it concerning that you would consider hobby breeding when you don't like working at a pet store because you don't want to deal with "the pressure of animals' lives or anything like that." I highly discourage you from breeding if you do not ENJOY that pressure. Breeding any kind of animal carries a far higher pressure than simply working in a store where they are sold.

If you can't handle a veterinary job because of the sick animals, do not breed! Even as a hobby! Babies get sick and die, parents do the same, there is SO MUCH risk to the bird when you breed them, and you need to be able to handle that not only the emotions, but the split second decision making and the gut-wrenching choices that have to be made when a bird cannot be saved.

If you want to go a more "career" oriented rout than a rescue, consider getting involved with a conservation group and working with rare or endangered species. If you are truly set on just wanting to hand raise, consider getting a job as a feeder for a large breeder.

Over all, you should probably stay away from parrots as a career if you cannot handle the pressure of working in a pet store. I am not trying to be harsh, but sometimes what we think are our dreams will turn out to be nightmares that others saw coming and should have warned us about. I am simply issuing the warning. Hobby breeding carries the same pressures as large scale breeding, minus some of the financial burden. It is "more manageable" but you are still 100% responsible for those babies, and they are only babies for a short time. You mentioned Hyacinths, do you have the developmental psychology knowledge to raise such a huge bird in such a way as to give them the best shot at living with one family for their entire LONG lives? If you MUST hobby breed, I suggest you take a smaller bird (even if you are perfectly capable of handling the big ones) that most people could live with happily such as Green Cheek Conures, Lineolated Parakeets, etc, and focus on turning out SPECTACULAR pets. Of course that brings up another concern, you said you are not into animal training... big red flag. Socializing IS training, and good pets have more training than just not biting. Training is about understanding and relationships, working with animals will almost always involve training of some sort.

All that said, I do want to encourage you. Just because you face all these barriers does not mean you always will. My passion for a parrot driven career was put on hold during college, and is now being reborn in a way it could never have been had I not recognized all the same issues in myself that I just pointed out for you. Take a deep look at yourself and ask yourself if you are ready to give your whole life to parrots. If you are, take a firm hold of yourself and dive in, heartbreak, low pay, and all. If not, go buy yourself a companion parrot to love, and move on to a new career plan. Even if that happens, you might end up back here like I have, it is not necessarily the end. Go find yourself in college, do some growing, find out who your adult self is, and what you can do. Establish yourself and your finances, and if parrots keep calling your heart, perhaps you will find yourself able to handle the pressure.

 

[riddick07]

You can always get a career on the business end of animal care. Accounting, marketing, etc. I'm an accounting major because I don't like dealing with people! Otherwise I would probably be in some kind of animal related career.

My tiels breed but I kept the babies. Personally I would be really worried about what happens to the babies. I've seen so many at the shelter that started in a good home but then got passed around and abused. The idea that I was contributing to that problem because it's cute to raise the little babies would be totally wrong to me.

Edit: well this is an old thread now that I looked at the date lol

 

[Anansi]

@SilverSage: Excellent advice, and VERY well said.

CavySpirit, I'd only add that you don't necessarily have to have your mind completely made up by the time you enter college. As SilverSage mentioned, you're going to find your adult self. College is as much about self-discovery as it is about education. Keep your mind and heart open. You may find that parrots are indeed your life's passion. Or you may find that your true passion actually lies elsewhere.

Learn who you are. Ask all of the hard questions. And then choose your path.

Good luck, whichever path you eventually walk.

 

[Anansi]

@Riddick: Wish your message and that helpful edit had been posted BEFORE I started writing. Lol! I hadn't even noticed!

Oh, well.... updates, CavySpirit?

 

[Zumaria]

You could also consider trying to get a job with BirdTalk or something similar as a writer or an editor. You could also consider journalism and maybe take up studying parrots in the wild.

 

[SilverSage]

Oh, I really like the idea about writing! She seems to have a love of parrots and a lot of knowledge through study, I bet that would be a great option!

 

[lquan]

CavySpirit, loving parrot as pet is one thing, commit to professionally raising/caring for them is something else. If you like a career path of caring for parrots, you must get a degree for vet technician, that is equivalent to pre-vet. In pre-vet, you cannot choose to learn and care for birds alone, the college will require you to learn the biology, husbandry, and behavior of all animals in general. Then later, you will have to find a college that offer courses specifically for birds to finish your pre-vet in bird. That is a 4-year program plus courses in birds; 5 years at least just to become an aviary technician! Some vet clinic/hospital will hire you to work with all type of animals; including birds, even when you have a 4-year degree. And they can train you to work with birds. Salary for vet-techinician is not great but you can have a decent living. Working with animals is not easy if you don't have the heart and patience for it. Working with pre-schoolers and kindergardens is far easier, because they can communicate with you! And your pay is better!

My advice is to go to college. During the first 2 years of GED, take an introduction course in animal husbandry to test your endurance/interest working with animals. If you still like it after 1 semester, continue on. If not, it's still not too late to change major while taking GED.

Your college advisor or counselor is best to get advice from. When attending college, every student has an advisor assigned to him/her. Don't miss out on discussing with them about your career interest.

 

[Birdman666]

Short answer: Very few people do.

Most of these jobs are incredibly low paying.

There was a time when some of the larger established breeders made money.

There is some money to be made in the bird toy industry... but it's highly competitive.

Birdie board and care, and doggie board and care places sometimes still make money.

Most folks starve trying...

As the old saying goes "Don't quit your day job."

When I moved here, there was a position for the curator of the San Antonio Zoo's aviary open...

Work 60 to 80 hours per week (i.e, double the usual 9 to 5.) Must have a college degree, and be able to handle every sort of bird out there. Know all about birdie, diet, training, vet care, biology... etc. All for a salary of $24K per year. (i.e. you'll have to get a roommate for the rest of your life!)

 

[JerseyWendy]

Please don't expect an answer from the OP anytime soon. He hasn't been online in well over a year. :54:

Still a great topic though.