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SenegalLover
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- Feb 27, 2017
- 41
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- #21
One of my teenagers just came home with a couple new birds. I wasn't thrilled, but he bought them with his own money and on his own initiative. There's a couple things here that make this more okay than other situations.
1) His parents are bird people. His stepfather has been keeping birds for 40 years. His mother is a crazy bird lady. We're here to help him learn to care for birds.
2) We're going to back him up if he needs help. MrC's daughters had a trio of cockatiels when they were younger. Once the girls graduated from high school, he had no issues keeping the birds and caring for them. The last one just died of old age in September. The girls are 32. That gives you an idea of the commitment we have to the animals in the house.
3) He chose parakeets. They're not going to live 30 years.
Granted, my son is a bit younger than you, but a lot of the same issues apply, since you're still living in your parents' house. Other issues are more important since you are older and a lot closer to launching yourself into the world on your own. It really is a lot to think about.
One last thing. The little bird currently on my shoulder is a senegal. They are amazing birds, but they do require a lot of attention. I spend about an hour (divided up into several chunks) each day actively training him, and many more hours just hanging out with him. His cage is to the immediate right of my desk, so even if he's not physically on me, he's right next to me. I'm a house wife. I'm always here. He's not my only bird, so of course there's times when I'm training the others. The rare times when I'm not home, MrC is home. I can think of a dozen times in the last year when both adults were gone at the same time, and only half of those times were for more than an hour or so. These birds and their needs dictate how I run my house. Are you prepared to make that kind of commitment? It's okay if you're not. I wouldn't have at 22, but at 41, it's a different story.
I had not realized they need THAT much attention. Granted I will give it as much attention as I am able to give, but definitely not 24/7. There will definitely be times where the bird will be home alone for long periods of time. That being said I do plan on spending MINIMUM 1 hour a day. To be honest, it will probably be much more than that but I am just being on the careful side.
To put it in comparison, would you say having a parrot is like having a dog in terms of care? Or would you say it is more like having a puppy that never grows up? The reason why I am not looking at other bird species is because the extensive care they need. I do not mind spending 2 - 3 hours a day with the bird, but I don't see myself being able to spend all day with the bird like yourself. Granted there will be days when I'm just hanging out at home where the bird will be with me.
I just want to make it as pleasant as possible for both the bird and I, if I decide to adopt one.
I almost certainly give my birds more attention than they strictly need, but I enjoy it, so I'm not complaining. People do successfully keep companion birds and work outside the home, but those people keep a schedule both before and after work and on the weekends to insure that their birds are getting the time they need.
It's a huge commitment, and if you're thinking about things like what to do when you want to spend the night at your girlfriend's house, it's perhaps not quite the right time in your life just yet. To give another example about my life, when MrC and I were dating, there were no sleepovers. He had his birds (the amazon, and at the time, the last of the cockatiels), and I had my children (his were already adults). Sleepovers just weren't in the cards and both of us were committed to the lives that depended on us to not even consider the possibility. We didn't spend the night together until I moved in, and that was just the way it had to be. These days, if we go out of town, we take the birds with us. Or one of us stays home to care for birds. But here again is where we can point out that the needs of the birds pretty much dictate how the house is run.
I do have to say that I'm impressed that you're thinking about these things and not having a tantrum when us old farts point out that maybe it's not the time in your life. That shows a great maturity level and evidence that when the time is right, you're going to make a great bird parent.
Thank you for the compliment
I feel so inclined to make this work but I can't have a bird dictate my whole life. I was thinking whenever I go out of town, which is rarely, take it to a bird sitting shop. Or regarding the whole sleepover thing, I would bring the bird to her house to spend the night, or just come in the morning to check up on it.
Are there any birds out there that aren't THAT high maintenance? Obviously if it's not the right time then it's not the right time, but I feel like it has been done in the past. Again it may seem like I'm being stubborn but I just want to attack this from all angles.
Thank you again for all your help