What kind of bird would work with my schedule?

[Kiwins]

Hello! I am currently a high school senior who hopes to move out and go to college within this year (the university is in the same city). My mom has never let me have a pet bird, she thinks they smell and are quite messy (which I can understand), if everything works out right, I'll rent my dad's log cabin on the other side of town or I'll move into an apartment or another house with my friend. The plan is to get a 4 year at my uni and then transfer out of town to vet school (I want to be an avian vet). I'm starting to apply to veterinarian offices around town as well. I've wanted a bird for the past 2 years so incredibly bad and I've done lots of research on many birds. I've fallen in love with Hahn's Macaws since they are completely adorable. I just don't know how my schedule will work out with them. I've thought about a green cheek conure, and even a pionus parrot. I'm wondering if anyone has worked with any of these birds while in college and working a job. Thank you so much!

 

[noodles123]

Welcome and thank you for caring enough to research before rushing out and buying a bird.

I would STRONGLY (very strongly) urge you to finish your entire education and get an established job before getting a bird---especially a large bird (although they all are a huge commitment and poorly suited for students without 500% family support---e.g., a pet that the parents want as much as the student). Also, they have extreme respiratory sensitivities to standard products in the home, such as teflon/ptfe/pfoa/pfcs, cleaning products, perfumes, candles, smoke, polishes, paints, fabreeze etc...
You will need to be in a position where you are the one making the rules or have a house in which both parents desperately want a lifetime commitment to a bird as well.

Macaws live forever, and birds are always in need of new homes because they are so often surrendered. My point in saying this is, you plenty of time to wait until you are settled. There is no shortage of birds in need of homes and there won't be 10 years from now either.

They need a consistent routine and a set bedtime/wakeup. They require many hours outside of their cage each day and a lot of time/effort that would be impossible to provide while working and in school. There are not enough hours in the day---plus, it is best to have a house of your own before getting a bird. A big bird is especially poorly suited for life in an apartment.

Another thing--- log cabins are drafty and often require a wood stove. The smoke from such heaters can harm a bird. As can drafts.

 

[Rozalka]

You mentioned about moving out with your friend. First of all you should ask him/her if (s)he a bird wouldn't be a problem. You also don't know yet if you will live in a house or an apartment - this really matters. Of these 3 mentioned parrots the loudest is Hahn's macaw, they probably couldn't be in an apartment. I am 1st year university student atm and I don't have a lot of time, parrots need your time. I don't know how your uni shedule will look like, in mine I often am out almost all day - in this semestr the longest was Monday because I was srarting at 8am and finished 8 pm, so I was out ~ 7am-9pm In this case there is no time for birds, but this is basing only on my shedule
From mentioned by you parrots I have a GCC. I wanted to take him with me to the capital city (where I study) but I was too scary that the house owner wouldn't tolorate him and I left him with my parents. Later when I started going to the uni, I understood it was the better decision because of no time for the bird.

 

[noodles123]

when you talk to the roommate- don't just ask "are you cool with me getting a bird?"---You will need to explain that most standard cleaning products will be off-limits, as will a wide variety of objects designed to heat or be heated (due to Teflon)----for instance, curling irons, blow dryers, space heaters, air fryers, popcorn poppers, drip trays, toasters, toaster ovens, irons, waffle makers, electric skillets, and a million different types of trays, pans, pots, muffin pans etc...It is very serious and it requires research to know what products contain this (teflon/ptfe/pfoa cannot be heated anywhere within the same house as a bird).... Then there is the noise/mess/ need to socialize the bird and keep quiet at certain hours if the bird doesn't have its own sleep space....

So it really is a lot of work just in terms of bird-proofing a home (esp with a roommate).

Then there are things like not painting your nails in the house, no air freshener or strong perfumes, no candles...even unscented... It is a lot to ask in a roommate. When I visit my parents with my bird, I get a LOT of eye-rolls because it seems like a pretty drastic set of requirements when people are not used to avian respiratory issues.

There is also the potential for the bird to get attached to only one of you and that can cause issues if you are expecting to share the burden of care-taking...

I posted 2 really long replies on this thread (page 1) and they tell you a lot of stuff about parrot ownership that is not necessarily common knowledge---
http://www.parrotforums.com/questions-answers/83663-potential-first-time-buyer.html <----read this all

The link to the thread works, but some of the links inside of that thread (namely the ones about teflon etc) seem to be broken, so after you read the thread above, here are copies to the working links therein--I think the majority of them still work, but the ones on teflon toxicosis do not (so here they are):
https://www.ewg.org/research/canaries-kitchen
https://www.ewg.org/research/canaries-kitchen/teflon-kills-birds
http://kbahonline.vetstreet.com/ptfe-the-silent-killer-lurking-in-your-home

A link to household toxins:
This is my favorite list: http://www.exoticpetvet.com/parrot-precautions.html
https://www.merckvetmanual.com/bird...ding-of-birds/household-hazards-for-pet-birds
https://globalcrisis.info/ifyouloveyourbirds.html

 

[Kiwins]

Thank you guys so much for responding so quickly! My friend and I have been talking about owning a bird now for the past 2 years and both are ready for the commitment. I think I will just need to reevaluate the situation when I get my schedule for uni. Thank you guys!

 

[noodles123]

Remember- you are looking at multiple years of school and each year that schedule will change. Not to mention housing and possibly even roommates. The cost of bird ownership is also VERY HIGH--- the cage and bird are a lot, but the vet bills, toys, food etc, all add up very quickly (especially for a macaw whose toys are about $40 each and last a few days to a week MAX).

Birds don't understand why you suddenly have to spend less time with them etc, and they are designed to fly miles and miles a day....so making them pets to begin with is already highly unnatural. Think about the fact that this bird may bond with your roommate more closely than it does with you..I mean, you will be living together,but not for 80 years. I am not saying they can't adjust, but when my ex and I broke up, my bird became depressed due to his absence. These are all things to consider...There is no explaining anything to a parrot---they LOVE routine and they tend to hate change, but they are deeply sensitive and in the wild, they would always be within contact distance of their flock. This is their normal...it is not our normal.

I really wish you would wait until you were through with school. Having been through many years of school myself (and having toyed with the idea of getting one sooner) I am SO glad I waited (even though at the time, I would have thought it doable...)

You will have internships, classes, etc ---you can't throw off a bird's schedule like that. I have to be home by 4 at the latest to let mine out and feed her dinner. If I am late, she gets anxious (it is difficult to explain this to a boss, and it is something I have had to do many times over). My bird has a set bedtime (they need them, just like kids). Similarly, sleeping in is going to become a thing of the past when you have a bird with a 12 hour sleep requirement and life obligations (you can't just leave them covered past that time while you catch up on sleep). Mine is up daily at roughly 5am because of my work schedule and her need for 12 hours (sometimes she gets up even earlier). If they go to bed at 5, they should wake up around 5. In college, something like 9-9 might work for a short time, but is unrealistic if you have to be at work by 7-8am when you have a job etc. You still have to have time to play with your bird (at least 4 hours out of the cage with active interaction for many of those). Life changes SO much between the start of college and end of college and you will likely be VERY short on cash for all of college. There is literally NO WAY you could work, attend classes and keep a happy bird without losing your mind completely. Being a student and owning a bird is nearly impossible , working and owning a bird is very difficult, but doing both and owning a bird (especially a large bird) is not a good idea.

It sounds simple enough, but trust me when I say this:
If you would find parenting a 3-year-old to 4-year old human child with special needs to be difficult at this juncture in your life, then consider the fact that parrots can be more challenging than humans for a variety of reasons, AND they are terribly expensive, while requiring a TON of time, effort, consistency, and attention to their medical needs (Is there an avian certified vet in your area? Exotics vets are NOT the same.)..Also, if you adopt a baby parrot (esp a macaw), you are looking at a few years of deceptively sweet/quiet behavior before you get the full attitude/volume level of an adult bird. They change a lot at puberty and although puberty is very rough, adult birds will always be more willful/stubborn/bossy/assertive than their baby selves (in fact, babies often push away from those they love most at adulthood). Imagine if you (currently) and compare yourself to how you felt about things when you were 1 (you can't even remember, but you get the point I hope).

Macaws live past 80 in many circumstances and never grow up (unlike human children). You also must consider your future romantic partners and any potential children of your own (birds take a huge chunk of your freedom away, and you owe it to them to be there). This can cause turmoil in human-to-human relationships. They also require tremendous attention and make tremendous noise (it is their nature as flock animals). What happens if "little Johnny" (fictitious future child) is napping and the bird starts screaming? What happens if it bites your significant other repeatedly out of jealously, or even your future kid, requiring hospital visits? What happens if the bird starts plucking out all of its feathers or even carving away at its skin because you are unable to spend the time with it necessary to keep it healthy/happy? Have you considered all of these possibilities?

Travel will also be pretty much a no-go (yes- people do it, but if you can't bring your bird, you are looking at caging it for days (unnatural) and potentially exposing it to asymptomatic disease carriers at a boarding facility)). Also, unlike human children, birds are extremely suspicious of new people (often aggressive/seriously fearful if you are not there too) and so hiring a friend to drop by and do your bird work will not make your bird feel any better about the fact that your are gone...and without a bond, they will likely be unable to handle the bird or even return it to its cage.

SO many college students re-home their birds within a year or 2 of getting them because they simply didn't comprehend the level of work/commitment required. It happens all of the time.
As a future vet, you will have plenty of opportunities to take on unwanted birds within your practice (it happens all the time) so please wait until you have the financial and lifestyle stability conducive to raising your own children before considering a bird (especially a macaw).

 

[Scott]

Welcome to the forums, you pose a relevant question that requires serious forethought. To acquire a bird at your stage of education requires intense dedication and potential life altering procedures. If you deeply examine and find practical solutions, a parrot may mesh with your lifestyle, especially if veterinary medicine is end goal.

Please consider this beautifully written and provocative thread: http://www.parrotforums.com/new-mem...-students-should-ask-before-getting-bird.html