What made you get a pet bird?

[Rudustin]

I have always had birds since I went to college. I loved the fact that they are winged creatures and that is what makes them special. They can fly! And they have these beautiful skins that have feathers which are so delicate yet so strong. Parrots are so intelligent and beautiful colors for the most part. They also make sounds that are so wonderful to hear and their behavior is so "human." They are my soul in so many ways. I have always marveled at the idea of flight and wish I could fly too so, I live vicariously through my birds to do so.

 

[MMARC234]

To be honest, I used to dislike birds when I was younger because I was terrified of anything that flew. My mom also had a cockatiel who was ancient, standoffish, and bluffed bit when I was growing up, which didn’t help my fear.

And then in November 2017, my mom came home after work with an eight month old green cheek conure named ‘Leo’. She had been mentioning for years that she wanted another bird, but I didn’t think she would do it so suddenly!

After hearing his story (the owner was a young woman in college who underestimated the amount of time she would have for him), I sat and stared at this pitiful looking creature who eyed me like I was the strangest bird he had ever seen. My mom had tried to coax him out of his cage several times to no avail, so I decided to give it a go.

Little did I know that we would fall in (platonic) love with each other. He immediately crawled out and sat on the top of his door, looked at my finger, and stepped up like he had been doing it with me forever. He then crawled up onto my shoulder and curled into my neck while croaking... of course he bit my ear right after, so the moment didn’t last that long lol.

Honestly, even though it’s only been a bit over two years, I don’t know what I would do if I didn’t have either of my boys with me in my life. Although they can be handfuls, I love them as if they are my actual biological children, and I hope that they love me just as much.

 

[Ramble]

Newbie here! My first bird interaction was actually my brother's parakeet when we were pretty young. He was a handsome little cobalt blue and white tyke, very personable and made an impression. I didn't get my own bird until I was in my early 20s and saw some cockatiels at a little store with a pet section in back. At the time, each one was about two weeks' pay (I wasn't making a lot.) They had been in the store for about a year. I fell in love with the grey one and took her home--and both of them immediately started pining and falling apart. Broke my heart. So I saved up and got the lutino, who pretty much hated me And then they'd fight over everything as the people selling them didn't give advice With said birds. Learning on the fly, I got two of everything, spent a lot of time socializing the lutino flesheater, and ended up with two awesome little friends!
Recently I raised a couple of 10-day old cockatiels when a backyard breeder said he didn't have time for them. They have been sent off to their new homes (They are the two in my avatar) but it's made me want to find a feathered friend of my own again, so I'm actually going on Sunday to visit a 14-yr-old conure who needs a good place to retire. I hope it likes me!

 

[Pampa]

Insanity. Only partially teasing. I’m an animal lover. Have 4 dogs. I’ve raised rabbits and had rats and hamsters when the kids were little. I had two cockatiels for years but had to rehome them due to allergies. After a lot of research I got Pampa the Blue Crown Conure. Even with research I was ill prepared and struggled and learned and bonded. Pampa flew away three weeks ago and the house is so empty. The dogs are great but Pampa and I shared meals and showers. Just last night I got a very young,18 month old, Jenday. I would have said I am not really a bird person until I lost Pampa. I am a one bird person.

 

[barclay2018]

Hi

So I decided to get a pet bird due to my partner working away for long period of time I was sitting by self and want some company I done research into bird and have always loved bird since I was young.

Originally I planned on a pair of love birds but when I see and met my green cheek conure I fell in love with them the colours how inquisitive they are and they are so sweet.

So now I have bash and he being such a great company.

 

[Inger]

I’ve always always had pets. Cats, dogs, hamsters, a lizard, a little toad, fish, some birds in high school and a disastrous attempt at keeping an IRN about 15 years ago. Given that I barely knew what it was doing, he could have had it worse but he didn’t have the best life with me. A big part of that equation was that he screamed and my boyfriend and I didn’t agree on how to try to correct that behavior. Boyfriend used a squirt bottle and I could NOT get him to stop. My daughter was also in grade school at the time and we were busy all the Tim. PeeWee was eventually rehomed. I don’t like to think about that chapter of keeping birds, but it led me to an “I will never have another bird they are NOT for me. Loud messy yuck.”

Fast forward to 2016. Boyfriend and I decided to live separately, and the two Chihuahuas stayed with him. I got them on weekends. Daughter is grown. For the first time in my life, I live alone. And for the first time in my life, no full-time pets. So I started thinking about what would suit my life.

No room in my tiny apartment for a litter box, so a cat was out. Had the two dogs on weekends and still sort of thought boyfriend and I might live together again someday-three dogs seems like a lot so that’s out. I want something I can interact with, so fish, lizards, frogs, all out. A critter? Maybe but mostly they’re nocturnal and I’m not so nope. I was really stymied. Then my friend got a bird and I started thinking.

My most recent experience with a bird was bad for both of us, but what was different now? Almost everything. PeeWee came to me with problems and I had no idea how to help him. What if I got a baby? Nobody here to argue about how to care for/train/etc, so that solved that issue. And I knew that birds could be wonderful, loving companions. So I googled “quietest parrot,” learned about Parrotlets, joined a parrot forum (thank heavens) and found my Bumble.

And they all lived happily ever after.

Epilogue: Older Chihuahua died, boyfriend was broken over it. He got THREE MORE Chihuahuas. Eventually we broke up completely. I still get the Chihuahua that is mine in my heart some weekends. Bumble is safely caged when he’s here, except for some playtime every evening when he gets locked in the other room.

I am a million times better as a parront now and all the credit goes to this forum with its wealth of information and all of the kind members who encourage, educate, and understand like nobody else can.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[AmyMyBlueFront]

Wow just saw this thread! I was always a bird guy. At nine or ten yrs old I had wild bird feeders and houses all over the yard. Used to go out bird watching,read any and all bird books I could get my hands on. I even talked my mom into taking me to Great Swamps National Wildlife Reserve in New Jersey to go bird watching lol. At 13 I raised a "couple day old" English House Sparrow. My Grand Parents had a Budgie they let me look after and tame when I stayed a weekend. Mom got me my own Budgie at fourteen. By this time I was thinking African Grey after reading so many cool things about them.

Then in 1988 when I was married my "then" wife said " go get the bird you've always wanted" So Smokey (TAG) came home with me. After about two years (and divorce!) and meeting a friends Blue Front Amazon, Amy came home with me..and that was nearly thirty years ago. Smokey went to Rainbow Bridge and Jonesy ( a Goffin I adopted after Smokes passed on) came and went to a new home (LONG STORY!!) BB found his way into my life,and heart.

So for nearly thirty years I've been owned by two of the sweetest fids I know!!!


Jim

 

[Squeekmouse]

Wow... I love this thread... all the wonderful stories.. thank you all for sharing.

I've always had pets growing up, dogs, cats, horses, guinea pigs, fish, iguana, gecko. When I was really little, my dad had an amazon. We lived in Panama (Dad was an enginer for the Canal), so of course he was a Panamanian Amazon. Dad named him Pickles. Pickles lived in a cage on the back patio, and it was my job to feed him and clean his cage every week. I didn't know anything about birds, and didn't have any real appreciation for them. Pickles imitated us a lot which was neat, but he also bit the heck out of me every time I went to feed him. Sometimes he'd let me hold him and hang out on my shoulder, but mostly he just bit me. After grade school I went to live with my mom... my stepmom said he imitated me every time she went to feed him, after that. I think he eventually died. Looking back it breaks my heart and I wish I had appreciated him and given him the love and attention he should have gotten.

I never gave any thought to birds as pets, my grandma had a budgie but to me it was just something pretty in a cage.

Decades later, I'm living in Illinois married to my soulmate now. I work from home (lucky me!!!) as a software designer, Wolfy is a programmer and he gets to work from home one day a week. Problem was, I'd get really lonely the other 4 days per week. Wolfy and I are best friends, we really don't have any other friends, except his parents. I really wanted a dog, but Wolfy's allergic to cats and dogs. I didn't want another lizard, just not cuddly and not much for companionship. Hamsters, guinea pigs and ferrets all seemed likely to cause allergies for my poor husband. Then one day I thought, maybe a bird would be nice... at least Wolfy isn't allergic to them, right? We figured a cockatiel would be a good safe choice. But we couldn't find ANY, anywhere! We did find a place with a Green Cheek Conure that was really cute... I picked him up and he snuggled my hand. I tried to put him down and he scrambled up my arm and snuggled my neck. When I eventually DID put him back, he followed me from in his cage until I left. I did some homework and we visited another place with another GCC who didn't much care for me. So we talked about it and then went back and got Yoda.

I had hoped that a pet bird would be willing to let me pet him and hold him. I hoped he might even like it. I had NO idea he would be the snuggliest, cuddliest, most loving, funniest, smartest, sweetest, most interesting and amazing pet I'd ever known. I don't even like calling him a pet, he's my companion! I really think of him as my feathered child. (I'll never have kids of my own, so this really filled a hole in my heart I didn't know I had). Wolfy and I both fell in love with Yoda. Wolfy's parent call him their Grand-bird.

Later, Wolfy wanted to have the experience of a bird that chose him like Yoda chose me. We decided on an African Grey because of how smart and interesting and beautiful they are. Trigger came home with us in November of last year.

My boys are definitely NOT easy. They've changed our lives in SO many ways. I spend hours every day just on feeding and cleaning for them. Making toys for them is my new hobby. Wolfy and I love our boys like they are are children, and I don't care that non-bird people just do NOT understand. People think they are "JUST birds"... just another pet...

Thank God I've got all of you folks to share these experiences with.

 

[BeatriceC]

I didn't decide to get birds. I married into having them. MrC had Goofy and Cookie for over a decade (two in Cookie's case) before we ever met. I honestly didn't think I liked birds until I met those two. It didn't take long to change my mind.

 

[Squeekmouse]

Lol... I think my long story scared everyone away..


Come on folks, lets hear your stories!!!

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

You call that long, Squeekmouse? LOL. I better make sure and not share mine. lol. I keep forgetting to write my story.

I do find it very fascinating though, the similarities in which some of us had birds enter our lives. Or in some cases, invade our lives, take over them and never let us forget. lol.