Am I qualified to own a parrot? And what kind should I keep?

[charnkiat]

Hi y'all,

I must say that I wasn't a big fan of birds before. But one day A group of free-flying sun conure owners put on a show at the mall where my shop is. One of the sun conure flew on my shoulder and started playing with me, and that changed everything. And from that day on, I've been reading about keeping parrots ever since. But nothing's like real experience, so if you guys could give me some insights, it would be much appreciated.

Here are some points about me:

Point 1:
I only have around half an hour to play with the bird each morning. And I come home very late everyday around 10-11 pm. Only then I have a few hours to play with and take care of the bird. Is it too late in the night for the bird? And is it enough?

Point 2:
My parents live with me, and they're home more than I do. I can probably eventually train them to socialize with the birds. But they already say they will not tolerate screams and screeches. Making some noises are ok, but screams are not. My mom is allergic to literally everything, so cockatoo is also out.

Point 3:
I have my own shop and I can install a perch there for the bird to hangout. I would love to have the bird come to work with me everyday, provided that he can somewhat limit his area to around the perch, and that he won't be screaming at my customers or demanding for my attention when I'm with a customer.

Point 4:
If I take the bird out to work with me everyday, a few days of the week I would play badminton for a couple of hours in the early evening. Would it be ok to leave the bird in the car during those few hours? I can crack the window open. The temperature here (Thailand) is comfortably constant throughout the year.

So .. should I even consider having a pet parrot? If so, what kind of parrots would be suitable for me? I know I like bigger size and colorful parrots. I've looked into eclectus and blue and gold marcaw.

Any thoughts and suggestions would be much appreciated.

 

[Arwyn1313]

I would say with your current situation that right now you are not ready for a parrot. Think of them like you would a two year old child. They need lots of interaction,they will make noise,(and lots of it) and would you ever leave a child in the car with the windows cracked? Maybe once you get your own home but right now I would say no. Sorry.

 

[charnkiat]

This IS my home though. My parents lives with me. But I respect them nonetheless.

I understand that the bird need interaction. And I dont want to leave him in the cage all day. That's why I propose the idea of taking him to work with me everyday. Just dont know if it would applicable or wise to do so.

 

[Jayyj]

It was always part of my game plan to take my bird into work with me, but that idea went out the window pretty sharpish once I got her. There used to be a shop down the road from me where the manager brought his B&G macaw in to work with him, and they seemed to get on fine - but the problem is you won't know until you have the individual bird whether it will work for you, and where the alternative is being alone in a cage for most of the day, with the best period for interaction being at a time where the bird should really be asleep, it's a big risk to take.

I guess one avenue to explore would be to consider a pair of birds that would at least have each other for company during the day. Depending on the species this might well result in them not being very keen to interact with you, but I believe certain species - such as linnies or caiques - have a reputation for being sociable even when bonded to another bird. I don't have any first hand experience of this though, just putting it out there as a suggestion for the more expert forumites to comment on.

 

[thekarens]

I just wanted to commend you for being responsible instead of just jumping in. It shows you really do care and are thinking of the birds welfare.

 

[Thatdude596]

I'm gonna have to say no your current situations is not ideal. Birds are loud and messy and have delicate bodies. Taking them in and out really isn't ideal and neither is leaving them in a car. They need 1-2 hrs min in my opinion of interaction daily and 10-12 hrs of lights off sleep. Mine get tired right around dark 7-8 pm and sleep til 730-8.

I think its great you asked before buying one then a few months later selling on Craigslist. To answer your question no I don't think you should have a bird, maybe a fish tank

 

[jugoya]

Actually..

If you have your own shop? That might be the ideal place to KEEP your bird.

I've known of several shops that have a pair of parrots; up to and including jewelry stores.

I knew of a parrot in my local town who was the sweetest thing, being an Eckie and he was so very socialized it wasn't funny!

You could even leave him there, during the night if you wanted and uncover him when you get to work. Bringing the bird home for the weekend.

Honestly?

One of my Parrots comes to work WITH me when I go to my studio most of the time and he loves it.

He has his own cage there and happily does his own thing while I'm working, safe and sound in a quiet corner away from danger.

My students and customers adore him.

as for species. you'd want one that can entertain himself quite a bit as well, Cockatiels; Lovebirds; Parrotlets, Brotogeris Parakeets; these are all smaller species that in my opinion don't scream the same way many other birds do. Once you get up into the conure range its a whole new ball game.

Cockatiels are sweet gentle little birds who I've always found love whistling with you, singing, and cuddling.
Lovebirds are a little more needy, and the ideal would with your situation be having two of them.. though they are harder to tame as a pair.

Parrotlets are independant clownish and a joy to have. Though they require the same cage requirements of a Cockatiel... they are active playful and hardly ever stop moving. Some learn to talk and really its like having one of the bigger birds in a tiny package!

Brotogeris Parakeets.. or white wings- also independant.. a slight bit more needy with a louder rough call. They screech but are friendly little birdies with a little bit of an attitude. Playful... cuddly but not known for mimicry they will likely learn to whistle back at you. (Porter is a White-wing of this subset... and absolutely awesome.)

Parakeet: Independant, playful and energetic. Easy enough to tame if you take the time and do it slowly... with sing song voices and also a more independant attitude. They are all of them bright colorful jewels that I personally think would be ideal for your situation, only problem is... like any bird being kept alone they don't like it much. These guys also do great in pairs, and I've housed them with cockatiels with very few problems, or in a cage seperately so that even while they are bonded to me... the noise they make keeps my other birds from feeling 'alone'. I used my parakeet to help rehabilitate a neglected Hans Macaw.. rather than handling him right away I put his cage in view of my budgies and he settled down right away so that even when I wasn't there.. he was NEVER 'alone'.

Basically I wouldn't suggest having a single bird if you must have a bird at work.

I always started with having a budgie or two in the house; tame the precious things and THEN getting another species of bird to rehabilitate or keep for myself. That way I have my 'flock' without the issue of having several large birds. And man... are they absolutely hilarious little characters... honestly they are my absolute favorite specie of small parrot.

So no.. while your situation might not be ideal; if you are in an environment in your store in which you could keep your bird there without a hassle and not move him around much... well I'd say look into it carefully; ask around :3... though a smaller bird would be better for you rather than a larger one.

Big rule? No leaving a bird in the car. They aren't quite like dogs; you'd be better off leaving your bird at the store.
Or have you thought about having a canary or finches?

 

[MikeyTN]

Most things are covered in above postings! What kind of shop is it that you have????

 

[jugoya]

If you take my studio for example...

I'm a silversmith; and I work with metals and stones, so Porter hangs out with my boss some of the day enjoying the sunshine in the lobby where people can admire him.

But then again he's a little ham and has the personality for it.. sometimes he prefers strangers to me xP.

 

[Featheredsamurai]

Personally I'll vote no, maybe if you have a second cage at your store to bring your bird with you( then bring back home in the evening.

Parrots are loud, do your parents co-own the house with you? Or do they just live with you? If you own the house you have the right to say "deal with it". You can say it respectfully, just explain that your getting a parrot and at times it will be loud. They need to accept that.

Becaus you mom is allergic don't get any powder down parrots, this include many old world parrots(cockatoos, African gray, cockatiels). You'll want to get a oil gland parrot, most commonly found in the new world parrots. A great old world oil gland parrot is the eclectus, but they have a specialized diet, most of their diet should be fresh food, with only a small amount of pellets to fill nutritional gaps.