Is getting a GCC good for me? (College Student)

[Mitch]

Hello everybody! I recently have been very interested into getting a GCC as a new companion. I've owned some budgies before but never thought of getting a conure. As I was researching about GCC, I thought that they seem to be such a fun companion to have! I am currently a 3rd year college student living in an apartment with 4 other roommates. I asked them about me having a bird and all of them are okay with this. I know this is a huge responsibility to have during college but I feel like I can make this work for me, as well as my roommates helping me if I need them. My schedule has a lot of time during the day in order for me to take care of the bird. What do you guys think? This is still up in the air on whether I will or not. I just thought I would post this to get a second opinion.

Thank you guys!! All of you are awesome

 

[Talven]

I would probably say don't do it. A bird needs a lot of uninterrupted sleep 10 to 12 hours. In a house with 4 flatmates and 3rd year college I would hazard a guess and say that 12 hours of peace and quiet are unlikely.

 

[Mitch]

Yeah I heard that they do need a lot of sleep like we do. Fortunately, I do have two floors in my apartment and my roommates are downstairs and usually very quiet during the night since they just relax during this time. If I ever do plan to get a bird I would put the cage in my room. I appreciate the response though! This is definitely something to consider about for me.

 

[LaManuka]

Do lots of reading and research and the do some more. Not meaning to discourage you but GCCs are kinda prone to pick which person in the household that they wish to bond most closely with, and that person may not be you! Plus at around the age and stage you finish your studies, your bird will be just about ready to head into the hormonal mine field that is puberty, where overnight your previously cuddly bundle of fluff can turn into a biting raging demon (and I speak from experience here!)

Not all GCCs are like this, but many are and many end up being rehomed as a result. Any parrot is highly intelligent and can be as emotionally needy as a two year old human child, but far more difficult to find a babysitter for should the need arise. Which is not to say many successful examples exist out there, it’s just that you need to be aware of the challenges ahead!

 

[Mitch]

Yes that is very true! If I do plan on getting a GCC, I would put the cage in my room because I spend the most time in there. I have been constantly doing research on GCC's because I really need to know what i'm going to deal with before I go out looking for one. I am wondering if you in particular or anybody you knew had experience with taking care of a bird while in college? If so, advice would be much appreciated! Thank you for the response

 

[LaManuka]

Hmmmm did you read the bit about them being needy like a two year old child? Would you want to be responsible for a toddler at your stage in life? Did you know that a housemate of yours using a Teflon frypan or appliance could inadvertently kill your bird with the fumes they emit, even if the bird is in a different room on another floor? And if your bird becomes bonded to you and you decide later to study/work/live overseas that he would be heartbroken and miserable if you left him behind? Not to mention the vet bills (OMG the vet bills!)

It’s your decision of course if you decide to go ahead anyway but you’ve asked for opinions and this is mine - take it from someone who has loved a GCC and lost him far too soon. They’re not like dogs or cats, they are flock creatures who don’t do well stuck in a room by themselves and don’t deal well with being passed around between random friends or family members or sitters.My advice is please wait until you have more stability and predictability in your life, your future bird and you yourself will be better off for it.

 

[Mitch]

Thank you so much for this! You're probably right with waiting a bit until I get one. It will be better in the long run when if I do wait for the right time. I appreciate this a lot!

 

[clark_conure]

yeah no get at least married first...it's a 30 year commitment.....more than most marriages...

 

[YSGC]

Ideally you'd wait till you are retired, usually home, and can give your companion parrot the stable consistent home that's best for it.

A young college student is going to have many (disruptive to the parrot) life changes in the decades to come.

If you really care about the conure please don't subject it to all this relative instability.

IMO, getting a companion parrot should more about the parrot's wellbeing than about the human's pleasure and entertainment.

 

[CallumConure]

I have Callum sitting on the back of my neck currently, nibbling on my hair. While I love him to death, I don't know that I would recommend him for just anyone. I attend college, but I'm gone for only a couple hours a day, but then spend the rest of the day giving him attention, letting him roam around the house, and doing homework with him. Callum loves to try to bite my homework or my ear (because I'm not paying attention to him when he's resting so nicely against my head). I live with my grandma off-campus, so I don't have to worry about dorms, roommates, school rules, etc.

College is not cheap as you know. Can you afford the cage, toys, bedding, pellet diet, and fresh fruits every single day? Speaking of which, are you and your roommates prepared to have a bird try to take a bite of your food as you're eating? Callum does this to me. He'll nibble my lips and fingers if I ignore him. He'll try to reach and steal food from me.

Can you afford having a little rainy day fund for those emergency vet bills? I brought Callum to an emergency vet visit because he wouldn't open his eye. I spent probably about $300, $400 dollars on him that night. That was "lucky." I could've easily spent way more. Do you have a fund to pay for the normal vet bills? Avian vets are not cheap, especially when they're in an birdie emergency room.

Also, consider your neighbors and apartment building. I constantly see GCCs labeled as apartment friendly birds. At least for me, Callum would not be happy in an apartment. He wouldn't be allowed to be loud. Thin walls and a loud bird? That's a recipe for disaster, especially if your neighbors or office don't like you. Plus, not every apartment is bird friendly. If they are, they often have a size limit with something as vague as a "small" bird. What's their definition of a small bird? A conure, or a canary?

One thing I have to say with roommates... Be prepared! Your GCC may not want to bond to you and may instead end up bonding to a roommate that may or may not appreciate it. GCCs are also notorious for being a one-person bird. A lot of people say GCCs are quiet, but there is no such thing as a quiet bird. Maybe I just have the loudest, friendliest GCC on the plant, but Callum calls for me constantly (have fun training that out of him), wants to be near me constantly, and has also bonded to my grandma (who does not really want that, but tolerates it).

Also, I don't know what your roommates are like, but while you're gone at classes, they may be home and bothering your bird. Sticking a bird in a room alone in a cage is a surefire way to get a shy or aggressive bird. Are your roommates prepared to take care of this bird when you're gone? Do they want to? Do you want that? Callum's bitten my friends before because they didn't listen to me when I said to leave him alone and that he was getting annoyed with their petting. As small as these little cuties are, their bites HURT. Callum has only directly bitten me once or twice and that was because he spooked and because he got angry at a random thing and decided to bite my ear. Play some Youtube videos of GCC screams and squawks and turn the volume to max and play that. Over. And over. And over. Can your roommates and you put up with this?

I can't play video games, read a book, watch a movie, or even eat without Callum right there. Can you and your roommates put up with this constantly clingy bird? They want to do EVERYTHING with you.

You'll suddenly become the new, cool person because you have a bird. Trust me, you mention you have something other than a budgie, and people will instantly want to see them or just ask you about them constantly. I don't mind talking about Callum, but I don't want strangers begging to see my bird. I'm also just a recluse that doesn't like people tho lol.


I know this was not a fun post to read. It wasn't fun to type, especially since GCCs are such amazing little birds, but I have to be frank with you. I worry about you being a college student with roommates and in an apartment. I love Callum to death and I wouldn't trade him for anything. If I had to do it all again, I would. He's my little lovebug.

 

[Ellie777Australia]

Welcome Mitch. I do believe that CallumConure, being a College Student such as yourself, may have sealed your decision to hold off on your GCC for now. Thank you for 'getting advice' and doing research before taking this big step. All the best with your studies and career.

 

[Boki]

Mitch, I don't agree with much that has been written here. I think you know your roommates. I think it would work out if you wanted it to happen. But I think the budget issue is huge as I never met a college student that was flush with surplus cash.

I think the main reason you should hold off is that in a few years you will no longer be in college (unless you are going down a path to get a doctorate) and you will start working. That will be the real challenge. You might have a job that requires you to travel a lot or a job that works long hours. If so, then taking care of a conure becomes difficult. Or maybe you will be able to work at home and the conure will be easier. Either way, college is usually a temporary thing and I think it would be best to graduate, land a job, then decide if a conure is a good fit.

I definitely think you will enjoy the company of a conure much more than a budgie.They have so much character but they do need your attention.