Before You Buy:
From personal experience, as a first time “parront” i.e. bird owner, (there’s lingo involved, as with any other group) just like a first time parent, we really had no clue as to what to expect. All we had to start with was that I was allergic to cats and she was allergic to dogs and we discussed getting a bird. I was like most Americans if not most people in general in my sentiment of “why would anyone want a bird? They’re noisy, messy, impersonal and they poop everywhere.” A wise man once said “assumption is the mother of all F-Ups.” Like most assumptions, looking back and knowing what I know now, kind of like trying to imagine life back in the days of Ancient Greece, looking up at the sky and thinking that yellow ball in the sky that provides heat and light is Apollo riding his chariot across the sky, I was completely wrong. Now my sentiment is “why would anyone want any other pet?”
Birds are hands down THE best pets you could ever hope to have. You can take them outside in warm weather. (Besides, who wants to the obligation that comes with having to walk your dog when it’s cold and cats… well forget exercise if you have a cat) Birds basically put themselves to bed at night, they’re relatively inexpensive to care for, they’re pretty easy to clean up after and birds will love you like no other pet. Cats love you on their time which is for about 2 minutes of obligatory belly rubs before they decide that you’re a demon and bite you then take off for either the next 2 weeks or if the food bowl is empty, whichever comes first. Dogs will after about a week in a new house become perfectly at home as if he’s been there the whole time. But birds… birds make you earn it. But once you earn that trust and love, they’re yours forever. I’ve never heard of a dog’s owner dying and the dog rips out all of his fur in sadness. Birds will do that. For future reference, I’ll simply refer to an example bird as “he” since our first bird was male.
Neither bird store that we got our 2 birds from are still around. Birds are rare and having a business that caters specifically to a species that doesn’t require a lot of expense to care for doesn’t usually last very long. Granted, you have the internet but the internet for your so called birdy need but the internet will never have the information that a breeder or bird expert will. So if you have the opportunity to patronize your local bird shop, please do. Not Petco or Petsmart or Pet Supplies Plus, I’m talking about your mom & pop pet store on Main Street in old downtown. Especially if it’s a bird store. Even if they don’t carry what you need in stock and you have to special order from them ahead of time, plan ahead and do it. You’ll generally only have to buy 2 or 3 times a year for most things so it’s not like you’ll be shelling out your vacation funds to buy local. An extra $10 every 3 months isn’t going to make a difference to you but it might mean the difference between that shop staying open or closing their doors. Sure you may be paying a bit more in markup and shipping plus you don’t get the delivery straight to your door but you’ll be helping a local business and when you really need that expert advice… Amazon and Ebay ain’t gon’ have it. Advice comes at a price. So please try to use your local mom and pop shops for everything you can, not only bird supplies but certainly for bird supplies if it’s at all possible.
But when it comes to information and care, not to mention finding a bird that isn’t from a breeder or someone getting rid of one, birds are so rare comparatively to dogs and cats that when we walked into the bird store, all I knew was that there was this cute little green one sitting in the cage and he might be a good one to have.
(Herbie’s 1st pic. Look at that CUTENESS! He’s so wittow. He’s got no Cheeto face yet and he’s still got his lil black baby beaky. LULZ! Can you see why we got him?) But yet… I didn’t know his breed name or any breed names for that matter. I didn’t know about diets, care, specific conditions like Night Frights for Cockatiels or how Amazons fan their tail feathers, types of bird diseases, things to look for in injury or illness, I just knew he was cute. I’m sure the ladies reading this are thinking “yeah… I remember what THAT got me the last time I made a decision based on that judgment.” As it turns out, birds are highly intelligent and highly social creatures that require lots of care and attention. If you’re thinking about getting a bird for décor because it would look nice in a cage next to the new drapes that you’ll change in 7 years… don’t. If you’re getting your 9 year old kid a pet bird… don’t. Parakeets perhaps may be the exception because their life span is only about 4-6 years but unless your child is super antisocial then that child is GOING to grow up, and growing up means more homework, extra-curricular activities, going over by friends whose houses are farther than a 10 minute walking distance away. Then comes a driver’s license, not to mention significant others. Anything other than a parakeet and possibly even including parakeets will outlive that child’s attention span and that bird will live its last years sad and alone and die sad and alone. That bird, especially if you buy it by itself without another feathered buddy in the cage to play with, that cute special bird that once had that child’s full attention it’s entire life, suddenly has to sit in a cage by itself and stare at a wall because your child’s human friends now take precedent. So DON’T get a brand new bird for junior. If you get one for yourself and junior plays with it, great but DO NOT buy a bird for a child. Budgie parakeets due to their short life spans are the “possible” exception.
So not only is this highly social animal alone in a cage when junior is at school, he’s now alone and sad the remainder of its existence simply because as humans, especially young humans, our priorities change. It WILL happen. So if you’re thinking about getting junior a bird… DON’T. If you don’t believe me, just go on social media and Facebook bird groups right now and within a couple of days you’ll see “I got birdie for junior when he was 8 and now he doesn’t have the time to spend with her anymore. Asking $ (95% of what I paid for all of it) for bird, cage and toys.” And take a guess how many people want to pay close to full price for an adult bird that’s obviously been neglected and you don’t know what it’s been through, how it behaves, etc. versus paying a little more for a baby bird that’s still got it’s baby cutes about him and which can be more easily molded to the owners liking? Then, after frustration sets in for the owner, the bird usually gets sold to the highest bidder that too any times winds up being someone abusive or they’re used as breeding stock in horrendous conditions. 
Unfortunately, the previous owners are never even aware that this happens. Out of sight, out of mind. It’s not difficult to forget a creature you weren’t paying attention to anyways while that new season of Walking Dead and Desperate Silicone Matrons or whatever title that show has now are now ready to be binge watched. It’s the avian version of human trafficking and puppy mills. Bigger birds can live for 50-80 years. There are so many that need homes right now as you’re reading this and they almost all have the same story.
As I’m writing this paragraph, it’s very close to Valentine’s Day. Countless pets will be purchased for this holiday alone, not to mention birthdays and Christmas. Many times, even if the couple has legally gone through the attempt to make splitting up difficult in the form of marriage, those couples will split and the one who got the pet for the “partner” doesn’t want it because after all, it was a gift and “not for me”, and the “partner” who got the pet they didn’t really ask for doesn’t want it. So you wind up with a pet that many times gets anonymously dropped off at a shelter in the middle of the night. If you don’t believe me, watch Morgan Spurlock’s episode on pets and guess how many of those pets get adopted out? Not many. Cats don’t care where they live as long as there’s food and dogs can adjust quickly and even they have trouble finding homes. Now take a bird that can live for 20-80 years that will take weeks to adjust to its surroundings and trust its new owner that’s loud and bitey at first because its scared. Since the adoptive parront is new and doesn’t know this about birds they give up quickly and either get rid of it to someone else for cheap (usually to a breeder who wants to breed it for profit) or gives it back to the shelter. When the pet can’t be adopted out after a certain amount of time, they’re euthanized (which a lot of times has been taxpayer subsidized by the state or local government) and pitchforked into a furnace for group cremation. Out of sight, out of mind. Yes, I’m being serious.
I don’t mean to be a downer but even though we’ve sent men to the moon, just like in the movie Apollo 13, those men nearly died because the air filters on the 2 segments of the spacecraft weren’t the same size or shape. i.e. humans don’t always think ahead. If you’ve ever had a child you didn’t necessarily plan for or have had a bankruptcy or car repo-ed… its more common place than you might think because we scarcely plan for such things. We have a tendency to ignore reality and instead simply accept the “sunshine and balloons” scenario for every situation. “sure we can make that car payment as long as something catastrophic doesn’t happen in the next 6 years.” Then comes the layoff or the medical emergency. Followed by the loss of the car, the job, the credit, etc. All because the unexpected wasn’t factored in and the buffer was too small. I don’t say this to be a drag but its reality and when you’ve seen it enough and the birds, pets or kids are the ones that have to suffer, you stop being silent when you realize that the feelings of the mistreated mean more than the feelings of the people who didn’t think ahead and simply dump the problem on someone else’s doorstep.
So enough of that rant but just know that if you intend to get a bird, they are not expendable and they are a lot of work and responsibility just like anything else worthwhile. If you intend on getting a pet bird, read through this website and if you think you can manage to run the gamut, go shopping for a fid. A highly social animal that WILL become a member of your family. Yes I understand that sometimes you will have to make the decision to pull the plug on grandma, but even though that is a tough decision and a sad moment, in reality it is at least done after having lived a full and happy life. That is the difference.
Parront-al Responsibilities:
Back to the bird basics. Basically the rule/comparison for both bird decisions and bird behavior is that you’re dealing with a feathered toddler. Any decision you make, make it in a “would I do this with regards to myself or my child?” Be it space to live/cage size, taking risks with hazardous materials etc. Hazardous material *WBDL (will be discussed later) but its something to think about, especially when it comes to both parenting or “parronting” in general.
Now parents… as an example…. imagine you giving your toddler to a person, a “sitter” that has no experience with kids. You’d maybe do it for a laugh with a video camera rolling in each room of the house like a reality TV show to watch as this novice attempts the world’s toughest profession and eventually starts to break down. You’d chuckle at it but as its happening, you’d always be there when the “sitter” had to hit the panic button. Then you’d stroll in like the host of Candid Camera with a smirk on your face, knowing exactly how to handle the situation and you’d take your toddler to get food or for a nap or pacifier or whatever. In getting a bird… there IS no such button especially if you’ve never had one before. There are dozens of parenting websites and magazines but for birds?… Good luck.
Even though parronting as with parenting, most things you’ll learn as you go, we had no clue what to expect especially in an emergency situation and unfortunately, there was almost no information out there on the web. Facebook groups (as we learned later even though Facebook was only 5 years old itself at the time) are very valuable but they rely on having the right person read your post and respond at the right time not to mention IN time and hope the information is correct. There was no one stop shop for answers to bird questions so we put together this resource to help out parronts, new and old with what to expect as a bird owner in order to provide a better life for our beloved feathered kids or “fids”. (More lingo) We have only had lovebirds but most of these issues and scenarios will be pertinent for multiple species. If you have any questions you can email either of us. Check our Contact tab for more details. We will also try to gather “experts and breeders” of certain species to be able to link to and have contact info on in order to try to better help bird owners along.
But some other things to consider with birds. Where will they be housed? Do you have a room that has the flexibility of being both a room the whole family can be around including him yet be quiet enough at night for him to sleep? Does this room have lots of sunlight? Birds live outside and like most diurnal animals, they get some of their nutrients from the sun. Will this room be ample for that? Are you willing to give up using perfume? (more than a drop or one spray) Are you willing to not use aerosols for cleaning, bathroom “deodorizer”, deodorant, air freshener, cooking anywhere near this room? Will they be by a window that they can look out of and see outside yet a window that isn’t drafty? Are you willing to not cook with Teflon above 400 degrees if the bird will be on the same floor as kitchen if there is no door to separate the bird from that and other cooking smoke/fumes? Does your neighbor like to grill or have bonfires and the fumes/smoke come directly into the house? Do you live in the city by a main strip where automobile exhaust can travel into open windows on warm days? Lots of what don’t harm us large mammals will kill a bird in minutes or seconds. Do you have cats? Most dogs are OK, especially puppies because they get used to what they can or can’t do but not always. Are you going to have a place where they can play and be partially flighted so that they can go to 2 or 3 different perches/playpens when they’re out? Are you going to be able to spend at least an hour or so per day with them on average?
Again, this isn’t an animal you can just get and clean the cage once a week. If that’s the case, get a cat. The great thing about Birds is that (assuming the cage is clean) you can give them a tad larger amount of fresh water and food that you normally would on Friday afternoon and return Sunday with no problem. Any longer than that you want to have someone come in and change the water and check the food but unlike a dog where you have to leave killer parties just so you can wrap your hand in plastic and grab a steaming pile of turd, you can leave birds for a weekend and they’ll generally be just fine. Once you earn a bird’s trust I’ll put them up against a dog’s loyalty any day. So there’s a lot of advantages to having a bird but there is just as much responsibility if not more than a dog. A dog has the whole house to themselves and toys and isn’t in a cage when you come home. Birds need a bit more but you’ll love every minute of it. Plus when you get kisses from your bird, you don’t have to wonder if they were just licking their unmentionables. Small birds chirp but are generally not that loud. Large birds, especially Cockatoos and specifically the Moluccan Cockatoo has a scream 5 decibels under that of at jet engine. So be prepared. I was talking to a guy who was housing his mother’s cockatoo while she was in the hospital and the bird didn’t like being separated from her. One day the bird was screaming because no one was home and the neighbors called the cops because they thought someone was being hurt or murdered. He hadn’t gotten around to telling his neighbors about the bird. Luckily he was pulling up to the driveway as the cops got there and explained the situation. Funny story but again… be prepared.
And one thing I will say that will be talked about later is that a lovebird is about $80, a cockatiel about $150, conures $300-$400 and so on, even though they may be relatively inexpensive compared to a dog, these birds can live for 10-20 and even 30 years. Just because they’ve inexpensive doesn’t mean they’re expendable. Start saving $10 per week per paycheck until you have $500-$1000 saved up for an emergency vet bill in case your fid gets sick. Vet bills are outrageous. Because once this little creature steals your heart like you never imagined a tiny ball of fluff could, when they get sick and you don’t have the money, you will be devastated. It’s the worst lesson you’ll ever have to learn about being prepared for a worst case scenario. Because we weren’t prepared but we did get lucky.
So if you’re still sitting at the dinner table across from this so called “date” that’s all sorts of crazy and you’ve read this far, then let’s get to picking a bird. Get to know the bird species you may be interested in. Pick them by the way they look, size, coloring, life span, what have you but PLEASE don’t pick a parrot because you want something that talks. Not all birds talk and the ones that do, will generally not say the kitschy things you want them to say but they’ll pick up the bad/lame words and the swears first. And yes… bird do and will bite. DO NOT hit, slap or flick your bird especially its beak and especially not small birds. Their necks are small and you can break them. If a bird bites, sometimes it’s because they’re being a jerk but usually it’s simply because you’re trying to get it to do something YOU want it to that it doesn’t want to do. Imagine the roles are reversed and the bird is your boss. Now proceed. You’ll find that birds are smart but sometimes they just don’t want to do human things. Don’t force them. Buy leather gloves and falcon training equipment for bigger birds if there’s an issue. But most problems will be sorted out with trust and by the bird knowing what it can do and not do and what to expect from you and vice versa. Owning a bird is not much different than a marriage or having a child. You generally get out of it what you put into it. Mr. Miyagi even said “no such thing as bad student, only bad teacher”.
I of course will suggest getting a lovebird but I may be biased. I mean look at that bundle of squant cuteness. I can’t possibly see why I’d want to see that puffed ball of lovin’s every day. SQUEEE!!! So if you’re ready to take the plunge, let’s begin.