Jan Robson has been a volunteer with Greyhaven Exotic Bird Sanctuary in Surrey, BC, since 2003. She has been director of volunteers and director of education, and now focuses on education and pet therapy. She is also the doting mom to seven rescued parrots: a mitred conure, four lovebirds and two budgies. To pay for her addiction to her feathered friends, she works as coordinator of the dementia helpline at the Alzheimer Society of B.C.
Now, if you already have a bird in your life, you're either laughing your head off or thinking, "She can't be serious!" Well, parrot-lovers and parrot-lover wannabees, I am most certainly not serious! In a nutshell (pun intended!) parrots are noisy, messy, demanding little individuals. Here are a few facts about having a parrot in your home:
Parrots are loud. Even the small parrots, such as lovebirds, parrotlets and budgies, can be quite shrill when they vocalize. While training can help to contain the noise somewhat, vocalizing is an important part of a parrot's social communication. And, make no mistake about it, they are very social creatures. If they do not have an avian flock, they will look to you to be a flockmate, and there are many responsibilities inherent in that role.
Paris is adoptable at Canada's Greyhaven Exotic Bird Sanctuary.
If you are looking for an unobtrusive, low-maintenance, low-cost pet, a parrot is just the ticket.Now, if you already have a bird in your life, you're either laughing your head off or thinking, "She can't be serious!" Well, parrot-lovers and parrot-lover wannabees, I am most certainly not serious! In a nutshell (pun intended!) parrots are noisy, messy, demanding little individuals. Here are a few facts about having a parrot in your home:
Parrots are loud. Even the small parrots, such as lovebirds, parrotlets and budgies, can be quite shrill when they vocalize. While training can help to contain the noise somewhat, vocalizing is an important part of a parrot's social communication. And, make no mistake about it, they are very social creatures. If they do not have an avian flock, they will look to you to be a flockmate, and there are many responsibilities inherent in that role.
Parrots are messy. The mess! In the wild, parrots eat
off and on throughout the day, dropping food as they go. This is helpful
to the ecosystem: By making a mess, parrots share their food with other
creatures in their habitat while distributing seeds to
promote plant growth. But in your living room, it's not so helpful. Having a
parrot in your life means a chunk of what once was your free time will
now be devoted to vacuuming and scrubbing.
Parrots need interaction and stimulation. While your parrot can be trained to play quietly in his cage for periods of time, it requires patience in most cases, and either the ability to buy a vast array of safe toys or the creativity to make them. Parrots need to chew and shred to keep their beaks healthy and their minds active, and it is up to their human guardians to provide safe materials for that purpose. Otherwise -- and often in spite of your best efforts -- your antique dining room suite may end up being "refurbished" by your zealous little axe on wings. Of course, you can prevent this by keeping your bird in his cage all the time, but parrots are extremely intelligent -- think a young child between 2 and 5 years of age -- and they require ample exercise and stimulation.
Not all parrots talk. At least your parrot will learn to talk to you and sing your favorite song, right? Maybe. Just as some humans are fluent in several languages and learn new ones easily, some parrots will pick up on human language and others never will. Some will not copy words, but they will copy sound. This sound might be a sweet whistle or it might be the telephone ringing at extra-high volume or the car alarm that sounds every time your neighbor goes out to his garage. So if you want a pet that speaks your language, you might be setting yourself, and your little friend, up for failure, disappointment, and re-homing.
Parrots are not domesticated. Parrots are wild animals. In her book The Parrot Who Owns Me: The Story of a Relationship, author Joanna Burger says it best: "There is no such thing as owning a parrot. You can't have a parrot as a pet. A dog, certainly, a cat maybe, but a parrot, never. Quite the contrary; you are the pet, and parrots vary in their ability to make good masters. Be warned -- being owned by a parrot is not for the faint of heart." Remember, parrots are not domesticated creatures like cats and dogs. Even those bred in captivity still have one foot firmly planted in the wild.
In the right home, parrots can be wonderful companions. So why would you want to adopt a parrot? This is much more difficult to articulate, and I think it's perhaps because the answer comes from the heart rather than the head. Parrots are smart, funny, independent, sensitive and, well, just incredibly beautiful. Emily Dickinson said, "Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul, and sings the tune without the words, and never stops at all." And that's the thing: They perch in your soul and steal your heart, and you will never be the same again. My friend Shelley, a serial cat guardian, wrote me the following note when I was nursing a dying budgie and simultaneously considering adopting a foundling budgie: "Birds are the closest creatures to angels I believe I'll ever see, and who doesn't want the company of angels?"
Having decided that you are prepared for eternal dedication to a feathered master, why should you consider adopting? We all know about the huge numbers of cats and dogs who are abandoned, abused and given up for various reasons, but most of us don't consider that this is the case with parrots, too, and the numbers are growing.
Check the website of any parrot rescue organization and you will see the same story: Their numbers are going up, they cannot even begin to take in every bird who needs a home, and they are frustrated. Ignorance is one of the reasons for these increasing numbers. Too many people purchase parrots on impulse, without doing their homework first, and the harsh reality of caring for the bird sends them straight to a rescue organization, a veterinary hospital or back to the store where they purchased the bird. Lifespan is another reason: Parrots can live upwards of 50 years, depending on the species, and this means more than one home in most cases.
The bird in the rescue organization is already there, waiting for you, waiting for the opportunity to love and be loved. As the "parront" of seven rescued birds, most of them with issues, I can state categorically that any challenges they have brought to the table -- and there have been many -- have been more than compensated for by the love and dedication I have received back from them, as well as the satisfaction I get watching them live a good life. Adopt, my friends, but only if your heart can handle being expanded beyond belief.
You might also like:
Forum:
Exotic Bird Adoption and Care w/Greyhaven's Catherine Gwyer
Articles:
10 Things You Need to Know Before Adopting A Bird
Choosing the Right Companion Bird
The True Nature of Parrots
Adopting a Goose
Household Items Dangerous to Pet Birds
Parrot Companions
Physical and Mental Needs of Captive Birds
Parrots need interaction and stimulation. While your parrot can be trained to play quietly in his cage for periods of time, it requires patience in most cases, and either the ability to buy a vast array of safe toys or the creativity to make them. Parrots need to chew and shred to keep their beaks healthy and their minds active, and it is up to their human guardians to provide safe materials for that purpose. Otherwise -- and often in spite of your best efforts -- your antique dining room suite may end up being "refurbished" by your zealous little axe on wings. Of course, you can prevent this by keeping your bird in his cage all the time, but parrots are extremely intelligent -- think a young child between 2 and 5 years of age -- and they require ample exercise and stimulation.
Not all parrots talk. At least your parrot will learn to talk to you and sing your favorite song, right? Maybe. Just as some humans are fluent in several languages and learn new ones easily, some parrots will pick up on human language and others never will. Some will not copy words, but they will copy sound. This sound might be a sweet whistle or it might be the telephone ringing at extra-high volume or the car alarm that sounds every time your neighbor goes out to his garage. So if you want a pet that speaks your language, you might be setting yourself, and your little friend, up for failure, disappointment, and re-homing.
Parrots are not domesticated. Parrots are wild animals. In her book The Parrot Who Owns Me: The Story of a Relationship, author Joanna Burger says it best: "There is no such thing as owning a parrot. You can't have a parrot as a pet. A dog, certainly, a cat maybe, but a parrot, never. Quite the contrary; you are the pet, and parrots vary in their ability to make good masters. Be warned -- being owned by a parrot is not for the faint of heart." Remember, parrots are not domesticated creatures like cats and dogs. Even those bred in captivity still have one foot firmly planted in the wild.
In the right home, parrots can be wonderful companions. So why would you want to adopt a parrot? This is much more difficult to articulate, and I think it's perhaps because the answer comes from the heart rather than the head. Parrots are smart, funny, independent, sensitive and, well, just incredibly beautiful. Emily Dickinson said, "Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul, and sings the tune without the words, and never stops at all." And that's the thing: They perch in your soul and steal your heart, and you will never be the same again. My friend Shelley, a serial cat guardian, wrote me the following note when I was nursing a dying budgie and simultaneously considering adopting a foundling budgie: "Birds are the closest creatures to angels I believe I'll ever see, and who doesn't want the company of angels?"
Having decided that you are prepared for eternal dedication to a feathered master, why should you consider adopting? We all know about the huge numbers of cats and dogs who are abandoned, abused and given up for various reasons, but most of us don't consider that this is the case with parrots, too, and the numbers are growing.
Check the website of any parrot rescue organization and you will see the same story: Their numbers are going up, they cannot even begin to take in every bird who needs a home, and they are frustrated. Ignorance is one of the reasons for these increasing numbers. Too many people purchase parrots on impulse, without doing their homework first, and the harsh reality of caring for the bird sends them straight to a rescue organization, a veterinary hospital or back to the store where they purchased the bird. Lifespan is another reason: Parrots can live upwards of 50 years, depending on the species, and this means more than one home in most cases.
The bird in the rescue organization is already there, waiting for you, waiting for the opportunity to love and be loved. As the "parront" of seven rescued birds, most of them with issues, I can state categorically that any challenges they have brought to the table -- and there have been many -- have been more than compensated for by the love and dedication I have received back from them, as well as the satisfaction I get watching them live a good life. Adopt, my friends, but only if your heart can handle being expanded beyond belief.
Forum:
Exotic Bird Adoption and Care w/Greyhaven's Catherine Gwyer
Articles:
10 Things You Need to Know Before Adopting A Bird
Choosing the Right Companion Bird
The True Nature of Parrots
Adopting a Goose
Household Items Dangerous to Pet Birds
Parrot Companions
Physical and Mental Needs of Captive Birds
