Bringing a bird into your home can be an incredibly rewarding experience, as these charming creatures are known for their vibrant plumage, melodious songs, and unique personalities. Whether you’re a seasoned bird enthusiast or considering becoming a first-time avian owner, it’s crucial to carefully consider various factors before bringing a feathered friend into your life.
The decision to own a bird should not be taken lightly, as it entails a long-term commitment and requires adequate knowledge and preparation.
This article aims to guide prospective bird owners by outlining six essential considerations that should be thoroughly evaluated before making the leap. By understanding the intricacies of bird ownership, individuals can ensure a suitable and harmonious environment for their avian companions, fostering a lifelong bond based on trust, care, and mutual happiness.
What to start with?
First we have to consider the following :
What can I afford?
The price of on parrot varies in large bounds in dependence with the species. You can buy for example a budgie for less than 10 $. The price of the cockatiel varies between 25 and 35 $. An Amazonian parrot and grey parrot can be purchased for about 300 – 400$, cockatoo for 1,000 $…… and the price of some parrots reaches $15,000!
This is one of the initial questions which you have to answer.
How much space will the bird need?
Larger birds and even some of the small ones are very active physically and need big cages and space in which to play.
Is there any free time for the bird?
Probably this is the most important question. Birds are intelligent, playful and mostly “ social ” creatures. Will you have time to play with your bird? To care properly of it? Will it have the chance to be a part of your family?
Consider the fact that birds live fairly long. A small parrot cockatiel lives for 20 years and more! Amazona or African grey parrot can live for 50, 60 and there are documented cases for birds that lived up to the respectable age of 100 years! Can you devote to this?
It is not unusual to inherit birds for previous generations. Don’t buy a bird if you think that you will soon get bored of it.
How noisy is the bird? Will the neighbors murmur?
Budgies and cockatiel are comparatively quiet. They are suitable to look after in a flat.
Moluxco cockatoo could live in flats if you have neighbors around you and six floors above / below you that like listening screams to cracking their ear – drums.
The African grey parrot tends to be one of comparatively non-noisy parrots. Certainly, there are individual differences between birds. Somewhere there could be cockatoo, that don ‘ t make noisy to heaven. If really there could be found such, an enterprising person could make a fortune of it.
Remember that noise is a subjective and relative sensation. A bird can be considered as “ non-noisy ” only at the background of another one,considered as noisy.
How “ destructive ” could a bird be?
Do you possess peerless old furniture? Rare books? Remember that these birds have strong beaks,. Some of them are less inclined to “ nibbling ” than others, but nibbling is completely natural behaviour for them.
Does the parrot need special food?
Lory parrots, for example, need a specialized diet. Do you have an opportunity and means to provide it? Once you have made a preliminary investigation and have decided what kind of parrot you want, you can go looking for it and buy it.
NEVER, NEVER GET A BIRD IMPULSIVELY!