Important Reasons Not To Become a Bird Owner

Some people are well-prepared to bring pet birds into their households while others may not be. Becoming a caregiver to birds should not be entered into lightly or hastily as becoming a bird “owner” requires an array of traits, circumstances, attitudes and attributes that are conducive in assuring the emotional and physical well-being of those fragile sentient beings. Among those required factors in one being able to provide proper bird care are bird knowledge, bird skills, adequate resources, a safe environment, time, understanding, compassion, patience, flexibility, and common sense. The following is a birder’s dozen of reasons not to become a bird “owner.”

1. Prior to obtaining the bird you do not have the knowledge base and skill set to properly care for it initially. Each specie of bird that you may acquire has it own set of “needs” that you must be aware of.
2. You are unable to provide a safe environment for your bird. An example of this would be that yourself or other household members including pets would potentially put the bird at risk. Or that neighborhood cats have access to get at your bird.
3. You do not have the time to give the bird the attention and care that it requires. An extreme example of this is that you are away from the home two or three days, unexpectedly or not, and do not have anyone to properly look after the bird. Or that on a daily basis you do not have the time to interact with the bird other than to feed it.
4. You either do not have the financial resources or are unwilling to pay for all the equipment, accessories, food, supplements, and medical treatment the bird requires. Plan ahead to ensure that you can afford that “bird of your dreams."
5. Your motivation for obtaining the bird is only for its “entertainment value” such as singing, chirping, talking, looking beautiful or cute or performing tricks. Bird “ownership” is much more than just what the bird can do for you.
6. You are not in it for the long haul. Many species of birds have long life expectancies and if the bird may outlive you or if you are no longer physically or mentally able to provide for it, your responsibility is to make arrangements in advance for someone else who can properly care for the bird to do so. Or you feel that your bird may be a temporary “experiment” with the intention of giving/selling it to someone else “if things do not work out.”
7. Obtaining the bird just because it is the “hot bird of the month” and its “ownership” would supposedly give you “status” with your peers. A military macaw is a real “sexy” bird to have, but are you really ready for it?
8. If you are unwilling to learn more about your bird after getting it and if you are not willing to adapt to the bird’s changing needs as birds may change both physically and behaviorally as they progress from one stage of development to another, similar to human beings.
9. If you are the kind of person who gets frustrated easily and would physically or emotionally harm the bird for not behaving like you want it to, like nipping at or biting you or ignoring your “commands.” Most birds are quite fragile and should never be hit or slapped in anger, or otherwise.
10. If the bird that you want to obtain is not suitable for your living environment. Such as if you get a bird that is a “screamer” like a sun parakeet, aka sun conure, if you reside in an apartment as the noise level may be intolerable for your neighbors let alone yourself.
11. That for any reason you are not able to respect and treat birds as the sentient beings that they are. As stated above in #5, birds are more than just little entertainers or playthings.
12. That you cannot tolerate certain “normal” bird behaviors such as displaying anger, petulance or masturbating. Sometimes bird behavior is not easy to predict, particularly for the first time bird “owner.”
13. If you have a need for the bird to display love or affection towards you at all times (or at all, perhaps, as some birds may not be able to). Like people, birds have their own minds and personalities and can’t be forced to emote the way you always desire them to plus they have their moody moments which you may or may not be able to discern why.

Admittedly, all of the above items on the list are phrased in the negative for the sake of emphasizing how essential it is to be ready in all ways to be a pet bird caregiver. However, if none of them apply to you and you are motivated to provide care for a bird, perhaps you are POSITIVELY prepared to do so. I certainly hope that you are, for both the bird’s sake and yours!

Oops! Payno my orange-fronted parakeet, aka half-moon conure, in a language only intelligible to himself as he never trained me as to how to teach him English as that was neither his desire nor aptitude, has loudly and persistently requested that I add one more caveat to the list specific to himself and his kind. Per Payno, "please do not even consider getting a companion bird like a parrot if you are not willing to accept some poop on your shoulder at times." After all, birds will be birds!