Well, this is kinda important.... can you help me!!!???

Question

I would really like to get a pet bird, but my parents aren't big fan of birds. Do you have any tips? By the way, if your going to say that i should show them that I am responsible, don't bother. I already tried that....

Answer 1

you just go ahead and bring a turkey home and train him. If it don't work out, theres always thanksgiving.

Answer 2

I was not able to get my own-OWN birds until I moved out of my parents house at the age of 21. We had a Macaw, but my parents would not allow us to get any other birds.

Now I have my own family of seven :)

I guess you can try to "drop hints":

-Ask "Did you now there is an African Grey Parrot that knows over 1000 words, phrases and knows how to count?"
-Purchase Bird Talk Magazine at your local pet store and leave it in the bathroom as "reading material". They are guarenteed to read it.
-Borrow books on raising parrots and leave them out by "accident".
-Name your next pet "Parrot" no matter what the pet it is.
-Ask your parent (politely) if the reason has to do with bird flu. There is only a 1 in 100,000,000 chance that a pet bird will have it. Especailly if it is kept indoors, the number drops even lower with a few more zeros.
-Research the reasons they say you "can't". Too messy? The vaccum is your best freind. Too noisey? That just means they want attention or are just really happy. Too dirty? Not true as long as the cage, food and water bowls are cleaned regularly. Too expensive? The primary cost can be any where from $50-$300 for a Parakeet or Cockatiel, and they are the least expensive of the parrots, then at least $15 a month in food, and $80-120 for every six-month checkup. Have a cat or dog? This is a good point in their favor- cats and dogs have a bacteria in their mouths and under their claws that is leathal to a bird. If it just draws down to they don't want to... well, there's nothing much you can do.
-Explain to them, "You won't know how responsible I really am until you give me something to be responsible for, and I think this is a good way."

gameplan_xtreme: That is SO wrong!!! The only way a bird can get bird flu is if it come is contact with infected birds poo. Being that pet parrots are more then likely INDOOR pets, you are more likely to catch a cold. Histoplasmosis is caused by unsanitary conditions. If the cage is not cleaned, then yes- this would be a worry. As long as the area is vaccumed and the cage is disinfected at least three or four times a year, and the newspapers changed every three days, you won't have any problems. Birds are only as noisy as you allow them to be. With proper training and love, you can have a pet that is better then self-reliant cats and automaton dogs.

And to all those pro-bird releasers- most parrots are hand-fed and are imprinted on by humans. It has been proven they last a week by themselves before succumbing to starvation. Because of the fairly high demand for birds as pets, you won't see it go away, so deal with it. Don't buy bird products, don't get one, don't think of them- that's protest enough without becoming belligerently annoying.

Answer 3

First of all, you have to tell them your plan in details:
1. What type of bird you want?
2. Why you want it?
3. Where you want to keep and place it?
4. What type of food you will feed to the bird?
5. How many times you feed it per day?
6. When you will clean the bird's "house"? (Once a week? Twice a week?.....)
7. What is the total cost of having a pet bird?

Last but not least, tell them you really wish to have a pet bird and you will take good care of it. If they found that you do not take good care of it, they may stop you from having the pet bird.

Wish that you can have a pet bird =)

Answer 4

your parents' problem with a bird is probably noise. that was the big one with my parents. just look up the different types of birds that you want, and find one that is quieter than the rest. or go to a bird show and see them for yourself compared to a large number of others. If the reason you want a bird is to talk, don't tell your parents that's the reason cuz they'll say it will take too much time and patience, which it does. this is kinda lame but true, but they eat bugs and other small house pests. And when you do get a bird, give it a nice-sized cage with lots of toys, but not too many, cuz it will get claustrophobic and scared. All 3 of my birds love mirrors, so definitely get those. O and 2 last tips, if ur kinda goth or antisocial (no offense if ne1 is), tell them it will help u learn 2 care 4 things. Lastly, Don't start out with a bird bigger than one and a hlaf of ur hands from head to tail.

Answer 5

Birds, in general, don't make very good pets.
They are all messy. There's no way to get around that. I've never met a bird that didn't like to play with its food, and I've met a few that would poop anywhere but where you wanted them to.
Birds that are small and fairly easy to take care of (such as finches) aren't terribly interesting to interact with.
Birds that are interesting to interact with (such as parrots) make really terrible pets for most people. They are very intelligent and social creatures. They need almost constant attention to be happy. When they're not happy, they can make your life miserable.
Some of them are so loud they can damage your hearing.
A parrot's idea of fun is destroying anything it can get its beak on.
Their bites can be extremely painful, and even small parrots can do a lot of damage if they feel like it.
Parrots are hard to understand and impossible to predict. A behavior you might see as cute or friendly may in fact be a display of aggression. Misunderstandings with parrots can be very painful and leave you with ugly scars.
Most people who get parrots as pets don't keep them, and being shuffled from one home to the next makes for one very distraught and unpleasant bird.

Answer 6

Birds are one of the hardest animals to take care of. But if you want one you should first find out what kind you want and look up every thing you can on them. It is best to start off small and work your way up through the years to bigger birds. Cockatiels, conurse, or lovebirds are good beginner birds. They are small but have big personalities no two are the same. It is impossible for your bird to get bird flu if he is inside unless you take wild birds inside to him and they touch. If you keep the cage clean you will not get any diseases or germs. You will however get the bird sick if you touch something unsanitary and then touch him. All my parrots have flight suites aka dippers. They eat dinner with me and the family every night and eat what they want off the plates. We also go to the park and play in the grass. Just make sure you birds are on a harness or wings are clipped. Mine pull me on my roller blades flying ahead of me. Its really fun.

Answer 7

You may have to bend and get a different pet. If they won't let you get a bird, will they let you get a hamster or a guinea pig. How about a snake or a lizard? Research about the pet and give them a lot of solid facts. Maybe there is another pet out there you and your parents can compromise on.

Answer 8

If you want to **cough** 'brainwash' your parents into having a bird, there's several things you can do ;-) . Research what you want and other options you're willing to consider, such as species and noise level. I did this when my siblings and I tried convincing my parents we wanted a dog. We wrote a paper, did the research and presented different things we could do to accommodate the dog.

Remember that although birds can be noisy and messy, the noise and mess can be controlled. Birds are awesome pets if you're willing to take the time and effort into having one. They do require more attention than a dog, but this can be reduced somewhat by having more than one bird. I wouldn't recommend doing that with a lovebird though as lovebirds often turn nasty if there's another lovie around.

Mess can be contained by wrapping the feed areas with thick plastic or hanging Plexiglas around that secton of the cage. The walls can be covered in shower curtains and the floor can be covered with a plastic office mat. There's lots of products and recipes than can help remove bird poop and three day old bird food 'cement'. Lastly, birds have different levels of 'loud'. Some species may have loud voices, but they don't screech often (Ex: green cheek conure and some of the mini macaws). Other species may have low volume, but chatter non stop, like budgies. Then there's parrots who literally rattle windows when they scream such as the Green Wing macaws, most large cockatoos and most Amazon parrots.

The noise of birds used to drive me nuts, but after owning them for 5 years, the noise barely bothers me. In fact I get nervous if it gets too quiet, LOL! My Green cheek conures holler when they see something strange (alerts me to possible thiefs by the apartmeant window) and birds are fun to dance with. Put on the silliest music you can find and dance around like an idiot. You may look silly, but the birds LOVE it!

Not all birds are ment to be domesticated. However, most parrots do okay. Not all species suit every home and some of them have special requirements. Such an example are Lories which have very messy poops due to their fruit and nectar diets. Cockatiels, budgies and conures are some fo the best pet birds out there. I've owned Japanese quail (their eggs are edible and are better for you than chicken eggs!), budgies, three species of conure, cockatiels, Zebra finches and helped nurse several species of wild bird to health. The parrots are among my favorite birds and the quail remind me of miniature horses. I have three on the bottom of my community cage. The budgies shove them out of the way like a person would shove a slow cow. It's fun to watch ^.^ .

Good luck to you!

Answer 9

why dont you get a bird house and keep it outside, along w/ a bird feeder, you willl not only get 1 bird but a lot while respecting your parents wishes for the house to be bird free, you can also put up alot of bird houses or 1 near ur bedroom and maybe u can see alot of birds and it would almost be li,ke having 1.

Answer 10

A budgie is a cute, inexpensive and pretty hardy little bird for a pet. If you keep it in your room, would they agree? My daughter has a budgie in her room, and I love hearing it chirping..they are cheerful little animals. I'm the opposite of your parents I guess..anything my kids brought home, I let them keep. When I was a kid, I wanted a hamster so bad, and my mom would not let me have it no way. I guess thats why I am the way I am now!

Answer 11

Let your parents know birds are a lot easier to clean up after. To start out with one that is not to loud such as a buggie (Parakeet). I have birds and they are great pets.