Pros and Cons of owning parrots

Are you interested in owning a parrot? Nice! But before you do so, do go through the points that we have discussed in this article. Owning a pet bird is a big responsibility, and you must be 100% sure before you make this crucial decision.

Parrots will consume a lot of your time. If you do not have much time to spend with your pet, or you want a pet that is easy, then kindly do not get a parrot!

In this article, we are going to talk about all the pros and cons of owning a parrot, along with common myths and misconceptions.

Table of Contents

• Pros of owning a parrot
• Cons of owning a parrot
• Misconceptions about Parrots

Pros of owning a parrot

Let us have a look at all the reasons that make parrots an awesome bird pet.

Advantage 1: Parrots can be pets for life

Parrots live a lot longer than many other pets like dogs and cats. On an average, dogs live for 10-12 years. While even small parrots live for 30-50 years. Some species of parrots have been known to live for even hundreds of years.

So, parrot is a pet that you can have for your entire life. In fact, parrots may even outlive their owners. If you have had a pet and lost it, you may understand the pain that it causes. It’s like losing a family member. With parrots you will most probably be saved from this.

But it may also be a point of concern for some people. Having a pet that lives for a long long time is a big responsibility. It’s like having a child for 20-30 years or even more. You should get a pet parrot only if you are ready for a long-term commitment. Ditching a parrot after a few years maybe very psychologically taxing for that little bird.

Some owners are always concerned about who will take care of their pet parrots after them, especially if they are old and living alone. However, you may teach your parrots to be self-reliant. Remember that, they are wild birds. They will adapt soon and learn to take care of themselves, even if you are not there for them.

While getting a parrot, do consider your age and the average age of the parrot species you are getting, and do some maths. If you are 35 and getting a parrot species that lives for 50 years, your parrot will most probably outlive you. Make an informed decision.

I personally won’t like my pet parrot to outlive me. If you want a parrot species that lives for a lot of years, you may get some old rescued parrot of that species.

Advantage 2: Smarter animals

Parrots are smart animals. Even more smart than dogs and cats. Once you bond with your parrot, it will do a lot of naughty (as well as dumb) things and make your day.

Advantage 3: Less flea infection

Parrots have less of a flea issue as compared to dogs and cats. (unless you get a parrot from a flea infested place, where it was not properly taken care of.)

Advantage 4: Talking

Many parrot species can talk. You can’t talk to your dog or cat, can you?

Cons of owning a parrot

Now, let us see some of the disadvantages of owning a parrot.

Disadvantage 1: Parrots are messy

Well, this is true for all the birds to some extent. This is how your parrot will create a mess in your home:

• They poop a lot, almost every hour, or even more. Smaller the parrot, the more frequently it will poop. Sometimes, they even manage to throw their poop outside their cage. I don’t know how they do it, but sometimes they do. You can potty train your parrot (like dogs and cats) but it takes a lot of time.

• Some parrots (like African Grey Parrot) generate a lot of dust.

• Parrots also like tearing up things with their sharp beaks and claws, e.g. their toys, clothes, furniture covers etc.

• Like all birds, they will shed their feathers. Make sure you or someone in your family does not have any allergy with parrots. Many parrots end-up in bird shelters, once their owners find out that they are allergic to bird dust or feathers.

• They also throw-off food from their cage. It’s even a bigger issue with larger birds. In the wild parrots have unlimited supply of food, so they eat what they want and throw the rest. They don’t need to conserve food or anything. That’s what they do when you feed them in the cage. They will eat some food, and throw the rest.
  
  It also depends on how you are feeding them. You should know the food capacity of your parrot. If you give them extra then they may start throwing it away. Moreover, with some food items like seeds, they will create more mess. If you want to read about what to feed and how much to feed your parrot, you may read this article.

Most cages have a large tray below the cage, and their droppings and any food that they throw gets collected in that tray. We generally place a newspaper over it. So, basically, we just have to remove the newspaper to clean that up. It’s a 10 minute job. You even need not do it everyday. You can do it on alternate days, or once in 3 days.

But whatever measures you take, getting a pet parrot means a lot of mess and a lot of cleaning up.

Disadvantage 2: Parrots are high maintenance birds

Some people think that parrots are low maintenance animals. Nothing can be farther from truth. Having a parrot is like having a baby.

Parrots are extremely high maintenance birds. You need to invest a lot of your time with them, maybe even more than what you need to do with dogs and cats. There are a few reasons behind it:

• Parrots are very social and they live in flocks in the wild. They mate for life. So, you can guess that the bond they create is strong. But any bond they create, with other fellow parrots or you, may take around 6 months to develop. So, they will need more of your one-on-one time, in order for you to develop a bond with them.

Friend for lifetime!

Investing around 6 months to develop a bond with your parrot is not that bad, given that a parrot lives easily for 20-30 years or more. So, once you bond with a parrot, you have got yourself a bird friend for life.

• Moreover, in contrast to dogs, parrots are still more on the wild side. They have still not been properly domesticated.

• Parrots are very intelligent birds. So, we need to provide them a lot of constant mental stimulation (e.g. toys) and attention. You will have to spend 2-3 hours daily with them. If you do not provide them enough attention, they may get distressed and depressed. They will become more aggressive, scream and bite more etc. They may also harm themselves, e.g. they will start plucking their own feathers etc.

Smart indeed!

A parrot in general is akin to a 5-6 year old human baby in cognitive abilities. The smartest dog breeds out there are only equivalent to 2 year old human baby.

• Each parrot has a unique personality. So, what one parrot likes may not be enjoyed by another parrot. I have had dogs and parrots both. Believe me, sometimes parrots have much more personality than dogs.

Disadvantage 3: Parrots are not cheap

Apart from the cost you incurred in buying them, you will have to spend money on:

• Rust-free cage
• Stainless-steel food bowl
• Play stand
• Food scale
• Carrier - to transport them, e.g. in case you want to relocate or you have to take them to the vet etc.

The above are mostly one-time expenditures. But the following are recurring expenditures:

• Food items - pellets, fresh vegetables, fresh fruits, seeds etc.
• Toys
• Nail grooming
• Medical expenditures - you should take them to a vet at least once a year for complete check-up. Sometimes, it’s hard to tell whether a parrot is sick just by looking at it. Regular check-up is a must.

Disadvantage 4: Unpredictable behaviour

Parrots, and birds in general, can be unpredictable. They have yet to be properly domesticized, so they still have pretty strong wild side. So, they might often do things that may surprise you.

Disadvantage 5: Less Avian Vets

It may be difficult to find vets that can cater to birds. So, before you get a parrot, find out whether there are some good avian vets nearby your locality.

Disadvantage 6: Less day-care centres

As compared to dogs and cats, there are far few avian day-care centres. So, if you want to go out for a long time then it may be difficult for you to find someone to take care of your birds.

Misconceptions about Parrots

Misconception 1: Parrots are constantly screaming

One of the most common misconception about parrots is that they are constantly screaming/squawking and are very loud.

This is not entirely false. Parrots are pretty loud and some parrots may virtually make your ears bleed. The bigger the parrot the louder it will scream.

But they don’t scream all the time. Parrots, and birds in general, scream due to certain reasons:

• To get attention of the owners. This is the most common reason. Some owners unknowingly reinforce this screaming behaviour by giving their parrots attention when they scream. Parrots are smart birds. They quickly learn what to do to get your attention.

• They may also scream if they are scared of something.

• Sometimes, they scream if they want to get out of their cage. If you are keeping your parrots in the cage for a long duration of time, they will surely feel irritated.

So, if you provide your parrot a safe environment, give it attention and let it play outside the cage, it shouldn’t scream as much.

Moreover, when you are buying a cage for your bird, make sure you choose the biggest one. Even if your bird is small, still get the little thing a big cage. Give them as much space as possible, even in enclosed spaces. It will keep them in good mood and they won’t scream as much.

But they will never stop entirely. You cannot train them to stop squawking. It will be like training your dog to stop barking. It’s their natural wild behaviour. That’s how they communicate with other parrots. So, if you get easily irritated by bird screams or you live in a small house, you should reconsider your decision of getting a pet parrot.

Misconception 2: Parrots are aggressive

Some people think that parrots are pretty aggressive, and this is partly true. It will depend on how socialized your parrot is.

In this respect, they are like dogs. Just like dogs, parrots are not aggressive with people that they have bonded with, people they know. But they may show some aggression if they sense danger or if they see some stranger.

Parrots are very intelligent and social animal. If you give your parrot ample opportunities to bond with multiple people, then chances are that it will not bite or be aggressive, even towards a stranger. But if a parrot has bonded with just you or a couple of family members, then it might show aggressive behaviour towards others.

Moreover, if you have more than one parrot, then some of them may even not like each other and fight. One of my parrots used to attack my dog too. So, yes this is an issue with parrots. You will have to work a bit on their socialization, not only with humans but with other parrots and pets in your house too.

Keep in mind that parrots bite more often when they are hormonal. Spring is their mating season and during this time they will bite more often.

Warning!

Avoid getting parrots if you have kids. Parrots do tend to bite and even draw blood. They look cute but they can do some real damage with their sharp beaks.

Misconception 3: Parrots talk naturally

You must have seen parrots talking. In fact, it is one of the most common reason why many people want to keep them as pets. But it’s not entirely true.

Some parrots do have the ability to talk but not all. Even if your parrot has the ability to talk, you will have to invest a lot of time in training them to talk.

Winding Up

Having a parrot is a blessing. They smell so good and are just so naughty. You can never be depressed in their company.

Once you know all the pros and cons of owning a parrot, you can make an informed decision and get yourself a friend, probably for the rest of your life.