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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Ok.  I've had birds, worked in a parrot store when a teen, had a birdsitting service (as a teen), over the years have rescued a conure, amazon, cockatiels, parakeets (also called budgerigars) and a 30 year relationship with a cockatoo I rescued.

1) agree with other people that you would be taking care of this parrot.

2) agree that parrots are not domesticated but tame wild animals, and as flock animals and prey animals they need lots of attention from people or other birds.  Would not have a cage in a bedroom but should be where people congregate.  They should not be alone.

3) Agree in theory that parrots should not be pets; however; in reality there are rescues who really need adopting.

4) The short story is for a kid's first parrot, stick with a parakeet or a cockatiel.  Others are too big and needy--their bite is too hard, their screech is too loud, and many can rip up furniture in a heartbeat.  I have extra table legs in the garage thanks to my umbrella cockatoo.

I currently board the cockatoo at a sanctuary--I pay serious $$ to keep her boarded rather than relinquish her, because I don't want her adopted out to someone who may breed her.  We don't need more cockatoos in captivity; so many need adopting.  I board the cockatoo because honestly, I was over my head...adopting a cockatoo at 25 is one thing, but when you are 40 and have little kids, it got to be too difficult.  I'm 53 now; my cockatoo is very happy and has many people and parrots to play with.

5) Between parakeet and cockatiel, the cockatiel is a big bird's brain in a little body.  Smart.  Sweet.  Likes attention but isn't a bottomless pit of "need" like a cockatoo is.  It's the ideal pet for someone like me.  He knows a mirror is just a mirror, not his best friend.

[b]However; for a kid, I'd lean to a parakeet.[/b] A male parakeet with a mirror in the cage so he doesn't get lonely.  Males chatter happily; females listen.  You can tell it's a male because it will have a blue cere (nose).  Females have brown.  Young have light lilac/violet, and really young might have dark blotches on their yellow beaks.

6) Right now in our house we have a rescue cockatiel and a male parakeet.  Their cage doors are open all day.  If you find a cage where the front door opens from the top and comes down to make sort of a "ramp", the parrots love that and they will sit at the entrance ramp of their cage.  The parakeet can fly where he wants; we trimmed the cockatiel's wings just to tame him; when he molts he will be flighted.   Kids shower with him.

7) Parrots do not only eat seed so please feed your parrot human food too, warm and soft..noodles, greens, sprouts, anything [b]BUT NOT dairy, chocolate, alcohol, avocado. [/b]

8) [b]Get rid of your non-stick pans; if they get too hot they release a gas that will kill a bird in seconds.[/b]

9) Cover your parrot's cage at night.  Again, they are prey animals and need to feel they are safe and not exposed.  Also, read up on how the length of daylight affects breeding behavior (which is not ideal behavior) so how strategically covering the cage to keep "winter hours" will keep your bird from going into breeding mode.

Hope that helps![/quote]
#7. Don’t forget garlic and onions are also on the “no” list! :-). There are plenty of high quality pellet diets, which we feed ours in addition to fresh fruit and vegetables . 
#8. This also applies to using the self-clean option on an oven. We also stay away from scented candles, air fresheners, etc.

We’ve had a parrot for close to 14 years. He’s mainly bonded to me, but will go to others in our house. His cage door is open all day so he can go in and take a nap, eat, play with the toys inside when he wants to. He has toys outside his cage as well as a second food and water bowl. If we’re not home when it’s his bedtime, he’ll go in on his own, but comes back out when we walk in so that we do his normal bedtime routine in addition to saying goodnight. 
He’s trained to poop in the trash can in the morning and gives us warnings when we’re holding him that he has to go. 
In terms of being loud, he’s actually a lot quieter than the cockatiels a friend had. They are flock animals, so a “where are you” locator yell/scream is not uncommon, but you can train them to use a particular whistle so they know where you are in the house if you walk out of visual range. 
We do vacuum quite a bit and his cage is cleaned throughout the week with a big cleaning 1-2 times a week.

You do quickly learn bird body language - tired, playful, don’t touch me or I’ll nip/bite you (pinpoint pupils vs them making their pupils go big/small - they can control over their pupillary construction!). They are very social and need interaction and things to play with. Otherwise, they can start self-harming in the form of plucking their own feathers.

Ours gives kisses and can be quite snuggly/loving, but he has his moments when he’s not. ;-) He’s grumpy when he’s molting since new feathers coming in are itchy.

As others have suggested, Phoenix Landing is a great resource and can help make sure you know what you’re getting into if you decide to get a bird. If you go on vacation, who will take care of it and spend time with it? Yearly avian vet visit cost plus potential visits (nail trim). 
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