Right my daughter wants a parrot been going on over this for a year now.
I have been on a few sites and shown her how much care and attention they need I am not too sure what to do:huh: my daughter is 13.

just remember there most likely going to be a pet for life id try and convert her to somthing like a budgie or a kockatiel and see how she gets on.
But thats just my thoughts if i was going to buy one for some one like that.
Only you know if your daughter is going to be fully comitted to one.

Hi mistyraven, just wanted to tell you a bit about my experience.

My parents first got our parrot when I was 7, he was an amazon. They really didn't research it properly and if they had, would have realised they the particular type he was, are extremely loud and noisey. However he was hand reared and extremely tame.

We had him for about 18 years but there were always issues. He first plucked when we went away on a long family holiday even though my grandparents were there with him. When I went to uni, he constantly plucked and carried on even when I returned, for about 4-5 years he would always be in state of near-nakedness. He also began to scream more and basically my dad couldn't take the noise anymore. The vet said he had become depressed and he wanted more attention even though he was hardly ever alone. He basically wanted me and my younger brother to be with him all the time and that wasn't possible.

Eventually we had to give him away, even though it broke our hearts. It still makes me sad thinking about him.

A parrot is like a child but unlike a child, it will never grow up and will always need the constant care and attention. Unless you can be with the parrot all day, then I would advise against it. Especially as the parrot can become attached to your daughter and will probably be upset when she goes to uni/moves out.

Pleeaase.... make sure the parrot is a cpative bred/hand reared animal.

Macaws/Parrot are still smuggled, if you see one cheap it may be a wild animal. :rant: (though as I am not involved with parrots, I'm not sure what cheap would be! If your're looking about at them you'd have a etter idea on prices)

Many exciting parrots like macaws require insane amounts of care and attention; I mean "spend all day every day with it for five decades until it dies" amounts. I don't think your daughter is quite ready for that, no matter what she says.

If she's still intent on a bird then something less emotionally volatile and less likely to live to a hundred would probably be more suitable. Budgies, zebra finches, kakarikis, etc., - all are nice enough birds, without the neediness or lifespan of macaws.

There are plenty of cockatiels and lovebirds available these days, they're attractive birds but they're harder to look after than some other species, so I'd avoid those until your daughter has proven capable of looking after birds.

This is sort of mean to your daughter but I would suggest a trip to the Tropical Birdland in Desford, Leicester. I've been there a few times and absolutely love it. The parrots roam free and you can pet them hold them etc. However they do take parrots that have become mentally and physically ill and you will be able to see the effect of neglect. Maybe she will realise what could happen if she wasn't there for the parrot all day.

I found a loving new home for my parrakeet when I realised that she was lonely because I couldn't spend enough time with her. If we keep birds in isolation we need to become their social life- because naturally they'd be social with hundreds of similar birds. Left alone they become bored, destructive and harm themselves. Unless you can really commit to giving them the sort of life that they need (and that means not going away overnight or for the weekend, not staying out late etc as well as spending time with them during the day) then you really need to think very hard before trying to offer them a home.

I agree with what people are saying here. I took in 4 lineolated parakeets that were in poor condition. Unfortunately I lost one of them and my initial idea was to find a new owner for the birds when they were in better condition. Still got them because I feel so responsible for them ;)

We get people coming into the store who keep parrots...expensive ones and I get so frustrated because they haven't done their research and are doing everything wrong. There is SO much more to keeping birds than people think. Their diets are crucial. It's so important that you find yourself a good avian vet too. 'Normal' vets are no good with birds as they don't know enough about them. The avian vets are a lot more expensive.

If you do decide to go for a bird, pick a particular type and do your research. One of the best methods is to go on to a forum for your specific bird. I found a Linnie site invaluable for help and top tips.