So - there’s a ton of reasons why you shouldn’t get your child a bird, but none that won’t be able to be worked around if he or she is the right kid for a bird. This article is to help you decide if your kid should have one. The first thing you need to know is this rescuer has never seen a bird that’s great with kids. We’ve only met kids who are great with birds.

Birds have a long lifespan

They live an INCREDIBLE amount of time. The oldest documented cockatiel I ever placed was 37, and he lived another 2 years. African Greys live on average of 50, Macaws and Cockatoos under the perfect conditions could be expected to live to 80. Conures and some of the smaller species are 20-40.

Birds cannot just stay in the cage

They are smart. Like - can use tools, can do basic math, can speak in context - type smart. So putting them in a cage and leaving them there is the cruelest things we as humans can do to them. In the wild, they fly 10-30 miles a day. In captivity, humans tend to feed them cheap, inappropriate foods based on science from the 70’s and 80’s, and leave them on a perch with nothing to do or see for decades. Not every bird suffers this fate, but a lot sadly do.

Birds can be quite a burden for the whole family

They are loud, obnoxious, bite, and are the equivalent of adopting a toddler child for the foreseeable future. They require specialty food, time out of the cage for 4+ hours/day, will require knowledgeable trainers that can research and learn and understand the intricacies of positive reinforcement and trust training that is unlike the type of training people usually expect with dogs (although these principals are certainly better for dogs as well in our opinion!). Most of the time they cannot live in apartments, and all family members have to be ok with the amount of noise and mess that birds make. We don’t tell you this to scare you - we want to prepare you for what to expect so that your heart and mind are open to doing it well. You may have to make changes to the cleaners you use in your home, you will not be able to use air fresheners, and you may need to upgrade your pots and pans to eliminate teflon from your collection, as teflon is extremely toxic and fatal to birds.

Kids cannot make decisions for the rest of their lives

Kids are not in a great position to make decisions for the rest of their lives. In the past week, I’ve had two women come to us, one - a 33 year old woman who got her quaker as a 14 year old as a present for christmas. She just had to choose between her baby, that’s she’s had for the past decade and a half, and taking her literal dream job at a world famous PR firm in London. Kids can’t be making life long decisions at 14. And her parents aren’t willing to love and nurture him. So - we’re going to place him into a home.

The other had her cockatiel for over a decade. Now in her 20’s, she broke, can’t afford vet care, can’t afford pellet or good food, and her apartment doesn’t like the noise he makes. She sobbed. I mean just sobbed surrendering that bird. But - again, they can’t be making life decisions at 11. And - the parents didn’t take the step you are right now to learn and research and look into what the big picture of owning a bird looks like.

Birds are not family animals.

It should be noted that birds are generally not family animals, but do bond monogomously for life with another sentient being. Once the bond has been chosen, we can expect them to tolerate the other members of the flock (humans, animals, etc.) with training, but will usually not be affectionate or loving to others.

As an example, getting a bird for the child will not usually result in the bird wanting to hang out with multiple people in the family as a family pet. It CAN happen, but it doesn’t usually happen after sexual maturity, and we want to make sure your entire family understands and is prepared for the possibility they may not ever have a relationship with the bird.

It requires constant interaction and training

It’s a lot of work, and they require you to earn their trust with every interaction. I always tell people that birds are for the higher IQ people who love animals, but also love the challenge of being able to understand and study behavior and its complexities. You’ll need to be able to approach issues from different angles to have your bird do the things you need them to do on their terms, in a way they can understand that does not break trust. Punishment never works with birds, so the only way is through figuring out what motivates them, and working through the problem until they understand and are able to comply.

Is it worth it?

For the right people (kids OR adults) the love of a bird is unlike any other love you’ll ever know. It’s intelligent, and sentient, and it will teach you about yourself in ways I’m not sure you can learn in any other way, with any other soul. It’s one of the greatest gifts of my existence to be loved by my feathered family.

But, it’s also challenging, loud, messy, has a steep learning curve, expensive, and frustrating at best, and can be severely heartbreaking and painful for human and bird alike, at worst.

Can it be done? Of course. But only you know if your kid can handle it.

Your child has patterns that you’ve been watching since they were born. You will know if your kid can handle it. And you’ll need to be real honest with yourself and your child if they cannot.

Be sure of the answer before you put a bird through it. They bond monogomously for life. And to take that bond away because we’re bored, are involved in sports, or relationships that are pretty predictable for teenagers, to move to the dorm for college, can’t afford life at a young age, or move on to have children of their own and they can no longer dedicate the time and energy into properly caring for them is equivalent to a divorce for humans, or the equivalent of dropping a child off at a foster care for kids. They are very intelligent, and they do grieve and experience heartbreak.

Can they survive it? Sure. Is it hard and terrible? Yes. It is. Our job here at the rescue is to take the pain out of that for them. But for us to be sure we don’t just put them back into another home that will leave them again, we’re going to ask you AND your child some hard questions, and you’ll have to convince us that it’s the best situation for them.

Are there children that can handle that? Yes, yes there are. And those are the kids who will be lifelong avian lovers who work to perfect husbandry and the sciences surrounding avian welfare. When we’re REALLY lucky, they go on to become avian veterinarians.

And there are some kids who are impatient and just want the novelty until it wears off.

We’re asking you to know the difference, and to make a judgement call on your Childs maturity before you put a bird in that situation.

In most cases, the parents end up taking care of the birds, and if that’s going to be the case, raise your birds WITH your children, but don’t get the bird FOR your children. Give that bird the benefit of the bond with the person who can love them forever. Learn everything you can. Find a place willing to match you personality to personality and then let the bird choose you. Teach your children to research, learn, and to respect and revere parrots and their incredible cognitive abilities. Feed, enrich, house and provide with the very best. And then enjoy the parrot and all they will do to enrich your life as part of your family. It’s the best, and right thing to do.

XOXO,

Shannon

Should I Get My Child a Parrot?