I fell in love with an eclectus parrot at a bird sanctuary recently and I had no idea these guys existed. They are so chill and I just want one now lol. I was talking to him and all he said to me after I asked him something was “huh?” and it was such a vibe.

I’m a 30 year old man with not much going on in life, recently divorced with major trust issues now and I have never even thought of the possibility of owning a parrot one day but maybe it is actually a good idea? It lives for like 30 years which is probably about how much longer I will live. All I eat is fruit and veggies so I think taking care of it would actually be pretty easy.

From my research it seems like they generally don’t like to be handled much and are just content to chill in the corner of the room while you do your thing. My condo has a room with 18ft ceilings and eclectus are usually super quiet and aren’t very destructive supposedly.

I was thinking about getting a cat but honestly a parrot is just way more affectionate, intelligent, and interesting.

Anyone weigh in on this topic?

Also is it possible to teach a parrot to speak like RFK Jr?

  • KingDingbat@lemmy.world
    7·
    1 day ago

    I just want to chime in and say that you can take them camping, but I wouldn’t suggest it as a first time bird owner or without knowing your bird for several years first. My parents have two parrots and they take them camping several times a summer and they really enjoy the outdoors. They’ve had about a dozen different birds over 50 years and know their birds well. They are very careful in these ways:

    1. Both birds have special mobile cages that go traveling with them, and perches too. The birds are trained to travel comfortably in these cages. You NEED cages to put them in at night and also when you can’t supervise them closely.
    2. Tempurature is a big deal for birds and cold and heat can easily kill them. My parents only take them camping because they have a camper with heat and air on that the birds can retreat to when needed. I would never do it if you are tent camping where you can’t control the temp.
    3. The birds are trained and very attached to my parents. They are comfortable they arent going to take off. My parents live in a rural area and had already spent years outside on the front porch with their parrots to get comfortable with that first.
    4. The birds wings are clipped so they can’t fly.
    5. They NEVER leave the birds sides unless they are in their cages inside the camper. Wild animals could be a problem.

    Once you have a bird for a few years and are besties, you might think about the possibilities of going camping together. But it would take a lot of work before hand