Parrots as gifts, bad idea



He may look beautiful but this Macaw needs a lot of care
and attention. Never buy a bird, especially one like this,
on impulse.

Whether for the winter holidays or a birthday you should never give a living animal, no matter what type, as a gift. During the celebrations a parrot could be forgotten and not receive the proper care it needs. Another thing to worry about is the person receiving the animal gift might not be ready, in a state or even truly want or understand the needs of the animal, especially something as exotic as a parrot.

The decision to get a parrot needs lots of research and the person has to be in the right place in their life (such as financially, mentally and lifestyle stable) in order to consider parrot ownership. Not to mention the decision to get a parrot has to be a family decision, everyone has to be involved and cooperate in the birds care and attention. Parrots need lots of care and attention, sometimes very specialised care and attention, and you have to be willing and able to give it this care and attention for its entire life and for some species this is a major issue. The larger the bird the longer they live and the more care and attention they need! A Macaw for instance needs at least four to six hours of daily attention not to mention daily care, lots of space (as much as a Great Dane) and can live for 100 years or more! Even small species such as Lovebirds, Cockatiels, Budgies and Small Conures need at least two to three hours of daily attention plus time for daily care, a cage as big as or bigger than an end table and can live between 15 to 30 years.

Each year hundreds of birds are put into shelters or released into the wild where they will only die because the people who got them never knew or understood what they were getting into or found they were unprepared or no longer able to care for the animal. Don’t be one of these people, make sure that you can 100% be able to care for the animal you wish to acquire and when acquiring it wait till after the celebrations to get one.

Parrots don't make good gifts.
If you know someone who likes parrots
and want to get them a parrot related
gift go for something other than the living
animal.

Just like other animals parrots need a lot of supplies. The biggest and most expensive will most likely be the cage. This is your parrots own personal apartment in your home where they will have safety and privacy. Then there are the toys, food and water bowls, the food and water, liners for the bottom of the cage, perches, a carrying case, a bed, a qualified veterinarian... the list goes on. Parrots need lots of supplies just like other animals.

If you want to get someone something parrot related as a gift, think of something other than the actual animal. Maybe get them a book, poster or some sort of art, a calendar or even a teddy or toy parrot or some other parrot paraphernalia instead. They’ll probably appreciate those more than a real parrot, especially at that time. You could even give to a charity to help parrots in the person’s name or a shelter; yes parrots do end up in shelters. I did something similar once. For my birthday once I bought some cat food for the local shelter which was having trouble providing for the large amount of cats that had been brought to the shelter that year and were in bad need of supplies. I donated some food to for some cats that needed it and parrots in both the wild and domestic world need some help.

When thinking of giving a gift don’t think of a living being go for something else related to the gift you wanted to give. It’s a better idea and won’t cause a lot of headaches and pains.