Some thought needs to go in to the purchase of your potential pet before you go out and do it. Before a person goes hunting for a companion animal, ANY companion animal, they should be well armed. Oh, boy, now I've stepped in it; let me explain. I mean armed with knowledge...Does that make more sense? You need to sort things out before you set out on your search for that special parrot. With knowledge, you will choose wisely, but you should also choose with your heart. Few animals can tug at the ol' heart strings like a little feathered snuggle-muffin who cuddles up to your ear and sweetly chirps, "I love you."
It's an amazing relationship between owner and bird.
First things first. Priority #1 for any potential bird owner is this: the bird they purchase must be a domestically bred parrot. Please, PLEASE! DO NOT BUY a wild caught imported bird, especially as your first bird. I can not stress this enough. People in the bird trade call these birds "broncos" for a reason. I won't go into ethical or environmental issues surrounding the subject of wild caught pet birds. I have strong opinions on this. If you want to, e-mail me or start a Discussion topic, but for now, let's just leave it at this: never buy a wild caught parrot. There are enough domestically bred birds readily available in the pet market.
Whew! Now that I'm off my soapbox, let's find you a bird!
Before we go shopping for "Polly," we have to answer some fairly tough questions. Like, how much time are you willing to spend with your new friend? This is a crucial factor in whether a parrot is the right bird for you.
