Judgement often emanates from the pores of people in the bird world regarding “those people”… you know, the ones who are cold hearted enough to give up their birds, their FAMILY, as if they didn’t see the beauty and treasure that is inside every captive bird. As if it’s the bird’s fault for being.. a bird.
The problem is that the issue isn’t that cut and dry. There are a myriad of reasons people give up their bird, few of which are simple. Before you go out and get that parrot, knowing that you are one of the educated, enlightened ones who has researched the issue thoroughly so as not to encounter any surprises, read on.
Educating and awareness are key in stopping the overpopulation crisis of parrots.
What Kind of Person Gives up Their Bird? from the True Parrot
Feathered Angels 
To be honest, I was skeptical, but I read all of these situations with an open mind. With the exception of the older couple, they ALL could have been prevented by a change in priorities and just a little self discipline. I still think all of them should have considered their decisions more carefully before bringing a bird into their lives. The mom who got them for her kids — didn’t realize her kids would leave home someday and the birds would be hers to deal with? The guy with the apartment life never considered moving somewhere he could keep his childhood best friend? The “Just One More” family has more problems than bird hoarding, they need to learn the word “NO”. The Young Professional is the type of person that upsets me the most, the one who “researched for 2 years” but never realized her own life was going to change and she was going to have babies in the future? What about moving for them? YES, LIFE HAPPENS, but that still does’t give them a justified reason to dump their responsibilities because it’s suddenly inconvenient. We can’t treat our children this way, and why people think it’s okay to say “oops, it’s not convenient to have a bird anymore, somebody else deal with it” is totally beyond me.
I’ve got two cockatiels who are very difficult in their later years. They are more clingy than Saran Wrap, jealous, not easy to keep occupied and have some very annoying chirping sounds they make about every 3 seconds while they are awake. We battle nesty behavior with them, they do not coexist well with my grey and they don’t contribute to the flock in any way except negatively. Some days I want to tear my hair out rather than hear one more chirp. I got them 13 years ago when I was in a much different place in my life and I really never thought they’d still be alive and healthy and with an apparently huge lifespan ahead of them still. And I really wanted a grey who I could interact with instead of just endure, but I wasn’t ready for one when I got them. Of course I love them, but I don’t enjoy them anymore. I would rather eat my shoes than rehome them.
The bottom line is, it’s not someone else’s problem to deal with. Someone else didn’t decide to get them all those years ago. Someone else didn’t move a bunch of times, make dozens of major changes in their lives and follow a completely new path that impacts the birds. I did. And no matter what I am doing or what decisions I make, my birds are, for better or worse, part of the family. I would no more decide to move into an intolerant apartment and have to get rid of my birds than I would move into a singles resort and have to get a divorce.
I don’t judge them as bad people. I judge them as inconsiderate people who take the easy way out of a difficult situation. I don’t think they’re bad, I just don’t have a smidgen of respect for them and I feel terribly bad for the birds who have become suddenly “inconvenient” and are uprooted from everything they’ve ever known because they’re in the way now.
/rant.
I got my Jenday Conure in a very stupid way. I was 20 and felt bad that he lived in a pet store with no one to love him. I brought him home with NO knowledge or experience with birds. I guess I would fit into the “young professional” category since I am still in my 20’s and work a full time job, but Henry is my world. I would NEVER rehome him because my situation changed. Of course I was overwhelmed when I first got him, I had no idea that he would bite or be loud. Now, he is the most wonderful bird, I can’t imagine what I would have lost out on if I had just given up that easily and moved on.
I’ve known of parrot owners who’ve had their birds for decades and we’re their family but in time became too old to care for them. It’s heart breaking for both human and bird.
It is incredibly sad, and this is why it is so important to have a plan in place for your feathered one once we are no longer to care for them.