
The relationship between humans and parrots can be surprisingly profound - kawera
https://www.topic.com/birds-of-a-feather
======
dejv
I used to work at place where one coworker did bring his own parrot everyday.

He was interesting animal: he could roam the offices freely, he had people he
liked, people he dislike and people he liked to tease (like making
notification sounds or phone ringtones), he also liked to sit by window and
barked on cats outside.

They said those parrots have mind of two year old baby, having that old kid
right now I must say it is quite accurate.

------
onychomys
I worked in the Pepperberg lab as an undergrad. They are amazing animals, and
working there was a wonderful experience, but I'd never have one as a pet.
They're basically like 2 year olds in their behavior - selfish, demanding,
destructive. Imagine having a toddler in your house every day for 60 years.
It'd be brutal.

~~~
ocdtrekkie
For what it's worth, there's a huge difference in how a parrot acts with its
owner than "another human", and I'm very curious how a lab environment would
affect that compared to a home.

In the case of a parrot of my father's, the bird was incredibly well-behaved
for my dad, but absolutely refused to get along with any other humans. After a
number of years of invested effort, I got to the point she would tolerate me
solely when my dad was out of town... to the point that when taking care of
her she'd want to sit on my shoulder for a while. ...But the very moment my
dad walked back in the door, I was persona non grata again.

From my understanding, the tendency of a parrot to bond to one person is
pretty strong.

~~~
drpgq
That sounds like a few of mother’s cats over the years

------
js2
A close childhood friend had a pet parrot. And for a time, my parents-in-law
kept more than a dozen. I'll stick with dogs thanks. Even cats are too much
for me. Apropos, This American Life (Feb 23, 2018) recently aired this:

> Veronica Chater explains the conflict in her house between her love for her
> pet macaw—a kind of parrot—and her love for her husband and three kids. The
> macaw wreaks a sort of low-level chaos in the house, because it wants
> Veronica all to itself. (10 minutes)

[https://www.thisamericanlife.org/639/in-dog-we-trust/act-
two...](https://www.thisamericanlife.org/639/in-dog-we-trust/act-two-4)

~~~
kbutler
> I'll stick with dogs thanks. Even cats are too much for me.

Dogs are much higher maintenance than cats.

------
gerbilly
They are beautiful, but I wouldn't want to own one.

I think it's fine to own pets, but it's probably better for the human and the
animal if we stick to long domesticated species that seem to like spending
time with us: cats dogs and maybe some 'easy' birds like cocktails.

When you stick with cats and dogs especially, it's easier to interpret their
behaviour and veterinary care is more straightforward.

Parrots seem to me to have much more complex needs than we can easily fulfil
as humans.

------
itdaniher
I have a rescue Cockatiel I inherited from my late grandfather. He's a poor
excuse for a parrot, but a great pet and 10/10 work-from-home friend. Flies
from his house, sits on my monitor, bows his head expecting headpats.

Don't rule out feathered friends - there's a continuum of intelligence and
dependency ranging from finches (simple lil robots, a'la fish) to African
Grays (3yo intelligence as discussed) - I've found my 'tiel to be in the sweet
spot - intelligent enough to have his favorite people, not so smart as to
constantly demand attention.

~~~
geebee
People often discuss intelligence in a pet as an unqualified positive, and I
understand it. We like to interact with pets, and the more human like
intelligence they have, the more easily we can relate to them. Intelligence is
of course something we value, but I do think we overlook how it can become a
problem as well.

I have heard some parrot owners speak dismissively or disparagingly of the
cockatiel's intelligence, but like you I think they are a good balance for
avian pets. They're cute, curious little creatures. They aren't notably good
talkers (though they can semi-pronounce a few words). They are good singers
and can learn a few tunes, though they tend to warble and free form after the
first seven or so notes (I find this endearing). I also find that cockatiels
are more physically affectionate than many parrots with a wider range of
people, and are less prone to bonding exclusively to one person to the angry,
biting rejection of anyone else (one theory is that this is because they're
more migratory and need to form more relationships than many parrots). Just to
be clear, cockatiels do have their personal preferences and bond, but I grew
up with 'tiels, and they all readily accepted extensive head scitches from
every member of the family and people they recently met.

They aren't in the same league as many parrots in terms of intelligence.

Overall, having grown up with cockatiels... well, it's hard to know what's
going on in their heads, but they do seem happy. We always allowed ours to be
flighted (tougher with larger birds), and they all got a _lot_ of attention
which is pretty critical.

In spite of the positive words here, I am 50-50 on even cockatiels as pets. I
just don't think people understand how many decades of commitment they really
do take.

~~~
MandieD
I loved my little maroon-bellied conure and miss her greatly, but frankly,
cockatiels are better _pets_. Sassy was many good things, but “sweet” and
“even-tempered” were not among them.

Sometimes she was estatically happy, other times she wanted to take my fingers
off and didn’t only because her beak was too small. And she could make that
shift with little or no notice. She was able to open any cage fastening that
did not require a key or human grip. All this in a bird most people would
think was a funny-colored budgie.

I’m not sure about keeping parrots of any size again, at least until I’m
retired or it looks like remote working will be the norm for a long time - and
then, I’d lean towards cockatiels, and definitely rescues.

------
tzs
FYI for those with Amazon Prime, Irene Pepperberg's book "Alex & Me: How a
Scientist and a Parrot Discovered a Hidden World of Animal Intelligence-and
Formed a Deep Bond in the Process" was added to Prime Reading a week ago.

------
creep
I've always liked birds. Magpies and crows of course are common where I live,
and they are really quite intelligent. I always try to interact with them. The
magpies respond to me sometimes, and sometimes follow me for a while if I've
said something to them and I'm walking. Maybe I look nuts trying to talk to
birds, but they know you're "talking" towards them, unlike some other common
city animals (jackrabbits where I live) who assume you might be trying to harm
them.

------
drukenemo
I love parrots, but have always thought that it's mean to remove a bird from
its natural habitat.

~~~
LifeLiverTransp
From its social habitat- agreed. Parrots are suprisingly human- even when it
comes to habbitats. Those birds leave no tree left alive. The natural
environment if unchecked is a dessert.

~~~
perl4ever
I did a double take and then a triple take on that last sentence. I can't
decide if you mean "desert" or "dessert". Either kind of work.

~~~
joslin01
S/he means desert

------
mark_l_watson
I have had a Meyers Parrot for 15 years. He is a lot of work but I really
enjoy having him as a pet.

Please, please don’t get a parrot unless you have an hour or two a day to
spend time with them. Parrots need lots of attention. Especially good is
setting up puzzles, hiding things for them to find, etc.

------
charleyma
One of my friend's parents owns a parrot and I didn't believe it when she told
me their Macaw could live up to 80 years. I can't imagine having a pet live
for a lifetime...

------
coding123
The pictures in that article are incredible. See the one at about 50% of the
way down (yellow parrot coming at the camera). Wow

