I didn’t realise parrots can actually live for 75 years.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
I wish so much I had known that before telling my son that a parrot was a great idea for a birthday present.
For some time, he has wanted a parrot … His very own parrot he can train to talk and play with him.
Being quite specific, he didn’t want a bird that lived in a cage, but rather one who would wander around the house on his hand.
Of all the contraptions and high-tech toys found in catalogues, this seemed like a fantastic present.
He would learn about the responsibility that comes with having your own pet.
We explained to him all about feeding his new bird, and the amount of time he would need to spend to train it to talk.
So now, just like choosing any animal companion, all we needed to was a bit of research into parrots to make sure we got the best one for us.
However, very quickly my husband and I began to realise that this bird we were about to welcome into our home could possibly live for seven decades or more.
In fact, there was a very real possibility it would outlive us.
So while our son, now eight, truly believes he will never leave home because he loves us so much, we know in a few years he may feel a little different.
We had to ask ourselves a few questions.
Would our son be taking his parrot to University in about 10 years time?
Would our son be taking his parrot to live with him should he move overseas in 20 years time?
Would our son still be as passionate about his parrot in 30 years time when he had a wife and some kids?
Or – in forty years time, when my husband and I are in our eighties, were we still going to have this parrot living with us!
Suddenly this brilliant present that would teach our son so many great life lessons was looking far less appealing.
Surely he would rather some lego?
But no, he wanted the bird, and we had already committed ourselves with great enthusiasm and little knowledge.
So come his birthday weekend we headed off to collect his new pet. First came all the bits and bobs needed for our new family member.Then came the moment we knew would either be a major disaster or a beautiful memory; the compromise!
Instead of a parrot, we crossed our fingers and introduced our son to his very first pet that was just for him; his new feathered best friend. Someone he could train to talk and could wander around the house on his hand.
Thankfully, a little blue budgie did manage to win his heart. Life span – ten to fifteen years.