Literally love how you covered all the points in this I’m a teenager and have an African Grey and my dad bought him but since my dad got really busy in the past few years, he would only sit in his cage and not get much interaction so recently I’ve started to train him and kind of adopted him so I’m scared what I will do when I go to college but I hope some way will open for me
I'm going to college this year, and actually I'm the only one in my family who gets along with my bird :( He is a pious menstruus, like the one in the video (his name is Kirby). When my dad bought him it was all okay, but after a year or so, suddenly my parrot started being aggressive with him, and since we were the only ones in my family who took care of him, I've been the only one he trusts for 5 years, and now I don't know what to do. I want to bring him with me but sadly it's a noisy bird so it might be difficult. Maybe when I leave, Kirby starts being more friendly, but I doubt it. I'm afraid too that he won't be out of his cage. I really hope that your dad gets more free time in the future or you find an apartment that allows pets so you can go with your parrot :)
I think it's awesome that you have taken him under your wing, and is doing everything you can for him! If it doesn't work out with college I think it's important to not be mad at yourself, since it was not your plan to take care of him, and don't let that stop you from going to the college you really want to attend. Things happen, and if things get really out of hand and you see no other option, don't feel shame in rehoming him if it comes to that. I don't know how old he is, but greys can get old that's for sure, so taking care of a pet, that you maybe didn't want in the first place, for so long when you are young, really creates some obstacles (and good times don't get me wrong), that will follow you for a long time. I'm so happy that you are taking care of him May, he is a lucky bird!
@@stellaandcharlie thanks!!! He’s really cute and now he’s my most favourite thing in the world but he’s still very reserved and hesitant but he’s really opened up a lot in the past month and if I can just get him to socialise with everyone and be comfortable, then I think my dad or brother could also take care of him so I just hope that the whole training process works out!! P.S: he’s turning 7 in a few months and we got him when he was 2 months old so I’ve always loved him but now I’m fully taking care of him whereas, when he was young, my dad would do that.
This is a great video! I have a cockatiel and as a teenager im so happy to have waited 6months before getting my little Monster there so much work that go throught owning a bird and it's for sure a challenge but he is worth every seconds of my time and i love teaching him stuff
I think you really hit all the nails here! I'm 20y/o too, started my pet journey when I was just 10, granted that I was one of those special kids who research all kinds of pets obsessively lol- I started with a parakeet because parrots have always been my #1 obsession. I now manage a local pet store where I work, run a reptile rescue with a very close buddy of mine, and personally own a B&G Macaw, Nanday Conure, adult Green Iguana, Rabbit, Veiled Chameleon, 6x Snakes, etc. etc... Everyone's journey is completely different, in my case I proved myself to my parents very early on and as I started working and got out of high school the complexity of animals I owned (the vast majority of which being rescues) has just grown. I think anyone getting into pet ownership really has to take the time to do the research and be able to demonstrate that they understand and are capable of meeting the exact care needs of said animal. :)
Hi! I just wanted to say that sounds so freaking cool! You are living the animal dream lol. And its so good that you run a reptile rescue, way too many being mistreated and re-homed. It must be hard to do but so important.
That's amazing Joyce! I think we have one or two small reptile rescues here, so I love that you are taking care of the little guys. It's hard to talk in absolute with these subjects, cause every person is different. I would have put 10 years old in the "young" category, but this just proves that some kids are more responsible than others and that its totally depends on the situation and the kids themselves. I can only imagine that you are doing an awesome work with both your own pets and the rescue, so thank you so much for sharing and also taking care of them
I see way too many parents who re-home their pets because their child got bored, or kids who are left to take care of their pet when they 100% can't do it alone. I personally think 15+ is a decent age to get a pet if you're the one responsible for it (assuming they're genuinely interested!) For younger kids i think it's absolutely KEY that the parent is also invested in the pet they're getting because if their kid gets bored of it at least the parent still wants to and can take care of it! And along with that I think as you said research is SO important, so that both the kid and parent are aware of what you're getting. Great video Stella! Below is my personal story for anyone interested! I was one of those animal crazy kids (I would cry in pet stores because I wanted a pet, was obsessed with animal documentaries, always wanted to pet sit, wanted to become a biologist etc) and I finally after years of asking for a pet... I got a budgie when I was 10. Big mistake in hindsight because despite how much I loved my bird and was interested in birds I couldn't financially provide for it and my mum wasn't interested. Luckily this changed with time and now she loves our budgies and is way more informed but that was because I told her and showed her these things. And I personally think if your child has to explain about your pet to their parent that's a big red flag! Either way now as a 21 year old animal lover, there is so much I wish I knew before but I'm also so grateful for all my animals (2 cats, 2 budgies, 1 bearded dragon) and I don't know what I would do without them!
@@stellaandcharlie I too am so glad I learned from my mistakes haha! Too many never try to evolve their pet care and it's sad to watch. And you're absolutely right. It's hard to give a definite answer like " at this age you can 100% have and care for a pet" because it depends on so many different factors. And yes, we're so lucky to have parents who take care of our pets 🥰. I LOVE meeting other animal crazy people, feels like finding my kin lol! Other people just don't understand or appreciate animals the way we do! So I love talking about them with other kindred spirits.
Also! Would love any of your ideas; to hear more about other animals, cage reviews or if you're comfortable with it about yourself, hobbies, your life etc ☺️. And a random note but I noticed a lot of the commenters are all around the same age? Early twenties! I think it's quite nice that we all seem to be the same age haha!
I really like what you said and I do agree with you on everything! My fear even when adults get their very young children pets is that they get bored with them eventually, I took in two very young guinea pigs recently because of a mother getting pets for her son since her and her husband split on a whim. I'm so very against that since every animal deserves a home who knows their specific care needs and can fulfill them. I have had animals since I was 8, (I'm 22 now) and I have a ton of regrets. Some being: I don't think my parents did enough research on the small animals, specifically guinea pigs, we brought home to know what was and what was not okay, I don't think as an 8yr old I should have even had pets because I was just far too young even though I did my research, but the only access I had to research my animals were old outdated books in the library since it was 2009 and had no internet access. I also missed some pretty obvious signs of sickness until it was far too late, causing my animals to suffer unbeknownst to little me, my family could not afford the vet care since we were in some serious debt at the time. Although I say this, my animals were doted on and loved by the entire family, and if we had known they were showing those signs of sickness my parents would have definitely done something to make sure they saw a vet since they don't believe letting animals suffer. I do wish when I was younger that instead of getting these animals I just volunteered and got my animal time that way and took on ones we actually knew how to properly care for. Now that I'm older and pay for all my animals meds and vet bills, enclosures, food, treats, etc, I understand now how hard it is sometimes to care for them. I recently dropped 12k on my oldest lovebird last year because he got a life threatening illness where in which he would have died if he had not received a specialized avian vet's care. I am so lucky to have saved about half of that in an emergency savings account for just those cases like his. I'm always researching and updating my knowledge and husbandry skills to make sure my animals live very fulfilled lives where in which they thrive. I still hold a lot of guilt from having animals young, and I feel like I owe it to my past animals to make sure I do better by them, always. A way I try and do better by them is volunteering lots with all species of animals and I also work at a special needs/senior animal rescue. I also, like you said in the video, always try and recommend people volunteer at a rescue with said animal BEFORE bringing them home and doing the proper research on their species specific requirements, especially so when people ask me about getting a parrot because it, "looks cool" and because I have not one, but three of them that I have adopted. Thank you for putting out this video! I liked hearing your take! : )
I have a motto that I go by when it comes to pet ownership: Its totally alright to make mistakes, we all do, but the difference in a good and a bad petowner, is rather they choose to learn from those mistakes and up their pets life quality as much as they can. Thanks for sharing Mungo! I can also see myself in some of things you are telling. Ever since I was young I also begged my parents for x, y, z pet, but mostly a dog. It ended up with me (a 9 year old I think), being responsible for training, keeping an eye on them in the garden and so on. Since I was the only one who seemed to really care and know the risks, it ended up with my first dog being drove over at 1 year old, and the second dog also being hit (not killed) by a car. Looking back I feel sorry for my parents, who didn't want to watch over the dog all the time, or put proper time in training them, but still got one because I really wanted a companion. Even though I mention that a lot of the blame is on the parents, when getting these pets and not caring proper for them, I can also see why many would do it, and trust their child to take care of it. I'm also owning up to the mistakes I made as a kid, so I'm glad I'm not alone, and also that you realized it was wrong and is really to change it in the future :) A little extra story: The reason I'm extra motivated to become a vet, is actually because my second dog died due to a vet not taking her pain signs seriously. She was not even a year old, so it was extremely devastating to me and my siblings. However it made me always want to take any signs of sickness serious, and try to never make it happen to any other families out there.
Hello Stella, what an amazing Charlie you have, i have a couples of pionus one blue head female called Lili she is so sweet and a male called Shahin which is not pure blue as Lili, and he is very active and noisy haha, their age about 4 months, we got them when they were 2 weeks old, since then till now we still give them food by syringe, however sometimes they eat normal food as corn, fruit and vegetables, but they keep screaming to feed them by syringe, as liquid banana and oatmeal. I really need an advise, in what age should they eat by themselves
Hello Ahmed! I'm not a professional on weening baby birds, so I would definitely recommend that you seek out more info. I can tell you what I know tho, but take it with a grain of salt :) I think for Pionus, they should be eating by themselves at around 3,5-4 months, so they might be right at the tip of getting there. Now Charlie loves banana and would kill for it, so think about not making the syringe food more interesting than the food they need to eat themselves, especially if they already show signs that they know how to do it. When they beg for food, try not and give them the syringe right away and instead offer the bowl with veggies and maybe "hand feed" them that food. They are smart, so if you give in too early they will probably wait around until you give the syringe, so patience is key :)
Literally love how you covered all the points in this
I’m a teenager and have an African Grey and my dad bought him but since my dad got really busy in the past few years, he would only sit in his cage and not get much interaction so recently I’ve started to train him and kind of adopted him so I’m scared what I will do when I go to college but I hope some way will open for me
I'm going to college this year, and actually I'm the only one in my family who gets along with my bird :(
He is a pious menstruus, like the one in the video (his name is Kirby). When my dad bought him it was all okay, but after a year or so, suddenly my parrot started being aggressive with him, and since we were the only ones in my family who took care of him, I've been the only one he trusts for 5 years, and now I don't know what to do. I want to bring him with me but sadly it's a noisy bird so it might be difficult. Maybe when I leave, Kirby starts being more friendly, but I doubt it. I'm afraid too that he won't be out of his cage.
I really hope that your dad gets more free time in the future or you find an apartment that allows pets so you can go with your parrot :)
I think it's awesome that you have taken him under your wing, and is doing everything you can for him! If it doesn't work out with college I think it's important to not be mad at yourself, since it was not your plan to take care of him, and don't let that stop you from going to the college you really want to attend. Things happen, and if things get really out of hand and you see no other option, don't feel shame in rehoming him if it comes to that. I don't know how old he is, but greys can get old that's for sure, so taking care of a pet, that you maybe didn't want in the first place, for so long when you are young, really creates some obstacles (and good times don't get me wrong), that will follow you for a long time.
I'm so happy that you are taking care of him May, he is a lucky bird!
@@stellaandcharlie thanks!!!
He’s really cute and now he’s my most favourite thing in the world but he’s still very reserved and hesitant but he’s really opened up a lot in the past month and if I can just get him to socialise with everyone and be comfortable, then I think my dad or brother could also take care of him so I just hope that the whole training process works out!!
P.S: he’s turning 7 in a few months and we got him when he was 2 months old so I’ve always loved him but now I’m fully taking care of him whereas, when he was young, my dad would do that.
I really like your story of taking on a "project bird" and enable it to have a better life and to be happier, well done!
Bless you🎉 also vor saving the first bird❤
This is a great video! I have a cockatiel and as a teenager im so happy to have waited 6months before getting my little Monster there so much work that go throught owning a bird and it's for sure a challenge but he is worth every seconds of my time and i love teaching him stuff
I think you really hit all the nails here! I'm 20y/o too, started my pet journey when I was just 10, granted that I was one of those special kids who research all kinds of pets obsessively lol- I started with a parakeet because parrots have always been my #1 obsession. I now manage a local pet store where I work, run a reptile rescue with a very close buddy of mine, and personally own a B&G Macaw, Nanday Conure, adult Green Iguana, Rabbit, Veiled Chameleon, 6x Snakes, etc. etc...
Everyone's journey is completely different, in my case I proved myself to my parents very early on and as I started working and got out of high school the complexity of animals I owned (the vast majority of which being rescues) has just grown. I think anyone getting into pet ownership really has to take the time to do the research and be able to demonstrate that they understand and are capable of meeting the exact care needs of said animal. :)
Hi! I just wanted to say that sounds so freaking cool! You are living the animal dream lol.
And its so good that you run a reptile rescue, way too many being mistreated and re-homed. It must be hard to do but so important.
That's amazing Joyce!
I think we have one or two small reptile rescues here, so I love that you are taking care of the little guys. It's hard to talk in absolute with these subjects, cause every person is different. I would have put 10 years old in the "young" category, but this just proves that some kids are more responsible than others and that its totally depends on the situation and the kids themselves. I can only imagine that you are doing an awesome work with both your own pets and the rescue, so thank you so much for sharing and also taking care of them
I see way too many parents who re-home their pets because their child got bored, or kids who are left to take care of their pet when they 100% can't do it alone.
I personally think 15+ is a decent age to get a pet if you're the one responsible for it (assuming they're genuinely interested!)
For younger kids i think it's absolutely KEY that the parent is also invested in the pet they're getting because if their kid gets bored of it at least the parent still wants to and can take care of it! And along with that I think as you said research is SO important, so that both the kid and parent are aware of what you're getting.
Great video Stella!
Below is my personal story for anyone interested!
I was one of those animal crazy kids (I would cry in pet stores because I wanted a pet, was obsessed with animal documentaries, always wanted to pet sit, wanted to become a biologist etc) and I finally after years of asking for a pet... I got a budgie when I was 10. Big mistake in hindsight because despite how much I loved my bird and was interested in birds I couldn't financially provide for it and my mum wasn't interested. Luckily this changed with time and now she loves our budgies and is way more informed but that was because I told her and showed her these things. And I personally think if your child has to explain about your pet to their parent that's a big red flag!
Either way now as a 21 year old animal lover, there is so much I wish I knew before but I'm also so grateful for all my animals (2 cats, 2 budgies, 1 bearded dragon) and I don't know what I would do without them!
Thank you very much
@@stellaandcharlie I too am so glad I learned from my mistakes haha! Too many never try to evolve their pet care and it's sad to watch.
And you're absolutely right. It's hard to give a definite answer like " at this age you can 100% have and care for a pet" because it depends on so many different factors.
And yes, we're so lucky to have parents who take care of our pets 🥰.
I LOVE meeting other animal crazy people, feels like finding my kin lol! Other people just don't understand or appreciate animals the way we do! So I love talking about them with other kindred spirits.
Also! Would love any of your ideas; to hear more about other animals, cage reviews or if you're comfortable with it about yourself, hobbies, your life etc ☺️.
And a random note but I noticed a lot of the commenters are all around the same age? Early twenties! I think it's quite nice that we all seem to be the same age haha!
I really like what you said and I do agree with you on everything! My fear even when adults get their very young children pets is that they get bored with them eventually, I took in two very young guinea pigs recently because of a mother getting pets for her son since her and her husband split on a whim. I'm so very against that since every animal deserves a home who knows their specific care needs and can fulfill them.
I have had animals since I was 8, (I'm 22 now) and I have a ton of regrets. Some being: I don't think my parents did enough research on the small animals, specifically guinea pigs, we brought home to know what was and what was not okay, I don't think as an 8yr old I should have even had pets because I was just far too young even though I did my research, but the only access I had to research my animals were old outdated books in the library since it was 2009 and had no internet access. I also missed some pretty obvious signs of sickness until it was far too late, causing my animals to suffer unbeknownst to little me, my family could not afford the vet care since we were in some serious debt at the time. Although I say this, my animals were doted on and loved by the entire family, and if we had known they were showing those signs of sickness my parents would have definitely done something to make sure they saw a vet since they don't believe letting animals suffer. I do wish when I was younger that instead of getting these animals I just volunteered and got my animal time that way and took on ones we actually knew how to properly care for.
Now that I'm older and pay for all my animals meds and vet bills, enclosures, food, treats, etc, I understand now how hard it is sometimes to care for them. I recently dropped 12k on my oldest lovebird last year because he got a life threatening illness where in which he would have died if he had not received a specialized avian vet's care. I am so lucky to have saved about half of that in an emergency savings account for just those cases like his.
I'm always researching and updating my knowledge and husbandry skills to make sure my animals live very fulfilled lives where in which they thrive. I still hold a lot of guilt from having animals young, and I feel like I owe it to my past animals to make sure I do better by them, always. A way I try and do better by them is volunteering lots with all species of animals and I also work at a special needs/senior animal rescue. I also, like you said in the video, always try and recommend people volunteer at a rescue with said animal BEFORE bringing them home and doing the proper research on their species specific requirements, especially so when people ask me about getting a parrot because it, "looks cool" and because I have not one, but three of them that I have adopted.
Thank you for putting out this video! I liked hearing your take! : )
I have a motto that I go by when it comes to pet ownership: Its totally alright to make mistakes, we all do, but the difference in a good and a bad petowner, is rather they choose to learn from those mistakes and up their pets life quality as much as they can.
Thanks for sharing Mungo! I can also see myself in some of things you are telling. Ever since I was young I also begged my parents for x, y, z pet, but mostly a dog. It ended up with me (a 9 year old I think), being responsible for training, keeping an eye on them in the garden and so on. Since I was the only one who seemed to really care and know the risks, it ended up with my first dog being drove over at 1 year old, and the second dog also being hit (not killed) by a car. Looking back I feel sorry for my parents, who didn't want to watch over the dog all the time, or put proper time in training them, but still got one because I really wanted a companion.
Even though I mention that a lot of the blame is on the parents, when getting these pets and not caring proper for them, I can also see why many would do it, and trust their child to take care of it. I'm also owning up to the mistakes I made as a kid, so I'm glad I'm not alone, and also that you realized it was wrong and is really to change it in the future :)
A little extra story:
The reason I'm extra motivated to become a vet, is actually because my second dog died due to a vet not taking her pain signs seriously. She was not even a year old, so it was extremely devastating to me and my siblings. However it made me always want to take any signs of sickness serious, and try to never make it happen to any other families out there.
Hello Stella, what an amazing Charlie you have, i have a couples of pionus one blue head female called Lili she is so sweet and a male called Shahin which is not pure blue as Lili, and he is very active and noisy haha, their age about 4 months, we got them when they were 2 weeks old, since then till now we still give them food by syringe, however sometimes they eat normal food as corn, fruit and vegetables, but they keep screaming to feed them by syringe, as liquid banana and oatmeal. I really need an advise, in what age should they eat by themselves
Hello Ahmed!
I'm not a professional on weening baby birds, so I would definitely recommend that you seek out more info.
I can tell you what I know tho, but take it with a grain of salt :)
I think for Pionus, they should be eating by themselves at around 3,5-4 months, so they might be right at the tip of getting there. Now Charlie loves banana and would kill for it, so think about not making the syringe food more interesting than the food they need to eat themselves, especially if they already show signs that they know how to do it. When they beg for food, try not and give them the syringe right away and instead offer the bowl with veggies and maybe "hand feed" them that food. They are smart, so if you give in too early they will probably wait around until you give the syringe, so patience is key :)
@@stellaandcharlie hey Stella, thank you so much for the advice, i will definitely try this method 😉
Have a nice day for you and Charlie