By Anonymous - 28/02/2017 14:00 - United States - Troy

Today, my parents finally fulfilled my wish of a pet that I could take care of for a few years. They got a parrot. I guess 75 years or more is a few years to my parents. FML
I agree, your life sucks 5 839
You deserved it 1 335

Same thing different taste

Top comments

it's a bit weird that you only wanted a pet that you knew would die after only a couple of years

Parrots live a very long time. Even a dog or a cat would live for only 15-20 years. That's a fraction of a parrot or turtle's life span. A lot of people would be unsure about getting a pet that lives that long. They also could have wanted a hamster, guinea pig or the like. Relatively low maintenance and they don't live very long. If they've never had a pet, a parrot would be pretty overwhelming. They live a long time and can be hard to take care of, especially as a first pet.

Comments

I guess it's good that they thought of getting you a pet

it's a bit weird that you only wanted a pet that you knew would die after only a couple of years

Not really. A hamster, rat, mouse, etc. make good first pets for people to learn to be responsible without having to commit for many years, especially if they are still young like I'm assuming OP is and are uncertain of their future.

Parrots live a very long time. Even a dog or a cat would live for only 15-20 years. That's a fraction of a parrot or turtle's life span. A lot of people would be unsure about getting a pet that lives that long. They also could have wanted a hamster, guinea pig or the like. Relatively low maintenance and they don't live very long. If they've never had a pet, a parrot would be pretty overwhelming. They live a long time and can be hard to take care of, especially as a first pet.

Parrots live a very long time. Even a dog or a cat would live for only 15-20 years. That's a fraction of a parrot or turtle's life span. A lot of people would be unsure about getting a pet that lives that long. They also could have wanted a hamster, guinea pig or the like. Relatively low maintenance and they don't live very long. If they've never had a pet, a parrot would be pretty overwhelming. They live a long time and can be hard to take care of, especially as a first pet.

Parrots live a very long time. Even a dog or a cat would live for only 15-20 years. That's a fraction of a parrot or turtle's life span. A lot of people would be unsure about getting a pet that lives that long. They also could have wanted a hamster, guinea pig or the like. Relatively low maintenance and they don't live very long. If they've never had a pet, a parrot would be pretty overwhelming. They live a long time and can be hard to take care of, especially as a first pet.

Parrots live a very long time. Even a dog or a cat would live for only 15-20 years. That's a fraction of a parrot or turtle's life span. A lot of people would be unsure about getting a pet that lives that long. They also could have wanted a hamster, guinea pig or the like. Relatively low maintenance and they don't live very long. If they've never had a pet, a parrot would be pretty overwhelming. They live a long time and can be hard to take care of, especially as a first pet.

Maybe they wanted a hamster or similar pet, especially if this is their first pet. Even a dog or cat doesn't live that long. 15-20 years compared to 75. A parrot would be very overwhelming. They're not exactly easy to take care of. It sounds like they wanted to start out with a relatively easy pet.

Not really... I wouldn't want to care for something for 75 years without being asked about it, especially a copycat bird

Unless one or both of your parents have extensive experience with parrots, getting one as a pet is extremely irresponsible & dangerous for the bird. Parrots are a HUGE responsibility. If not trained correctly, they can become extremely out of control & mean. They are loud, messy & can literally take off a finger with their beaks. Regular vets rarely see parrots or other exotic birds. You need to find an aviary specialist. So many parrots are abandoned & even set free because people think they're "cool" to have with absolutely no regard to the responsibility it involves.

theblondeone 16

This! My parents have had two birds my entire life. On top of being EXTREMELY high-maintenance, one of them has the intelligence of a toddler and requires almost constant stimulation and supervision. We tried to rescue an Amazon from my mom's coworker but she was so violent from neglect that we ended up having to turn her over to an aviary rescue because she was so dangerous to us and the other birds. Birds are no joke and should NOT be adopted on a whim.

Let your parents know if you are not going to be able to care for the parrot. Better now than later.

YDI - if you're going to ask fr a pet be clear on what kind of pet you want and how much of a commitment you are able to make to it.

People, especially parents, shouldn't be surprising others with pets. It's quite irresponsible and ends up with neglected animals or animals being dumped.

theblondeone 16

Birds are not simple pets! They should never be adopted on a whim and without thorough research ahead of time. They are arguably one of the most high-maintenance pets you can have and if you don't take care of them properly they will become depressed and start self-harming (plucking to the point of bleeding and permanently destroying follicles) and will turn hostile. Please please please turn the bird over to an aviary rescue sooner rather than later if you don't want to/can't handle this responsibility!

What ******* bird are you talking about??? There is no bird I know of that lives an Average of 75 years. I'm betting you have a cockatoo. They only live for 40 years. Anything above that is abnormal.

no, it took me a matter of minutes to find pet parrots that can live past 40. while I didn't find any sources saying 75, I did find some listing some species as living past 60

num1piglover 13

Actually cockatoos can live over 70 years depending on diet and type. However most don't due to improper care.

cheshireau 26

You know nothing about birds then. I've seen a Cockatiel alive at age 25 and my Galah can live up to 60+ years. Bigger cockatoos then her can go to 80+. If it was, say, a Budgie, they aren't as maintenance then bigger birds. Why didn't you say to your folks, hey, can I have a dog/cat? Communication and elaboration is the key in this scenario

Macaws & Amazons have a lifespan of 75+ years. There are many records of some living to be 100. When we got our Severe Macaw, my husband & I actually put him into our wills. The lifespan can range from 40-80 years.

Most people, who have done their research, put birds in their wills, just like children. I adopted my first bird from a pet store after the owner had died. She'd had the bird for almost 50 years. Sweetest little thing ever. The bird and the lady.

Ah well, at least it's easy to get rid of.

At least the fact OP said "i guess 75 years is a few years for my parents" implies they're willing to put effort into taking care of that bird even though it's not the pet they expected.