There is one pet that I had always wanted to have: a parrot. My fascination with having a pet bird started as a small child and, stretched into my teenage years, until finally my mom caved and let me adopt a little Lutino Cockatiel named Miki. In my head, I had this vision of a best friend that could say small sentences, fly to me when I requested, and overall, a loyal, loving companion. What I did not know is that my dreams of having this bird were NOTHING like the reality of having a pet bird—and I do not mean that in a bad way.

Yes, Miki is everything I said I dreamed about. She is loving when she wants to be, talks by screaming and chirping due to the fact that females rarely talk, and she does fly. But what I did not think about is having to clean her cage a lot, the fact that she needs to be taken out for at least an hour a day, or the fun little fact that she will actually starve herself if you give her food that is not HER food. Also, they make such a huge mess and once you get a bird everything you own is a pooping zone. I’m not even going to get into how easy they are to scare! Birds are a lot more work than people make them out to be and I was not joking about the fact that they refuse to eat their food if they are not used to it.

Birds, at least Miki, are also a lot clumsier than they seem to be in the wild. There have been times I am watching Miki do something and she just falls flat onto her face because she lands wrong, or does not jump down in time. I will say they are very funny! If you have ever wanted to laugh uncontrollably, then I would suggest looking up funny bird videos, because they are funny. Whenever I had a drink with a straw and she was out, she would do everything in her power to get my straw. Fly onto my shoulder. Climb up my leg, or even wait until I leave it unattended and run off with it. Or the times she thinks she is a dog, and tries to run around with a dog toy that is about twice her size.

I will say, if you want a bird then I would suggest getting yourself a cocktail, and a female one with that. Females are adopted a lot less, due to the fact they do not talk, and so if you really want a bird, give one a home that needs it! To be a parrot parent is a very long commitment too. A Cockatiel like Miki can live anywhere between 15 to 20 years! That is a really long time for a pet, but all said and done, it is worth it. I would not trade this little bird for the world.

Again, if you want a bird, I would suggest you do your research and really consider if it is a good fit for your lifestyle or not.