To be blunt: don't get a parrot without doing some extensive homework first. There are currently over 8,000 parrots in various sanctuaries and rescue shelters. Every day this number grows. Every one of them began its life with great expectations of love and understanding and a permanent relationship. In each and every case the human caregiver was not up to the task

There is only one way to characterize parrots: they are not just a "pretty face," they are fundamentally different. While dogs and cats have been domesticated for centuries, parrots are still wild animals. They still require very special understanding, endless patience, handling and training. They are highly intelligent animals with extremely complex instinctive and even rationalized behavior patterns. They have an intimidating beak, which they won't hesitate to use to express their frustration, their fear and their anger. While you should not scold your dog and chase your cat, that won't work with a parrot either. He/she does not understand punishment--it is not a part of its instinctive culture. I'll write about intellectual and instinctive perimeters separately.

NEVER buy a parrot on impulse. NEVER buy a parrot from a pet shop that is not reputable, and NEVER buy a parrot that has not been fully abundance weaned. The old tale that hand feeding a baby will enhance your relationship and strengthen the bonding is pure nonsense. It originates from ignorance and from the attempts of certain breeders to get rid of the babies so they won't have the work to wean them. Beyond that, hand feeding requires expertise and extensive knowledge. More that one parrot baby has died as a result of improper hand feeding. Parrots are instinctively programmed to bond to new care givers more than once and buying a properly weaned and socialized bird is sure to save you grief, work and bleeding fingers. ALWAYS buy your bird from a reputable breeder or pet store. I'll deal with the issue of weaning, socializing and fledging separately.

Plan purchasing a parrot as if you were going to have a human baby. There are excellent books, which deal with behavior, environment and diet. One is by Sally Blanchard the noted behaviorist: Handbook for Companion Parrots, another is by Bonnie Munro-Doane: My Parrot, My Friend, who, incidentally uses noted child psychologists as references--that alone should tell you something. Now there is a new book, My Human, My Slave, written from the bird's perspective by Echo Bird and Dust Bunny 'Too. All of them are excellent and will provide you with invaluable information.

Not to prepare yourself means that you are setting yourself up for failure and eventually your bird will join the other 8,000 or so--another shining example of our failure to care for a living, thinking, and feeling treasure entrusted to us.

Having a parrot companion can be pure joy, an exhilarating experience--the responsibility for success or failure is entirely ours.

Please, always remember, a parrot is not merely a pet. It is a child from another world. Parrots are extremely intelligent--in many cases they are smarter than your neighbor's neighbor (Layne Dicker). More about that to come.