Thinking about parrots that they are cute pet birds that can make very entertaining and lovely companions is a good way to perceive them. However, if you think these little pets are budget pets, then I recommend reconsidering this idea.
In fact, parrots are an expensive choice for pet lovers, and sometimes they will have to pay thousands of dollars to get the breed they want as a pet.
So, Why Are Parrots So Expensive?
Parrots can get expensive because of multiple factors like special care, rarity, breeding costs, medical costs, and legal restrictions. These all play a role and cause the prices of pet parrots to go ridiculously high. However, these costs apply mostly to the large breeds of parrots.
And in this article, we will dive into the financial costs of having a parrot and will go beyond that. And before you continue, read this article about The Most Expensive Parrots To Purchase.
The 5 Reasons Why Most Parrots are so Expensive
Here are the 6 reasons parrots can get very expensive, and this will include reasons that are mostly financial and about the potential effort you probably going to exert to have full advantages out of your companion parrot, and they are truly big ones.
Parrots Are Exotic Animals
Many people like parrots as they are still exotic animals, so they still possess their wild instincts within their bodies. However, these instincts are mostly safe in case the bird expressed them toward their owners. No, like other exotics like dog wolves, snakes, or tigers.
Parrots are mostly safe, and won’t be able to kill you.
And because of that, having a parrot can put a charm on that you have an exotic pet, and what will take this charm to its next level is having your pet parrot well-trained. Besides that, parrots come with many advantages, like:
- They Are obviously unique
- You can avoid the need to walk them if you trained them to fly outdoors and come back when you call them
- They need to a relatively small and stable place for their cage
- Long lifespans, in most cases
- And of course they can talk
- Parrots are extremely Smart
Honestly, there are a lot of advantages to having a pet parrot as your companion that I can’t count here, and these will lead to the next factor Why Are Parrots so expensive Naturally.
Rarity
Yes, most pet parrots breeds are rare, not only because they are in high demand but also because of the lack of supply. Yes, lack of supply means higher prices for anything.
I know parrots are very common as pets. In fact, parrots are the most common exotic pet and the lack of supply might not make any sense, but in reality, it does actually, and almost all year around.
And to feel the sense behind that, let’s suppose that you wanted to purchase an African grey parrot, and your friend wanted to buy a german shepherd puppy.
Both must be males, 6 months old at most, trained, well-socialized, and healthy.
How long do you think your friend will need to find the puppy he wants, and how long would it take you to find such an African grey parrot?
If you don’t know, let me tell you it’s very hard to find a pet parrot with such criteria, and you will end up making calls for maybe months before you get what you want. Not to mention the possibility of getting deceived by the pet store or any seller you have to deal with.
Unless you know a breeder of the breed you like, which is the best way to buy a pet parrot, and in most cases, this will save you the costs of tests to know the parrot gender, at least if the breeder did it.
So, do you think parrots are still common and easy to find?
And the reason behind this rarity is that the only way to get a parrot is from a specialized breeder and guess what breeding parrot is extremely hard, not anyone can make his pair of parrots breed. It takes a huge amount of preparation and effort.
While considering the breeding process in cats and dogs, you find that it’s mostly about getting female and male individuals, providing them with food and supply, and just waiting for them, while in parrots it is significantly more than that.
Parrots Need Special Care
Food, water, and free time cats and dogs mostly want to thrive as pets. For parrots, this is not necessarily the case. Parrots will require way more than that.
Brain stimulation is what pet parrots need besides food, water, etc. and unlike dogs and cats, parrots can’t do this on their own and they will require external sources of stimulation, and this is all on you to provide.
You can provide that either by interaction, toys, or by getting a couple of parrots from the different sex in the same cage after you introduce them properly. However, this won’t be sufficient in the long run, especially when the toys get older.
The only sufficient way to keep a parrot stimulant is by social interaction, training, and playing. These are the best ways to entertain a parrot, and interaction is what most parrots love and have a lot of fun out of it.
Legal Restrictions
Global legal restrictions contribute to the rarity of pet parrots in many countries around the world. These restrictions aim to preserve parrot species within their natural habitat.
Apart from that, some parrot breeds are illegal to raise in some states like Quaker parrots, and by any chance, if you raised a Quaker in one of these states, then consider crossing to another state to find a proper avian vet.
Lack of Avian Medical Care
The medical care for parrots differs from other pets like dogs and cats, and not every vet can treat parrots, so looking for avian care services can cost more money, so be prepared and don’t the sickness of your parrot surprise you when it happens.
Diet
It’s a must to provide your parrot with a healthy diet, at least if you want it to live its life at full potential. Not doing that is actually cruel and if you can’t provide your parrot with the best quality of formulated food, veggies, and fruits, then I highly recommend not getting a pet parrot.
How much is the food cost per month?
And to answer, consider putting about $100 aside for your pet parrot supplies, smaller breeds of parrot can cost you less than that.
Parrots Are a Long Term Commitment
Compared to dogs and cats, parrots can live extremely long and their lifespans can reach 80 years with some breeds like macaws.
And of course, this comes with an expectancy of good medical care and diet, which will cost way too much than dogs and cats.
Parrots Will Cost You More Than Money
Apart from the financial side, parrots can cost a lot of effort and time, especially if the pet parrot is not trained. Then you have to train it yourself or you will need to ask for professional service which will cost more money.
Training the parrot is essential to have the full experience of your bird. Leaving the parrot untrained alone in the cage for a long time will cause severe depression and anxiety, and eventually, your bird will start plucking, refusing food, and maybe it will lead its multiple serious health problems.
Conclusion
Finding a parrot of your desire, training it, and taking care of it can make an enormous challenge on many levels, not only financially, but as an owner, you have overcome this challenge to get the reward of having a smart, lovely pet parrot. However, if you want a parrot with the least financial costs, I recommend considering getting smaller breeds like cockatiels, budgies, or Quakers.
And yup, that’s about it, hope you find this article informative and easy to digest, thank you for reading…
Hello, my name is sadeq and I am obsessed about parrot And I am here to share everything about raising pet parrots and how to be good owners to your bird.
