Should You Get A Hand-Raised Baby Parrot?

Considering your first baby bird! That is so exciting!

You probably have seen all the ads online for hand-raised baby birds. Should you get a hand-raised bird? This post contains a balanced pros and cons list that way you can make the best decision for you and your family that suits your beliefs best! This is a completely personal choice so it is up to you to determine whether a human-raised/hand-raised or parrot-raised baby bird is best for you!

Hand-Raised
Pros	Cons
Already is familiar people More adjusted to humans and the human environment Require Human interaction Prefer humans to their species	Birds can view humans as their “mate” During breeding season birds can get quite aggressive towards mates that do not respond how a bird mate would. Can get aggressive towards other people trying to interact with the bird “mate”(human caregiver) They are not as well adjusted to standing on perches, climbing and other natural bird behaviours because their avian parents never got to teach them how to be a bird.

Parrot-Raised
Pros	Cons
Better at flying/climbing Less risky to have the parents feed and care for the bird than humans who could unintentionally aspirate the bird Very good at communicating with other birds in your flock Allows parents to do what they naturally want to do (be parents) rather than immediately go back and lay more eggs	Requires owners to learn body language (a con to some) Prefer the company of another bird Can be nervous around humans and the human environment You have to do all the work with training, the bird will not be bonded to you as if you handfed it because it did not rely on you for food.