Having a pet bird while in school?

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Mecidimes

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Hey everyone, I'm a second-year medical student considering getting a budgie or two. I was asked to cross-post this in the vet school forums because it was told to me that vet students often keep pets despite their busy schedule (which makes sense for some reason....)

I'm concerned I won't have enough time to care for a bird in third year (and beyond), when my rotations happen, and that the bird(s) will get lonely even if I get a pair of them. Thoughts?

Thanks!

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Hey everyone, I'm a second-year medical student considering getting a budgie or two. I was asked to cross-post this in the vet school forums because it was told to me that vet students often keep pets despite their busy schedule (which makes sense for some reason....)

I'm concerned I won't have enough time to care for a bird in third year (and beyond), when my rotations happen, and that the bird(s) will get lonely even if I get a pair of them. Thoughts?

Thanks!
I probably wouldn't get a budgie unless you get at least two -- they're very smart, active, and social, and so shouldn't be alone. However, if you do get two or more get a big enough cage. Really - most people don't know how much room they really should have. A pair of budgies probably need a cage that's at least 3'x3'x2'; the more birds, the bigger space you'll need. If you're looking for a smaller cage size, get a less active pet bird type, like a canary (or consider a pet with lower space requirements, like a hedgehog or some reptiles). Also remember buying a bird is a long-term investment, particularly for members of the parrot family (like budgies). Budgies are pretty hardy fellows and can live 15 years with proper care, but in my experience finches are somehow much less hardy and probably have a lifespan closer to 5-7 years.
 
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Hey everyone, I'm a second-year medical student considering getting a budgie or two. I was asked to cross-post this in the vet school forums because it was told to me that vet students often keep pets despite their busy schedule (which makes sense for some reason....)

I'm concerned I won't have enough time to care for a bird in third year (and beyond), when my rotations happen, and that the bird(s) will get lonely even if I get a pair of them. Thoughts?

Thanks!
Would this be your first 'exotic' pet? This is 100% my opinion, but I don't really feel that birds make the best first exotic pet. Calliope touched on it, but people underestimate their husbandry needs in almost all cases. Many birds across species need several hours of interaction with their human in order to be mentally healthy. My classmate has to have her parrot out for several hours a day to prevent some of the typical behavior issues. Probably all birds need a cage big enough that allows them to designate parts of the cage as the eating area, latrine, and sleeping area. Those tiny colorful wire cages you see in pet stores won't cut it unless you're using them as a travel carrier.

I'm not trying to be discouraging, I've just seen a lot of people get the pretty birdies they see at PetSmart, and it just isn't always a good fit. You know yourself best, of course.

In my experience, snakes actually make pretty decent first pets when it comes to exotics. They don't have the same nutritional/lighting demands as other reptiles, usually only need to be fed 1-2x a week depending on their size/age, and are usually pretty content to hang out around your neck while you study. Snakes should be given an appropriately sized tank, though, and frozen rats/mice can be pricey. Snakes can be a pretty hefty initial investment, but will stay with you for a while without demanding your time the same way a bird would. You can set up a snake's lamps on a timer and leave them alone for weeks if you really wanted to.

Regardless of what you pick, it's a good idea to make sure there's a vet in the area capable of treating exotics if the need arises.
 
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I disagree.......birds can be quite happy without human interaction, if they have other birds to make a social group with. I would say you're right if there is only a single bird, but birds can be very happy with only bird companions. Your friend had A parrot, which is very different than having more than one bird housed together.


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Thank you so much for all the advice guys!
 
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