Birds are the messy, sassy, and smart pets that they are . Photo courtesy of freshman Elle Ferguson.
Some students that attend San Luis Obispo High School have parrots; exotic birds that people can grow very close to because they have so much emotion.
According to the CDC, some five million people own parrots in the united states.
High school students have many classes to manage, so managing a bird can be difficult, however, it depends on the person that owns the bird.
Parrots are very important to many people because they bond so well with their owners.
“The best part about owning a parrot is that they have more personality than any other animal I’ve met,” said freshman Elle Ferguson.
Parrots have many emotions making their personality more visible. Students maintaining a school life balance can be hard at times when they have responsibilities. However, ownership of a bird can prove to be an incredible experience.
“Owning a bird is like owning a feathery toddler,” said Ferguson.
Parrots often repeat things from their owner making them similar in many ways to a child that’s learning how to talk. Parrots being similar to a toddler also means that they possess qualities that are hard to manage; such as tantrums which can be hard to have patience for.
Parrots have a large region that acts as an information superhighway between the two main areas of the brain. This makes them capable of learning how to talk with their owner.
Parrots possess many emotions, and they are also very intelligent. They’re able to copy words that their owner teaches them, and some parrots are very sassy so taking care of them is tricky.
Ultimately, it depends on the type of student and if they are responsible enough for a pet. Parrots definitely are not the first pet type to have for a high school student.
If you have had multiple pets before and feel capable of handling and taking care of a sassy tantrum child get a parrot!
Sources: cdc.gov, Forbes.com