I’ll never understand it. Never. I wrote a piece about this very subject at About.com and ranted a little bit about this. It makes me uncomfortable that people think smaller birds are somehow “experimental” in nature and that they are gong to learn how to take care of the bird they “really” want in the first place. This pisses me off.
You can read the piece I wrote at “About.com” in the Pet Birds section found right here. Just click on the logo:
Patricia Sund
Parrot Nation 
June 15, 2015 at 10:35 am
Patricia, I think you righteous indignation has boiled over in regards to “starter” birds. When people use the term “starter” they in no way mean experimental or a throw away bird. My first bird was a Green Cheek Conure when in fact I would have chosen a larger one (if in fact they would have chosen me first) but the intimidation factor of a larger one was a bit overwhelming. I had done months of research beforehand and was aware that Green Cheeks could be nippy and that there were a much bigger bird in a small body. Today, four years later, Molly (my starter bird) and I are very happy with a second Green Cheek (Cody), a CAG (Gracie) & a Red Bellied Parrot (Clover). I don’t tend to throw around the term “starter bird” but if it had not been used in regards to my first adoption then who knows what may have happened. Ease up a little Patricia!
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June 15, 2015 at 10:37 am
I simply find it disrespectful to the little guys.
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June 15, 2015 at 11:24 am
I understand your frustration as well as the use of the term. On the one hand one can argue it makes sense for people to start with a smaller bird, get a feel for what it means to have birds. However I would argue that in the wrong mind it could create this idea of a trial bird. I can’t speak from experience with little birds as my first was a CAG but I do believe that owning a big bird is a “bigger” task. NO doubt small birds can deliver serious bites but their worst bite will pale in comparison to what a bigger bird can deliver. The noise level created by a big bird – depending on the bird – has the potential to be nearly unmanageable in certain settings; a screeching small bird is no doubt loud but a screaming Cockatoo is NOT to be messed with.
Tracy is a bird person it sounds so for her starter is certainly the right term however there are plenty of people who just want a bird because they look so cool and a small bird probably will not meet their desire. I’m generalizing of course but I think there’s a valid argument for both sides.
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June 16, 2015 at 10:53 am
There is some bird easier than other, of course it’s depend of the person too. You can be more an amazon person or a african grey person or any other kind of parrot/parrotlet person.
Each species are different and each individual birds are different but there is some common behaviour between every parrots/parrotlet like only the positive reinforcement works.
I don’t know if I understand well your frustration but I feel it like you are sad about theses people taking a bird without knowing basics things about them because they think “this bird is suppose to be easy so I will learn with it”. I think this is a big problem, not only for parrotlet but also for bigger birds and other pets. How many birds are to sell because of “moving” or “don’t time to take care of it anymore” ?
There is other kind of person selling birds away this second kind have learn what is bird and how to take care of one. Theses people haven’t have a bird before and despite of there learning you can’t know if they will like having a bird.
I think when you bring a pet to your home you have to keep it for life. Larger bird live longer and I think if now owner don’t like having birds they wouldn’t say with a bird for 40 years and they will try to sell it to other persons with less knowledge make it depressed, aggressive or in danger.
Even if I love parrots and parrotlets I don’t have enough space to take all parrot peoples don’t want anymore. So with people I know I always try to make them buy a small bird with low life expectancy because I know if something goes wrong I can take the bird or they would keep it.
Like most people wants bigs birds you have to found arguments and I always used the “starter bird” arguments.
For me “starter bird” are not birds to learn how to take care of larger bird but mostly birds with a better behaviour (less screaming and/or lower screaming, learn and forgive easier, need of less space, less time) and a hidding characteristic less life expectancy.
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May 23, 2016 at 4:20 am
I absolutely agree with everything you’ve said. I don’t think it reflects badly on Tracy here, or anyone else who HAS done their homework and decided to choose a budgie or a quacker. There is nothing wrong with caring for a smaller bird, obviously.
That said, I have seen way too many people who think of budgies as “expandible” mockups for “real” parrots and that is just so wrong. A while ago, someone in a parrot Facebook group asked about getting a very young African Grey chick and hand feeding it on his own, with no prior experience in the process. He was getting warnings left and right about how complicated the process is and how he could easily hurt his bird by overfeeding, underfeeding or just not placing the syringe in its mouth the right way. His reply was… “Don’t worry, I’ll get a budgie chick first to practice on!”. I was livid!
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