Emotional Support Bird | Tweet-ment You’ve Been Waiting For

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When most people hear the phrase “emotional support animal,” they first think of cats and dogs. However, canines and felines are not the only options. If you’re a bigger fan of feathers than fur, you can have an emotional support bird. Not only do you get to enjoy their singing, but you also have an animal friend who can talk back.

In this article, we’ll look at how ESA birds can help you, how you can get one, and what challenges you may face along the way. We’ll also show you how to stop your landlord from ruffling your feathers when it comes to living with your emotional support bird.

What Is an Emotional Support Animal?

Imagine having a roommate who’s at home all the time and whose only job is helping you manage stress and anxiety. Now, imagine that roommate is a little furry, scaly, or feathery fellow. That’s what having an emotional support animal is like.

Emotional support animals aren’t like regular pets. They’re protected by the Fair Housing Act (FHA), a federal law that gives people with disabilities the right to live with an animal that helps them deal with the effects of their condition.

If you present a legit ESA letter to your landlord, they have to let your ESA move in unless they can prove it’ll be an undue burden or direct threat. You’re also exempt from paying a pet deposit or pet rent, as your bird is not a pet.

Can a Bird Be an Emotional Support Animal?

As long as you’ve got a valid ESA letter and your local laws and living situation allow for it, any animal can be an ESA—including birds. In fact, birds make great emotional support animals: they’re friendly, they’ll bond with you easily, and you can teach them to respond to their names and perform tricks.

Depending on the bird you choose, their songs and gentle chirping can make soothing background noise, and their colorful plumage is a sight to behold.

If your emotional support bird is a smaller breed, space also isn’t much of an issue. Their cages need to be about twice the size of their wingspan, which can take up significantly less space than a dog or a cat would.

How To Get an Emotional Support Bird?

While it would be lovely to be able to show up at a pet shop or breeder and just get your new ESA bird, there are a few steps you need to take to comply with the FHA regulations. Here’s how to make your bird an emotional support animal in four steps:

  1. Determine whether you qualify for an ESA
  2. Undergo an evaluation
  3. Get your ESA letter
  4. Present the letter to your landlord

Determine Whether You Qualify for an ESA

The first and most important step is establishing whether you’re eligible for an ESA. To qualify, you’ll usually need to have a condition listed in the newest edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5-TR), with some of the most common being:

  • Anxiety
  • PTSD
  • Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder 
  • Bipolar Disorder
  • Schizophrenia
  • Phobias (particularly social phobias)

If you can relate to any of these or a similar condition (even if you haven’t been diagnosed), you should speak to a licensed mental health professional (LMHP). They can help you determine whether getting an ESA will be helpful in your situation and guide you through the next step.

Undergo an Evaluation

Once you’ve established you have a solid reason for an ESA, it’s time to make it official by getting evaluated for your ESA letter. To make sure your letter holds up under the FHA, find an LMHP who practices in your state. You don’t have to go in person, though. As long as you’re undergoing an actual medical evaluation, doing it online works too.

The professional in question doesn’t even have to be a therapist. Here are other kinds of qualified professionals who can do the evaluation:

They’ll talk to you about your mental health history, current symptoms, and how they impact your daily life to see whether getting an ESA will help you.

Before you go in for an evaluation, check your state laws. In states like Iowa, Arkansas, and California, you need to have a prior 30–day relationship with your healthcare provider before they can write you a legit ESA letter. 

Get Your ESA Letter

If your LMHP decides that you’ll benefit from an ESA, they’ll write you an official document in the form of an ESA letter. You usually don’t have to wait too long for the letter. Sometimes, an LMHP may provide it during the evaluation. 

However, before showing the letter to your landlord, check it to ensure it meets all FHA requirements.

Here’s a breakdown of what you need to look for:

Information Details
Official formatting
  • Written on the LMHP’s official letterhead
Information about you
  • Confirmation that you have a mental disability under DSM-5
  • Your full name
  • Explanation that you need an ESA
Information about the therapist
  • LMHPs’ state license number
  • National Provider Identification Number
  • Contact information

Keep in mind that your LMHP doesn’t have to write you a letter. They can reject you if they decide an ESA is not a good fit for you.

Present the Letter to Your Landlord

Going through the evaluation and getting your letter doesn’t mean you’re out of the woods yet. Depending on whether your landlord tends to be in a foul mood, presenting the letter may be the most stressful part of the process. The best thing you can do here is be direct. Speak to your landlord privately or email them explaining the situation.

If you didn’t have a plucky pal when you moved in, do this before you find one. While the FHA will stop the landlord from rejecting your letter without good reason, it does say that they’re allowed to enforce their no-pet policy if you bring in your ESA before giving them time to check your letter. So play it safe and cover your bases, and the landlord will have to make “reasonable accommodation” for you and your little wingman.

If they deny your legitimate request without a good reason, you can file a complaint with the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the main enforcer of the FHA. ESAs enjoy strong protections, and discrimination can result in fines as high as $16.000 for a first offense.

Best Birds for Emotional Support

With your letter in hand and the landlord informed, it’s time for the best part of the process—finding your new ESA bird buddy.

Before choosing a feathered friend to bring home, consider their breed. While birds have strong individual personalities, breed plays a large role in their needs and habits.

With that in mind, here are some of the best ESA bird breeds:

  • Parakeet: If you like having a small, colorful friend who’ll chirp the day away, go with the parakeet. These friendly little birds are known for bonding closely with their owners, and they’re gifted at mimicking sounds, so you’ll never have a dull moment with this ESA parrot
  • Cockatiel: Another smaller parrot, cockatiels are well known for their orange cheeks, tiny mohawks, and penchant for singing to their owners. These birds love physical interaction and enjoy sitting on your shoulders
  • Macaw: When someone says “parrot,” these birds are what most people think of first. Large and in charge, Macaws can imitate entire conversations. They enjoy attention and will call out when they want a reaction from you
  • Dove: The only non-parrots on the list, doves are much quieter and less colorful. They’re easier to care for and don’t seek out your attention as much as the other birds. Doves coo instead of chirping or talking, which can be soothing

The Challenges of Emotional Support Birds

Coming home with your new ESA bird friend can be exciting, but if you’re not ready for it, hidden challenges can swoop in and replace that excitement with stress. Here are three potential issues you should look out for:

  1. State and local laws
  2. Disagreements with landlords and neighbors
  3. Bad ESA letters

State and Local Laws

Always check your state and local laws before you bring your new feathery friend with you. If you’re not getting anything more exotic than a macaw, most states—aside from Hawaii and New Jersey—won’t make you jump through any special hoops. 

If you’re going for anything more exotic, though, you should do your due diligence before the law clips your wings. This may include applying for special permits and proving you can meet specific housing requirements. While your ESA letter grants you strong protections under the FHA, it can’t override state-level exotic animal laws and permit requirements. 

Even if your ESA bird is legal state-wide, local ordinances may raise concerns about noise, cage size, and bird numbers. Your ESA letter should make this a non-issue, but it becomes a whole other story if your bird is misbehaving. 

Disagreements With Landlords and Neighbors

Your legitimate ESA letter means that your landlord can’t reject your request without proving that your bird is a threat or a burden. However, this doesn’t mean that complaints won’t happen. 

Here are some of the most common neighbor concerns:

  • Noise: While you may enjoy listening to your winged friend sing, your neighbors may not appreciate its talents as much. This can especially become an issue if your bird likes to sing in the morning and late at night. In cities like Atlanta, any animal noise that’s been going on persistently for longer than 10 minutes can land you in hot water with the police
  • Smell: One upside of having a bird is that it doesn’t have to be taken outside to go to the bathroom. Unfortunately, this also means that you’ll have to clean the bedding in its cage regularly so that the smell doesn’t build up and drift into shared spaces
  • Allergies: Although they’re not as common as cat and dog allergies, bird allergies still do happen. In cases like these, things can get tricky. Generally, your landlord must try to find a way to accommodate both you and the allergic neighbor

When you get a complaint, your landlord should first speak to you and see if you can address any concerns together. If they skip this step and try to evict the bird or you, you can take the legal route, as one woman in New York did

Fake ESA Letters

If you’ve been looking up ESA letters online, you’ve probably seen the soaring number of websites offering cheap or free letters while making the process sound as simple as cracking an egg.

The unfortunate truth about those websites is that the instant ESA letters they offer are likely not real. These fake ESA letters won’t just make your landlord kick you and your bird out when they find out, but may result in fines in states like Colorado.

With so many options to choose from, it can be hard to know which ones are legit. This is where Your Service Animal steps in. Through the platform, you connect to a network of LMHPs who will follow legal and ethical standards to help you get your ESA letter without the stress or risk.

Why Your Service Animal Is a Great Option

Your Service Animal is an online platform that offers you a way to get your legitimate ESA letter hassle-free, no matter where you live.

The platform connects you with LMHPs in your state, ensuring that your letter meets all legal requirements. Here’s how Your Service Animal soars above the competition:

Feature Explained
Free quick online quiz Do a short quiz to see if you qualify for a letter before you get invested in the process
Vetted LMHP network Speak with a professional LMHP who specifically practices in your state
Quick letter turnaround Get your letter in the mail 24–48 hours after the consultation
Completely online process You can do the process online from start to finish. Say goodbye to waiting in line or sitting in traffic
100% refund guarantee Don’t worry about wasting money. If you don’t qualify for a letter or your landlord rejects it, you get a full refund

Get Your ESA Letter Quickly

Ready to welcome a new bird into your nest? Here’s what you need to do:

  1. Find out if you’re a good fit for an ESA letter with our online quiz
  2. Schedule an online appointment with a licensed mental health practitioner in your state
  3. Attend the online call and receive your ESA letter if clinically appropriate
  4. Receive a full refund if the therapist doesn’t issue an ESA letter or your landlord rejects your letter

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Get 100% of your money back if you’re not approved or your ESA letter is not accepted.

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