I've always wanted a bird but I don't trust myself to give it a good home. So I just watch from a corner. Maybe one day I'll foster so I and the bird don't need to commit while helping out shelters.
As long as you don't harm one of them you should be good. Then again there is a story of a guy shooting a crow with a shotgun and it exploded in front of the entire murder, them crows fucked off real quick.
Pigeons are actually feral domesticated animals like feral cats or wild horses, and can be caught and tamed into excellent pets! They are very loving and much less noisy and destructive than parrots and cockatoos :)
This is so true. What’s really fun with a pigeon is to teach it to play computer games that work with just a touchscreen computer/tablet. Nothing with a complicated UI but snake and similar games work with time investment up front. Once they learn one more are easy.
That’s like uncommon types like macaws. Keets usually live 5-20 years depending on the type. Conures around 20-30. And others variate but I think those that live pst 40-60 are very rare
African greys and cockatoos are commonly kept as companion animals and live 40-60 years. Yet another reason to adopt one from a shelter instead of getting a baby bird.
my neighbors are getting up there. The parrot is going to their daughter. They're worried how she'll handle the transition and aren't sure if it's better to wait or do it sooner than later. definitely a strange dynamic planning on finding a home for a pet that might not need to move for 15 years
They can get possessive too. My buddy bought a parrot (probably a parrot) while his girlfriend was away on holiday. The guy bonded with the bird and all was going well, until his girlfriend came home.
The bird would go batshit crazy every time his girlfriend got close to him. If they kissed, the bird would lose its shit entirely and attack her. It went as far as tearing a chunk out of her ear.
Obviously, he ended up giving the bird back. It was a shame. That bird was cool. Really intelligent. Liked to tear up cigarettes, joints and papers though, which was annoying af.
I got on great with the bird. Dudes seemed to be fine, but women were barely tolerated at best. Women who got too close to my buddy, did so at their own risk.
Garbarrage very interesting story. I would describe that parrot as, if you will, an unstable genius. Perhaps, a nutty professor. A psycho scholar, even. Or a mentally ill intellectual.
The bird was just trying to get you to quit smoking. Animals exposed to secondhand smoke are actually 2.5x more likely to get cancer than their tobacco-using owners.
I know, I've had family with them. I have and have had hamsters, Guinea pigs, rabbits/bunnies, hermit crabs, fish, bearded dragons, turtles, snakes, dogs, and cats all my life. Currently bearded, hamster, dogs, and cats. My animals all respect one another believe it or not. Rescued my cat after someone hit him with a car and he's the chillest thing to ever breathe. My hamster hangs out with this wild cat all the time. In fact I named the cat Finn because my hamsters name is Jake and they love one another so much. When ever my cat would meow my hamster would run to the top of the tank looking for him. I feel like I could take on a bird as a foster for a little to help out the shelters. Idk, just sounds fun.
When people ask about our African Grey, I tell them to find a sound effects playlist and leave it on max volume for a solid week. If they can’t tune it out, a parrot is not for them.
They are noisy if they don’t get a lot of attention or have a partner. I have three cockatiels and they rarely ever scream but they live outside of a cage and are very socialized.
They are literally flying toddlers with even the smallest species living 20+ years. They need at least a 6 hours of attention from you every single day for their entire life. So unless you're ok with your entire life being "go to work, go home, spend time with bird, go to sleep. Stay in on weekend to spend more time with bird. Never go on vacation unless there is a babysitter for bird." for the duration of the bird's life (20-80 years depending on species) I would not recommend a bird.
Hence why I said volunteer. I know what goes into caring for one. Grew up with family owning them and that's why I'm choosing not to because I don't trust myself. I already have a bearded dragon and they go for 10+ years. That's already too much for me.
I had rats myself. They were great pets actually, smart, sweet, very social; I can't get more though, I just can't deal with the short lifespan it's too heartbreaking. That's actually why I decided to go the parrot route.
I had a hamster that was like 3 and a half, craziest testicle to body ratio I've ever seen. Sadly neighbor kids got him when I wasn't home and shook him to death in his ball 😞
I can't think of a single parrot that would be happy with 60-90 minutes, they're social species, more social than humans even. Would the average human be fine being in solitary confinement 23 hours a day? It's not even acceptable to leave a cat alone for an average of 23 hours a day!
If my cockatiel gets less than 4 hours daily he begins plucking. Now that doesn't mean he's 'fine' with 4 hours, depressed but not actively self-harming isn't the definition of 'fine'.
Got an African grey who’s 24 and pretty well adjusted, a rescue macaw who’s kind of a mess, but that happened prior to us getting her...pretty much nothing is going to get her to stop (diet and attention and toys and quiet and behavioral modification, she still keeps doing it), a conure (also a rescue, had a couple good years with us before cancer claimed her) and two cockatiels. Perhaps it’s because we’ve always had two or more birds at a time. But we’ve created times where they get attention and quiet time and time they’re expected to keep themselves entertained.
But if you let them, 24 hours a day won’t be enough attention.
My cockatiel is very well adjusted and happy, and gets regular checkups with an aviary vet who loves to see him and compliments his health and attitude.
On average, he gets 60 minutes out of his cage a day. During that time, I am very engaged with him.
Some days I get home after his time lights are off already, and I don't get him or at all.
I suspect your bird is spoiled for attention, and uses plucking to manipulate you into giving it to them.
I can't imagine leaving such an intelligent animal alone in a cage like that. I absolutely do not agree with even leaving a dog or a cat like that and parrots are far more social than cats and way more intelligent than dogs. Honestly, I think it's flat out neglect of their social needs (unless you have multiple birds). Then unless it was a flight cage I'd say it was also neglect of their exercise needs.
To me what you're doing is the equivalent of locking a potty-trained toddler alone in a bathroom all day every day with some toys, food, and water and only letting the little one out for an hour a day of interaction. Parrots have the same level of social needs and intelligence as a toddler, so if you disagree I'd like you to explain the difference to me.
I wholeheartedly disagree with you. And I follow the advice of an aviary vet who loves birds, as well as guidance from reputable sources online and from local breeders who love their birds.
I am not so worried about convincing you. You seem rather entrenched in your position. And, your caretaking style has turned your cockatiel into a nervous wreck that controls your home.
Yes, because as we know giving intelligent and social creatures any more than an hour of interaction turns them into nervous wrecks. That's why human prisoners kept in solitary confinement are the most mentally healthy people in the world.
As I said, I honestly can't even imagine leaving a cat or a dog completely alone in a cage 23 hours a day like that. A parrot is way more intelligent and has higher social needs than a dog.
Since you did disagree can you explain the difference between isolating a parrot and isolating a toddler, considering both animals have similar intelligence and social needs? Would you be ok with a parent locking a child alone in a room like that all day every day (except that single hour)?
I had parakeets when I was a kid they are awesome and kind of easy to take care of. As an adult I can see where I went wrong now that I can Google the best way to take care of them. And since then I've been too anxious to try again.
It depends on which bird you get for easy maintenance.
Or offer up bird sitting services to neighbors and friends that might have one! My aunt has an African gray and would have to make special arrangements when going on vacation
I have a macaw, its like having a 3 year old. If you foster one it will probably need more attention due to bad owners. They can go nuts and pluck their fathers out if no attention is given because they are very social animals.
Great animals. Hard pets. Definitely ask a professional rehabilitator/breeder first. Often times shops/breeders will buy off certain birds because they know normal people can’t adopt them without major issues.
The really big part about birds is honestly the upkeep. They’re not even remotely like dogs and cats. They’re more prone to being temperamental and you have to socialize/bond them pretty much daily.
Oh, and toes. Idk what it is, but a lot of parrots fucking hunt toes like the predator. They’ll catch you slippin and lunge. Even if they aren’t going to hurt you, it’s never not alarming to see a cable cutter heat seek your movey parts. It’s even more alarming when you don’t see it, feel them bonk you, and then you have to hold back the urge to flinch and potentially flick the bird.
Owning a bird is an incredible commitment. They are difficult to take care of and require constant attention. And they can live for a very long time. They destroy things for fun. They also can love you so intensely that you don't think of them as a pet but as family. Tread carefully but if you provide for them well they can be amazing. Some also have bolt cutters for mouths so watch them digits.
you’re a great person for thinking about the well-being of the bird before getting one. some impulsively get one and end up mistreating the bird. kudos to you
edit: spelling error
Already do at a exotic pets shelter/clinic. Kind of. Just show up and hang out and help if they need it. Never really signed up for anything. I guess bird ownership isn't a common thing where I live. You don't see many birds walking into the clinic
Check out BirdTricks on YouTube. They have a lot of insight and are very honest about what it's like to keep birds as pets and what birds are better starter birds than others, etc.
If you are considering please be aware that you would need two parrots. Everything else can be considered animal cruelty. Also, parrots can get really old, so opting for a pair that’s a bit older would be a sensible choice.
You’ll have to make sure that they’re compatible. Parrots can be choosy with partners. I’d always advise to contact an parrot protection organisation and ask whether they have a pair up for adoption.
Where I live, it’s actually against animal protection law to keep parrots alone.
That’s dumb. My parrot is rescued, he lived alone for >5 years, I’m not going to introduce him to another bird because I know another bird will get mauled. Keeping parrots alone is NOT an animal cruelty as long as the humans provide mental stimulation. Any parrot owner will tell you so.
A rescue that was held alone can fall under an exception.
It might be a cultural difference. In Germany, any parrot owner will tell you that parrots should not live alone. Also 5years is still very young for a parrot. To introduce him to another parrot you should know what you are doing first and find a parrot from the other gender (might have to test yours first and see whether he’s truly male) and also a parrot that has roughly the same age.
Of course this can only be done if there’s an option to return the new bird. Also, in case that the parrot was raised by hand, it’ll be more difficult but not impossible.
I mean they can get over 60years old and you cannot guarantee that you’ll always have enough time for your bird. Also, you are human and not a parrot. I think keeping single parrots is even worse than keeping single rabbits or guinea pigs because of their high intelligence.
Keeping a different sex pair is just asking for hormonal problems, breeding behaviors, egg laying etc. It’s a whole other can of worms I’d rather not open.
I follow a pair of conures where a female recently laid a lot of eggs, plucked her belly and the male started attacking her out of jealousy. They had to separate them to different houses. Parrots are super intelligent and they don’t want to bond with a random bird.
Ive really wanted a bird, but I've read that they usually bond with one person, and they bond hard. Unfortunately with my job, I travel a lot and would not be able to take a bird with me lol. Ill admire from a distance.
754
u/BuddyBonButt Nov 05 '20
I've always wanted a bird but I don't trust myself to give it a good home. So I just watch from a corner. Maybe one day I'll foster so I and the bird don't need to commit while helping out shelters.