How much daily attention does a parrot need ?

[coolhady13]

hi everybody

i couldnt find a clear answer for this question on the internet , so can someone please tell me how much time should be spent with a parrot daily ? i read somewhere that its minimum 3 hours ?

also i read that the bigger the parrot the more attention it needs or something like that
so does the amount of time that should be spend differ from 1 parrot to another

i know its an idiot question but school is about to start and have to manage my time between birds time and studying and other activities and dont tell me to get rid of my birds i can get rid of some activities to free more time for my birds but i would to know the least amount of time possible to be spend with my parrots that would make them happy and avoid problems like screaming plucking feathers and stuff ( i know im sounding like a bad guy )

[Mum2rory]

No, you are not sounding like the bad guy. You are trying to be responsible to the needs of your birds. I cannot really answer. All I know is that I spend as much time as possible with my birds, this includes out of cage time plus in cage time where I do spend time just talking/singing to them. Some days they get more out of cage time than other days. Tues & Wed are bad days for me cos I work during the day, so I spend more time with them at night, I dont work the other 5 days (but do 2 nights) so they get more day time spent with them. The birds seem to be happy and they seem to know the "routine" I dont think that they are being afffected by my work schedule. You just need to work out when you can spend time with them and make it quality time. Good luck

[sidech]

It's not how much they need - animals adapt to the life we give them. It's about giving your parrot the minimum correct amount of time that you will be able to provide for his entire lifetime.

This is to avoid behavior problemS dowm the line, in 3 or 5 years, maybe, when and if your life changes. Parrots life a very long time, so we have to think ahead to protect them.

[coolhady13]

i see , thank a lot for your reply mum2rory and sidech

so i should spend as much time as possible and the minimum correct amount of time that i will be able to provide for his entire lifetime

[sidech]

In my opinion, yes.

That means if you are a student now, and are able to give him attention for 8 hours a day, you still have to think that one day, you will be working and your bird will be alone all day. So, knowing that, you make sure your parrot sometimes spends the whole day in his cage and only comes out at night, even if you're home. Other times, he can be out all day, or 2 hours in the morning, and 30 minutes at night. You just have to make sure your bird is independant enough to adapt with ease to your future life situations.

[GlassOnion]

Honestly, birds should be given a flexible schedule so they are used to change. Mine are out of their cage for several hours a day and they also have each other for companionship. You need to know that it's not only about 'out of cage time', it's about giving your bird things to do all day. A bored bird is very unhappy.

[Zanizaila]

Well, if you think about how they live in the wild - extremely social creatures that are even more social than we are, and are next to never alone - three hours of companionship a day means 21 lonely hours in a cage, every day for their entire lives. That would mean torture for a highly social flock animal.

If you can't be around the bird for eight hours or more every day (they should sleep about 10-12 hours, which makes it 12-14 hours of being awake), get two.
I am home and with my birds all day, except for when I'm walking the dog. But I still feel that no human can give them the companionship they need, so they will get "roommates" (cagemates) of their own kind anyway.

[liz]

They need all the attention that you can possibly give them. Attention also means being in the same room and talking to them.

I am housebound with my mother and aunt but don't have time to take my tiels and lovies out but once a week. I talk to them as I go through my housework. I sing to them at night whle I am closing the house down for he night. I can't tell if they are singing with me or trying to drown me out.

[dragonlady2]

It also depends on the species. I have 6 Asiatic parrots. They seem to get along fine without a lot of direct attention. They get out of cage time and they have things to do in their cage. They do not have cagemates but all my birds are in one room so there is a lot of vocal interaction. I don't necessarily agree with the idea that a cage is a negative. When my birds are out, they will go back in numerous times. I believe they see the "cage" as their home, place to sleep, play etc. It's all what they get used to and what you put into place. And just as another comment, I have heard many owners say their birds do not play or chew toys. I acquired 3 birds that supposedly did not play/chew toys. I just kept getting different things until I found which ones they liked. All 3 play/chew something and they all love foot toys. Just keep things new and interesting by rotating and switching out the toys.

[liz]

Helena do you let them all out at the same time?