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Home customization

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Home customization

Postby cstone01 » Tue Dec 10, 2019 3:17 pm

My husband and I are starting the process of designing a custom home to be moved into in about 2- 3 years. We get to decide on all the little details and I was wondering if there is anything y’all can think of to parrot proof the house/ give them good spaces. I’ve already found marble window sills and chair rails, along with doortop tiles. We have an Alexandrian and we plan on getting a macaw a few years after the move. Note: Money isnt a concern in the build so even if it would just make them happy it will be considered.
cstone01
Cockatiel
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 69
Number of Birds Owned: 2
Types of Birds Owned: Alexandrine, Major Mitchell
Flight: Yes

Re: Home customization

Postby Michael » Tue Dec 10, 2019 7:09 pm

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Michael
Macaw
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is male
Posts: 6286
Location: New York
Number of Birds Owned: 3
Types of Birds Owned: Senegal Parrot, Cape Parrot, Green-Winged Macaw
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Re: Home customization

Postby Pajarita » Thu Dec 12, 2019 10:46 am

You should not have a whole lot of trouble with an alex or a macaw because neither are big time chewers (like cockatoos are, for example) but off the top of my head:

- no ceiling fans
- buffer zones in each exit to the outdoors
- covers for electrical wires and outlets
- non-toxic paint
- non-toxic plants (although if you are planning on allowing them to roam, I doubt you will be able to keep any plant in one piece :lol: )
- stainless steel screens for the windows
- I would not put any expensive paintings, tapestries on the walls, chotchkies or books anywhere (I have two parrots that delight in throwing everything off the bookshelves shelves and chewing the books and magazines)
- get covers for the sofas and chairs (or they will end up with poop on them)
- keep a basket full of things they can chew (like old magazines, toys, pieces of wood, etc) handy

I would also suggest you keep a birdroom where they can sleep so you can put a humidifier in there. The reason for this is that they need high humidity, which people find uncomfortable and destroys your furniture, draperies, paintings, etc so having a room to themselves where they can have the environmental specs they need is always useful and healthy for them. AND, if you can have this room with an exit to an outdoor aviary... well, that would be fabulous for them, right?

I would also urge you to consider the fact that you are planning on getting a second bird of a completely different species to the one you now have... Parrots are flock birds and benefit immensely from having a companion of their own species. I know that people say that if you get another one and they don't bond is more work for you but even when they don't bond, they will get along and they will have somebirdy to speak to in their own language. I mean, if I was in an alien world, I would like to have another human to speak to even if I did not fall in love with him...
Pajarita
Norwegian Blue
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 18701
Location: NW Pa
Number of Birds Owned: 30
Types of Birds Owned: RoseBreasted too, CAG, DoubleYellowHead Amazon, BlueFront Amazon, YellowNape Amazon, Senegal, African Redbelly, Quaker, Sun Conure, Nanday, BlackCap Caique, WhiteBelly Caique, PeachFace lovebird, budgies,
Flight: Yes

Re: Home customization

Postby Michael » Thu Dec 12, 2019 12:17 pm

Speaking of high humidity, my bird room floor is cement with radiant heat so we just leave the floor wet in winter as a natural humidifier. The tile walls help keep the humidity in.
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Michael
Macaw
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is male
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Location: New York
Number of Birds Owned: 3
Types of Birds Owned: Senegal Parrot, Cape Parrot, Green-Winged Macaw
Flight: Yes

Re: Home customization

Postby cstone01 » Sat Dec 14, 2019 8:25 pm

What about food areas? Obviously we will have the kitchen shut off but if we had an open concept breakfast area/prep area should we make sure there’s a door. Right now he has access to where we eat but not access to where we cook
cstone01
Cockatiel
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 69
Number of Birds Owned: 2
Types of Birds Owned: Alexandrine, Major Mitchell
Flight: Yes

Re: Home customization

Postby Pajarita » Sun Dec 15, 2019 10:28 am

Well, whether the kitchen is enclosed or open depends on your cooking/eating habits, actually. I only use stainless steel, copper or enameled pots so there are no bad fumes when I cook and the birds are always in their cages when I do (which is not as often as my husband would like :D ) so I do not have a door to the kitchen but I do have a black-out curtain to prevent the light in the kitchen reaching the dining room where some of my birds cages are. And they all fly into the kitchen in the morning - so much so that we have pine boards on the top of the cabinets for their chewing pleasure (we learned the hard way that the edges and corners of the tops of kitchen cabinets -especially moldings!- are a favorite chewing material for them)
Pajarita
Norwegian Blue
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 18701
Location: NW Pa
Number of Birds Owned: 30
Types of Birds Owned: RoseBreasted too, CAG, DoubleYellowHead Amazon, BlueFront Amazon, YellowNape Amazon, Senegal, African Redbelly, Quaker, Sun Conure, Nanday, BlackCap Caique, WhiteBelly Caique, PeachFace lovebird, budgies,
Flight: Yes

Re: Home customization

Postby cstone01 » Sun Dec 15, 2019 6:00 pm

We don’t use anything coated for pans but I’m terrified of him landing on the stove etc. I knew someone years ago whose bird died after a hot water cooking incident and I would hate for something like that to happen. A couple months ago he had been let in and managed to grab a huge cooked shrimp and eat the whole thing so I am also afraid of him getting stuff he shouldn’t in there.
cstone01
Cockatiel
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 69
Number of Birds Owned: 2
Types of Birds Owned: Alexandrine, Major Mitchell
Flight: Yes

Re: Home customization

Postby Pajarita » Mon Dec 16, 2019 9:39 am

I never cook anything when they are loose. I don't even heat water -I am a big tea drinker but, when they are out, I use the microwave to heat up the water. And I never have any food whatsoever out - I hide everything! I put a stainless steel big bowl over the one that has the fruit that is out ripening (right now, there is a cantaloupe and two mangoes in there) and keep my breakfast toast in the cupboard and get up every few minutes to take a bite out of it so the birds don't get it (I put cream cheese on it and the birds LOVE it and are always trying to steal a big bite out of it). Living with parrots is not easy... one needs to be on constant alert for danger and forever tweaking routines BUT you get used to it and, as you find the 'mistakes', you correct them and continue the new 'normal' forever after until you have 99% under control (and I say 99% because I don't think any of us ever gets 100% of everything under control with them).
Pajarita
Norwegian Blue
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 18701
Location: NW Pa
Number of Birds Owned: 30
Types of Birds Owned: RoseBreasted too, CAG, DoubleYellowHead Amazon, BlueFront Amazon, YellowNape Amazon, Senegal, African Redbelly, Quaker, Sun Conure, Nanday, BlackCap Caique, WhiteBelly Caique, PeachFace lovebird, budgies,
Flight: Yes

Re: Home customization

Postby Michael » Tue Dec 17, 2019 11:23 am

^ That's what you gotta do when you have birds. The only cooking my wife will do with birds around is like chopping veggies or prep. But definitely nothing hot when they are out (including not taking them out until the stove has cooled AFTER cooking).
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Michael
Macaw
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is male
Posts: 6286
Location: New York
Number of Birds Owned: 3
Types of Birds Owned: Senegal Parrot, Cape Parrot, Green-Winged Macaw
Flight: Yes

Re: Home customization

Postby Roberterop » Tue Apr 13, 2021 4:25 am

It's nice to have space for a bird room in your house. Awesome. I was actually thinking of improvising a bit more and create some automated lighting systems for them. It would be really cool to imitate their natural habitats and put jungle colors that change throughout the day with some dim lighting. It's not that hard, but you do need a good automation device that can help you with it. I found after a bit of research that Allen Bradley automation lighting devices seem to be the best. I found a good site to start looking for prices.
Last edited by Roberterop on Thu Apr 15, 2021 4:48 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Roberterop
Parakeet
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is male
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