Hey, new here. Considering a bird

[huk_shawn]

Hi, my wife, german shepherd, husky and i are considering an african grey.
We live in southern ontario. we own a spacious house, with lots of light and fresh air. We have tried to do some research and tried to look up as much information as we can to try to make the best informed decision as to whether or not we should own a parrot.

Im asking for advice, warnings, suggestions, comments, etc, to help us make a GOOD informed decision on adding another addition to our growing animal family.

thanks
Shawn

[janetafloat]

I'm sorry but with a German Shepherd & a Husky my advice would be 'don't do it'! There is no way you could 100% ensure the safety of a bird with 2 big dogs like that. People do combine dogs and birds but equally the 'bird rehoming' sites are full of people whose dogs and bird proved to be an unsafe mix, and there are a number of people on here whose bird was killed by a dog.

[deshud]

Welcome to the forum. I own 2 large,old dogs and 5 parrots. I ensure my dogs are never alone with my birds, and my birds are fully flighted so they can fly away if needed. Dogs are animals, and they have hunting instincts. You will have to bird proof your house to keep your bird safe, but it can be done. Are you dogs young and full of spunk, or like mine, old and speed bumps ( you have to walk over them). It takes extra planning and researching, but there is no reason why you cannot enjoy two different species of animals. If you have hunting dogs, no I wouldn't get the birds. You know your dogs, if you think you can keep the dogs and birds seperated all the time, it can be done. It doesn't matter how much you plan, prepare, and research, accidents always happen, that's why they call it accidents. Best of luck on your decision.

[pennyandrocky]

I have a german shepherd/pit bull mix she loves and fears my birds but she was raised with them as a puppy. my will even land on her back. I got my from my cousin after his companion was ripped apart by her father's dogs. penny and her other kudder were playing when penny chased him off the play stand he was clipped so he couldn't fly away from the dogs all they found was a pile of feathers.

[marie83]

I'm not against multi species households but you do need to ensure you have both the time and space to meet all the animals needs whilst keeping them completely separate. Even the sweetest dogs still have natural instincts which can kick in at a seconds notice even if they have been well trained and "have never done anything like it before". The grey itself would need a hell of a lot of time from you, they are sensitive birds and need a lot of attention and mental stimulation, they are not a bird you can just get out the cage for an hour or two a day (not that I think any bird should be kept like that).

You will need a really big sturdy cage, try to go bigger than the recommended minimum. Look into their dietary requirements carefully as its important you get this as good as possible. lots of toys which you are prepared to replace regularly, natural perches etc. From what I've heard greys have a tendency to be more phobic than other species so early socialisation and introductions to new objects/noises or other situations will be important too but it needs doing in the right way to avoid accidently creating problems. There's way more to it than this though as your already aware, the best thing you can do is research as much as possible and ask as many questions on here as you need to. I would also recommend reading Michaels blog (link at top of page) its very interesting and gives a lot of insight into training if you decide to go ahead. Following Michael advice you can help prevent problems arising in the first place.

[huk_shawn]

hi everyone. thank you so much for your advice and responses.
we did end up getting an african grey (Rosie). the shepherd calmed down after a while but the husky is going to be a bit more work. the bird was hand fed in the pet store (reputable) and seems very comfortable with people (wifes family has come over to seen her). the rep at the pet store had an african grey of her own and was very knowledgable and helpful. we talked to her for nearly an hour before leaving.
i feel confident everyone will calm down and we will be a big happy family.

[Pajarita]

Be always vigilant with the husky and under no circumstances have the bird out with the dog in the room. Huskies have a very high prey drive.

[William]

Remember that African Greys basically will live forever so be sure you have someone to give the bird to once you die, unless you adopt an old bird.

Lol that was some dumb advice but oh well.

QUAKER PARROTS 4 LIFE!