Need information

[roadwarriors]

Hello everyone. We are just starting our research and found this site. All the posts I have read seem to come from loving caring people that know a lot about their birds. Sorry if this has been asked a thousand times but I went through and did not see a sticky on it. Can someone point me/us in a direction to start learning about if we are the right type of people to even own a bird.

We are a very pet oriented family. We have a 2 dogs 2 cats and a turtle (So yes we seem to have a small zoo already). They are all part of the family and would not want this to be wrong for them, our kids or the new addition if we end up there after our research.

Before we even start down the path of thinking about adding a bird to the family I want to make sure it's a fit for all concerned. Taking on any living animal is a commitment for the life of an animal. That goes from kids to fish so it's not something we just jump into on a whim.

I am looking for books, websites, or personal experience. I have seen a few things on the web but don't know good info from bad at this point.

I don't mind doing the research since it can save a lot of tears and heartbreak all the way around later. At this point I don't even know what I don't know. A gentle push or even a shove in the right direction to start would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

[Wolf]

You ask an interesting question, and one the one hand it is very easy to answer it and on the other hand it is not easy as there is no one type of person who is right to own a bird and in fact birds don't belong living in houses with humans. We, like dogs and cats are predators and we get along with them and even understand them quite easily because of the fact that we are predators and have similar social structures.
A bird on the other hand is not a predator, it is a prey animal and as such it has a totally different social structure than we do as well as an alien way of looking at things. In order to even begin with a bird one must realize that a bird doesn't fit in in our world but it is we who must adjust our lives to fit in the birds frame of reference as it can not do so to fit in ours. Their brains are just not hardwired to make the changes, but ours can.
If you think that you can adjust to life with an unruly, destructive, selfish 5 year old who throws tantrums like a two year old for 50 years or more than you just might have what it takes to live with a bird.
You must also understand that no matter what you do that you can not provide an adequate environment for the birds health, welfare and happiness. None of us can.
After you have digested these facts then you are ready, If you still are interested in birds, to learn about their diets, or as much as we know, which is not enough. Even though we have kept Parrots as pets for hundreds or even thousands of years, they are not domesticated and are at the most only a couple of generations removed from their wild brothers. We know some of what they eat in the wild, but we do not know in what proportions they eat what they eat at any time of the year. The majority of captive parrots do not live in a region in which they could survive and are not fed the same foods that are found in their native habitats. All of this combines to make it difficult to provide them with proper nutrition. We are still learning about what is proper nutrition for them.
There are more than 300 different species of parrots in the world ranging from the smallest, the parrotlet, who weighs about 1 ounce to the large macaws who can bite through chain link fencing. All of them have different behaviors, different diets and different housing requirements and since they are parrots the all bite.
That is what this forum is about, discussing anything and everything about parrots and learning from each other about these magnificent creatures. Everything I have said is true and it is why there is so much conflicting information out there to sort through. If this serves to hold your interest then welcome to the forum, I hope you enjoy your time here. Read, ask questions, we will do our best to answer your questions and try to point you in the right direction if we don't know.

[Pajarita]

Yes, Wolf is correct. Personally, I think that the most important thing you need to be a good parrot keeper is to love animals. Mind you, not everybody who says he loves animals actually does (in reality, most people don't). If what you want is to get something positive for you or your family out of the relationship, you are not an animal lover, you are an animal enjoyer. An animal enjoyer can be an excellent owner of a domesticated species but it could never be a good parrot owner because you don't really have to sacrifice for dogs or cats, but you do for parrots. Big time. The difference is that an animal lover would put the animal needs before his own while the animal enjoyer would provide a good life for a pet as long as the pet adjusts to his lifestyle. But, with parrots, you need to change your whole life around them because that, and nothing less, is what is required of good parrot ownership: total commitment to the animal's wellbeing, you and your family need to come second. I am not talking about saving the parrot from a fire first and your children second, I am talking getting up super early every single day of the summer, having either a bedroom designated for the birds or walking around in darkness and speaking in very hushed tones in the evening and night in the 'human' area where the parrot is kept if you don't. Commitment to a dog is easy but it's pretty hard with parrots. For example, if there is nobody in the house willing to take over the care of the parrot during the day, to prepare fresh food every day, to do research constantly and to take constructive criticism and a good bringing down a peg or two every now and then, a parrot is not for you. If, on the other hand, you are willing to get up early on weekends and even when you are sick, to be home before 3:30 pm every single day of the winter, not take weekend trips unless it's an emergency, limit your vacations to no more than one week at a time, to have chewed up and pooped on furniture, window sills and pretty much everything else in the house, to limit your social life, etc for the next 40 or 50 years of your life then you are a parrot person.

[Wolf]

Because of the fact that it has been recently brought to my attention that some are thinking that we think that we are better and are therefor trying to discourage new owners, allow me a minute or so more of your time to explain.
Sometimes, it just seems like it might be better to try to aquaint the new perspective bird owner of the downside of parrot keeping that to always present the most enjoyable side of living with these birds. All the rescues that most of us know of are filled to capacity with unwanted birds. There is nothing wrong with the majority of these birds, most of them are there because they went through puberty and the original owners could not accept and deal with the personality changes that are brought about by puberty. Some are there simply because the owners realized that they made an error and either can't or don't want to provide the level of care and interaction that these birds require.
So, we are not trying to stop you from getting a bird, so much as to make you aware of the needs of these birds.

[Pajarita]

Indeed, we are not better, we are just crazier

[roadwarriors]

Wow thank you for the thought out and extremely informative replies. This is exactly the kind of information I needed to hear and share with the rest of the family.

We have had to change things around in our lives for our pets and put them first in the last years of their lives do to hip problems and just getting old but not for 15 years. Is it scaring me away? No not really. But it's a family commitment . My wife is used to me acting like a 5 year old throwing tantrums I might not poop on the couch but the rest sounds about right.

Is it something we are prepared to do for the next 15 years? Not sure since we have to have that conversation between us and the kids. Not like the kids will get up in the morning to feed him but they are part of this too.

Thanks for being honest and letting me know what we are agreeing to before we end up being one of those people that end up putting another bird in the shelter cause it's not what we expected.

Again Thank You!!! I will come back either way to let you know what we decide. At the very least I will be lurking after we talk. Looks like I can learn a lot here even if we don't own one. A lot of the points you made never occurred to me.

I do have one more question that came to mind and I am sure the wife will ask. We have a RV and camp on the weekends. It 37' so it's not tiny. Would it be possible to bring him/her with us. Or is that a lot of stress on and bird? It might depend on personality but I have no idea. Its a 30 minute drive and then we are parked for the weekend. Its really family time and the whole zoo is there. Yes it sounds crazy but we make it work now somehow. I don't want to leave him alone and if bringing them is a no-no it could be a very short conversation.

[Wolf]

To be honest it would depend on the bird. Personality would play a very large role in this and I am also sure that the species of parrot would also be a major factor. Some would probably thrive on it and others would just freak out.

[Pajarita]

Yep, as Wolf said, it depends on the species and the individual bird but, when you talk about a parrot, 15 years means a small one like a budgie because even cockatiels last into their twenties (Senegals are 30-40, grays and amazons 40-50, cockatoos 50-60 and macaws even longer) so, please, take those periods into consideration because longevity is a huge problem with parrots (no single person can manage).

[marie83]

I think everyone else has covered the commitment aspect and very well they have put it too. Parrots need a lot of time and money but different species will be easier for some families to fit in with than others.

Is an RV the same as a caravan or campervan? (How would you keep the cats and dogs away from the bird? even if they never try to attack their very presence would be stressful to the bird) I take Ollie away with us sometimes and he loves it (usually just overnight as I don't like leaving Harlie alone) but leave Harlie at home because she is much more nervous. If we are gone more than a night I have a trusted friend to come in and sort out the animals meals ( I will simplify their meals a bit for the sake of a week just so she can spend more time interacting with them). She generally comes in the morning and does the food and water plus a spot clean if needed, then pops back in the evening, checks the water and removes anything left from the mornings feed, she then lets them out for a while and gives them the second feed (currently seed or pellets which I pre-portion up) which makes it easy for her to put them away.

Luckily even my nervous one is ok these days with people she doesn't know well so they've kind of made the occasional holiday quite easy for us but not all birds take well to other people taking care of them or take well to travelling. Personally I wouldn't go away for more than 2-3 nights if I didn't have someone who was really experienced with animals, not afraid of the birds, willing to interact and give them one on one attention. I do give her some money or help her with her business in return though- at the end of the day she comes 3-6 miles each trip here and looking after my pets uses up a minimum of an hour and a half of her time (excluding travel time) each day- more if I'm away for longer periods- the longer I'm away for the longer I ask her to stay with them as Ollie craves human company really badly. I won't book anything until I know if my friends available. Some people choose to board their birds but personally I won't go there- I would rather pay someone to come and physically live at mine for my holiday or not go at all.

[Harpmaker]

As you have heard, it depends on the bird.

Mine appears to enjoy car trips now, but we've never taken her anywhere that takes more than an hour and a half each way. Some of her enjoyment is undoubtedly a reluctance to be parted from me. Most of her trips are 15 minutes or less. I also give her extra fruits in the travel carrier, as they serve as food and unspillable "water". She LOVES grapes.

I try to travel with at least one other person so they can drive or talk to the bird, but that isn't always possible. She used to whistle the whole trip (contact calls?) but now she behaves as she would at home.