Prospective owner seeks knowledge

[nanniesrock]

Hi all! My name is Andrea and I am here to learn.
As a stay at home Mom, I spend plenty of time in my kitchen. I enjoy watching all of my backyard birds at their various feeders so much it got me thinking... Maybe birds aren't just for outside?
Before I jump the gun and go crazy, I want to make sure this is going to be a good fit. I do not believe in "sending back" a pet.
I already have a rescue group in mind if we do go ahead with adoption, but I thought this would be the best place to figure all of that out.
Please bear with me, I'm entirely new to all of this.
Some of the questions I have are:
How easy/ difficult is it to have a parrot, who I would of course want to have out as much as possible, with other pets?
This sounds silly but... Do they just potty wherever?
I think those are good starters.
Thanks in advance for any help!
~Andrea

[Wolf]

Although it is possible to have parrots along with other animals in the home, it is not always easy. In addition to trying to train the other animals to leave the bird alone, you must always keep a very close watch on the other animals as well as the bird whenever there is even the remotest chance that they can come into contact with each other. You can never truly trust a predator when it is around a prey animal.
Since you have your eye on a rescue to adopt a bird from, may I suggest that you take the next step, which is to volunteer at the rescue for a period of time. This will give you exposure to many different types and sizes of parrots in a setting where you can learn more about their care, their different personalities and acquire some actual experience with them. It also make it likely that you will find a bird that chooses you instead of the other way and that is a good thing as that is the best way to acquire a bird such as a parrot. It also makes the transition when adopted much easier on the bird.

[Chantilly]

And you can toilet train them to poo on comand but sometimes if they really just 'need to go' they will. Also potty training them isnt advised for some birds will hold on for a long time so that when you next say 'do a poo' it can please you and do so. My bird is toilet trained, but she dosnt hold on and when she needs to poo she will. Its just a matter of me taking her to her cage and asking her to poo before she does it anywhere else
Parrots are pretty demanding but having a happy one is very rewarding. In my oppinion they act more like a child than any other pet. Yes they are messy moody and sometimes noisy but they are also loving, playful, funny, cuddly and georgious have a georgious personality.
I think it is best to keep the parrot in the cage whe there are other animals in, especially if the other animal is a cat. Dogs you could possibly have her out with, but you would have to be there 100% and have the parrot on you, and if it flies of you would have to go off at the dog if it follows. Our dogs no no to go anywhere near our parrot but they had to get into trouble to know that, but if our chickens or ducks fly into their yard the dogs dont hesitate to attack even though they know they will get in trouble for it.
What are the other animals?
I also agree with Wolf and would volonteer with the birds for a while so you can get an idea of their nature and your bird can get an idea of yours.

[Pajarita]

Welcome, Andrea and kudos for doing a thorough research before you bring a bird into your home!

To answer your question of is it possible that birds are not only meant to be outside, the answer, I am afraid, is no. Birds are meant to be outside. They evolved to live outdoors and living indoors means physical and emotional lacks for them. But, taking into consideration that, unfortunately for them, they are already here, dependent on us and without survival skills so they cannot be send back to the wild, and that you are going to adopt instead of buying a baby from a breeder, your bringing one into your home is a good, kind thing to do and I commend you for it.

I have dogs and cats, also, and I have never had a single bird hurt by either one BUT I have worked out the infrastructure and schedules to make this possible - for example, the cats are restricted to their own room and the dogs to the kitchen when the birds are out flying. Once the birds go back in their cages, the cats and dogs are allowed to come out. Even though I still train them not to touch or even approach a cage or bird and reinforce the commands continuously.

As to potty training, actually, from a health point of view, this is NEVER recommended. Birds have very fast metabolisms and holding 'it' in is never good (not for birds, children, dogs, cats, etc) - there have been cases of actual cloacal prolapse because of potty training. Is it a pain in the neck to end up with poop on furniture, floors, clothes and even your own head? Yes, of course it is! But, the way I see it, if you cannot live with a little extra work (which is, in reality, all it takes to wipe it out as it happens), you are not going to work out as a parrot person. Parrots are not easy pets. They require huge adjustments to our lifestyle as well as a longer commitment than one has to one's own children... they are noisy, messy, destructive, labor intensive, expensive and the most worrisome pet you can ever have so believe me when I tell you that a little poop is the least of a parrot keeper's troubles!