San Diego Parrot keeping

[fabaceae]

OK, I see the point you are both making. I guess I was assuming there would be reasonable shelter within the outside cage, at least comparable to what the birds could find in the wild. I agree that keeping a parrot (or any other bird) outside in an open cage with no shelter from the elements is a bad idea. However, most people provide appropriate shelter even for their chickens (originally a tropical species) and their pigeons (originally a subtropical species). I'm just all for thinking outside the box.

By the way, the other day I went to a place that had budgies, lovebirds, and others in a small unheated modular store office. The door was open during business hours, with recent daytime temps in the 30's and nights in the teens. The birds were some of the healthiest I have seen.

I'm starting to see that your caution is reasonable, but never rule something out completely. My advice to the original poster? Keep looking, and I guarantee you will find people keeping their parrots outside year round in SD and happier and healthier (both birds and people) for it.

[Michael]

I'm not saying it is completely impossible or out of the question to keep a parrot outside but I would say that a beginner can learn to keep one indoors. To properly keep one out doors and provide excellent care would take an expert. I don't think there is anyone on this forum who would consider themselves expert enough to face all of the challenges of keeping a parrot outdoors full time. Some people here have outdoor aviaries but they only use them as outdoor supervised play time.

I would never recommend a beginner or first time parrot owner to keep their parrot outside. There are plenty of challenges for indoor where you are in control of the environment... now take outside and you can't control the weather, noise, people, animals, etc. Not something anyone short of a very experienced parrot expert or zoo should be doing.

[ginger]

I know I'm new to your forum, but I hope that doesn't count me out to respond here. I have 5 Senegals and 1 Congo African Grey . They all live inside full time, but I do have four aviaries, all with full time outdoor birds. They are; seven cockatiels , 30 parakeets , 2 lovebirds and a retired breeding pair of Macaws . All my birds, inside and outside, are rescues. That being said, I agree totally that it takes quite a bit of experience and know-how to properly care for fulltime outdoor birds. I live right outside of Phoenix, AZ. It gets up to 110 degrees in the summer, and in the winter the night time lows where I live hover around 32 degrees. Yes, the birds survive, but not without the proper environment and care. All my aviaries have ceramic heat bulbs (which do not emit light, only heat) for winter, misters for summer, year round shade covers, large wooden boxes for shelter from wind, blowing sand, sideways driving rain, etc. The wooden boxes have plenty of perches, are set up high in the aviaries and have extra long sides, but no bottom (to prevent egg laying). I would never recommend that a novice (no offense meant - I was one too) attempt to set up an aviary arrangement for a first bird. I am confused as to why you would want a parrot, only to house it outside. Will the bird have any human companionship other than feeding sessions? If you purchase a hand-raised baby bird and subject it to a life of isolation outdoors in an aviary, that is sure to create problems, for you and the bird. Please give us more information on your reason for housing the bird outdoors so we can better understand how to help. Please understand that I mean no offense what-so-ever. I am just trying to find out how I might be able to help you, but I need more facts about what you're trying to accomplish.

[Steelman]

Pip Logan


I would have suggested a Quacker but you are from California and I know they are not able to be kept as pets there. A friend of mine who lives in Florida says there are many wild Quackers there and the weather in both those places are very similar.

[ronstevens]

I'm not saying it is completely impossible or out of the question to keep a parrot outside but I would say that a beginner can learn to keep one indoors. To properly keep one out doors and provide excellent care would take an expert. I don't think there is anyone on this forum who would consider themselves expert enough to face all of the challenges of keeping a parrot outdoors full time. Some people here have outdoor aviaries but they only use them as outdoor supervised play time.

I would never recommend a beginner or first time parrot owner to keep their parrot outside. There are plenty of challenges for indoor where you are in control of the environment... now take outside and you can't control the weather, noise, people, animals, etc. Not something anyone short of a very experienced parrot expert or zoo should be doing.

It does take time and training but parrots are still birds,

I allow my parrots to fly outside because they’re birds. It's as simple as that and as complicated as that. Birds were created to fly. They are totally designed for flight. They fly for transportation. They fly for defense. They fly to find food. They fly for fun. They fly to see new things, to taste new thing, to destroy new things. Depriving them of this ability has come to feel tantamount to removing my legs or arms. I can no longer bring myself to do this to them.

I sincerely believe that my parrots would much rather live a short, joyful life flying free than a long, boring earthbound existence. Again, it’s as simple as that and as complicated as that. I would be happy if we had never taken parrots from their natural habitats. Or, that we had never taken their natural habitats from parrots. And while it’s not feasible to return mine to that habitat, this is the closest I can come to giving them back something of themselves.

From a perspective of health and mental/emotional well-being, the issue of exercise for our companion parrots has long been overlooked. The energy expenditure and aerobic exercise required to fly day in and day out is phenomenal. Everything about their physiology is uniquely attuned to this activity. And yet, many companion parrots get very little opportunity for strenuous exercise. They may get some exercise playing, but you’d be hard pressed to provide an environment where they get the kind of exercise that flying provides.

[LilyN]

Hi!

I am kind of a newbie to parrots. I just got a Parakeet and she seems to have a very unusual sleeping pattern, always waking up and squawking in the middle of the night. Any advice?

-Lily

[karcar]

Hello,
I have a friend that breeds birds outdoors in Ca. he has macaws, amazon, cockatoos, conures, etc.
But he also has misters in summer and heat lamps in winter. I think having the option to bring your baby in according to temp is the the way to go, just my opinion.
Karen

[karcar]

I also agree 100 % with Ginger.

[karcar]

Lily,
Your bird may be having what they call night frights, try using a night light sometimes that helps.
Karen

[tcrush]

I have kind of a mixed opinion about the whole deal.

First about the owner experience, I do believe that is a huge part to this issue. However, this is somehing that can be controlled as the owner can take the time to do lots of research to better their knowledge in the situation. I understand that knowledge does not take over first hand experience, but its a great way to increase you visibility in that field.

Second, San Diego is a bit different from most places: the coldest it will ever get at night in winter is around 40 and the hottest it will ever get in summer is probably 100, but it normally stays year round in the 45 to 80 range, not too much of a change considering we're taking the whole year into account here. Due to this weather, I would personally try to promote an outdoor environment for the bird. I know that some of their time must be kept indoors, but with such a great environment, let them roam a little. And I do have to agree with the point before that these guys only live once... let them have a good one.