Hello From No Where!

[Nicholas]

I own no parrot, so I must say I feel a bit out of place here. I'm looking to get one and have some questions, but before all that I shall introduce myself.

Greetings one and all, my name is Nicholas. But you may call me Nick which ever you more prefer. I am a dedicated individual who seeks a life filled with involvement with parrots specifically, but hopefully all kinds of birds in the future. My, "Where do I see myself in-" sheet involves getting a parrot. I must say to my shame I cannot ask for specifics, I don't mind if it's trained or not. But I can say this much; the most interesting ones I find are the Quaker, Hyacinth, or the Hahns. In the distant future, I want a job dedicated to parrots or birds in general. I've done so much studying and it seems like the more I find out the more questions I have.

I overall have always admired birds for their flight. Almost to the point I was jealous. Why, it's hard to say. But either way I found myself always searching for more information and what better way to figure out then joining a forum? So here I am! For those curious to see if I'm a capable candidate to be a bird owner I'll describe a little about my life. Feel free to stop here if you're not interested.

I have much free time in my life, though soon I am going to start working either part time or full to save money (and also be able to afford my companion's things!) and once I kick my tenant out of my home I will be moving in there and out of my mother's house. My life is pretty simple with not much to do right now; hardly anything to do besides what I must and what I choose to do.

( know I mentioned earlier about questions, so I'll put them here.
1. I heard from my sister parrots can die as so much as 60 degrees! This seems rather drastic, is this true? There was a power outage of two to three hours. (I mentioned the birds which I am going to possess, or one of them anyways)
2. How much time do they require minimum of personal, quality time? (Curiousity)
3. What are the requirements besides the obvious, "A pet requires a lot of time, patience.." etc. I know that, any does! But /how/ much? Give me numbers if possible!

Thanks in advance.

[liz]

Welcome to the forum.

Ha Ha They want 24/7 of your time.

[Nicholas]

Welcome to the forum.

Ha Ha They want 24/7 of your time.

Well of course! I wish I could too!

[Terbear]

1. I heard from my sister parrots can die as so much as 60 degrees! This seems rather drastic, is this true? There was a power outage of two to three hours. (I mentioned the birds which I am going to possess, or one of them anyways)
2. How much time do they require minimum of personal, quality time? (Curiousity)
3. What are the requirements besides the obvious, "A pet requires a lot of time, patience.." etc. I know that, any does! But /how/ much? Give me numbers if possible!

Hi Nick, and welcome...
It’s awesome that you are questioning before you run out to get one, I wish more people did and it would end a lot of issues before hand. I too find that the more I learn, the more I need to learn.

I have heard that birds can survive in temps as low as 45, however the illness factor would come in before that, and it would depend greatly on what they are aclimated to (if their used to cooler temps, or not). If you have frequent power outages, I would sugest a Mr. Heater. Their safe for use indoors in such situations and can fire them up the moment power goes out to maintain the temp, and they are clean burning and have an oxygen censor on them. I use them while camping in tents and have used them in the house with the birds in emergancy with no ill effects. Just make sure you get one with the oxygen censor and a tip shut off, and be careful when using it as they can get hot.

A bird is really the pet that you get what you put into it. If you don't put a lot into it, then you can not expect a lot out of it. And the same remains true if you put a lot in, you can expect a lot out. And this holds true of all types of birds. But I caution you not to spoil it with a lot of attention when you first bring it home, only spend the amount of time that you will be able to spend with it in 6 months from now. This way you do not end up with a spoiled screaming demon and can avoid some of the behavioral issues.

A bird is a versitile pet, it can easily adapt to your routine. And mine have done so easily and they were abused. But they are creatures of habit and the sooner you establish routine the better off you will be. It is recommended that the birds be out of their cages at least 6 hours a day and mine are generally out 8+ with the option of going back in any time they want. There are days when I am busy that they are not let out (maybe 1x a month), but I have them in exceptionally large cages filled with many types of toys and perches and they are adicted to Tinkerbelle movies so I make sure they have a DVD playing constantly (Oh how I hate Tinkerbell ).

As far as specific numbers, I get up in the morning and feed and let the boys out – I have a male goffin cockatoo (age mid 20’s who was abused) and a male rose breasted cockatoo (age 16 prior breeder bird, not touched in 12 years) I also have 4 smaller birds, who are not let out at this time. I fed and clean cages, and set off on my house cleaning and laundry chores… as I wander through the house I am constantly talking to them and often times they are toddeling behind me as I work. Once done with cleaning, I take them one at a time to the kitchen for 5-10 minutes of alone 1 on 1 clicker training and return them to their cages in the livingroom. I make lunch and return to the livingroom with hubby and lunch and we give lunch and eat ourselves. My afternoon is pretty much the same, and even though they are not getting my direct attention I am still talking to them as I clean and work. I make dinner, make them dinner and after we eat, I bring them into the kitchen for dishes and more clicker training. I finish my work and we all go into the office or into the livingroom for 1 on 1 time and snuggles. They then go into their cages at about 8:30pm, and they are good as gold for the rest of the night. Now as for 1 on 1 time, I only give them about 30/40 minutes of individual time a day. But I am around them conversing with them almost all day. They have a play stand as well as a climbing tree and they play on it as well as their cages and the kitchen island.

I think the key to our home is we do not make them the center of attention, they are not side show attractions, they are apart of the family and are treated as such, their apart of our day not the focus of it. And I think that’s what makes a difference in them.
But again, it all goes back to your schedule, the type of bird you have, and what you can do. But as I said, devise a schedule that works for you and stick to it.
Terri

[liz]

They are like children. Do you have enough time in you life to raise a child?

Rambo is 20 with the intelligence of a 6 year old child. Myrtle will be 2 in March and is in her "terrible 2s" right now. Mine are a handful right now. It is like a 2 year old little sister following her 6 year old brother until he gets angry at her. They would never hurt each other but they sometimes have to have time out in different places. I feel like I have a day care center and no one goes home.

You keep them well fed with a good diet. Keep them clean. Keep them busy with toys and interaction. If you have to leave them you make sure they have enough to keep them busy while you are gone.

[Aloysius]

Well, since it seems that others have already answered most of your question, I'll just make a comment on Quakers. Quakers are one the best talkers in the Parrot nation, but can be quite territorial and defensive at times. My Quaker, Shiloh, is only 5 months old, and already know about eight words and phrases and can say two or four, (good bird, pretty bird, hello, hi) in context. Also, Quakers are capable of surviving in extremely cold temperatures. There is a population of Quaker Parrots in Cincinnati, Ohio, which gets well below zero sometimes in the winter. Of course, the quakers there have nests and buildings to shelter them, and it''s not healthy for them to be that cold for any amount of time. And hopefully it never gets that cold in your house or apartment.
I can't really say anything about Hahns macaws, or Hyacinths without risking getting something wrong, so I'll just end by welcoming you to the forum. So...Welcome, Nick!

[Shelby]

Welcome to the forum! I don't have a bird either (and won't be able to have any pets at all for about 5 years as I'm going to college in a few months and pets aren't allowed in the dorms). I will start off by telling you to read Michael's training blog, starting with his Taming Article. Also check out the BirdTricks.com YouTube channel and Barbara Heidenreich's YouTube channel. These trainers both offer DVD and book training courses, but there is a wealth of information available free on their YouTube channels.

As you study up on birds, you could go to pet stores and parrot rescues in your area and ask to handle the parrots. Not only will you be helping the stores socialize the birds, but you will get experience handling parrots, trying to interpret parrot body language, and meeting many different species. You will also be able to get a first-hand idea of parrot personalities and may be able to decide which one might be the best match for your own personality.

I have heard that birds can survive in temps as low as 45, however the illness factor would come in before that, and it would depend greatly on what they are aclimated to (if their used to cooler temps, or not).

I also heard that. I also think sudden temperature changes are what is most dangerous to birds. If you took their cage from a nice warm house straight into the freezing winter weather outside, I believe it causes more damage to the bird than if the electricity goes out and the house gradually gets cooler.

They are creatures of habit and the sooner you establish routine the better off you will be.

I disagree with this. I think having an unwavering routine can actually become a handicap. Some birds, like African Greys, are prone to becoming phobic of new things if not exposed to unfamiliar objects, people and situations regularly from their youth. You should be introducing your bird to new objects and people as often as every day. It should be exposed to new situations often. If your bird is used to a strict, unchanging routine, it will be very stressed out if there is a sudden change in schedule. You can never be sure that you won't get sick and need to go to the hospital, or that something won't happen to someone else and you'll need to help them. In the wild, birds migrate from place to place (sometimes daily) in search of food and water and nesting sites. They don't live by a schedule set in stone in the wild and they're just fine.

Quakers are one the best talkers in the Parrot nation

Actually, a male English Budgie currently holds the world record for the bird with the largest vocabulary. I don't mean to say that Quakers aren't great talkers, I simply wanted to throw out that neat little factoid. Just goes to show you shouldn't underestimate the little guys of the parrot kingdom!

[liz]

The wild parrots in 4 season areas are the survivors. Many die and only the hardiest live to breed and make a flock.