Why did u get a parrot

[Wolf]

I was not looking for any birds. Kiki's arrival was such that if I had not let her in the house, she would have died either dueto a lack of food, cold or feral cats and other predators. I recognized that she was a tropical bird and a parrot, but I knew nothing more than that when she arrived. It took me nearly a month, about 3 weeks to learn what parrot species she was and what to feed her.

[seagoatdeb]

yeah I did not pick Sammy, but after her I wanted a cockatiel, so many years ago I bought one from a pet store that was wild. I had a book on how to tame wild baby birds so I used the towel method with her. in two days she was tame and a very affectionate bird that I could take anywhere. She did not have a mean bone in her body that girl. She liked everyone. That was the real start for me. I took in a rescue bird after that and so on and so on.

[JessiMuse]

My love of birds started with my mother. She had aviaries of finches, budgies, and cockatiels, and she bred them. Even after she sold the aviary birds, we kept one cockatiel, a Lutino with an underbite named Charlie. He was the sweetest little thing, that drew me to my love of the species. After he died of an unknown cause (I'm wondering if he was a product of unnoticed incest, which caused some health complications we weren't aware of), we've had some other cockatiels for a bit. Four were rescues we adopted from a place that doesn't usually take in birds. My parents eventually rehomed them, because they weren't exactly trusting of people, and we couldn't provide for them at the time.

Dudley's been there since before I was born. My parents were in a pet store, and my dad fell in love with him. He's basically their first bird.

When I got Lucy though, I wasn't looking for a cockatiel. At the bird show, I actually had a list of species I was considering getting, and a cockatiel was on the very bottom of that list. Well, half of the species I was looking for were not there, and the other half were worth more than I brought cash for at the time. I came across this one table, where a woman had one small carrier cage, with a few cockatiels in them. Two pieds, four greys, and one cinnamon, that caugh my eye. She was only $30 dollars as well, being one of the cheapest cockatiels at the entire show. After thinking it over a little, I finally gave in and got her.

Coincidentally, Lucy hatched on my birthday. It's almost as if we were meant for each other.

[Pajarita]

yeah I did not pick Sammy, but after her I wanted a cockatiel, so many years ago I bought one from a pet store that was wild. I had a book on how to tame wild baby birds so I used the towel method with her. in two days she was tame and a very affectionate bird that I could take anywhere. She did not have a mean bone in her body that girl. She liked everyone. That was the real start for me. I took in a rescue bird after that and so on and so on.

Out of curiosity, what is the 'towel method' of taming?

[seagoatdeb]

It should be a baby bird, that is not tame and cockatiels are by far the easiest. You cover them in the towel on your lap in stages over a few days. They will immediately calm down, if you make it a pleasant experience. Then you pet their head, some call that scritch, and talk very sweetly to them. Little by little you take more of the towel off untill they are just sitting on you getting pet. With the wild cockatiel I had two sessions and she was as tame as a handraised bird. Next was a baby budgie, but the budgie was just past the budgies window. It took 4 times and the budgie was very tame, but I think it would have been faster with a younger budgie.

Now here is where I can tell you it can be done on adult birds, but you should be experienced with the towel method. The next was a old Senegal female who had been rehomed a lot of times. She had one silver and one yellow eye. She screamed all day and acted very neurotically. She was afraid of everyone, and was quick to bite. I remember debating for a very long time before I decided on the towel method. I weighed out how long it would take to gain her trust and how much life she might have left, the vet thought she was very old. it took three times with the towel, and I was amazed at the speed. She might have been hand raised before she became so traumatized. By three times she was riding on my shoulders, sittting on my lap, puttting down her head to be pet, and preening my hair. her neurotic behavior disappeared very fast, her screaming took much longer. Only gave her attention when she didnt scream, and she needed a lot of atttention. I guess she had a lot of lost time to make up for. She was a velcroe bird.

After that I helped many people and some pet stores with taming with the towel method. After they are towel tamed they are never afraid of a towel, so vet visits are easy. The book had said it takes longer than my experiences.

i am now addding this link here, since it illustrates correct use of this technique. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNGOyeLjxhI

[Pajarita]

Ahhh, yes, I know about that method only I did not know it was called the 'towel' one. I'm afraid it's no longer recommended, seagoat.

[seagoatdeb]

I dont agree with you at all on that at all, It certainly is a good method for those who know how to do it well. I still know many that highly recomend it. Anyway I was only answering your question, I dont want an argument about anything I post that is only an answer from my own experience to your question. You can have your opionion and I will have mine. Enough said. This post is about why you got a parrot so please lets stick to the topic.

[Chantilly]

The first parrot I ever got was a galah, she was playing around on our back fence, we(family and I) soon realised that she could'nt fly and so we bought her a cage, and kept her. She only lived a week.
about half a year later my family and I were at a litle Sunday markek, and a local breeder was selling baby GCC's. He looked at them as money, and we could see that that was all (a cute little unweaned, unsexed, not fully feathered) soon to be name Tilly was to him. He handled her roughly and was obviously trying to make a sale.
So out of pitty for we bought her. So I sort of consider her a rescue...
Kahli we got from an aivery, she had fallen out of the nest, her sibling had died and we were offered to try to raise her, sadly we only made 4 days with her.

[Wolf]

Unfortunate happenings, to be sure, and the last one is one of the main reasons that I try to discourage so many home/ hobby would like to be breeders from continuing. They just don't realize what it takes to hand raise a baby bird or how easy it is to damage them or kill them outright from not knowing what they are doing. As much as I don't like breeders to begin with, I try to tell these people to find one and learn what they need to know that way if they intend to proceed with their hobby breeding.

[Pajarita]

I dont agree with you at all on that at all, It certainly is a good method for those who know how to do it well. I still know many that highly recomend it. Anyway I was only answering your question, I dont want an argument about anything I post that is only an answer from my own experience to your question. You can have your opionion and I will have mine. Enough said. This post is about why you got a parrot so please lets stick to the topic.

I am not going to argue with you but you need to realize that there are lots of lurkers that read the postings as a source of information so, when you mention a technique that is no longer recommended (and for a very good reason), it needs to be said. I am not trying to antagonize you, I am trying to help people do right by their birds.