Parrots and Other Pets in the Home . . .

[NJBirdMan]

Does anyone currently own a Parrot, and also have other pets in the home, like a dog, or a cat ?
I'm curious as to how everyone gets along. Please share your stories and experiences.

[Pajarita]

I have parrots, dogs and cats but the cats are locked in a room when the birds are out flying and the dogs stay in the kitchen -which doesn't really mean anything as the birds fly in and out of it all the time.

[liz]

I have an unusual home that is filled with cats, dogs and birds. They some how know that they are an extended family. Rambo will give an attitude adjustment to any new critter. Myrtle swooped a retarded Boxer when it would not back off and leave Rambo alone. But as I said they are an exceptional family.

[Wolf]

I have several dogs, cats and parrots that all share the same living space with me and very often they are all in the same room with some of the birds being out of their cages. I am also there with them overseeing everything that is going on, especially when any of the birds are out.

Actually you will find that it is not all that uncommon for people to have a fairly wide range of pets as well as having parrots. With many of these multiple pet families things work out pretty well, but every now and then we hear about the horrible death of someone's bird due to being attacked by one or more of their other pets. Most of the time this is because they got lax in supervising the parrot and the other animals while the parrot was out of its cage, or because they failed to take proper precautions to insure that their bird was safely locked in its cage and that no other animal could get to it while they went out to take care of something else.

Parrots living with dogs and cats can work out fine as long as you always keep in mind that both dogs and cats are predators and birds are a part of their natural diets. If you are going to have a mix of pets that include predator species and prey species such as parrots, you can never allow yourself the luxery of becoming complacent about any possible interaction between them. It does not matter how well behaved the dog or cat is, or how old it is, or how little attention they pay to your bird, never trust them alone or with the bird too far away from you if there is any chance of them coming into contact with each other with you too far away to prevent any attack. Also remember that you are not able to move as fast as a dog or cat.

[NJBirdMan]

Thank You, Wolf for your reply. I will be getting a Senegal in the Spring. I have 2 Dogs, 1 English Bulldog and 1 Pug. I really do not want to have to have the Senegal's wings clipped. I would like it to be fully flighted, as my 2 Gouldian Finches are in their cage. I guess with that being said, I would be more afraid of what the Senegal would do, then what my dogs would do. I would imagine I would need a table-top playpen for the parrot to keep it nearby, but if it's fully flighted, ya never know . . . . .

[ParrotsForLife]

When I did have a dog she was always stuck in my bedroom with me whenever Tiko was out of the cage and back then I didn't have any other Parrots and when I opened the door for a second she ran downstairs and sneaked up on Tiko and grabbed her and Tiko of course defended herself and cut the dogs stomach and poor Tiko was very scared.

[ParrotsForLife]

Thank You, Wolf for your reply. I will be getting a Senegal in the Spring. I have 2 Dogs, 1 English Bulldog and 1 Pug. I really do not want to have to have the Senegal's wings clipped. I would like it to be fully flighted, as my 2 Gouldian Finches are in their cage. I guess with that being said, I would be more afraid of what the Senegal would do, then what my dogs would do. I would imagine I would need a table-top playpen for the parrot to keep it nearby, but if it's fully flighted, ya never know . . . . .

It would be more at risk being clipped

[liz]

Thank You, Wolf for your reply. I will be getting a Senegal in the Spring. I have 2 Dogs, 1 English Bulldog and 1 Pug. I really do not want to have to have the Senegal's wings clipped. I would like it to be fully flighted, as my 2 Gouldian Finches are in their cage. I guess with that being said, I would be more afraid of what the Senegal would do, then what my dogs would do. I would imagine I would need a table-top playpen for the parrot to keep it nearby, but if it's fully flighted, ya never know . . . . .

It would be more at risk being clipped

Yes. Birds feel the physical stress of not being able to fly and keep their muscle tone. They also suffer emotionally.

[Wolf]

All of my birds are fully flighted as it not only is better for them physically and truly their main defense when confronted with a predator, it also helps them mentally to solve problems and gives them a much greater sense of security and boosts their self confidence.
the ability to fly is tied into every major system in a birds body, for example.. we have a diaphragm to work our lungs so that we can breathe properly, birds do no, they have one lung and several air sac that are expanded and compressed by the action of their wings while they are flying helping them to breathe properly. Flight is also hardwired into their intelligence and problem solving centers in the brain, There are all sorts of calculations that must be made while in flight and we humans rely on computers to help us to make these critical choices, but the bird has to make them based on the things it sees and the other information collected by its body and it uses these things to make all of the critical decisions that must be made to negotiate through obstacles and take off and landings and this problem solving ability while in flight also shows up in their ability to get to food that they might otherwise not be able to get at and many other areas where their intelligence helps them to communicate and survive.

[ParrotsForLife]

All of my birds are fully flighted as it not only is better for them physically and truly their main defense when confronted with a predator, it also helps them mentally to solve problems and gives them a much greater sense of security and boosts their self confidence.
the ability to fly is tied into every major system in a birds body, for example.. we have a diaphragm to work our lungs so that we can breathe properly, birds do no, they have one lung and several air sac that are expanded and compressed by the action of their wings while they are flying helping them to breathe properly. Flight is also hardwired into their intelligence and problem solving centers in the brain, There are all sorts of calculations that must be made while in flight and we humans rely on computers to help us to make these critical choices, but the bird has to make them based on the things it sees and the other information collected by its body and it uses these things to make all of the critical decisions that must be made to negotiate through obstacles and take off and landings and this problem solving ability while in flight also shows up in their ability to get to food that they might otherwise not be able to get at and many other areas where their intelligence helps them to communicate and survive.

Does that mean a clipped bird would have a higher chance of having a Heart Attack?