What would happen if your parrot were out of cage alone?

[Michael]

Based on my story about forgetting Kili out all day for the first time, I am curious how many of you would expect to come home to see your house torn up under the circumstances? How many of you would expect the parrot to behave and just do its usual thing (unless the usual thing is tearing the house up )? How many of you have experienced this in the past (whether you forgot parrot out or it escaped)?

In the poll, please vote based on experience or based on expectation if you haven't experienced "home alone" parrot syndrome.

Also, I'm curious if you expect your parrot to survive and be safe if it managed to be out of cage all day unexpectedly or would you expect it to get hurt somehow? What household threats exist in your home that could be detrimental if your parrot were out unsupervised? Or do you have the parrot cage in a bird safe room with closed door such that if it got out, it would be perfectly safe?

[Ark]

I voted no, but I guess my answer is not all that fair since they have their own bird room and are never closed into their cages. I voted before I read the whole post, my bad.

[Michael]

That is fair because you have precautions. But let me ask you this. What if the door to bird room came open. What then?

[Ark]

Sorry Michael, I was editing my post as you posted.

Well, I am not gonna forget to close the door to find out. But if I had to guess, I bet I'd find them on top of the cupboards, which is what their little trip is right now. They try to sneak up there when I am not looking.

When I am home and they have free range of the house, they are not the kind to go destroying things, so hopefully they'd be "good" and just chill on top of the cupboards.

The good thing is that I have trained myself very well to no have them out of the room without the door being closed, whether I am leaving for the day or to get the mail, to prevent fly aways. So hopefully I will not find out what what they would do anytime soon.

[Michael]

Well I normally don't forget to close the cage door either. I haven't had her sneak out in over a year since I put additional clips on the food doors. However, just by chance/circumstance I forgot to close the cage door. It only takes one time. This is why I'm asking you (since you don't close cage doors) to consider that main door to the room then. That is the one control to the room. Heck you may have closed it but a big truck driving down the street could have shaken the house enough that the door pops open, wtvr. Just trying to hypothetically consider the circumstances unless you/others have experienced this first hand. People with cage escape parrots can probably talk about this as well.

[Jodie]

I would likely find the following:

Little parrot spit-balls all over the floor after Henry has pulled all the tissues apart, rolled them into little balls and spat them onto the floor.

The throw rug on the couch picked apart (he likes to chew on this as well).

And the dog would be cowering in the corner while Henry was swimming in his water bowl.

But I've never experienced this.. and don't ever want to. I have no idea what kind of trouble he'd get himself into.

I have however fallen asleep with Henry before. During which time he managed to pluck out half of one of my eyebrows. Luuurrvely.

[Ark]

Sorry Michael, I was not implying that I thought that you often forgot to close Kili in. I appologise if what I wrote came across that way. I wrote what I did because I am a scatterbrain when it comes to most things, so it's good that I have myself well trained for that.

[Michael]

No, no. I didn't think that. What I meant was that I am normally quite careful about not forgetting her cage and yet here it happened. So I was saying it only takes one time. Remember to close that door right 1000 times but forget once. I'm just trying to evoke discussion about what happened or you think would happen that one time. Since you said the door to the room is the only thing keeping the parrots from the rest of your house, that one door is the critical point of failure. So forgetting to close it or it coming open on its own somehow, would lead to a similar situation. So besides being careful about that door, do you have a contingency plan? For instance are the windows in the rest of your house closed or screened to prevent a fly out if that one door failed?

For me, since Kili is normally in the cage, the rest of the room is the fail safe. So there are still several things preventing her from getting outside even if the cage fails.

[Ark]

My windows are all screened (all the time) and closed with I'm not home. I would not worry about them getting outside. They are throughout the house when I am home so those precautions are already taken. I guess if they got out of the room when I was not home and had a free for all, anything could happen, though I have done my best to try to keep my house bird safe. But there will always be risks like fiddling with electrical stuff if I'm not there. I have never really worried about the door coming open by itself, to tell you the truth. I live on a small quiet street so I don't get all the rumblings of the city so I guess it just never occured to me. Maybe I will get a lock for that door now, so I won't be wondering while I am not home. Thanks for planting another worry in my head /lol

[RudysMom]

I don't think my 2 quakers would really go any where , maybe from cage to cage , Pepper would be another story he has just started to climb down his cage and take off walking around the living room lately so the thought of him roaming around the house free is a little scarey and then their is Rudy omg she would be haveing a great time on my sofa and our new leather recliner I'am sure I would have some chewed up furniture if she was loose for to long, thoose would be the 2 I would be worried about , Pepper and Rudy , they isn't anything they could actually get hurt on