Parrot/cockatiel/cockatoo owners, some questions...

In My Humble Opinion
1
  1. What kind of bird do you have?
  2. How long have you had your bird?
  3. Do you have/have you had other pets?
  4. What is the temperament of your bird? Has its temperament changed since you got it?
  5. Is your bird trained to do/say anything, if so, what and how easy was it to teach?
  6. Are your bird’s wings clipped?
  7. If you travel, what kind of care does your bird require?
  8. What are the enjoyable aspects of bird ownership?
  9. What are the negative aspects of bird ownership?
  10. How do you feel about the whole cage/clipped wings/captive argument people make about birds as pets?

Kicking around the idea of having a bird as a pet some day (maybe after my dog leaves this earth). Had a peach-faced lovebird for a short time when I was much younger, but had to give him away to a bird-lover after I moved into a house with a lot of roommates. I loved him, but to be honest, I didn’t have him long enough to really get to know/train/develop trust with him. Just feeling out this idea, and thought I’d ask you fine people!

2

  1. What kind of bird do you have?
    He’s a budgie, with a ‘confederate’ colour scheme, mostly blue with some grey and a white head.

  2. How long have you had your bird?
    This one? Maybe three or four years. We’ve had a number of them, with varying degrees of success, going back 20 years, or more.

  3. Do you have/have you had other pets?
    We had a cat concurrently with this budgie. It meant only letting the cat into the part of the house where the bird was when the bird was safely locked down in the cage, and watching the cat carefully.

  4. What is the temperament of your bird? Has its temperament changed since you got it?
    They’re all different, I’ve found. This one’s a little shy, but not overly so. He’s usually curious and will come over to greet you if you go near the cage. He’s a homebody though. We leave the cage open during the day, so he can come and go as he pleases, but he stays in or on top of the cage almost all the time. Occasionally he’ll fly a lap of the room on his own, but he’ll only leave the room with my dad.

Other budgies we’ve had have been crazy scared of everything, or much more friendly and adventurous. It just depends on the individual bird. Pet shop ones are the worst.

  1. Is your bird trained to do/say anything, if so, what and how easy was it to teach?
    Yeah, he’s got quite a repertoire. He copies my dad, who is obviously the alpha budgie, or the stand in mother bird, or something. The bird chatters and ad libs a lot, but it just depends. Sometimes he does English exclusively for a spell, sometimes just budgie talk, mostly a mixture of both. Some others we’ve had have been slightly more verbose, others kept schtum.

He took several months to get a word out of, dad was despairing that he might not get it, but eventually he got there.

  1. Are your bird’s wings clipped?
    No, are you crazy? We like to let him fly around the house as he sees fit (which isn’t much with this particular bird).

  2. If you travel, what kind of care does your bird require?
    I don’t think the entire household has ever been away at the same time for more than a day. We do mind the people over the road’s budgie when they go on holidays, so I reckon they’d reciprocate. Our bird seems to like theirs for company, and vice versa.

  3. What are the enjoyable aspects of bird ownership?
    The affection, ours loves to be kissed. The bursts of Engrish they come out with. The company and entertainment value.

  4. What are the negative aspects of bird ownership?
    It’s a bit hit and miss about how the bird will perform once you get them home. They range from ‘scared of their own shadow’ to ‘owns the house and loves everyone’, but it’s hard to pick in advance. That, and the cleaning them out once a week, changing their water several times a day, but that’s not too bad.

  5. How do you feel about the whole cage/clipped wings/captive argument people make about birds as pets?
    Ours have always spent the daytime indoors, with the side of the cage opened, so they can come and go. We think it’s good to let them fly around the house for exercise. Some are just more willing than others to leave the cage.

I reckon they have a pretty good life at our place, even if it’s not they way they’d live in the bush.

3

What’s a good source to get a bird?

I got my lovebird from a breeder that a co-worker knew—I’m now in a different state and out of touch with that woman (it was years ago), so I’m kind of in the dark about the "where"s of bird acquisition these days.

I like the idea of them being free to roam the house…

4

I have two cockateils.

Freddy (female) is 19, Piglet (male) is 11. They are trained to “step up”, they are allowed short flights around the house. Their wings are not clipped, but they spend most of their time in the indoor aviary. Because I don’t want bird guano all over the house.

I have three indoor cats, and they learned as kittens that bird beaks are Vera Sharp; and to be avoided. I also have a Border Collie and a poodle, and they just don’t pay any attention to the birds.

Piglet the male bird is very vocal. He says “Pretty Bird” “Tweety Bird” and “Uh Oh!”. He also wolf whistles, which gives a big boost to my ego. He sings up a storm, mostly at dawn; but at other times when he’s trying to convince Freddy to “give him some.”

My desk is next to the aviary, and if I have some chips, they beg for them without shame. “Wolf Whistle!” “Pretty Bird!” “Polly Wanna Chip!!” And Piglet gets rather excited when I play video games on the PC. He watches over my shoulder and makes squeeking noises.

The downside of bird ownership is, they are rather messy. Feathers go everywhere, and so does the poop. Be prepared to don rubber gloves and do a lot of scrubbing with Clorox. They need to have a steady source of clean water and food must be available at all times. Parrolets don’t have fat resources like we do, and must eat often and regularly. You have to have a house-sitter that you can trust to always check on their feed.

Overall, I enjoy my feather-babies. They are entertaining and interactive. They make me laugh way more than the cats do.

5

You might try asking a veterinarian you trust who specializes in birds, or find an online message board and ask about local breeders.

I got about half of my birds from a breeder I was too ignorant to realize wasn’t that good, and the others from a local store that I found out hand raises their budgies (can’t remember how I found them - online, maybe) and one from a breeder on a message board. Off-hand, I know that the site http://www.birdsnways.com/ has listings (I think).

I imagine that if you just avoid chain pet stores and be sure to ask questions about how the birds are raised/visit the breeder you can’t go too badly wrong.

Answers to your specific questions coming up.

Also, about being free to roam the house, I wouldn’t recommend this without someone being home to supervise. Small parrots can get themselves into an amazing amount of trouble.

6

If you are thinking about getting a cockatoo or other large parrot, I strongly encourage visiting this page: http://www.mytoos.com/ for a sample of how noisy a cockatoo can be.
Amazon parrots, Macaws, and cockatoos are unbelievably NOISY and demanding birds - especially Cockatoos! The noise that a macaw or cockatoo can make is ear-piercing and many of them end up without a home because of it, so it is important to think carefully about if you can tolerate the noise they make and their great need for personal attention before getting one.
Now to answer your questions directly.

  1. What kind of bird do you have?
    I currently have a quaker parrot (a small green parrot, about the size of a cockatiel but fatter).

  2. How long have you had your bird?
    Almost 7 years now. Quakers live for about 25-30 years normally.

  3. Do you have/have you had other pets?
    Yes, I’ve had a lot of other pets. I currently have two cats, a Russian tortoise, and three fish tanks in addition to the bird.

  4. What is the temperament of your bird? Has its temperament changed since you got it?
    He is very intelligent and hyperactive (he has always been like that since he was a freshly hatched chick). He is affectionate when held and petted, loves being near people, but is very territorial about his cage (common for his species). He screams in outrage when I change his water dish because he doesn’t want anyone to mess with his cage.

  5. Is your bird trained to do/say anything, if so, what and how easy was it to teach?
    He can say about 20 words and several phrases. He learned most of them just from me talking around him, but some he picked up because I kept repeating them around him (that’s how he learned to sing “Happy birthday to you”). The neat thing about Quaker parrots is that they are smart enough to learn the meaning of some of the words they say. They are capable of learning to say “Hello” when they first see a person and “Goodbye” when you leave the room for example. However, it is not guaranteed that ANY individual bird will talk - sometimes even birds of species known to be good talkers will simply choose to never say human words.

  6. Are your bird’s wings clipped?
    No. It is a good idea to keep a bird’s wings clipped, but I am very cautious about where I allow him to fly and keep him away from things that could be hazardous (like ceiling fans, open pots on the stove, the cats, etc.)

  7. If you travel, what kind of care does your bird require?
    I leave him at my house and have a friend give him food/water.

  8. What are the enjoyable aspects of bird ownership?
    It’s fun to see him play with toys, feed him snacks, and hear him talk.

  9. What are the negative aspects of bird ownership?
    All birds are kind of messy so the cleanup is not much fun. My bird is a good talker, but also makes other undesirable noises more than I’d like.

  10. How do you feel about the whole cage/clipped wings/captive argument people make about birds as pets?
    In my own case, I’ve chosen not to clip my bird because I am the only person in this residence, so I am always aware of the bird’s location when it comes to opening the door and such. The room he flies in is a safe, secure location. I also feel that, with cats in the house, my bird is better off being able to fly if he needs to in the event that he somehow got out by the cats and needed to fly away from them.
    But in most other households, I think clipping the bird’s wings is a good idea in general. If you live in a house with other people, where there is a chance someone might open the door to the outside without knowing the bird is out of his cage, the risk is too great that he’ll escape. There si also the change that he’ll get hurt crashing into a window or such.

I think captive ownership of birds is fine, and might even be the one way to ensure that some species aren’t driven to extinction with the enviroment destruction going on in many tropical areas. But certainly, they should be let out of their cage for play and socialization regularly. Since many parrots are as intelligent as a toddler human child, it’s not fair to keep them alone in a cage forever.

7

1. What kind of bird do you have?

I have one cockatiel, one lovebird, two budgies, and a ringneck dove.

2. How long have you had your bird?

The cockatiel and lovebird - about ten years; dove - five years; budgies - three years, and two weeks :slight_smile:

3. Do you have/have you had other pets?

My family has had cats, a dog, fish, and rabbits. Currently just cats. The cats generally have free roam of the house and are shut in a room to allow for bird out of cage time. Aside from being huge pests whenever a new bird takes up residence (during which time I have to actively keep the cats from bothering it) the cats pretty much ignore the birds. I’m always around to keep an eye on things, though, just in case. (And when I can’t, the birds get shut in their own rooms.)

4. What is the temperament of your bird? Has its temperament changed since you got it?

Well, the cockatiel isn’t very keen on interacting with humans hands on, though she likes to be spoken to. She’s mainly laid back and pretty quiet. She gets hissy if you get too grabby, though.

Lovebird - fearless, very territorial (a female lovebird trait), assertive sometimes to aggressiveness. Not much for cuddling, but likes hanging out near/on me. Loud, though I imagine you knew that.

Budgies - playful, charming, vocal, always have to be in on what you’re doing and can be adorable nuisances sometimes. The current budgies don’t need as much human interaction as my previous girl, but I think that’s because she was an only budgie and thus bonded more closely to me. From what I’ve heard, this is pretty typical of pet birds - if you keep them with companions, they’ll bond more closely to each other than to you.

If you can’t spend a lot of time with a bird, though, it will get lonely without companions. They’re very social creatures.

Dove - sweet, calm, just wants to be cuddled/pet or perched nearby.

I wouldn’t say temperament has changed since I got them, but new birds do take time to settle in and come out of their shells. I generally take a “wait and see” approach to new birds.

5. Is your bird trained to do/say anything, if so, what and how easy was it to teach?

None of them are. It isn’t important to me so I never trained them and none of them have picked anything up on their own. I also often “talk” to them in my human-version of their calls (which they respond to really well, by the way - I’ve successfully struck up conversations with strange canaries in pet stores by imitating their chirps) so I imagine they feel even less need to.

6. Are your bird’s wings clipped?

Erm, no. I’m really careful about not letting them escape and they’re all well enough finger trained/handicapped (my cockatiel had something like a stroke a couple of years ago and has balance/sight problems that prevent a quick escape) to make it not an issue getting them back into their cages.

With the exception of the new budgie - his/her (too young to tell) wings came clipped and will be re-clipped if I’m not able to finger train him/her before they grow back.

I leave a door clipped open on their cages for out of cage time and let them come and go as they please (not all at once, though - lovebirds don’t mix with more passive/weaker birds) and fly around wherever they like.

7. If you travel, what kind of care does your bird require?

Supervision on long trips, plenty of food and fresh water for short overnight trips. I let cleaning go for up to a week when needed.

8. What are the enjoyable aspects of bird ownership?

I adore them in general. I love birds, and find my pet birds to be completely charming, adorable, and sweet. I love their vocalizations (especially the way they use bells to punctuate or make a point - dove isn’t a bell-bird, though), being preened, how unselfconscious and instinct-driven they are. And they’re always, always thrilled to see me. I’ve never know them to be grumpy, either.

9. What are the negative aspects of bird ownership?

Lots of poop (small and not very smelly, though), the noise factor sometimes, lovebird bites (like I said, she’s territorial), seed/pellet mess (they’re enthusiastic, especially when digging through mixes for favorite bits).

10. How do you feel about the whole cage/clipped wings/captive argument people make about birds as pets?

I feel really badly about keeping birds captive and controlling (limiting) their lives this way. They should be flying around Australia/Africa, living with a flock, choosing mates on their own, breeding if they have the instinct to. I know they live good lives with me and live a lot longer in captivity, but I really don’t feel I have the right to choose this for them, and of course I can’t ask them. I got the new budgie because my other budgie needed a companion, and I admit, it was easier to get a hand raised baby than to adopt an adult budgie needing a home.

I don’t know about the future - I love birds but they just aren’t domesticated the way cats and dogs do. They can’t live without us; birds can. I’m selfish enough to maybe keep getting baby birds from good breeders (and it is important to support good breeders) but I hope I’ll choose to adopt in the future instead.

Please note, I’m not calling you or anyone else who gets a bird from a breeder “selfish” - it’s selfish for me to because of the beliefs/feelings I personally hold. I don’t know what other people should or should not do - what doesn’t harm others and that they can live with, I guess. I just can’t help feeling guilty about it.

(And a lot of this is because my life has been very limited for several years due to health issues - mainly physical, some emotional - and I am suffering for it. Mainly for lack of interaction with other people and moving on with my life with regards to a relationship and family. So I probably project some of that onto my pet birds.)

This got really long. Sorry. Hope it was helpful.

8

At present, I have two cockatiels and a green cheeked conure. I have also had several black mask lovebirds, another cockatiel, and jenday conure.

Sydney is 5, Sunshine is 4, and Griffin is 1

At present I have only birds. In the past (but not simultaneous with birds) I have had cats, dogs, gerbils, and fish.

Griffin is aggressively affectionate. Sunshine is generally easy-going with occasional episodes of effusive affection and occasional episodes of evil hissing. and bad temper. Sydney is a neurotic mess who frets about everything and is way too serious about life, but is a real lover and sweetie-pie.

We teach all our birds to step up on a finger on command. That’s the only thing we insist on, and that’s not too difficult to teach them. We also teach them what “hot” and “no” mean. The cockatiels we’ve had have all picked up tunes and a few words. Our current conure has a growing vocabulary. It wasn’t hard to teach them to talk, what’s hard is getting them to SHUT UP! Seriously, if you get talker they’ll talk too much. Griffin also “plays dead” and shakes hands. That took maybe two weeks at most to teach for consistent performance. The thing is, if a bird is well treated and like you he or she will want to imitate you. Griffin, for example, used to just eat cornchips like the other birds, but now she breaks a piece off the chip, then carries it over to the dip, grabs it in her paw, dunks the end, then eats it holding onto her chip just like my husband eats his chips. She came up with that all on her own.

Some yes and some no. Junior the Lovebird, for example, had a hip deformity that made it very difficult for him to perch or walk so we never ever clipped him as impairing his mobility would have been cruel. Sunshine we had to clip - if he has full flying ability he gets wild, starts running from people, getting very aggressive. He can still fly, and can certainly safely get down from heights on his own, but by curtailing his flight a bit he’s a much better behaved bird. So we take it on a case by case basis. We prefer to leave them unclipped but sometimes that’s not the best course.

We take our birds with us when we travel. They require travel cages and to be kept in environments that are neither too cold nor too warm as well as the usual food and water. Every bird we’ve owned has liked car rides except Sydney, who would happily spend the rest of his life in our bedroom and never leave it. Well, maybe a trip to the kitchen when he’s feeling really brave. One problem with travel is that they usually don’t get their afternoon nap, which makes for very tired birds and possible irritability. They also wind up spending a lot more time in their cages, which makes them restless and irritable. Basically, after a 6 hour car trip they need some quiet in which to nap, then they need to be able to get out for an hour at least for some exercise, then to bed.

Affection, loyalty, crazy antics, pretty looking animals, flying pets.

Poop. And the occasional moodiness, the loud noise, and the occasional bite.

My birds’ cages are their bedrooms. Just like I sleep in a bed, they sleep in their cage. Most of the day, if we’re home, the cage doors are open and they come and go at will. Some days they stay in the cages entirely of their own free will, other days they want to be anywhere but there, most days they’re in and out. If it gets late and we’re up late they may simply go in their cages on their own and go to sleep. In other words, the cages aren’t prisons. In fact, if the birds are afraid, nervous, or strange things are happening they are a lot calmer in their cages because they feels safe, those bars keep out the mosters, you know?

I’ve already talked about wing clipping. We’d rather not, but some birds are better off clipped.

Captive? If the birds aren’t in the cage ,they’re sitting on my shoulder, on my head, on my chair… if life with me was so horrible why would they stay glued to me like that?

Certainly, there are some bad bird owners out there, but I don’t think my birds are suffering for being “captive” animals.

9

That must be something to see. I believe you, but it’s just incredible what pets will come up with.

I would also like to encourage bird owners to post pics of birds. Sure, I love cats, but I like birds too, and I like seeing their pics.

10

Oooo-yes! Pics, please!

11

>sigh< I’d love to, but the battery for my digital camera died and a new one is not in the budget given our financial situation. If that changes I’ll see about cute bird pictures.

We’ve tried putting them on the bed of the scanner, but the silly dears think it’s all about chasing the bright light and won’t hold still. Except for Sydney, who thinks the bright light is going to eat him or something else dreadful.

12

  1. What kind of bird do you have?
    I have a cockatiel, and two pairs of peach faced love birds

  2. How long have you had your bird?
    The cockatiel I’ve had for more than 6 years, the parent set of love birds were given to me 2 years ago when someone was going to release them as a result of a divorce. They lived in Boston (morons). The children of that pair are less than a year old.

  3. Do you have/have you had other pets?
    I’ve almost always had dog(s). We also have a fish tank, and a turtle.

  4. What is the temperament of your bird? Has its temperament changed since you got it?
    The cockatiel is very well socialized, but wasn’t always that way. My oldest boy was very good about giving him attention, even though he could pinch bad enough to draw blood. Now he’s completely docile. The parent lovebirds are socialized to each other, and will kind of tolerate you cleaning the cage. The child lovebirds are still basically babies but the kids are able to pick them up, and hold them, and they won’t try to fly away.

  5. Is your bird trained to do/say anything, if so, what and how easy was it to teach?
    not really trained for tricks, but each of them have a ‘morning greeting’ when someone comes down the stairs, or different whistle responses that either they or one of us can initiate

  6. Are your bird’s wings clipped?
    The cockatiel yes, he’s docile enough to do it. The parent love birds are too wild, the children I think too young. I may change my mind by spring though when the windows are always open. I used to not clip because it was ‘prettier’, but all it takes is one bird to get startled and fly into the TV and die. Oldest still gets upset when he thinks about it.

  7. If you travel, what kind of care does your bird require?
    I don’t travel much, but I usually drop them off at a friends house. If I’m gone overnight/day and a half, I make sure they have enough food and water.

  8. What are the enjoyable aspects of bird ownership?
    They are smarter and more social than you’d think, and sometimes are tricksters

  9. What are the negative aspects of bird ownership?
    Love birds get up real early. They are also real vocal. They also make a ton of mess and shit in their water. There aren’t many avian vets around, either.

  10. How do you feel about the whole cage/clipped wings/captive argument people make about birds as pets?
    I had no real idea that it was that much of an issue, but you know there are people out there that will get aggravated if you had a pet rock. The cockatiel was bought at a pet store, and I guess one could argue that he should have been born free, but he thinks we’re birds, he grooms us and asks to be groomed, wants to know what’s going on in the other room, will eat rice off the table at dinner time, etc. His cage is open so he can hang out inside or out as he pleases. The child pair of lovebirds are on their way to being well socialized as well, but they aren’t clipped so their cage is closed mostly for their own safety. The parent lovebirds would be dead if I hadn’t taken them in.

13

I’ve only owned finches, myself, but I lived in a house that had another boarder who raised birds (in the basement, down the hall from my room). There was no mistaking when the sun came up.:eek:

Most were cockatiels, but there were others, too. Dozens. The owner of the house had one of those big multi-colored ones as well as a bigger blue one with a yellow circle around his eye. They were very cool pets. The biggest downside I could see is that they are messy. Other than that, they were great companions for him.

I forgot to add…these larger birds live a looooong time. It is a major commitment. When my sister in law died, she had some kind of parrot that we had to find a home for. We found a local bird rescue who took it, but I’m not sure this arrangement is available in every area. Many of their birds outlived the owners. You’re taking on a long-term adoption with these little dudes.

14
  1. What kind of bird do you have?

One cockatiel, named Smalls.

  1. How long have you had your bird?

About a year and a half now – here’s the thread about the day he showed up

  1. Do you have/have you had other pets?

We also have two Black Lab mixes and a cat.

  1. What is the temperament of your bird? Has its temperament changed since you got it?

He’s amazingly affectionate, but very much is own little dude. You can tease dogs and cats, but you can’t tease a bird, imho. One he has his mind set on something, he will do everything in his power to obtain it.

  1. Is your bird trained to do/say anything, if so, what and how easy was it to teach?

He knows to step up on your hand, and eat treats from your hand or from your lips (my husband does this). He has a whistle that seems to be his general “Hey! Where are you?” call, and he also sings “Yankee Doodle” and is starting to pick up the theme from the “Andy Griffith Show.”

  1. Are your bird’s wings clipped?

No. Much like I don’t think cats should be declawed, I think birds need to fly.

  1. If you travel, what kind of care does your bird require?

Because of our home zoo, we hire pet sitters who will either stay at the house or check in 2 - 3 times daily. Smalls is low-maintenance compared to the dogs and cat. Just fresh water and fresh food daily, and turning his little bird lamp on and off.

  1. What are the enjoyable aspects of bird ownership?

I was never interested in having a bird until Smalls showed up. He’s a fun little companion – his favorite place to be is on your head or shoulder, just hanging out and commenting on stuff from time to time. I love his bursts of song, especially when he veers off of Yankee Doodle and just makes up his own tunes – or when he sings along with songs on the stereo. Watching him figure out new toys, new mirrors in the house, etc. is hilarious.

  1. What are the negative aspects of bird ownership?

He’s destructive. He cannot resist any paper at all – he MUST nibble and shred it. I’ve lost many a paperback book cover from leaving them out, and we can’t leave our printer stocked. He also chews through plastic bags to get at bread, and has stripped some electrical wires (this being the most concerning, obviously).

Feathers wind up everywhere, and I find poop clots in weird places. It’s easy to clean up, but is also kind of gross.

  1. How do you feel about the whole cage/clipped wings/captive argument people make about birds as pets?

Smalls’s cage is his home and his safe place. I am not exaggerating when I say that we NEVER close him in there (we’ve only closed him in when we’ve needed to prop open the front door to move furniture). He is allowed to come and go as he pleases, but when we’re not home, he seems to stay in his cage. It’s got his toys, his food and water, and fun things to nibble on.

His wings aren’t clipped – I like that he’s able to fly.

As for being captive, well, so are all other pet animals. If that notion bothers you, don’t own a pet. Once a pet lives with you, it’s your responsibility to give them a full and comfortable life. A bird – just like a cat or dog – is on the freakin’ gravy train as a pet compared to making it out in the big bad world. Food, water, medical care, affection and socialization, treats, toys? Seems like a sweet deal to me.

15

Here’s Smalls, riding on one of our dogs.

16

My bird died not too long ago, but I can still answer some questions

  1. What kind of bird do you have?
    Cockatiel

  2. How long have you had your bird?
    about 5 years

  3. Do you have/have you had other pets?
    Yes. At that point, we had a cat and fish. We had the bird first.

  4. What is the temperament of your bird? Has its temperament changed since you got it?
    As far as temperament, he was a fun little guy and a total smart-ass. I used to walked with him around the house. He couldn’t talk at all, but he would mimic conversations with whistles; he would whistle his name (Aria); he was very good at mimicking the sound of the phone ringing (that drove me nuts). He would “attack” your finger. Sometimes he would let you touch his little gimble toes. I miss that bird. :frowning:

  5. Is your bird trained to do/say anything, if so, what and how easy was it to teach?
    Just what I mentioned above, but he picked that up on his own.

  6. Are your bird’s wings clipped?
    He was born deformed - lacking the lower part of the wing below the “elbow,” and missing a couple of toes on that same side. We think he developed too close to the side of the egg. It kept us from having to clip him, but I think that’s ultimately why he died. We just woke up one morning & he was no more.

  7. If you travel, what kind of care does your bird require?
    On the off chance we were away, the in-laws would either come over & take care of him, or he would go to the in-laws. We’d leave the radio or the TV on for him. And the vertical blinds so he could look out to the backyard.

  8. What are the enjoyable aspects of bird ownership?
    My husband’s parents used to breed birds, so he grew up with them. I never realized how much personalities those little guys can have.

  9. What are the negative aspects of bird ownership?
    How neurotic they can be. If you get a neurotic bird, it’s heartbreaking to watch them pluck themselves. Also, if you go for the bigger/smarter birds (Macaws, African Greys, even Cockatoos and Cockatiels) my experience is that they tend to bond to one person. Macaws can do some serious damage if they don’t like you. I’ve had my little cockatiel draw blood once (I had a bandage on my arm & didn’t take into account that he may be freaked out by it).

  10. How do you feel about the whole cage/clipped wings/captive argument people make about birds as pets?
    I never really thought too much about it because I chose a deformed bird; one that would have died right after hatching, if not before that. I guess it’s not really any different than having indoor cats (as I do) as opposed to indoor/outdoor cats. Prior to the cat, my bird’s cage was left open & he could climb inside & out.

17
  1. What kind of bird do you have?

A green-cheeked conure. Think small, mostly dark-green parrot.

  1. How long have you had your bird?

Since 1994.

  1. Do you have/have you had other pets?

My wife’s dog came with her when we married. The dog and the bird ignore each other.

  1. What is the temperament of your bird? Has its temperament changed since you got it?

He is and always has been noisy and insistent upon getting his own way.

  1. Is your bird trained to do/say anything, if so, what and how easy was it to teach?

He does not speak. Instead, he has trained me to make his noises. He will always climb onto my finger or onto a perch, and he is generally good about pooping when I snap my fingers. Most of this was accomplished fairly naturally.

  1. Are your bird’s wings clipped?

Typically, yes. I worry about the possibilities of flying out the door, onto a burner, or into the toilet. When clipped, he is still able to fly safely to the ground.

  1. If you travel, what kind of care does your bird require?

He likes my mother and enjoys staying with her. If she is not available then he typically boards at the vet. I bring his whole cage in, and it just sits on a table iin a busy area there. A few times when I’d been away for several days, he was quite upset with me on my return. He got onto my shoulder, but he let fly with a lot of admonitory hooting and whistling (I can recognize different moods in different tones), and he subjected my ears to a lot of disciplinary nibbling.

  1. What are the enjoyable aspects of bird ownership?

He is extremely affectionate to me. Indeed, one might almost say “fanatically devoted.” If it were up to him, he would be on my shoulder constantly. While there, he will nestle in my hair, and frequently will groom me. Occasionally this involves yanking a hair out of my ear, which my wife appreciates. He does all sorts of cute things: bathing in the sink, chasing cans, imitating sounds on the TV (he whistles to the X-Files theme). If I’m sitting at the computer, he will crawl down my arm, hunker down on my fingers, and rub his head against me.

  1. What are the negative aspects of bird ownership?

He can be sparing in his affection for people other than me. He likes my mother, and generally approves of my wife. He did not get along with my first wife (who, ironically, gave him to me); he would occasionally hide under the hall table and stick his head out to bite her toe.

He is demanding; he wants to be around me all the time. If he’s in his cage and knows that I’m in the house, he will squawk incessantly. If his morning routine of a bit of walnut and some vegetables is disrupted, he gets crabby.

Pooping is an issue, but a minor one with minimal vigilance. He knows that his perches (which have paper underneath) are the preferred pooping sites, and if I’m careful not to keep him off his perch for too long, he generally won’t poop on me or the furniture. His perches will generally be messy with poop and pellet dust below.

He can be destructive. He will chew up papers, and on occasions where I didn’t watch him carefully enough, he has chewed up the buttons on a remote and the cord to a lamp.

  1. How do you feel about the whole cage/clipped wings/captive argument people make about birds as pets?

I can’t return my bird to any kind of life in the wild, so instead I strive to provide him with the happiest and safest life possible. Indeed, given how strongly he’s imprinted on me, it would be cruel of me not to live with him.

18

Thank you all for your great info/anecdotes.

Here’s what I imagine my “ideal” bird to be like: not too needy and not too aloof. I’d love for it to be able to spend at least some time outside the cage—maybe hanging around on my shoulder while I do stuff. Although I think it would be smart to “put it to bed” at night? I’d love for it to be at the very least finger-trained, and man, if I could teach it to poop when I snap my fingers, well then I think I would have my new best friend!

One thing I loved about my peach-faced lovebird (his name was Percival) was that he LOVED to take “showers”- I’d hold him next to a running faucet and he’d dance around and dip his head under the stream and then shake like crazy. He (well actually she—I found out she laid an egg at her new owner’s home!) was a bit aggressive, and knowing now that he was a she, I guess that makes sense. I guess I’m not really crazy about working with an aggressive bird—I think I would get easily frustrated because I’d worry it didn’t like me.

Ours is a relatively quiet household. No kids. No craziness. We’re home a lot. I’m guessing his perch would be in our larger front room, so we’d have space for a bit of a bigger bird—or a bigger cage/perch at least.

So…is there a specific “breed” that sounds “ideal” for me?

19

Speaking from my admittedly limited experience, you probably won’t have trouble with that. Smalls is very much a 12-13 hours a day guy, and much like a toddler, gives very clear signals that he’s ready for bed.

If the lights around his cage are on, he’ll find a high perch somewhere darker and hiss like mad at anyone who comes close. He’ll still get up on my hand but then fuss at me the whole way to his cage. Once I put him in the cage and cover it (we use an old tablecloth), he makes cheerful “goodnight” noises for a few seconds and that’s it. He’s down for the count.

He also LOVES showers. Like, real showers. He’ll hop onto my head when I am taking one, so I usually stand so that my head is only in the stream of water from the crown back. Then he stands close to my forehead and dips his head and wings into the water. Super cute. Looks like a drowned rat afterward.

20

Pssst, you mean “species.”:wink:

  1. What kind of bird do you have?

PF Lovebird, Sunshine. She’s not been DNA sexed, but she has been behaviorallyl sexed as female.

  1. How long have you had your bird?

Since April. Here’s the threadwhere she found me.

  1. Do you have/have you had other pets?

I have three cats and a dog. Unlike Beadalin, I can not allow any interaction between bird and predators. And they’re ALL predators. And the lovebird has NO FEAR at all. So. Not safe in my household at all. I wish it was.

  1. What is the temperament of your bird? Has its temperament changed since you got it?

Well, she’s a girl lovebird, so she’s territorial, nippy, affectionate, crazy, playful, destructive, funny as hell…

  1. Is your bird trained to do/say anything, if so, what and how easy was it to teach? She’ll usually take a bath on command, and she’s pretty good about coming when called (but not perfect…)

  2. Are your bird’s wings clipped?

No. I feel strongly that if you don’t have a very compelling reason to clip and there are some, of course, then you don’t. Flying is a bird’s natural form of exercise, and lovebirds in particular have a tendency to obesity, which isn’t any healthier for birds than it is for mammals.

  1. If you travel, what kind of care does your bird require? My neighbor comes over twice a day to give her fresh water and check her food (she’s on a diet of pellets, primarily, with a sprinkle of seed, and vegetables as often as I can get her to eat them.) She also turns on the uv lamp for her in the morning, and a radio, and then turns them back off at night and covers her.

  2. What are the enjoyable aspects of bird ownership?

I completely love this bird. She makes me laugh like nobody’s business. She melts me into a puddle of goo when she falls asleep snuggled in my hand or on my head. She and my husband tease each other constantly and she adores us both and we her. I also love watching her in flight, and watching her beat the crap out of her toys.

  1. What are the negative aspects of bird ownership?

Money, time, cleanup, worry. Veterinary care for birds (especially by a certified avian veterinarian) is expensive. A good cage can be expensive. Toys and a good diet are ongoing expenses that you MUST meet. Poop, oh, boy, the poop, and the shreds of paper everywhere (if you’ve had PF lovebirds before, you already know that part!) Can’t leave a book or magazine or bill anywhere she can reach it. Wow.

  1. How do you feel about the whole cage/clipped wings/captive argument people make about birds as pets? Ya know, I don’t think about it too much with her, because she would have died if she hadn’t found me. So she’s definitely in a better place. Some species of parrots, though, I don’t think should be in captivity as a rule, such as cockatoos and eclectus, just because they’re not temperamentally suited to captive life and frequently end up as pluckers, or screamers. There are exceptions, but…
    We’ve had a lot of discussions about things like this on the livejournal Parrot_lovers community.