Doing my research, a few questions.

frankie.rainieri

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I have wanted a parrot for as long as I can remember. I began doing my research as I am finally in a stable point in my life to where I have a permanent schedule with work, housing, etc.

I have decided on a green cheek for many reasons. Google and this forum have answered many of my questions but a few specific to MY lifestyle so here goes.

I own a butcher shop, my schedule is as follows. 9-6 for five days a week. My fiancé is home all day with our two dogs and cats.

I am fully aware that my other pets are predators to birds but with various other small animals in the house over the years it’s not a huge concern. Once they all get their smells in the caged animals are old news and accepted as family. I am slightly concerned that when my conure is on me that it could get “spooked” from barks or just decide to fly off my shoulder and then become prey. With that said everything I’m seeing on YouTube shows a well bonded bird is happy to just sit with you and has little desire to get away from you. Am I just seeing the good and none of the bad in these videos?

My real only question here is as follows. My bird will have it’s own room for at night, safe and quiet. Information tells me cage placement should be where the action is so I’m thinking every morning after breakfast I would put her in a cage where my dogs and fiancé will be for the majority of the day coming and going. This is GOOD passive entertainment for them I understand. BUT here’s the catch. I do not want her to feel obligated to have to handle the girl every day all day.

In essence I was a happy healthy conure that can watch the flock going about and then when daddy comes home she knows it’s time to come out and play until bedtime.

If she is MY bird and bonded with me, can they actually learn day time is time with other flock members and be content or will she scream and squawk to be let out. This will inevitably lead to the bird staying in her room throughout the day until I get home. I do NOT want to give it this life..

Final question would be their behavior on a play gym. I will be able to devote at least an hour hands on every day but was thinking to have a few stands where I spend time would compose the other hours of being with me.

Sorry for rambling so much, I really do appreciate any and all feedback.


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Inger

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Hello! Other more experienced people than I will come along soon but in the meantime, at risk of sounding like a harsh Debbie downer:

First and foremost, I strongly urge you to keep your bird separated from dogs and cats at all times when the bird is out of the cage. Forget all of the cute YouTube videos. Forget that you trust your four-footeds completely. Forget all of it. Birds are prey. Dogs and cats are predators. Period. One second of instinct is all it takes and you have a dead bird and you’re mad at your dog/cat for betraying you. You could be sitting right there and watch it all happen, because can you move faster than a dog/Cat/bird? I can’t. If you would like, I can link you to a Facebook post from a bird group I’m in with rather graphic detail about what happened when she left the bird alone with the dog for just a minute. And while my bird is bonded closely to me, and is happy to spend lots of time sitting with me, she also likes to fly over to her boing or her play gym or sometimes she just likes to fly around. She’s a bird.

Next, there’s no guarantee that your bird will pick you to bond with. It may be YOUR bird, but what if you are not ITS human? Does your fiancé want a bird? If she doesn’t, then your home isn’t a great place for one anyway. Is your fiancé prepared for the idea that birdie might love her best? And might want to spend all its out of cage time cuddling with her? Are YOU prepared for that? If everyone in your household isn’t 100% ready for everything that goes along with a bird, including mess and noise and bites and an individual personality, don’t get one. That’s how parrots wind up having multiple homes in a lifetime.

I’m glad you’re reaching out with your questions before you bring Birdie home.


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chris-md

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You’ve done your research, that is fantastic!

Here’s my recommendation: look into an eclectus. I know you cite “many reasons”, but here’s the thing: conures often form a bond with one person, and are aggressive to everyone else. With your wife home all day, your conure is most likely to bond with her, excluding you, the one who wanted the bird in the first place.

Eclectus, especially males, are usually very receptive to almost anyone. So the odds aren’t so stacked in your wife’s favor.

Of course try telling that to my boy, Who seems to have a racist streak a mile long. He’ll go to anyone, but any attempt by a black person to hold him for some reason results in him flying far away.
 
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Sunnyclover

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Turquoise Yellow Sided Green Cheek Conure -Paris- Hatched 03/03/18*

Black Capped Conure -North- Hatched 10/10/18
Many of your concerns and questions are very bird specific and depends on the personality of the bird. Will the bird scream it's face off if you're at work? Maybe. My 2 Conures Will and do scream for me if they hear voices and sounds in another room and they think it might be me. But if I leave out the garage door they see me leave and I say bye to them and that signals that I'm not home and they're quiet. But if someone else is home and I'm not they will flock call me here and there to make sure I can "find" them. In addition to that, if you put your bird in another room because it's loud your bird will get louder and will scream more because she will hear her flock and not see them and is trying to help you find her. She will also be really sad if she is kept all alone in a room by herself for most of the day... it's not good for birdie and rarely helps them learn to be quiet.
Will your cats eat your bird? Well... I'm personally against having a cat in the same room as a bird at all EVER as even the most doscile cat can decide it wants to feel the thrill of the chase and then well...not a happy ending. And yes even if your bird is completely bonded to you it absolutely can get spooked and will decide at some point it wants to do something other then cling to you like...eat or play with something shiney and will fly off you. Banking that your bird will want to do what you want it to do at all times is not how you should look at it because that's often not the case. Also, if you plan to have play stands in the same room as your cats or where your dogs can reach your bird...I would definitely not take a chance on that...please don't. Keep your baby safe!
Also keep in mind a green cheek goes potty every 10 to 20 mins so you're going to either have to poop train her or just accept she will poop on you possibly every 10 mins. Believe it or not a lot of new bird owners are unaware of this fact and then get upset about it. I have potty trained my 2 boys but still I talk to them about pooping, or ask them to go poopy or something revolving around poop all the time. Just be prepared and prepare your family as well for this cold hard fact of bird ownership. And NEVER EVER punish your bird for pooping because it can cause major damage if they associate fear and pooping which as you know can be every 10 mins.

I will let others answer some of the other things you asked. I hope this helps!
 
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frankie.rainieri

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Wonderful all very good points. I am fully aware of the constant pooping, not a concern for me. As for the other pets you all are right, it’s just not worth the risk. The new house I just bought has many other rooms and a finished basement I was thinking could be “our” spot in the evenings.

In regards to me not being it’s human, yes I know we cannot control their bond. BUT we are both thinking how the heck is it possible for it to bond with her if I’m the only one handling it? OR PRIMARILY handling it?
I am also reading they are NOT a one person bird if properly socialized as a baby. Maybe this just squashed my previous statement?

Yes or no, can the bird bond to just the sight of a person rather then one on one training on a daily basis with another person.


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chris-md

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Absolutely true. This forum, and every other forum, is replete with people asking “my conure chose my spouse as their favorite. I’m the one who feeds can interacts with the bird, and my spouse doesn’t want much to do with it. What can I do?”

You can’t always predict who they will bond with. You stack the deck in your favor as the caretaker, but it’s definitely not a guarantee.

Also true that one person bird syndrome can be somewhat overcome by proper socialization. Again, not always guaranteed. Based on my own experience and the experience I see from others, i personally - and others may disagree with me here, and that’s ok, reasonable people can disagree - always assume a conure will become a one person bird despite my best efforts. That’s my default.
 

Sunnyclover

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Black Capped Conure -North- Hatched 10/10/18
Wonderful all very good points. I am fully aware of the constant pooping, not a concern for me. As for the other pets you all are right, it’s just not worth the risk. The new house I just bought has many other rooms and a finished basement I was thinking could be “our” spot in the evenings.

In regards to me not being it’s human, yes I know we cannot control their bond. BUT we are both thinking how the heck is it possible for it to bond with her if I’m the only one handling it? OR PRIMARILY handling it?
I am also reading they are NOT a one person bird if properly socialized as a baby. Maybe this just squashed my previous statement?

Yes or no, can the bird bond to just the sight of a person rather then one on one training on a daily basis with another person.


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Please don't get a conure and put it in the basement and only interact vwith it for an hour a day. That is a sad sad life for a conure. :-( Not saying that's what you meant but I just wanted to make sure.
 

EllenD

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I have to tell you, the entire idea of your bird being in "his" room, inside his cage all day long until 6:00 at night, and then knowing that it gets to be out of his cage for an hour or two before bed is not sitting well with me at all, especially not a Green Cheek or any other species of Conure...or parrot for that matter...

Parrots are like 3-4 year old human toddlers. They need at least, at least 4-5 hours of out of cage time every single day, and they need at least 12 hours of sleep every night...It you don't get home until 6:00 at night, well, after that because you work until 6:00, so let's say 6:30, then your bird is going to get, what, 2 hours tops of out of cage time a day? And you expect your bird to stay quiet all day long while he's off by himself inside the cage until you get home? And you don't want your fiance', who's home all day long and who your bird will be hearing all day long, every day, to have much to do with your bird? This isn't a parrot you are describing, certainly not a Conure...it sounds more like a faithful dog who knows you are his "master", and that's not a bird...at all.

Forgetting the "cat" situation, which is extremely dangerous (please don't base decisions and form your ideas based on YouTube videos), you need to keep some things in mind:

-There is no guarantee that any bird that you buy will actually bond with you, especially if your fiance' is home all day with it.
-You cannot leave a parrot inside it's cage every day until 6:30 at night and expect it to stay quiet, not develop behavioral issues, start plucking, etc., and then actually expect your bird to be satisfied with being out of his cage for an hour or two before bedtime, as this is your way to keep you being it's "master" , instead of your fiance' who is going to be home all day long with it, but isn't supposed to handle it all day, or doesn't want to, I'm not sure which is true
-Any bird that is kept in a cage all day long until 6:30 when there are any other people home, ESPECIALLY A CONURE, but is not allowed out or interacted with by those people who are home and who THEY CAN HEAR is going to most-likely scream their head off all day long!
-Your dogs and especially your cats will not just "sniff the new bird" and then decide they're fine, it's a new family member, and then they'll be fine out together. You absolutely cannot allow a cat to be out with your bird! Cats are born, innate hunters and killers!
-Either you are a member of your all of your bird's "flock", or your birds are a flock by themselves...you seem to think that you can ask your bird or birds to know that during the day they are a flock, and when you get home at night you're a part of their flock, but the other people (your fiance) who are home with them all day long are not a part of the flock...chances are that whatever bird you bring home will end-up bonding with your fiance, regardless of anything you do...It's just not up to you or any person who their bird's bond with, and there are several active posts going on right now about their bird's bonding with the wrong person in the house, and this causing huge issues in the home...

I admire you doing research, I really do. And I admire you coming here to ask questions. But it just sounds to me that what you are looking for is not at all a parrot, and definitely not a Green Cheek Conure or any species of Conure. You seem to want to dictate who your bird bond's with and how your bird feels about certain situations, and that just isn't how it works. Every bird is an individual, and you don't know what you are going to get at all. And your fiance should be a part of this equation, especially if she's home all day with the bird!!!

I'm sorry, but it's cruel to keep a bird inside it's cage 5 days a week until 6:30 at night, and actually expect it to know that "I have to wait for daddy to get home, until then I have to be quiet and entertain myself, and then I'll get an hour or two out of the cage before bed", especially when you have a fiance/wife at home, which you don't want the bird to have anything to do with, I guess because you want the bird to be "your" bird...But you can't choose who the bird's person will be at all, and you can't be cruel to the bird in order to try to accomplish this.

If you can't give whatever species of parrot you bring home at the very least 4-5 hours of out of cage time every day, more is better, and still allow him to get adequate sleep at night, then you shouldn't get a parrot. The issue here is that you could do this, as you have a fiance/wife that's home, but you don't want her to bond with "your" bird...That's what you need to think long and hard about, as you are putting your wants and needs before the health and happiness of the bird, and that's not going to work with an intelligent parrot, they aren't dogs. They fight back when they aren't treated well...

If you get a parrot of any species, it needs to be a part of your FAMILY, not just "your bird", especially if that is to his/her detriment during the long days at home alone with your spouse. If your fiance doesn't want to also be a part of the bird's daily life and let him out during the day while she's home, then please don't get a bird. And if you are the one who just doesn't want your fiance to have anything to do with the bird because you think that will keep the bird from forming a bond with anyone but you, that's just not how parrots work, and this is not the way you should approach this situation at all.
 
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EllenD

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"Yes or no, can the bird bond to just the sight of a person rather then one on one training on a daily basis with another person."

You asked this question, unfortunately this is not a question that you should ever be asking...and if you don't understand why not, then you haven't done enough research on parrots...The fact is that the method that you've come-up with, as I already described in my above post, is not healthy and also not proven at all. You want to basically segregate whatever bird you bring home all day long in it's cage, every day, until 6:30 at night, even though you have other family members at home all day long...You said it yourself, "no one else will be handling the bird, so how could it bond with anyone else"...

This is not the way to be a responsible parrot owner at all. You are putting your wants and needs before the health and the happiness of your bird.
 
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frankie.rainieri

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Yes I absolutely am putting my needs and wants first. Is the bird going to pay ME to take care of it? If this is something I’m committing to, spending money on, etc. These are all valid questions since I will NOT get one if they do not meet MY expectations for ownership. I want to do it right or not at all. I appreciate all’s input but do not completely agree with bonding since all the searches I’m looking at fight for each side pretty equally. Be it socializing from a baby or their husband was chosen type stories. I’m going to TC Feathers tomorrow in northern Virginia to pick their brains on my situation.


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GaleriaGila

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Wow. Thank you, members, for all the sincere and detailed replies. I'm always so moved by your passion.

Frankie, I admire your open-mindedness and research-orientation. We here are shamelessly pro-bird and we definitely lean towards what's best for the bird. I'm sure you can see that by the input thusfar.

Yes, you can certainly purchase and house a bird as you wish. We're gving you the parrot-centric view, admittedly and happily.

I appreciate your listening, and hope we have persuaded you, even just a bit. :)
 
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Terry57

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First, welcome to the forum! I am so glad you are doing research, you are to be commended for that.
We have 6 conures, and I am home all day, every day. My husband spends time in the evenings with everyone. Out of 6 conures, 2 despise me and love my husband, 2 love me & hate husband, and 2 like us both equally. It really doesn't seem to matter who cares for them, they just pick one of us for whatever reason, and that is that.

Your fiance may find that she wants to have the conure out for a time during the day, and with our experience I don't think that would change who the bird bonds to, as they seem to have their own idea of that regardless of time spent with them. This also holds true for my larger birds, I won't even say how many of them prefer my hubby, too depressing:( I am their caretaker, but Dad is the fun one.

I am so glad you joined us.
 

Scott

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Welcome and thank you, Frankie, for a detailed intro. Kudos for examining the situation from every angle. I would encourage you to visit several venues, including rescues, to learn first-hand how a parrot might mesh with your lifestyle. They are wonderful companions with very long lifespans.
 
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frankie.rainieri

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Wonderful yes I am absolutely not trying to be a selfish owner at all. The reason I am here is out of having a happy bird! I think some other members were under the impression I was hell bent on getting one either way and wanted affirmation for how it would be kept. You all have opened my eyes and realize now I conure will not be for me. Which I may need to move this to a different section. I am now looking into cockatiels. Please don’t hate me [emoji23]. With all mentioned above does anything change with going to a Tiel?? Or does it sound like the species does not jive with my lifestyle PERIOD. Thank you all for helping me decide it’s not the right move.


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EllenD

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Senegal Parrot named "Kane"; Yellow-Sided Green Cheek Conure named "Bowie"; Blue Quaker Parrot named "Lita Ford"; Cockatiel named "Duff"; 8 American/English Budgie Hybrids; Ringneck Dove named "Dylan"
Yes I absolutely am putting my needs and wants first. Is the bird going to pay ME to take care of it? If this is something I’m committing to, spending money on, etc. These are all valid questions since I will NOT get one if they do not meet MY expectations for ownership. I want to do it right or not at all. I appreciate all’s input but do not completely agree with bonding since all the searches I’m looking at fight for each side pretty equally. Be it socializing from a baby or their husband was chosen type stories. I’m going to TC Feathers tomorrow in northern Virginia to pick their brains on my situation.


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At the risk of me not being the kindest person in responding to your reply, I'm just going to say that we will agree to disagree.

All I will say is this: No, a bird is not going "to pay you to take care of it", lol...But that certainly is not the point at all, and you should know this. The bird is also not asking for you to bring it into the type of environment you are attempting to put it into either. The difference here, which I'm sure you understand as an intelligent, human adult, is that THE BIRDS HAVE NO CHOICE, THEY ARE AT YOUR MERCY. So when I said that you are putting your needs and wants before the bird's needs and wants, you missed my point, though you also made it for me...

I personally don't think it matters at all what you read on the internet, as myself and most other members of this forum have decades of parrot ownership experience, and we know very well of which we speak, regardless of the species of parrot. Those of us that are long-time Conure owners, again, regardless of the species of Conure, all seem to agree on their personalities, so I'd heed our warnings, if not simply put more weight on our suggestions than those that you simply find on the web somewhere. We are real people speaking from real, long-time experience, and we are only tryint to save you and whatever bird you bring home from heartache and a difficult re-homing situation...If you've even attempted to peruse your local Craigslist pages, or any Craigslist pets pages across the United States, then you should have a very good understanding as to why we are saying what we are saying..

I don't think that there are many members on this forum that would disagree with me on the fact that regardless of what species of parrot you bring home, keeping them locked inside a cage all day long and only bringing them out of the cage when you get home at 6:30 each night for an hour or two is not a healthy situation for a parrot to be in. And when you add the fact that you have at least one family member who is home all day long, but that you apparently yourself are requesting have nothing at all (or very little) to do with the bird, simply because you are admittedly attempting to "Force the bird to only bond with you" is not at all a healthy approach to parrot ownership and rearing. Again, parrots/birds are not dogs, they are not cats, they are not ferrets or rabbits. They literally have the intelligence level that human toddlers between the ages of 3-5 years old do, and as such you can do serious psychological and emotional damage to them by trying to "force" them to bond to only certain people. That should make sense to you, I would think...

As already mentioned by another member above, what you are attempting to do and the method by which you are trying to achieve it has no more guarantee of working with a parrot than doing this the healthy way will, the "healthy way" being you and your fiance BOTH being an active, 50-50 participant in your bird's life and care, and making the bird a part of your family, rather than trying to make yourself a bird's "master"...This will not work my friend, it's not how bird's work.

You're an extremely lucky person, in that you own your own home, you have a stable income/financial situation, and you have a spouse who not only lives with you but is home all day, and who would be able to provide a bird in your home a wonderful day full of enrichment, fun activities, and most of all love and care...but you would rather totally throw that asset away and keep a bird locked in a cage all day long and only give it an hour or two a day out, because you only want your bird to like you...Again, this is not going to end well, that's just my opinion based on my own 30+ years of having several birds be a part of my family.

I hope that you realize that I myself, as well as any other member who gave you similar advice or have made similar statements, are only doing so to try to help you, save you a future ton of frustration, anger, and heartache, and most of all, most of us here absolutely do PUT OUR BIRDS WANTS AND NEEDS FIRST, ALWAYS. Your particular take on this situation is completely different than how most of us here feel, as Gail said we come from a "Bird-Centric" point-of-view, we always try to imagine how the bird is going to feel FIRST, not how we are going to benefit first. And this is because we know, from tons of personal, first-hand experience, that birds are unlike any other "pet" you may have the luck to have be a part of your family, they are extremely intelligent, and they require a very selfless nature to be able to understand them and where they are coming from. Again, this is why there are quite literally tens of thousands of parrots on Craigslist who are being "re-homed" as we speak, all across the United States.
 
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frankie.rainieri

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Yes I absolutely am putting my needs and wants first. Is the bird going to pay ME to take care of it? If this is something I’m committing to, spending money on, etc. These are all valid questions since I will NOT get one if they do not meet MY expectations for ownership. I want to do it right or not at all. I appreciate all’s input but do not completely agree with bonding since all the searches I’m looking at fight for each side pretty equally. Be it socializing from a baby or their husband was chosen type stories. I’m going to TC Feathers tomorrow in northern Virginia to pick their brains on my situation.





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At the risk of me not being the kindest person in responding to your reply, I'm just going to say that we will agree to disagree.



All I will say is this: No, a bird is not going "to pay you to take care of it", lol...But that certainly is not the point at all, and you should know this. The bird is also not asking for you to bring it into the type of environment you are attempting to put it into either. The difference here, which I'm sure you understand as an intelligent, human adult, is that THE BIRDS HAVE NO CHOICE, THEY ARE AT YOUR MERCY. So when I said that you are putting your needs and wants before the bird's needs and wants, you missed my point, though you also made it for me...



I personally don't think it matters at all what you read on the internet, as myself and most other members of this forum have decades of parrot ownership experience, and we know very well of which we speak, regardless of the species of parrot. Those of us that are long-time Conure owners, again, regardless of the species of Conure, all seem to agree on their personalities, so I'd heed our warnings, if not simply put more weight on our suggestions than those that you simply find on the web somewhere. We are real people speaking from real, long-time experience, and we are only tryint to save you and whatever bird you bring home from heartache and a difficult re-homing situation...If you've even attempted to peruse your local Craigslist pages, or any Craigslist pets pages across the United States, then you should have a very good understanding as to why we are saying what we are saying..



I don't think that there are many members on this forum that would disagree with me on the fact that regardless of what species of parrot you bring home, keeping them locked inside a cage all day long and only bringing them out of the cage when you get home at 6:30 each night for an hour or two is not a healthy situation for a parrot to be in. And when you add the fact that you have at least one family member who is home all day long, but that you apparently yourself are requesting have nothing at all (or very little) to do with the bird, simply because you are admittedly attempting to "Force the bird to only bond with you" is not at all a healthy approach to parrot ownership and rearing. Again, parrots/birds are not dogs, they are not cats, they are not ferrets or rabbits. They literally have the intelligence level that human toddlers between the ages of 3-5 years old do, and as such you can do serious psychological and emotional damage to them by trying to "force" them to bond to only certain people. That should make sense to you, I would think...



As already mentioned by another member above, what you are attempting to do and the method by which you are trying to achieve it has no more guarantee of working with a parrot than doing this the healthy way will, the "healthy way" being you and your fiance BOTH being an active, 50-50 participant in your bird's life and care, and making the bird a part of your family, rather than trying to make yourself a bird's "master"...This will not work my friend, it's not how bird's work.



You're an extremely lucky person, in that you own your own home, you have a stable income/financial situation, and you have a spouse who not only lives with you but is home all day, and who would be able to provide a bird in your home a wonderful day full of enrichment, fun activities, and most of all love and care...but you would rather totally throw that asset away and keep a bird locked in a cage all day long and only give it an hour or two a day out, because you only want your bird to like you...Again, this is not going to end well, that's just my opinion based on my own 30+ years of having several birds be a part of my family.



I hope that you realize that I myself, as well as any other member who gave you similar advice or have made similar statements, are only doing so to try to help you, save you a future ton of frustration, anger, and heartache, and most of all, most of us here absolutely do PUT OUR BIRDS WANTS AND NEEDS FIRST, ALWAYS. Your particular take on this situation is completely different than how most of us here feel, as Gail said we come from a "Bird-Centric" point-of-view, we always try to imagine how the bird is going to feel FIRST, not how we are going to benefit first. And this is because we know, from tons of personal, first-hand experience, that birds are unlike any other "pet" you may have the luck to have be a part of your family, they are extremely intelligent, and they require a very selfless nature to be able to understand them and where they are coming from. Again, this is why there are quite literally tens of thousands of parrots on Craigslist who are being "re-homed" as we speak, all across the United States.



Ellen, don’t get your feathers too ruffled. I’m asking questions and receiving answers. My fiancé loves all animals and would absolutely want to engage with the bird but NOT at the expense of needing to lock up the cats and dogs. It’s not a practical situation for her to all of a sudden give this new animal all the attention in the house. I am here and taking a beating from people like you to show me if ownership is something I’m capable of or not. So thank you for putting a taste of what is required to keep them to the birds standards and have the support of others that agree with the same home body lifestyle. It’s not for me, enough said.


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wrench13

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Welcome and be welcomed. We are all about the parrots here, as has been said.

Parrots are funny animals and not like anything else. Anything. I;ve had dog's, cats, snakes, turtles, tortoise, fish even a horse for 4 years. Parrot behavior is still being studied and what was accepted even 10 years ago as good "Parronting" ( parrot parent) is changing. They are truly like 3-4 yr olds who have a very sharp can opener to play with, an almost inexhaustible amount of energy and curiosity. Who can be way way more fussy about what they like to eat than any human. Who will go thru 1 major hormonal period at puberty and then once a year in mating season. Some birds its not so bad, some birds it is like Jekyll and Hyde. Almost all parrots will bite you ( their person!! ) either thru your ignorance or their bad mood or poor training - some not so bad, some can require stitches. And it is more by individual and their upbringing than by species ( just like human kids) . All of it. And as a parront you and your fiancee need to accept all of it. AND do so for maybe the rest of your lives - parrots live a LONG LONG time. And now you know why so many parrots are surrendered or have multiple homes thru their lives, or set free or just out right put in a closet or basement or garage. They are so freaking intelligent it is scary sometimes - so parrots are subject to insanity, same as larger primates, if they are not treated as such - intelligent. I hope you 2 will watch the PBS special on parrots on Youtube as they will show some of the results of poor parronting. I think perhaps you may rise to parrontship, but please, be very sure.
 
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frankie.rainieri

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Jun 17, 2018
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Welcome and be welcomed. We are all about the parrots here, as has been said.

Parrots are funny animals and not like anything else. Anything. I;ve had dog's, cats, snakes, turtles, tortoise, fish even a horse for 4 years. Parrot behavior is still being studied and what was accepted even 10 years ago as good "Parronting" ( parrot parent) is changing. They are truly like 3-4 yr olds who have a very sharp can opener to play with, an almost inexhaustible amount of energy and curiosity. Who can be way way more fussy about what they like to eat than any human. Who will go thru 1 major hormonal period at puberty and then once a year in mating season. Some birds its not so bad, some birds it is like Jekyll and Hyde. Almost all parrots will bite you ( their person!! ) either thru your ignorance or their bad mood or poor training - some not so bad, some can require stitches. And it is more by individual and their upbringing than by species ( just like human kids) . All of it. And as a parront you and your fiancee need to accept all of it. AND do so for maybe the rest of your lives - parrots live a LONG LONG time. And now you know why so many parrots are surrendered or have multiple homes thru their lives, or set free or just out right put in a closet or basement or garage. They are so freaking intelligent it is scary sometimes - so parrots are subject to insanity, same as larger primates, if they are not treated as such - intelligent. I hope you 2 will watch the PBS special on parrots on Youtube as they will show some of the results of poor parronting. I think perhaps you may rise to parrontship, but please, be very sure.



All understood, well received, and appreciated. Can you please tell me the name of the show or what to search for on YouTube?


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Sunnyclover

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Black Capped Conure -North- Hatched 10/10/18
I think this is it:
[ame="https://youtu.be/b-KdxI6b1_8"]Parrot Confidential - YouTube[/ame]
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yuko

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Jun 18, 2018
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I have one green cheeked conure, and her name is Yuko! She is about 7 - 8 years of age!
Hello! Other more experienced people than I will come along soon but in the meantime, at risk of sounding like a harsh Debbie downer:

First and foremost, I strongly urge you to keep your bird separated from dogs and cats at all times when the bird is out of the cage. Forget all of the cute YouTube videos. Forget that you trust your four-footeds completely. Forget all of it. Birds are prey. Dogs and cats are predators. Period. One second of instinct is all it takes and you have a dead bird and you’re mad at your dog/cat for betraying you. You could be sitting right there and watch it all happen, because can you move faster than a dog/Cat/bird? I can’t. If you would like, I can link you to a Facebook post from a bird group I’m in with rather graphic detail about what happened when she left the bird alone with the dog for just a minute. And while my bird is bonded closely to me, and is happy to spend lots of time sitting with me, she also likes to fly over to her boing or her play gym or sometimes she just likes to fly around. She’s a bird.

Next, there’s no guarantee that your bird will pick you to bond with. It may be YOUR bird, but what if you are not ITS human? Does your fiancé want a bird? If she doesn’t, then your home isn’t a great place for one anyway. Is your fiancé prepared for the idea that birdie might love her best? And might want to spend all its out of cage time cuddling with her? Are YOU prepared for that? If everyone in your household isn’t 100% ready for everything that goes along with a bird, including mess and noise and bites and an individual personality, don’t get one. That’s how parrots wind up having multiple homes in a lifetime.

I’m glad you’re reaching out with your questions before you bring Birdie home.


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My bird rules over my dog, its funny because hes just a little gcc! a few days ago he actually hopped onto the dogs head and they sat in peace for a while until thedog moved and he flew away. over time if introduced correctly ( which ours weren't) they can have a good relationship. it's also pretty good considering my dog is a bird hunting breed.
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