I wana get a bird but I need advice!

[MeldiaForever]

Hello my name is Meldia(it is pronounced meldeea) and I am 12 years of age and going into 7th grade. I was researching what type of bird would be good to start out with. My mother and father used to breed loots of birds like toucanets, Caiques, peacocks, Mexican Moutain Jays, African Greys, Blue and gold McCaws, ect., for a long time and the name Mac Sharpe is still fairly famous in the bird breeding world(GO DAD!). After about a week or two of internet searches and talks with mom and dad I decided I wanted a white bellied caique. More specifically a yellow thighed caique. I used to have two rats and I was woundering if with extra pearches, another safty clach on the door, and lots and lots of toys, if I cold use the old 15"W, 20"L 30"H cage for this type of bird. Its still in great condition and I did't want to waset it. Its been dissinfected and washed around 5 times since the rats died of old age and after the forth time it is spotless! I know I could get another one if I needed it. I have a dog and one of the rats lived to age 2 and 1/2 years (the other was very fat and would not ever let me hold her so I put on some gloves to stop the biteing and let her run in a large hamster ball but she wouldn't move so we tock her back to the store and they said that she had isues and should have never been sold to me in the first place). I miss haveing a little pet that I can train and take care of(by train I mean when the dog needed potty trained and tought to sit and stuff). I walk over to the spot where the rat cage was to feed them or play with them then rember ther both sadly dead. I even miss CLEANING there cage! You guy are pretty good at advice so PLEZ HELP ME! thank you!

 

[Amber]

I've read some things that mention your dad, in particular Dick Muench's interview. He's still held in pretty high regard in the bird world.

I have no idea on the cage, my one and only bird is my jenday Alex so I don't know much beyond conures. I do have general knowledge of cockatiels and aus native birds (of which my mother loves and had had in the past/present) and macaws, which a friend breeds but that's it. But hey, we're all here to learn I guess! So I'll leave your question to the caique lovers on here

But good on you for doing your research and I hope you find the perfect bird! You'll have family with bird knowledge around you to help you out too, so you're quite lucky in that regard! I'm sorry about your rats, their funny little critters. Sounds like you took good care of them, and I bet they were happy with you

 

[Atwee921]

Welcome!! Im Anna
I think your rat cage would be fine for your caique. Just make sure you disinfect it.

 

[Ratzy]

Hey there and welcome to the forum! I started 7th year this year

 

[MeldiaForever]

You guys all Rock! Thank you!

 

[Atwee921]

Oh btw I forgot to tell you were the same age
Me, you, and Ratzy.

 

[Spiritbird]

This was written by an X forum member:

I have read so much about the wonders of living with a parrot.

From the majestic macaw, to the gentle african grey, to the cheeky amazon and the sweetness and joy that is a cuddly conure.

I can tell you - yes, it is all true. Those magical stories of bonding, love, cuddles and lifetime loyalty are real.

However, if you have come to the forum because you have decided you want a parrot, I urge you to consider the side we DON'T talk about as often - and that is the downside.

Plenty of people have posted problems on the forum with aggression/biting/unruly behaviour etc but in your quest for information gathering, have you actually read these posts? I bet you haven't, because if you do not know too much about parrot mentality, and behaviour, you will be forgiven for thinking that person is doing something wrong and they don't have a clue what they are doing.

That's where you are wrong .

Parrots are not like other pets. Their intelligence will not allow it.

If you want a parrot, then I really hope that before you have even started looking for that cute baby bird or even an adult, that you consider the following points.

Do you have your own home? Living with your parents or room mates isn't an ideal situation to have a parrot in. If you are still at home, can you take the bird with you when you move out - what about when you go to college? Work? HOW many hours will you work for? How many hours will the bird be alone? If you are with a room mate, is it fair to inflict upon them the noise, the mess, the fact their air fresheners and teflon pans/hair dryers/straighteners/ George Foreman grills will have to permanantly be resigned to the bin? That no, they cannot have parties because parrots require 8-12hrs of uninterupted sleep? Oh and SO sorry you're trying to study, but maybe you'd best go out if the parrot shouting is annoying you?

Do you have plenty of time to spend with your bird? By this I do not mean a few hours of an evening, I mean a LOT of time.....

Are you financially stable?

Are you aware that your bird must be taken to an AVIAN vet that will charge almost double to a regular vet to do something simple like shorten nails?

Does EVERYONE in your household support the idea of living with a parrot and are prepared to roll up their sleeves and get stuck in with training/care? Can everyone take a blood drawing bite or two? Because it WILL happen. Additionally, some birds will always dislike some human, even in it's own family. Are you ready for this?

Do your personal qualities include endless patience, love and respect?

Can you take the time to learn parrot mentality?

Have you considered what you will do if you find yourself with a bird that is aggressive/noisy/messy? We can't pick personality and for all the good sides, each parrot has a downside that may not be able to be corrected.

Can you offer a stable routine? Too many different times for feeding/out of cage/bed are not good for a bird and can distress them greatly.

Can you offer a LIFETIME's care to this bird?

You may be thinking: This girl is WAY over the top. She's a parrot NUT. She probably goes mental at people who eat meat and cries if you stamp on an ant.

No, I am not lol. That is the scary thing. I am just a normal person who happens to have a parrot and I can tell you that EVERY point above is essential. Any of the other wonderful guardian's on this forum would agree. I am not an expert or a spe******t. I do not have some sort of Parrot Degree behind me, I learn every day and I will continue to read everything I can get my hands on with relation to my bird because I want her to be as healthy and happy as possible.

Life with a parrot is fantastic, rewarding and there is never a dull moment but let me do what I intended to do and break the silence on the bad parts.

Parrots are:

Messy. They do not eat food. They throw food, mash it into furnishings, spray juice up the walls and onto the carpet. THEN they eat some food.
They can be toilet trained, but poop when they need to where they need to if something is too interesting to go back to the cage for.

Noisy. ALL parrots come with a certain amount of noise. The dawn and dusk chorus' are VERY important to them and although you can prevent screaming, it is something you will have to work at for a long LONG time. They are not like dogs, you cannot just call through to the other room "No shouting" and expect it to work.

Can get really uppity and show this via the channels of BITING. Some only in the beginning, others quite frequently - stock up on plasters.

Demanding. You must be able to have a parrot out of their cage for a few hours a day at least. They will not let you have any time off from this! They decide they want out? They want it YESTERDAY and they will not behave until you play ball.

Bossy. If you think you can curl up on the sofa with a book and your bird wants to play - forget the book. When you bring a new bird home, you cannot FORCE them to do ANYTHING. If you do, they will never trust you and therefore initially, things need to be on THEIR terms.

Destructive. Depending on the species and the personality of the bird, you may get one who is capable of ripping your sofa to shreds in the space of half an hour. Wallpaper, woodwork, curtains, cables....it ALL needs to be parrot proofed.

Specific health needs. All parrots need a good pellet mix as a base food. These are EXPENSIVE. They need seed and nuts - human grade. There's that £/$ again.....They need plenty of fruit and veg which really, need to be organic - unless you want to risk the pesticide issue.
The subject of care is a minefield with many, MANY dangers. No dried fruit, no peanuts, no chocolate, no onions, no caffeine...the list is not exhaustive. Non stick pans that release deadly fumes need to be binned - stainless steel is hard to clean. Checking your heating systems do not produce PTFE (teflon fumes). No air fresheners. No heavy duty cleaning products. Only stainless steel for your bird - metal poisoning is deadly. No open windows. Only natural cleaning of the cage. No exposed mirrors or windows until your bird is settled. No cables within beak range. No, no no no NO! There are so many I could not list them. Is the air humid enough? Prepare for higher leccy bills if your air is dry and you need a humidifyer. Bathing them every day.........on and on and on...

Not like other animals. Other domestic pets are different to parrots in the extreme. You can buy a cute puppy or kitten and within a few days, they will be acting like they can't remember where they came from. Not so with a parrot. BASIC trust takes weeks to get to. Deep trust takes months. Bonding can take YEARS. This is where your endless patience needs to kick in.

Talking. If you want a parrot just because they talk then you really shouldn't be getting one. Only happy, healthy, settled parrots will talk and then there are some that no matter how content in life, will never attempt to imitate a single noise.

Time consuming. Several clean ups a day, wiping away with warm water and lemon juice/vinegar/bi carb/natural products (anything else can be poisonous) - the cage, the bars, the floors, the walls, the toys, the bowls. Providing fresh water several times a day. Cooking and preparing mini dinners. Taking the time to buy lots of different safe toys so they can be rotated. TEACHING your bird HOW to play - it's not natural, you know. Teaching him you are trustworthy. Teaching your bird manners. Keeping him entertained.

Consider.....

Cages. RESEARCH what size and shape you need. This is a most important point. Too big for a small bird will result in fear. Too small will make for a miserable bird. The bar spacing needs to be correct for safety. No caught body parts or mashed feathers. The shape is important. A climbing bird will not thank you for a dome shaped cage. Good quality cages are a MUST. No rust.

Knowledge. You NEED to get the correct knowledge and be confident you know how to handle your future bird before you bring them home. Too many people take a bird home and then ask questions that they shouldn't need to ask. For example: How do I get my bird out of it's cage? How do I get my parrot to like me? How can I get my parrot to cuddle me? These people did no research beforehand. Get yourself Parrots for Dummies and a species specific book - you will need them. Anticipate every problem you can before you home your bird.

These are very basic needs of a parrot. This is them without the "Oh how cute, he said hello!" sugar coating.

Having a parrot in your home is not all roses and I'm sure everyone would admit to thinking: Just 10mins peace would be great.

I just hope that if you have not bought a bird and have read this, you have seriously considered what I've said.

Parrot rescue centres in the USA are packed out with birds whose owners were ignorant to the downsides. The UK's pet classifieds are full of birds who are "unmanagable" or "Don't have the time anymore." People who have all bought now and thought later - to the detriment of the bird. Because of people thinking having a parrot will be "cool", wild birds are STILL being caught in Africa and shipped like semi precious vases to people with more money than sense.

Please, make sure you are going into this with your eyes wide open to the downsides as well as the up. Make sure your new edition does not end up neglected, unhappy and wondering what it did to deserve such a scary, sad existence.

If you think you can provide a bird with all of these needs then I cannot wait until you bring your bird home, join the forum and make friends with us all!

 

[MeldiaForever]

Wow. Thank you. It must have taken a long time to type all of that. I did know all of these things and I have a copy of parrots for dummies in the mail. My mom used to breed this type of bird and she is all for me getting something to take care of and train. The screaming and anger isues are childs play for some one like her. 10 years of tons and tons of parrots. I'm not saying this to insult you but just so you know I'm not going in to this like a blind man into a shark tank. the two rats were the messeyest things i had ever seen but seeing a friends bird i can tell this will have quite alittle more mess. I also wanted to say that I have alot of time to spend with a bird. He will most likely be out of his cage 3 hours a day if not more. As for the fact that they live for around thirty years I may leave him with my mom for the collage school year. My plans may change but if my caique is as wondeful a companon as people say (wich im sure they are. Other birds I've know with good owners are verey plesant and loyal to there owner.) then i will change my plans to the bird. If he Just gets to be to much i will not send him to a shelter. i will find a home for him myself. a shelter envorment is not a good one for a social or cuddly bird like this breed. I have potty traind a dog and trainded him to do other little tricks(normal dog things.) and instructed a friend on how to train there dog. I do have the time, I do have the pations, and i also have the means to give it all of the things it needs to give it a happy and safe life. my house hast to be babby proff for my cousins, dog proff for my dog and is still 75% rat proff. The other bird proffing things are pretty minor. Things like the gorge forman are fairly easy to take care of when there are few of them. You are grate. Your advice is priceless and all of the complettly clueless people who turn to this site have sure come to the write place! I honestly think that. I know what comes in this fetherd package and I thank you for doing all of this. I wish i could thank you 100 times on this web site! your grate.

 

[Amber]

Oh btw I forgot to tell you were the same age
Me, you, and Ratzy.

(On a total side note) You know, I totally forget your age on here! You're all quite well spoken and intelligent.


I think you'll do great with a bird Meldia. You've done your research (you can never do too much of that!) and you've got bird friendly family to help you out. Good luck! Make sure to post pictures if/when you get your feathered friend!