2 Lovely Gays Wanting A New Addition To Our Family.

[brandongethin]

Hi Parrot People!
My name is Brandon I live in the UK in a old terraced house with my partner Scott and our 2 dogs Bailey and Troy who are both Pedigree Staffordshire Bull Terriers.
I work in a children's play centre called The Beach Hut on a 0 hour contract so I'm at least have 2 days off during the week some days I work till 6 some days I work till 3, it is tons of fun as you can imagine, I get to stare at cake most days which is the best (love cake me).

I currently own no parrots but have always had a keen interest, I grew up with a Macaw (he was my moms, I never got to touch him.... ever) so my mom thought I was responsible enough to own a cockatiel called Ki-Ki who was previously my Grandfathers (he owned a lot of birds, mainly just doves now) Ki-Ki was wonderful, temperamental wise he would always just sit on my shoulder and give me kisses but gosh was he loud (Mom always said to not pay attention to it because I may encourage it) and did he bite down hard with that little beak.
he lived up to the age of 17 (he was already 8 when I received him) I cried for about 2 weeks.

So now where I'm at is about 2 years ago I thought 'I'm not a dog person' don't get me wrong I love my dogs (they were here before me, I don't just buy animals for the sake of it) I love taking them for walks, cuddling on the sofa, they sleep with us on our bed (we even got a super king size just so we had more room, they sleep in the middle of us both) but I never feel the way I do towards dogs the way I did towards birds, birds are beautiful and exotic creatures, there's something quite magic about the bond when your bird trust you and you begin to train your bird (it excites me just talking about it).

I've joined this forum because I want to look at getting another parrot and research about them, I know all the research I do will be regardless because they are so unique you'll never know what you get unless you spend time with the parrot before hand.
I have been previously looking into getting an African Grey, then I saw a Galah Cockatoo and fell in love with them.
So I wanted to ask everything basically I.e. What routines people do, what size cage, how many different toys, when do I change them over, should I get bells I heard there are parts on bells that get caught in the beak, should I get a java tree, will it be okay to put on a table or will that be too high, should I take the parrot out the day I get them or leave them to settle in (probably settle in right?), what food, how many times a day, should I get a baby (8 weeks) or should I get a young (1-3 years) I don't want it to be already old I want to age with this feathered friend, will my dogs be okay with them, will they be okay with my dogs that's why I feel a baby will be better because my dogs can grow up with this parrot and hopefully understand that they are a part of our family, how do I know they will like me, what if they never like me I'm a patient person but what if it takes years for us to get to the stage where I can actually hand rear them.
These are just a few basic questions, I haven't asked about the specific parrot yet.

If you have taken your time to read this then thank you.

 

[Allee]

Hello and welcome to the forum! I enjoyed reading your post and I wish you the best of luck in your search for a new family member.

You have quite an extensive list of questions, a great place to start is in our forum section. You can find extensive information on general parrot care, diet, safety, etc.

So you fell in love with a galah, I don't blame you, toos are extremely charming, lovable, and manipulative. Read everything you can find before you allow one to adopt you. Have fun and let us know what you decide.

 

[Freespin]

Welcome!! I havent had a huge amount of hands on experience with either species you are interested in but i will share a bit anyway =D It all depends on your dogs as to whether they will get on with a bird or not, you know them best so just be sensible about it. Take things slow introducing them but make the boundaries VERY clear for your dogs from day one, its something there is little room for error on. My dog is very good with the birds, he finds them very interesting but has respect for them. He is always supervised around the birds but at the same time i trust him.

It all depends on personal preference when it comes to getting a baby or an older bird. My best advice would be to visit all sorts of birds of different ages, you will know when you find the right bird =D It really depends on your bird in regards to getting them out the day you get them home or leaving them to settle in. I got my new bird about a month ago. He is very laid back and made himself right at home the day he came home. Many birds though will take some time to settle in and trust you, dont rush things and do things in the birds time. My birds have toys with bells, many people think its too risky but obviously there are also a huge amount of people who still let their birds use them.

 

[MikeyTN]

Welcome to the forum!!! Different people have different routines with their birds, it's something you'll learn as the time goes on. You set your own routine!

I do not suggest people hand rear parrots as it's not a easy task to take on, one mistake you can cost the parrot's life. Let it to the breeders to hand rear them for you. At the same time there's so many unwanted parrots around and you could adopt one. An adult parrot can be just as sweet as a baby!!!!

 

[brandongethin]

Welcome to the forum!!! Different people have different routines with their birds, it's something you'll learn as the time goes on. You set your own routine!

I do not suggest people hand rear parrots as it's not a easy task to take on, one mistake you can cost the parrot's life. Let it to the breeders to hand rear them for you. At the same time there's so many unwanted parrots around and you could adopt one. An adult parrot can be just as sweet as a baby!!!!

I think I got confused with hand reared and just handling in general

 

[brandongethin]

And there's no denying an adult will be just as sweet as a baby I was just wandering whether I should get one as a baby, does anyone have experience with baby ones, is there different ways to feeding them?

 

[MikeyTN]

I would suggest lots of handling and lots of training to begin with as it's rather important to have your parrot bond with you at the beginning. As time goes on, it gets easier.

 

[MikeyTN]

As long as the baby is weaned, there's no different ways to feed them. But what you feed them is what is important!!! You can use the search option within the forum as there's different food options that's been discussed within the forum many times. And also different fruits and veggies, even cooked mixed foods and recipes for you to view.

 

[thekarens]

Welcome to the forum! My partner and I have 2 sennies. If we ever lost our minds and got a too it would be a galah. They are gorgeous birds.

 

[4dugnlee]

Hi and welcome. I don't have enough experience to give you much advice. I had cockatiels and parakeets years ago and then just a couple of months ago I decided it was time to dive back into the bird world. I found my blue front amazon, Sassy, who needed a new home. She was taken care of as far as food and water but that was it. She wasn't handled or allowed out of her cage for about the last four years at least. Then I found my sun conure, Chico, which is what I've always wanted. Chico is very handleable and loves to just ride around on me whatever I'm doing and that's great. However, there is no bigger thrill than earning Sassy's trust! She just started flying to me and landing on me in the last couple weeks and I can't tell you how happy that makes me. She may never be a cuddly bird, but I know she at least trusts me. Chico is 5 years old and Sassy is 12. I did come up with a schedule that works well for us (I can't let the Chico and Sassy out at the same time). If you get a tame bird it shouldn't really matter if it's a baby, but make sure you go see the bird to see what it's personality is. I love galah's also. I am perfectly content with my 2 but if I ever had a chance to get a galah..

Good luck with whatever you decide. I'm sure others with more bird experience here can give you more/better advice.

 

[Ducatimom]

Hi Brandon! Welcome to the forum.

I have no experience with either of the two birds you are considering and have only just gotten my boy Ducati (Sun Conure) a couple weeks ago. He is my first bird, and I'm very blessed to have adopted him. Love him to no end.

As far as routine goes, I think it kinda depends on you. You set the routine and he'll learn what it is. At least that's what I've come to learn with Ducati. That and he's taught me how to have ALOT of patience, something I'm sure will be a valuable lesson when we have kids lol. He gets his food in the morning and gets out of his cage for a little bit before I have to leave for work. Then I turn the tv on for him so he has some noise. When I get home it's time for training. We go in the back room where there's no distractions. Right now we're working on beak scratching. He was only taught step up and kisses when I got him.

Settling in depends on the bird. Ducati was screaming at us from day one to be taken out of the cage. He also does have bells in his cage. He loves those and mirrors. My vain little bird.

Diet: There are so many things to try and it's so much fun making their food. I just recently made my first batch of chop and it smelled so good I wanted to try it. He finally tried it yesterday after I put some of his seed in it and before long he was digging around looking for the oats and couscous instead of his seeds.

 

[getwozzy]

Welcome to the forum!

I would recommend that you get a completely weaned baby (if you get a baby), because hand feeding should only be done if you have the experience.

It's important that you socialize them from the get-go; I have a galah and we're very fortunate that she's been a social butterfly from the beginning. Also, self-entertaining is a must- although Galahs tend to be more independent then their white counterparts (so I've heard), it's still very important that they learn and know how to keep themselves entertained instead of relying on you for all of their entertainment.

Diet and exercise are also important- Galahs are prone to fatty tumors and other health issues.

In response to your questions above-
How many toys? A lot. (Lol) my girl loves to shred paper and make toothpicks from anything wood. No bells. No chains either- toes can get caught in them [emoji33]

A java tree is a good addition for any fid (feathered kid), and depending on the size you can put it on a table or leave it on the floor.

Here is Chili's set up-



Her current cage, I would consider the minimum size (and we actually want to upgrade her to something larger). She also has a window perch so she can sit and gaze outside, and the suspended grape wood play gym (I made) that she hangs out on or chews bits off of it lol

There is no guarantee that even if you get a baby they will like your dogs- it depends on the individual. Chili doesn't particularly care for our cats and dogs, but she's not around them all the time because they're all outside (except for one cat).

 

[faeryphoebe1]

Brandon, parrots are awesome pets! Albeit, they are tremendous work and not cheap. I'm not referring to the initial cost of the bird, the cage or toys but rather, the long term care and maintenance.

We have a 5 lb Yorkie and an elderly, ding-bat, declawed (front paws) cat. Despite their seemingly harmless appearances, whenever my parrots are out, the dog is crated and the cat is put away in a separate room.

Parrots being prey animals tend to exhibit lots of wing flapping and other prey-like behavior.

I couldn't very well hold it against my four legged creatures if their predatory instinct took over and they killed my birds. It would only take a moment for a tragedy to occur and I've read many, many tragic tales on here and other parrot web forums as well. I'm simply too scared to take that risk!

As far as diet, daily fresh fruits and vegetables are a must. Mine don't eat seed at all but they do eat whole grain pasta and birdie bread with lots of veggies and fruit that I bake for them. I give mine spring water not tap. They love having a fresh water dish to bath in daily as well.

I believe that some Galahs are more prone to fatty liver tumors and need a more specialized diet? Hopefully, someone with experience in regard to this will come along and provide more info.

You will want to make a parrot first aid kit and find a good avian vet in case of an emergency. There are some decisions to be made as to whether you will keep your bird flighted or clipped, how much noise you are willing to tolerate (some species would not fare well in an apartment, for example, a Macaw or Moloccan Cockatoo would probably be way too loud for an apartment, lol).


Some species are more prone to plucking. If you can, read about flock behavior. Some species are multi-flocked species such as Macaws and conures and some are single species flocked such as African Greys.

Changes in environment (adding other birds, etc) can induce stress behaviors such as plucking. Some species are more tolerant to changes.

Here is an interesting article on flock behaviors. http://africangreys.com/articles/behavior/flocks.htm

Learn all that you can about parrot behavior. They do bite. After all, you would expect a tiger to bite wouldn't you? These particular wild animals usually give good warnings before biting but one has to learn to read their body language.

They're incredible pets. Best of luck with your decision!

 

[anita1216]

Welcome!!!! Can't wait to see what lovely bird you end up with!!!!