Curious Concerning Multiple Parrot Homes

[Pugtato]

Thank you everyone for responding, your answers have been incredibly informative and really fun to read!!

 

[LoryLover]

When I was in my 20's I once had 5 lovebirds all at one time. It wasn't hard then to give them all the attention they needed. And the mess wasn't bad. I once had just one pair of finches and my goodness, they throw their seed around! I finally got a new home for them because of the seed mess, and also the fact that I wasn't having much success taming them. For the last 20 yrs I have only had one parrot at a time. The main reason for that is because my Lory is an extremely jealous bird. For example, when she was only 2 months old, my teenage daughter would snuggle with her each day she got home from school. One day my daughter brought home a pair of baby kittens that she was keeping for a couple days to give them to another friend. As my little 2mo old lory observed my daughter playing with the kittens, she did not like that one bit. And from that day forward, she will have nothing to do with my daughter, she will not let my daughter hold her and says "bye bye, see ya later" whenever my daughter (who now lives on her own) comes over. This lory is 15 yrs old, and still hasn't forgotten the kitten thing when she was only 2mos old.

I can certainly understand having more than one parrot. I love all parrots and just marvel at them, and at one time was seriously considering getting an AG. With a lory, there is no seed mess at all. And so I've gotten too accustomed to not dealing with the seed mess.

 

[newtobirds]

When I got my Meyers, I got him from a person who has more than 100 birds in her home. The place was completely disgusting. The cages were filthy. There were feathers everywhere. The keeper fed all of her birds wild bird food that she bought in 50# bags. She even had a hyacinth in her kitchen. She has a pair, then one of them dropped dead very young. The cage was HUGE, but filthy. And the bird was eating seed. My husband went with me to pick up my Meyers. I was so glad that he was with because he would not have ever believed me if I had tried to tell him about it. He tried to snap a couple of pictures because he didn't think anyone would believe us when we tried to explain what we saw! Very, very unbelievable.

 

[goalerjones]

Had a Jenday who passed suddenly. Went thru the grieving process for my first bird. Then after almost a year we decided that we liked what a bird brought to the house so Hahnzel, our Hahn's macaw came to live with us.

I don't know how people can have more than one bird. I love my little guy, even thru the nips and tantrums but cannot fathom having another.

My breeder helped me out with reality. Its double the work, not a guarantee that the birds will like each other. Twice the tantrums, twice the food, twice the socialization. Twice the mess. And birds aren't like kids who will grow up and move out.

If I need a "bird fix" I go to the local bird store, or friends house or aviary. But having the one is enough for me.

 

[HumanWings]

This thread is very interesting. And as someone who has never owned a bird before, very helpful!! Thanks everyone for contributing!

 

[mtdoramike]

Well to answer your question about how visitors react to the flock, I think most folks that own more than a couple of birds aren't really social people to begin with and may actually be using birds as their way of dealing with being a recluse. It surely can't be for the birds benefit because just like the show you watched, those birds were most likely not in the best of health and probably poor socialization. It would be just about impossible to give that many birds the attention they need to keep them social and friendly even if you are retired and can spend all day with them. Just the up keep alone on that many birds would be a full time job if done properly.

Let me give you a little advice from someone who owns two birds, a Senegal and an Eclectus. My first bird was the Senegal, which is a handful all on her own. Then I adopted the Eclectus about 6 months later. I wished I would have just stuck with one bird bird because I'm more of a one pet owner and although I'm retired and can spend all day with my birds, they require a lot of time and effort on not only my part, but my wife's as well. Also, remember one thing, Senegal's tend to have a very jealous streak and prefer to be the ONLY BIRD IN THE HOUSE. So if you do bring in another bird, don't be surprised if you see a change in your Senegal and the change won't be for the better either. I know this from experience.

 

[MaraWentz]

Just because one owns many birds does NOT make them horrible owners with sick or neglected birds. Some people can only handle one or two. OTHERS can handle more.

 

[Oedipussrex]

XD this is the type of question where everyone will have different answers. haha
I know i am the type of person who simply loves pets. Our old cat was my best friend for a couple of depressing years in high school, and even now, at the moment our house has pickle, a budgie, a guineapig, a snake, tropical fish, goldfish, and two green tree frogs, with turtles on the way if we ever get around to building a pond, and possibly a dog later when we finally can afford a fence. (We built our house a few years ago on newly developed farmland and havent gotten around to it yet)

Though only pickle and the snake are mine, i played a big part in encouraging or helping my siblings get most of these animals into our house lol.


The main reason i cant get another parrot even if i wanted to is because of pickles condition. So i guess the decision is made for me. (the budgy is my bros and he refuses to get rid of him, we just keep him and pickle well isolated) And after this experience i will probably take a lot of time to decide to get another parrot if i ever do.

I love all kinds of animals :3 and i admit that if i could i would have all the pets in the world. - 'if i could' being the key phrase. lol i know it would be ridiculous. Later in life after i have a stable routine and own my own house id like to be a foster home for the RSPCA or another group. I would enjoy being able to meet and help change the lives of many different pets even when i have to let them go.

 

[MaraWentz]

XD this is the type of question where everyone will have different answers. haha
I know i am the type of person who simply loves pets. Our old cat was my best friend for a couple of depressing years in high school, and even now, at the moment our house has pickle, a budgie, a guineapig, a snake, tropical fish, goldfish, and two green tree frogs, with turtles on the way if we ever get around to building a pond, and possibly a dog later when we finally can afford a fence. (We built our house a few years ago on newly developed farmland and havent gotten around to it yet)

Though only pickle and the snake are mine, i played a big part in encouraging or helping my siblings get most of these animals into our house lol.


The main reason i cant get another parrot even if i wanted to is because of pickles condition. So i guess the decision is made for me. (the budgy is my bros and he refuses to get rid of him, we just keep him and pickle well isolated) And after this experience i will probably take a lot of time to decide to get another parrot if i ever do.

I love all kinds of animals :3 and i admit that if i could i would have all the pets in the world. - 'if i could' being the key phrase. lol i know it would be ridiculous. Later in life after i have a stable routine and own my own house id like to be a foster home for the RSPCA or another group. I would enjoy being able to meet and help change the lives of many different pets even when i have to let them go.

lol for a moment I thought you were saying you had a pickle as a pet... kinda made me wonder about you for a second

 

[OOwl]

Granted, some people really can only handle one bird. I sometimes wonder what that would be like (one vet bill, one cage to clean, one bird to buy toys/treats for). Then, I look at my life and how enhanced it is having multiple birds. Having just one would be sad for me. If my Grey doesn't want to come out because he's interested in eating his sprouts or playing with a toy, I have five other birds to choose to play with at that moment in time (and really good chance that someone will want to). Sometimes I want to cuddle with the cuddly one; other times I want to play rowdy with the playful one. The birds are hard-wired to be flock members so they naturally accept other birds as part of the way of life. Even if they're not paired or of the same species, they are part of the same flock. My Grey, RB Cockatoo, and one of the Lovebirds have all lived next to each other the past ten years. They talk to one another and, I believe, really enjoy each other's company. I can think of no more rewarding life moment than to reflect back on a relaxing evening spent with my family, each one with a different parrot on his or her shoulder playing a game, talking around the table, watching TV, or sharing a meal. I certainly respect people that elect to be the guardian of a single bird, but, for myself, I really would miss having less.

 

[WharfRat]

Well to answer your question about how visitors react to the flock, I think most folks that own more than a couple of birds aren't really social people to begin with and may actually be using birds as their way of dealing with being a recluse. It surely can't be for the birds benefit because just like the show you watched, those birds were most likely not in the best of health and probably poor socialization. It would be just about impossible to give that many birds the attention they need to keep them social and friendly even if you are retired and can spend all day with them. Just the up keep alone on that many birds would be a full time job if done properly.

I don't consider myself a "recluse", I just prefer my birds over people, I trust my birds. I know there are "good people" out there, I just rarely have met them. What few times I have tried being "nice" or trying to "help out" other people has usually resulted in them wanting something for nothing. Most good friends we have had have actually been cops in the past, now that we live out "in the sticks" I rarely see one any more, although I always say thank you or how's it going when I see them in public (very small town). I even know a Texas Ranger from where I lived ages ago, He recently got elected Sheriff and I sent him an email congratulating him, he replied back telling me thanks and to drop by any time if I was in town.

I've posted various videos and more pics than I can count on here of me interacting with the flock, I make sure to spend time with all of them every single day, that includes the 2 Zon's that are bonded to my wife and barely tolerate me.

 

[henpecked]

To the many zons in and around my house , being part of a flock seems to be about as important to them as i am. They are less "needy" , if one of the breeders are sick and bought into the house they scream when they hear the other outside birds and would much rather be outside with the others than getting treats from me. If i move one of the inside birds away from the other inside birds they "beg" whine , etc until they rejoin the others , even if they fight with the others they still miss their flock. I think there's some enrichment value to having other birds around. I know i don't feel like my bonded pets misses me as much when i'm not there, even the dogs are part of their flock.

 

[BeakersBro]

staying at 1 because I don't want to ruin our relationship

 

[Pugtato]

Thank you again, everyone, for your wonderful replies! While I don't think I will ever have more than two birds at one time, I find listening to your flock experiences to be fascinating and more than a little bit inviting! I can't even imagine how much fun having two crazy Macaws in a room would be! Or how big their poops would be for that matter!! And oOwl's amazing flock makes me so JEALOUS! I think one day in the future we will add another bird to our "family flock," once we get settled and have our own place as I am sure my Kippy wont give a feather about it. She does not mind not being the center of attention, and she is from a happy multiple bird home. Apparently she had a GW Macaw and a Goffins cockatoo firmly under her tiny little feet and was "Da Boss!"

Gosh, we just adore her. She has brought so many smiles into our lives. What a babe!

 

[henpecked]

I think someone needs to mention about adding new birds to your flock.Your taking a risk when ever you do so. Here's a link to a new thread http://www.parrotforums.com/new-members-welcome/26801-need-help-so-i-came-here.html I would suggest your bird be with you long enough to be well bonded to you and mature. This usually takes many years, larger bird, more years. Quarantine, quarantine,quarantine. After that keep new birds well apart and don't expect them to be friends. Never get your companion bird a friend, only add a bird that you want as your companion.