Just the Worst Things...

[HumanWings]

... you've experienced or heard about about having pet parrots. As someone whose never had a pet parrot before I'm really looking for the hard things to deal with. I need to know what I'm getting myself into in a couple months before my birdie comes home and have my priorities straight.

 

[HumanWings]

Oh and if it helps I'm getting a macaw but I want to hear from all parrot owners.

 

[aliray]

How about some info on what you are looking for in a pet bird and what your current lifestyle is like Do you know what kind of parrot you want?

 

[aliray]

We posted at the same time. I have no experience with a macaw but their are a lot of macaw owners out there who can shed some light and first hand experience

 

[BeakersBro]

Well, you should give him lots of those wooden toys to destroy. And have a shop vac near-by because u probably have to vacuum his play room once every 2-3 days.

Don't give him chocolate, caffeine, alcohol, weed, crack, uncooked beans, heroin, avocado (including guacamole), gum, carbonated beverages, alka seltzer (or other fizzy things), or drugs.

 

[Sherry]

The worst thing for me is poop. Hahaha. I'm not kidding, my B&G poop is shocking! Not to be gross but my CAG poops like a bird while my B&G poops like a pressure washer. No joke.

 

[HumanWings]

Well, you should give him lots of those wooden toys to destroy. And have a shop vac near-by because u probably have to vacuum his play room once every 2-3 days.

Don't give him chocolate, caffeine, alcohol, weed, crack, uncooked beans, heroin, avocado (including guacamole), gum, carbonated beverages, alka seltzer (or other fizzy things), or drugs.

ROFLMAO!!!! I don't do any of those things but... well... are you sure? Where are you getting your info? Are their statistics to support your advice? Maybe a little :41: is good for the hormonal bird???

ROFLMAO!!!!!

 

[tab_xo]

I dont find their droppings that bad ? Fargo only goes to the toilet on his training stand or in his cage, so i dont have to clean up after him..

He doesnt chuck his food out of his cage so its just a quick vacuum over the floor..

So far after 4 and a half months i havnt found owning a macaw hard at all, although im guessing this is not the case for all macaws

He doesn't scream or make a sound in the mornings, and only does a few screams in the evenings just before bedtime

Maybe i just have a perfect bird :S hahahaha

The worst thing for me is making sure he is healthy, i am soooo paranoid and protective of him, if he does anything different i get worried

Oh the only thing that makes me get a little grumpy at me is when hes in the mood to jump on the desk, he just wont give up, will sit behind me, then JUMP onto the keyboard, i put him back, he did it like 20 times, and then sometimes he tries to hang on my bed above the computer and just wont let go until i pry his feet and beak open He is a little stubborn when he wants to chew something

 

[Sherry]

Fargo doesn't have huge poops? Nema craps enormous poops! Healthy but big and she has power behind them as we'll, hahaha. It's not that she does it a lot it's the way she does it. Nema also only poops in her cage or on her stand, thank god she never pooped on me!

 

[sarafigal]

Off the top of my head: bites that made me worry I had nerve or tendon damage; chewing away at the back of my piano (I discovered this in time to stop it before the entire instrument was reduced to toothpicks) and utterly destroying a window frame; feathers and food particles so far strewn from the cage that it JUST DOESN'T SEEM POSSIBLE; and the lifetime of poop on paper, poop on cage walls and floor, poop on toys, poop on me...

 

[tab_xo]

hahaha noo they are big, it varies throughout the day as well, some a huge, others are only small, but its always just on newspaper, so its just a case of putting it in the rubbish

 

[Sherry]

I agree with you tab, the worst thing is the worry. You just want everything to be perfect for them. So far so good

 

[ConureCrazy]

Being paranoid about their health. ALWAYS. 24/7!!! Always checking poop, nares, and activity levels. For me anyways...

 

[OOwl]

Well, all the negative things are still worth it, but since you're asking:
-The mess. I'm a neat freak so I don't just vacuum once a day, but MANY times a day. That's probably a bit OCD, but I try to keep the floor clean. Flung food on walls and floor just has to be cleaned, and frequently.
-Greet-the-Day noise when you want to sleep in on a lazy, rainy Saturday morning. Uh, no more of that. Cage covers? No. Mine chewed nice holes in those like the first day and then you just get this eyeball peering out at you.
-Moodiness. Sometimes, they flat just aren't in the same mood you are. Just because it's a good time for you to sit and snuggle, doesn't mean that's good for them. Respect the mood or ask for the bite.
-No more vacations or, heck, even ALL DAY excursions. Not that I'd have a good time anyway, I'd totally be worried about my birds. Who could or would take care of them like I could? When I leave them for a few hours even I feel guilty.
-Expense. Parrots are expensive! Their food is expensive; their health care is WAY expensive; their cages/playgyms/aviary are expensive; their toys are expensive. If you're an animal lover but not super wealthy, you learn to budget for those expenses and give up other things. I recommend a savings account from DAY ONE of owning a parrot for their upcoming health care. When it comes (and it will), you will go through that fund rather quickly. You also learn to get creative with making toys. My Grey's favorite toy is cut up drinking straws and colored construction paper loaded onto his foraging skewer. Every empty box from crackers, pasta, cereal becomes a toy (an almond inside an empty box is a favored toy, too).
-Dander. Forget wearing black or solid dark colors. Choose prints (the poop on the shoulders doesn't show so bad ). Oh, and you'll be dusting a LOT more.

That said, it's all totally worth it. You asked because you wanted to be ready for the good and that bad, and I think that's a very mature way of thinking.

P.S. The worst bite I ever received was from a macaw. I probably deserved it (I was caring for her for a sick friend; she missed her dad and was anxious and confused). She bit me so hard on the forearm it bruised the bone and left a knot that took months to heal. I've had a healthy respect for macaws ever since.

 

[BeakersBro]

Where are you getting your info? Are their statistics to support your advice?

There are several websites that are devoted to listing foods that are toxic to birds. There is a really extensive one that cites all the items on his list with experimental studies and actual annecdotal evidence. Unfortunately, I can't find that list right now.

Here are four other (fairly) extensive webpages, but they are nothing like the one I'm thinking about: Link 1, Link 2, Link 3, Link 4

Some sites will go overboard and say things like NEVER GIVE THEM GARLIC OR ONIONS, which is total BS. The website doesn't know what it's talkign about and is just being overprotective. They might get a rash or skin irritation if they eat too much, but those are hardly deadly foods. Some of the foods, like french fries and sugary sweets are bad for them in the same way that they are bad for people (simply unhealthy). That doesn't mean you can't feed your parrot ANY... just use moderation. And remember... one potato chip to a parrot is proportionally like a human eating an entire bag of potato chips -- it's way too much sodium for one sitting.

Besides foods, also keep in mind that parrots are VERY susceptible to aerosols and resperated chemicals. (That means chemicles in the air that can be breathed in). For example:

• Don't fry any eggs & bacon in a non-stick pan near the parrot. It's OK for them to eat the eggs & bacon after you're done frying it though.
• Don't fix any squeaky hinges with WD-40 near the parrot.
• Don't do laundry near the parrot (detergent & bleach put off a lot of fumes).
• Don't use pesticides near the parrot.
• Don't clean anything with Windex or glass cleaner near the parrot (there's a special surface cleaner you can buy in most pet stores called "Poop off" or "Bird poop remover" which is safe to use).
• Don't mop with pine sol or other cleaning chemicals near the parrot.
• Don't use Swiffer Wet thingy near the parrot.
• DON'T USE HAIR-DRYERS ON THE PARROT (unless you call the manufacturer and ensure that they don't have Teflon-coated heating elements).
• DON'T USE ELECTRICAL RADIANT HEATERS LIKE THE VORNADO near the parrot (same thing -- could have Teflon-coated heating elements).
• Don't give your parrot copper or brass chew toys (like the buttons on Levi Jeans) -- there's nothing wrong with copper itself, but most low-grade copper is manufactured with LEAD to assist in lubrication of certain types of machining processes. The copper could range from 1% lead to 10% lead or more. 100% stainless steel play toys (nuts & bolts etc) are typically OK to play with assuming they are too large to choke on.
• If you have a new computer monitor, don't let the parrot sit on it (that "new plastic smell" could be toxic, depending on the plastic).
• And much more!

 

[NWQuakers]

Mark was a small parrot, a Quaker, but she could projectile poop like a rocket launcher and she aimed to make a statement. If she was mad at one of us, she would poop on our shoes left on a hall rug 4 feet from her cage. I think her record was 6 feet when she was mad at me for going out of town one weekend. She also liked pooping on walls and just washed floors, before we could even put the trow rugs back under the cage.

 

[HumanWings]

Mark was a small parrot, a Quaker, but she could projectile poop like a rocket launcher and she aimed to make a statement. If she was mad at one of us, she would poop on our shoes left on a hall rug 4 feet from her cage. I think her record was 6 feet when she was mad at me for going out of town one weekend. She also liked pooping on walls and just washed floors, before we could even put the trow rugs back under the cage.

Is she pooping in your signature picture? LMAO! I'm just kidding.

 

[HumanWings]

I've read descriptions of parrot owning being like living the rest of your life with a three year old and also that parrots don't act out of love even for those they love. Is this true? I think I'm getting cold feet without them being very cold (if that makes sense). I've never worried about these things before but all of a sudden it's got me doubting myself.

 

[goalerjones]

Well, cold feet are better before you make a permanant decision.

With that being said, why do you want a bird? A question only you can answer.

My first bird was given to us and took some getting used to. I had him for 6 + years.

My 2nd bird, my current one, was a choice made after knowing the impact and challenges I would face.

Perhaps there is a local rescue shelter that you can volunteer at? Or an avian vet nearby that will talk with you and answer questions face to face?

 

[lene1949]

And have a shop vac near-by because u probably have to vacuum his play room once every 2-3 days.

Are those vacuum cleaners better than 'normal ones'?