New Member Help

[Andrew1283]

Hello! My name is Andrew and I’m interested in becoming a parent of a parrot. I met a young green cheeked Conor in Petco today and fell in love. I have 3 dogs and a chameleon, all of whom I love and give the best life possible. Rather than impulse buy an intelligent bird from a chain pet store, I am joining the forum and asking for advice on this hobby. And I hesitate to say hobby because these are living beings, not a wooden ship or rc plane. I want to know what you suggest I do to properly start down this path. Adopt an older parrot in need? I have plenty of room in my home and can place a large cage in my office. I work from home, as does my wife so we can devote a large part of our day to socializing. Thank you!

 

[wrench13]

FIrst off dogs and parrots rarely mix. WHat kind of dogs and where do they live?

 

[Andrew1283]

FIrst off dogs and parrots rarely mix. WHat kind of dogs and where do they live?

Hi wrench

 

[Andrew1283]

Hi wrench13, I have two English bulldogs.

 

[Laurasea]

Hello, welcome to the forum! Lots of passionate parrot lovers here, and lots of great information.

People do have parrots and dogs or to me even scarier parrots and cats. Both species have killed parrots here in the forum, we hear about it a few times a year.

I have small dogs that grew up with parrots, I never trust them or allow interactions, and work on training. But it is a risk. Parrots are curious, and dogs prey or play instincts can be triggered, continuously diligent.

GGC are cute clown babies that will steal your heart for sure! When they mature they are still cute clown babies, and snuggle, but use that beak to keep you in line. So have a reputation fir being nippy. If you learn to read them and, give them a moment to collect themselves and realize that hand isn't going to kill them you can avoid this.. mine is a love totally, but quick mood changes could lead to nips weekly. But are avoided as I read her. 10 seconds and she us back to sweet.

Other household dangers exist, like toxic fumes from Teflon and the same chemicals in other nonstick, insts pots, air fryers and more, I use cast iron, glass and stainless steel to cook with. As no room in the house or even a different floor would keep them from death from the off gasses. Burnt plastic, new paint all deadly. Putting vinegar in coffee pot or dishwasher off gasses deadly. Cleaning with vinegar in cold water a ok.

Fresh veggies and leafy greens should br part of the diet , fruits more rarely a few times a week and pellets, seedmix. Some do pellets and the fresh stuff, but still 10% seed mix is a good idea.

 

[Laurasea]

Some good reading will share links

Pet Bird and Parrot Behavior – Pet Birds by Lafeber Co.

Pet bird and parrot behavior information.

lafeber.com

Stress Reduction for Companion Parrots – Pet Birds by Lafeber Co.

To put it bluntly, keeping companion parrots is similar to trying to pound a square peg into a round hole. The fact that they do as well as they do is testimony more to their adaptability than it is to our husbandry efforts.

lafeber.com

Should I Clip My Bird's Wings? - Flight vs. Wing-Clipping Overview

Is clipping or trimming your bird's wings necessary? Is wing clipping healthy for a parrot? Most bird stores won't tell you the truth about clipping wings.

parrotvolancy.com

Nobody been sharing their ideas yet, I still have hope lol, but here are some things I do for mine all flighted keeps em busy

Enrichment ideas, share yours

I'm often posting how I use ceiling hooks abd heavy weight fishing line to create what I call an aerial gym. I attach foraging stuff, stuff to chew, and treats to find to keep my flock busy. So now I will share examples to inspire you. Hopefully you all will share yours to inspire me too! this...

www.parrotforums.com

 

[wrench13]

Hi Andrew. And the 3rd dog is? Some breeds are natural hunters and man you just can't train that ouT of some. My daughter has some designer dog HAvanese + something else, and it can NOT come to my house. Nearly killed my last parrot, and spends the entire time jumping up and trying to get to Salty in his cage. Really, dont believe those cutsey YT videos of the parrot playing with a dog or cat. Only reason I still have our dog is she is almost 15 yrs old, is scared s**tless of Salty and all she does is eat, sleep and poop. We will not be getting another when she passes.

THere are so many older parrots in shelters that if you decide to adopt an older one, BRAVO for you my friend. Really bravo. PLus you will not have to deal with puberty, which, depending on the parrot, can be a living hell for 1 or 2 years. ITs when most parrots get rehomed or put into shelters. A mature bird you will know what your getting pretty much. And if he picks you, well thats the best of all worlds for sure.

 

[Littleredbeak]

In my opinion it's about redirecting that desire. I had a hunting(bird) dog who would find sick or injured animals and come and get someone and circle the inneed animal. He was bred to hunt, this was his hunting instincts being used in a different way.

If your able to devote time in introductions, training, redirecting behavior and taking safety precautions it can work. There are dangers in everything we do and it's about mitigating those dangers.

My bird dog once got out of the house one winter and later led me in to the woods to a crow who flew into a tree. The crow was laying on the ground semi concious (acted drunk uncoordinated) and cawing. I wrapped him up and put him in a dog crate in the nice warm house. A couple hours later the crow was alert and I stuck the crate outside and opened the door. The crow hopped out and perched on top for a little and flew away.

Are all dogs like my old bird dog? Nope. But as a puppy he watched me find and nurse sick/ injured animals. As an adult I understand what can be possible- both ways- as others have mentioned post on this forum and I personally know someone who lost his lovebird due to unfortunate circumstances. He left a door unlocked and while he wast there his lovebirds got out and his dog killed one. These lovebirds where strictly in a flight cage. It only took one time.

Do your research and see if a conure or angbird is right for your family and lifestyle.

IMHO just because you have a cat or dog doesn't mean you shouldn't have a bird but if your not willing or have time to put in the effort and problem solve then maybe right now isn't the right time.

 

[Flboy]

Hello and welcome!

 

[Andrew1283]

My apologies. My dogs are a female English bulldog, a male English bulldog, and a male beagle/basset mix. Strangely, the beagle basset has no prey drive and doesn’t pursue squirrels, rabbits, birds in the yard. My male bulldog however just caught and killed his first rabbit this week, which is just in his nature as a predator. I have a female chameleon and belong to chameleon forums which has been helpful.
I’m concerned about a parrot with clipped wings. If he/she fell to the ground with the dogs around, something bad could happen in an instant. Maybe they would view a larger parrot differently than a small or medium parrot? I don’t hoard animals or impulse buy. I have a home large enough to set up a large cage and work from home so I can devote a large amount of my day to giving love and attention. But I don’t want to buy or adopt the wrong breed for my situation or put any animal in danger

 

[Littleredbeak]

If my dog was actively killing prey animals in the yard I'd address this before bring in a prey animal in my family. Even flighted birds can be killed by dogs. Those lovebirds I mentioned above, both were fully flighted. Bird are curious beings and will sometimes land near the dog to check him out too. There are so many things you have to he aware of when you add a bird your life.

 

[Andrew1283]

So what do people with dogs and cats do to protect their birds when they are outside the cage?

 

[Andrew1283]

If my dog was actively killing prey animals in the yard I'd address this before bring in a prey animal in my family. Even flighted birds can be killed by dogs. Those lovebirds I mentioned above, both were fully flighted. Bird are curious beings and will sometimes land near the dog to check him out too. There are so many things you have to he aware of when you add a bird your life.

It sounds like I should not get a parrot

 

[Scott]

So what do people with dogs and cats do to protect their birds when they are outside the cage?

It sounds like I should not get a parrot

Welcome aboard Andrew, thanks for candidly framing your desire for a parrot vs prey animals in household. Your decision need not be rigid, stark analysis concluding birds are unacceptable. It is possible though challenging to modulate inter-species contact and provide a safe, rewarding home for feathered and furred companions. Most critical is devising simple, repeatable, virtually infallible safety practices. Entire family must be capable and willing to follow guidelines preventing accidental co-mingling. Suggestions include keeping the bird in cage whenever dogs are in the house, and highly mobile cage to sequester as needed. First one is obvious, second allows socialization rather than keeping the cage in single, low traffic room. None of this is easy and 100% foolproof, serious familial introspection helpful to determine level of dedication!

 

[wrench13]

100% agree Scott. Andrew, taking on a parrot is really like having a child, maybe with even more responsibilities, as children grow up and move ever further from you. Parrots never grow up. And unlike human children, they will try to manipulate the household to their liking and they are very good at that. THey sense your moods and feelings with uncanny accuracy, demand daily attention and absolutely HATE changes in routine. THey get jealous of new people and animals, harbor grudges for perceived slights and deviations from their lives. Dogs, well a dog is never going to start pulling its fur out because you went on a 2 week vacation and left them at a kennel, not going to decide to bite you during mating season and then immediately after give kisses and ask for scratches, and not going to decide one day that you are not their person and become the devote' of someone else in the family. Parrots do this all the time.

But, as all here will attest, they bring uncounted moments of joy, love and wonder into our lives.

 

[Budgie_Addicted]

Hello Andrew. Getting a parrot may be really tempting, but a big responsibility. You really have to weigh out your options.
Side note about dogs - nearly 99% of the time, dogs will go for birds or flighty, flittery things. As soon as they see that flap, a switch turns on in their brain and it's nearly impossible to stop. Even if you reprimand the dog. Only dogs which have grown up with birds from the very start are sometimes good with birds.

 

[Tofu]

It truly depends on your animals. I have a pit bull and two cats, all three of my predators are absolutely terrified of my red bellied parrot and sun conure, to the point they either ignore or actively avoid them when they’re outside of their cages. I would still never leave them out together unsupervised.
As everyone else has said, parrots are a huge responsibility and a lot of work. It sounds like you’re doing the responsible thing by researching. I would suggest trying a foster type situation to see if a parrot would be a good fit for you.