Parrots; what about when you're away?

[LoungeLizard]

I'm thinking about getting a pet parrot. 

My question is: What do you do if you're going away for a day, a week-end, or a week?  Is there such a thing as a parrot home, as for cats & dogs?  I realise that parrots are highly social and require a lot of attention.  However, surely even parrot owners have to go away occasionally.

Also, how destructive are parrots to fixtures & fittings if they are allowed to fly out of the cage and round the house?  And is it easy to get them back in their cage?

[ursula62]

Parrots are social birds - they need company. If you are out at work all day then don't get a parrot. It will end up being a nuisance to the neighbours, and could well pine and become unwell.

If you do get one and you want to go away for just for one night you would probably be OK as long as the parrot has fresh water every day, but any longer isn't really practicable.

You'd either need to get someone to "pet sit" or you could try asking your petshop if they have a boarding facility. Many shops that sell tropical birds do offer this for a small fee.

If you are getting a parrot, make sure you buy one from a licensed trader, and try where possible to buy one that has been born in the UK - the bird's hatching is registered and it is ringed to prove this. Unlicensed traders do sell birds (albeit illegally), but these are birds that have been captured from the wild and are not certified free of diseases. Imported wild birds can often become very sick and die quite quickly.

Parrots gnaw at things to keep their beak sharp, our parakeets used to fly up to the curtain pelmet when let out of the cage. They also used to peck at the books on the bookcase. If you can live with that sort of thing you will be fine, especially if you only let your parrot out in one room of the house and don't keep anything too valuable in there.  Giving them cuttlefish bones in their cage to gnaw on does help, but they still gnaw at stuff when they are out of the cage, it seems to be instinctive.

... to be continued

[ursula62]

Part 2

 

Letting them out of the cage brings other problems... as they say, the bigger the bird, the bigger the you know what, so there is a lot of mess to clean up. It doesn't smell much and if you let it dry you can just dust it off - up to you how you deal with that one!

They also throw seed out of the cage, so you will be constantly hoovering up sunflower seeds.

To stop parrots flying too far, some parrot keepers clip their wings. This allows the parrot to fly very short distances, and some parrots with clipped wings can be let out in the garden, but it depends on the size of the bird.

[Mowbray]

I think keeping birds in cages is cruel, as they are used to flying. 

My neighbour keeps their canary next to the window.  I don't think they realise that must be so cruel for that poor bird. 

Can you imagine being put in a small cage and put next to a window, yearning to be free!

I am sorry, but I cannot see the point in watching a poor bird in a small cage.

[ursula62]

Mowbray - in some ways I agree with you... when I first moved in with my ex and his caged birds I felt very upset about them.

But.. they are warmer in the house than they would ever be in an aviary outside, especially in this weather.

If the birds have been bred in captivity then they don't know about freedom and in fact would die in the wild as they have not learned to seek food like wild birds do.

I agree that small cages are cruel, but these days there are many cage sizes available in all sorts of designs and materials. There is no reason ever for a bird to be cramped in a cage. A good pet shop will advise you on a suitable size of cage.  Besides, if a bird is let out of the cage to fly around a room several times a week then it is getting sufficient exercise that way.

[londondave]

http://www.tailfeathersnetwork.com/community/

Join the above community for all parrot/bird talk. My girlfriend is a moderator and she also works at Chris Halls who is one of the countrys leading Avian Vets

They do board birds at some vet sugers.

We have a African Grey, they are good talkers, intelligent and fairly quiet as in they are not sqwarkers  but they do get bored, they need stimulation, a ;large cage, out of cage excersise every day, fresh fruit, veg, calcium, vitamins, social interaction, patience, and parrot toys, Also a pellet diet and a tidy mix rather than a sunflower seed diet.

Any questions just join the community

[kick3m0n]

I know you probably reaslise this but parrots live for a very, very long time, so you might want to consider this.  I've known parrots outlive their owners, so be awrae that it is a lilfelong commitment.