to ask if anyone out there has a parrot?

[MermaidTears]

I find them absolutely fascinating, but I have noone to ask in real, do they not squawk all night keeping you awake?
I do know that they can be extremely loud, from videos on YouTube, but I've never met anyone with a pet parrot to ask these questions!

[Ginmakesitallok]

At the other end of the scale Dmil has a budgie - lively wee thing. He's out of his cage all day and chats away. He loves company and playing with fingers. She nearly list him when she unthinkingly chased a wasp around the room with fly spray. ....

[MrsBGharai]

Lovebirds are terribly vicious. We had a few. Can't be kept with other parakeets, or they kill them!

[MrsBGharai]

My Mum has an African Grey, an Orange Winged Amazon and a Lorikeet (parakeet).
She had a new conservatory built to house them. Hilarious mimics. Bloody noisy sods though!!
Mind you, the Myhan and Macaw were worse. Much worse!

[MermaidTears]

Wowza I honestly didn't realise quite how much is involved!
It's good to hear the other side from people who have experienced it first hand.

Quite surprised at the amount of people who have inherited them, I know they live long lives, so it's not that unusual I would assume, just never heard of it before.

[ijustwannadance]

*dick of an ex!

Oh and the bird once bit through the cable on a glass ceiling light. They can do a lot of damage very quickly.

[ijustwannadance]

I don't like birds in cages and told dock of an ex that it was unfair to get a bird as we both worked. So he bought an Austrailian Rosella parakeet. When we split there was no way he was taking him.

The bird is 14 now. He has never talked but wolf whistles and still does the old nokia text noise! Someone told me that if you want them to talk then don't whistle at them. I just think mine is a stubborn bugger!

Not too noisey but if he spots a large bird or cat outside his shrieks are ear piercing and at night dusk he will fly around squarking for a minute then settle and go to sleep which is what they do in their flocks in the wild.

Some like being sprayed with water to wash, mine has a bath in a big dog bowl.
He gets agressive in mating season and weirdly turned on me and got really nasty when I was pregnant. He can also get jealous of other people.

He tolerates DD but I would never leave them alone in the same room. He bit my leg through my jeans once and it hurt like hell.

I personally wouldn't recommend getting a large bird unless you are going to be at home most of the time and have plenty of time to devote to them.

[BirdBrain85]

I have a Quaker parrot (and two budgies). What I would say to anyone thinking of getting one is that they aren't "easy" pets, and they aren't anything like having a cat or dog. You need to do A LOT of research - you will more than likely need to modify your home. You can't have candles, plug ins, sprays, non-stick pans / items or use normal cleaning products for instance as they can kill your bird in moments. They're very very very messy and should be out of their cage for most of the day or they develop behavioural problems (which some will have regardless). They aren't cheap to buy (Quakers are cheaper at about £250) and their vet bills can run into the 100s or 1000s. You need to read up on spotting a sick bird as the signs are often very small, like a change in droppings. You have to offer fresh food daily, and many things you might think are OK like monkey nuts or sunflower seeds are not. Again you must research diet in detail. Be prepared to be bitten / lunged at too as even a docile sweet bird has a bad day.

Of course they're absolutely wonderful too - they bring so much joy to me, are constantly making me laugh and leave me in awe of their intelligence. I have two very good talkers (my Quaker and male budgie) and I could probably write a book on the hilarious stuff they come out with! That said not all talk despite the owner's best efforts and if that's very important to you it's best to rehome an older bird known to talk already. I feel it's also important to be aware that you can't bribe or influence a bird like you can a dog, they don't have a hierarchy in a flock and they pretty much decide who they like and who they don't. That can also be hard for people - e.g. wife gets the bird but it prefers her husband. But yes they're truly wonderful, amazing and great fun - just don't underestimate the time, work, patience and commitment you'll need.

[lasttimeround]

I'd love one but know I couldn't handle the damage.

[MermaidTears]

Larger parrots like African grey and mccaws etc are too big for us I think.

Indian ringneck seem perfect

[myownprivateidaho]

I used to know a guy whose wife had had an African grey since her childhood. The bird really hated him, like a jealousy thing. He was clearly quite miserable about having to share the house with it.

[MermaidTears]

I will always be at home all day. Current sahm but will work from home in future.
I have visions of my beautiful little green ringneck lady snuggled on my shoulder under my hair with me all day as I go about my business!
Do they actually get that affectionate?

Also that pic of birdy with your dog is amazing!

[harshbuttrue1980]

I have had various species of parrot. They need LOTS of time out of their cage EVERY SINGLE day or they will start to scream and pull their feathers out. They also need LOTS of company. If you work full-time and no-one is at home, then leave the radio on. Even better, get two of the same species so they have each other for company. Parrots are beautiful animals, but they are like feathered dogs in terms of commitment. Ringnecks aren't as clingy as some species, but still need attention

[AmyGDalae]

I have two lovebirds. They are absolutely fantastic. They have a large cage, but are always flying around flat unless I'm out or asleep. The first thing I do in the morning is to let them out. They are super clever, curious, loving and fun but also utterly destructive, needy (want to be with/on me constantly), messy and noisy.

Having grown up with all kinds of parrots I would say they make the absolutely best companions. But do not get a bird if you are not completely committed to looking after him for decades (they become very attached), can give lots of time and attention, have space to allow him to fly free for the vast majority of the day (imagine being locked in your bedroom 22hrs a day...), can keep up with the mess, can accommodate two birds and can keep them entertained (I'm constantly finding new toys, things to shred, etc for my two).

[MsMims]

Floppen those are such sweet photos with your dog!

[ShtoppenDerFloppen]

I have an umbrella cockatoo - 46 years old now - he was a rescue from an awful situation.

He is quite loud, when he wants attention. His bites can be quite painful. However, I absolutely adore him. He is a cuddle bug, and is my dog's best friend.

He only bites when he feels threatened, so it is not like he is randomly aggressive.

As for noise - once the house is dark at night, so is he. He is an early riser, generally calling at about 7 am, but I get up early too, so it doesn't bother me.

[Dapplegrey1]

We have got an African Grey.
I would not recommend them as pets unless you are prepared to let them out of their cage every day for a minimum of two hours. Ours has caused terrible damage to the house, snapping off chunks of picture frames, biting the top of the door and the architrave, and stripping lining paper off the walls.
They also need company as they are flock creatures.
We love our girl but she needs a lot of care and their needs must be met.
As another poster has said, if they suffer stress they will pluck their feathers. Also, as has been said, they live a long time.
They are sensitive and destructive (not deliberately, obvs, ) so think long and hard about getting one.

[SabineUndine]

I wouldn't get one. I looked into it a bit when I got my own flat, and decided on cats instead. There are lots of issues you need to address with parrots:

• they need space to fly around
  
• they are as intelligent as a toddler so need entertaining that much too
  
• they live to be very old - I was about 40 at the time, and have no kids, so I would have needed to ensure someone could look after a parrot when I'd gone
  
• they are expensive to buy legally, and like all birds, quite hard to look after if they get ill.
  

So in the end I got two rescue cats, one of which is still alive and breathing down my neck as I type this

[WiddlinDiddlin]

Hard work... thats what birds are!

Depending on which you go for some have the mental capacity of a small child, and require every bit as much work as a dog would.

Noisy - destructive - live a REALLY long time - limit what you can do inside your home (windows open? smoke? cook stuff? swear?)... and if you let them out (which you really must!), shit everywhere and wreck things.

There are a lot of bird rescues, and almost all the birds that come in will have behavioural problems due to neglect/maltreatment - feather pulling/plucking self harm type behaviours are pretty common, as is destroying stuff, as is being really noisey, and also being aggressive and violent toward people.

I did a lot of research into birds as I would love one, but having met so many with issues and knowing a lot of very experienced bird keepers, I have gone right off the idea!

[MermaidTears]

somewhere what a beautiful photo

[MermaidTears]

I could do, as long as they were tame.
I may look into that further!
I really wouldn't have thought of that. Despite my other pets being rescues.
Do you know the name of the rescue?

[dalmatianmad]

That's a good idea comfort! There is a local charity that are constantly advertising for foster carers for their parrots...

[ComfortingKormaBalls]

OP can you rehome one?

[dalmatianmad]

I had an indian ringneck for nearly 25 years (inherited when my brother passed away).
She died recently and I miss her but wouldn't have another, I hate the idea of caged birds and only had her because of the circumstances we were in.

She was noisy and messy, ate everything in sight, I couldn't prepare anything without her shrieking for some, I let her out daily and she used to make a bee line for the fruit bowl and would happily pick up apples and throw them all over the kitchen floor she was quiet at night time, I coversed her cage up.

They are a lifetime commitment so think very carefully!!

[Somewhereundertheduvet]

Never owned a Ringneck but we used to get plenty in the garden when we lived in South London!!

[gettingbythistime]

I also agree with nucky. Mind you, I can't bear to see any animals in cages. The older I get the harder I find it including fish in tanks