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Currently, by her own choice she's been on the no kids wagon for a while now. I'm just scared of someday swinging back. Or really I just needed some kind of introduction to the "Got Parrots" post.
FWIW, I'm fairly interested too, just had been much further down my list of things I'd like to try.
EDIT: Forgot to clarify, not interested in Lorikeet, I knew the louder issues, bigger wetter #2 and more specialized diet.
I have seen a few stressed out birds in customer's homes. Pretty sad. They pluck their own feathers out.
Go interact with some other bird species here in Denver........And be damn sure you can provide a fulfilling and nurturing environment for it. They can become very maladjusted and difficult.
These guys are more of a rescue though.
http://thegabrielfoundation.org/
Behold, pickles the Parrot (Caique), 7month female.
Crappy quick first pick, letting her settle in.
Attachment 64972
She was shy and timid at owners house. But after 15minutes was stepping up to wife and I. Bit her once lightly early on when spooked. Got her home and took a banana chip right away.
Had a male white breasted there too. Very confidant and silly, but picked me to keep trying to assert dominance and chew my hands up. Would grab his beak and get his attention then into his carrier for time out. Still wanted to fight when we left but was nice with wife. I liked his spunk but prefered black cap looks and wife was concerned about him being a terror. (Though I'm sure our little lady is going to be just the same in a few months.)
Has already proven super cute. When I turn the lights off was chattering to me and after talking back for a bit she crawled into her hammock before I put on the cover.
Nice bird!
I have a 9yr old Grey. Great pets. I am on the no kid bandwagon, so my grey is my kid.
My experiences:
It hurts- Ever had a hole in your fingernail, right into the flesh? She must have been in a bad mood... haha
Dust and "fluffies" (down feathers) EVERYWHERE. If you looked at the contents of my vacuum, you would think I poured cocaine in my carpet for fun.
Keep 'em entertained- find out which toys they like, and find a cheap (safe) source. I get mine from abirdtoy.com , as they seem to be fairly priced. I also leave my TV (or radio) on whenever I am out of the house. Ice cubes have been a favorite lately, I like em because FREE. If you make toys, pay attention to wood types, some are toxic to birds.
I don't know how Caiques are on talking, but if they talk, and you have a tendency to cuss, they will too. I play video games, my bird thinks she does too. "Bullshit", "bitch", "asshole", etc are are regulars. I'm OK with that. Are you?
Non-stick pans- toss em... overheat them, and you won't know the bird is dead until you realize it is real quiet. I run stainless and cast iron. The only non-stick I have is a Foreman grill, and I am the only one to use it, carefully and rarely.
Get a decent sized cage where the bird can flap it's wings. I have mine in a 3.5x3.5x7ft cage. She seems to hate to be in the cage I got her in, as she doesn't have the roaming space.
Food- don't run with just basic seed mix, that's the bird equivalent of you eating fast food all the time. I weaned mine off of seed mix that she was on when I got her. She now gets Zupreem Fruit blend. It's expensive locally, but gets cheap in bulk. I just got a bag in, $90 for almost a year supply. They WILL make a mess of whatever you give them. Mine seems to like to try to make hooch in her water bowl by mixing in her food. Her absolute favorites seem to be scrambled eggs and grilled chicken, just take it easy on the salt.
Birds are great fun, they have a lot of character and like to play.
I adopted mine when she was about 1.5yrs old. She was an impulse buy for them, and they didn't know what they were getting into.
Here she is, eating steak fajitas.
Attachment 64976
Any particular place you order your bulk food? Was going to take a look at this local avalon aviary store in Loveland
I usually order mine from large stores online. (Last order was Amazon). Reason is- by purchasing from them, it avoids contamination from other birds. Bird diseases suck.Quote:
Originally Posted by fitz19d