Parrot advice needed

Now that's a subject line I'd never thought I'd type....

Anyway, while looking for Tiki-esque furniture, I happened upon a nice looking bird-cage. Inspired by the thought of the swearing parrot in the old London Mayfair Beachcomber bar, I bought it. Unfortunately,
I later realised that I don't know the first thing about keeping such birds.

So, has anyone got a parrot in their Tiki bar? Are they easy to keep? Is it considered mean to keep them in old-style cages where they only have room to perch and eat whatever parrots eat? Or are they happy to live in such conditions?

Any words of wisdom will be much appreciated.

Trader Woody

A tiki bar is a parrot’s fantasy come true.
Simply prepare to build a new one, once it chews the existing one to the ground.
Don't worry, your parrot is extremely happy. Chewing the hell out of wood is just it's nature. I know from two past pet parrots.
Simply build a tiki bar from iron.
I love parrots, but my next bird will be a Toucan.
You just have to watch the parrot 24/7.
Good luck

Do you let your parrots roam free in the bar, or do they just eat their way through their cages and cause havoc while you sleep?

I do like the sound of a toucan....but are they Tiki? (This could be the start of another great debate on Tiki Central!)

Trader Woody

[ Edited by: Trader Woody on 2003-12-12 02:15 ]

Don't forget, a parrot can out live you, so be prepared to have the parrot for a looooong time!

i've heard they are very particular & may, for example, adore their owners but not their owners' spouses, friends, children. i've heard that when the dynamics of a living situation are changed by someone moving in (or a child being born) or when someone goes, it greatly affects the bird. & that the bird can really wig out!

i've also heard that the exotic bird trade is rather nefarious, w/ scumbags stuffing birds into tires (to be used to drive from south/central america to the u.s.) & other painful places in order to sneak the birds into countries.

but, i think these are just the sensational extremes & that if you have the time, energy & committment there's no reason why you shouldn't have a healthy bird.

On 2003-12-12 02:15, Trader Woody wrote:
Do you let your parrots roam free in the bar, or do they just eat their way through their cages and cause havoc while you sleep?

I do like the sound of a toucan....but are they Tiki? (This could be the start of another great debate on Tiki Central!)

Trader Woody

[ Edited by: Trader Woody on 2003-12-12 02:15 ]

Toucans are not tiki but do go well with beer bars. Aricaris are tiki, though.

I own a conure, which is like a smaller parrot (about the size of a large pigeon), and he is pretty possessive of one person- usually the one who spends the most time with him. About the cage, the bars should be heavy metal wire (not wood or something else, because they will chew right through it). There really should be enough room for them to climb around inside. Also, a cage that has been painted by someone other than the factory is probably not a good idea. You will also want a cage that is easy to clean (with a bottom that pulls out) because they really make a mess. Never feed it chocolate or avocado (or guacamole). Plan on spending time with it, because it will get mean and much louder if it's ignored. They are really cool to have around - especially if you take time with them.

http://www.samgambino.com

I got this from the avian specialist at my vet's in regard to my friend's evil conure. Keep the bird's perch below your eye level. If he has to look up at you, it establishes dominance. Also, when training or correcting the bird, make sure you use crisp, short sounds, as in "SHUT UP, YOU EXTREMELY LOUD AND ANNOYING DEMON BIRD! (another thing to consider, some of those birds are ear-splitting. I dearly love cockatoos, but the one next door to me sounds like a pterodactyl!). Long "o" sounds, something like "Nooooooo, biiiirdie, noooooooo", apparently sound like sweet talk to a bird and signal approval.
Tropical birds are highly susceptible to respiratory diseases, and need proper climate control.
They can be a bit dangerous. Nels from Tikizone told me about finding a mouse bitten in half (yikes!) in his conure's cage.
And Tikifish is right, they can easily outlive you. My friend inherited hers when her father passed away, twenty years ago.

cockatiels are pretty fun, mucho less dinero, and probably not as long-lived as parrots. i have had a cockatiel for about 8 years. but i would have to say for best bird enjoyment i have liked parakeets the most...

j$

p.s. certain birds have built-in directives to destory other types of birds, so be carfeul mixing. parakeets and cockatiels play nice. chirp -:>

Parrots are the devil's spawn.

I had a grey cheeked parrot (small parrot) when I was young. At first, he loved everyone in our house, he would even walk around the table to eat breakfast with us.

One by one he turned against us. He would go right for peoples eyes with his little hooked beak open wide. That little shit would even chase people down to attack them. Finally he turned on me, and only, I mean only, loved my Dad. If anyone walked by his cage he would lunge and try to get them through the bars. One day the cage was open and he flew to his death in the toilet. I'm glad this happpened after I had moved out of the house, so I didn't get the blame (I would have shut the lid).
Now he's sitting on Satan's shoulder.

Donn the Beachcomber had a mynah bird that he would get loaded on pieces of rum-soaked apple.

It would meander around the bar until it blacked out.

As far as Parrots go, I'd love to have a few but they're truly - truly time intensive and ever will be once you have one.

A funny story to go along with the other hilarious ones here - there was a lady in Scio, Ohio (yes - it's true) they called the Bird Lady of Scio. The mother of a great friend and former roomie of mine.

She had many birds, but this one parrot would unceasingly mock her spoiled grandson. For years. Even into his teens it would remind him of his horrible bratty days of youth by shrieking "I WANT - I WANT - I WANT..." or "ANHHHH - NO NO NO." Then the parrot would giggle at him. He hated that bird and tried to hurt it but the bird would sqwak - his grandma would come to the bird's rescue - chastise the boy - and the parrot would giggle some more.

The kid actually turned out to be a very mellow and well-behaved young man.
Go figger.

[ Edited by: pablus on 2003-12-12 12:43 ]

I had a budgie for quite some time, they would be MUCH easier to look after than those smarty pants parrots.

He learned to say 'meow' since the cat would watch him quite often, and also did a nice wolf whistle. When the cat got to close to the cadge, he'd pull her whiskers out.

We let him out frequently. He would chirp happily, fly around the house and perch on the big umbrella palm.

I think they come in blue, green, gray and white. A couple of them would quite happily amuse each other without demanding much attention from you.

My grandparents once had an aviary containing 60 of the little guys in their backyard!

-Tikiwahine

O.k so now that you know, parrots are demonic bastards, you should turn that cage into a hanging lamp. Do you have the book "Pad"? He turns an old bird cage into a lamp with some cheezy plastic flowers. You could also fill it with small glass floats, the light would look beautiful through the colorful glass. Or how about just some plastic ferns and colored bulbs? Anything but an evil beast!

They are beautiful but realistically too daunting a task for me, I'll stick with dogs and cats.

Finches: 5-10 years
Canaries: 7-10 years
Parakeets: 8-10 years
Lovebirds: 10-12 years
Doves:10-15 years
Cockatiels: 15-20 years
Conures: 15-20 years
Lories & Lorikeets:15+
Parrotlets: 15-20 years
Mini Macaws:20-25 years
Pionus:20-25 years
Senegals: 25-30 years
Quaker Parakeets: 25-30
Cockatoos: 30-40 years
African Grays: 40-50 years
Amazons: 40-50 years
Macaws: 40-50 years
Eclectus: 40-50 years

You're in the UK, right? Here's a link to a rescue there:
Birdline-UK

You should be able to get a lot of information from the rescue and I'm willing to bet a great bird if you decide you're serious. Please be open and seriously consider what they tell you, it could save you from a lot of expense and grief.

http://www.worldsfunniestbudgie.homestead.com/

This is one of the best sites in the world. It will definitely sway you to go the budgie route!

Stinging with a small conure about 12 years ago we quickly found out that not only are parrots very time intensive but very very very messy. Lucy had her own shop-vac in my study that HAD to be used every day. One day she got out of her cage and destroyed my desk, chewed up all the pencils, ate my computer mouse,and demolished a printer cartridge. All my paper had been "beak- punched and nibbled. But I loved her. She traveled with be to the market, hardware store and was always willing to initiate interested folks into the world of birds. But wait! There's more....After 3 years with a small bird I knew I wanted to go the distance with a larger bird. I don't mess around. The next member of the family was beautiful young blue and gold macaw named Sebastian. I soon learned that the phrase "bird brain" is not accurate. His first cage, which was about 5X5X4' was easily dismantled by this crazy beast. We needed to padlock all of the doors closed as he quickly figured out the latches and locks. When a huge bird like this escapes and hits the computer desk, we are talking major damage. He had a great vocabulary and would mimic Susan calling my name, answered the phones and even on occasion dial numbers on speed dial.
They will usually bond with only one or two people, sometimes have preferences between men and woman, colors, or hats.
Please keep this thought in mind when considering a purchase of this kind. This is not a piece of furniture or accessory. This is a long term committment and bonding process with a very social creature that will give so much love that the constant messes, maimed furniture,irritated spouses are just something that is shared between bird folks.

Trader Woody, hope you can find one that will fit in with you and yours. If you would like some more info, drop me a PM.

Trustar

I've had two friends with birds. Both were nice and sociable, if occasionally loud.

But: both of them really smelled awful. Even with regular cleanings. It was nasty.

Turtles smell even worse, I've discovered.

Arrrr...just take 'im around on yer shoulder like ol' Longjohn Silver matey! Actually I speak from personal experience when I tell that parrot guano is a bitch to wash out of aloha shirts though (unless you have real "colorful" one & then you might not notice). I used to work with a guy that owned two parrots & a cockatoo and he told me he spent over four hours a day feeding and cleaning up after them...including playtime too (which is just as important). I don't think I could handle that kind of commitment.

i have been told that parrots have the intelligence of a two year old human. this means you must give them that kind of time and attention their whole lives through. lots and lots of contact and they get lonely easily. keeping them in a small cage at all times would be inhuman. think of it like never letting a toddler out of their crib.

i have a friend who rescued a parrot and even though he's been a good dad to him for many years now - the parrot still has alot of neurosis (pulls his own feathers out until he's bald) from the previous owner who apparently did not treat him well.

parakeets are the best - very personable and easily trained - plus their droppings are easy to clean - you can even let the cage go for a day or 2 before it starts to get yucky. you are pretty safe letting them fly free in your home provided you don't have large glass windows.

purple jade is right, too about don't let a bird ever perch above you - that includes on your head. it's totally psychological - they think they're better than you!

the lime green parakeets look more tropical than the other colors. if you don't plan on spending alot of time with it - get 2 because they do get lonely. but if you get 2 make them sleep in separate cages - otherwise they will bond to each other and not to you. and they'e much more fun when they're bonded to you.

our b.b. (RIP) would fly to my shoulder when i'd come home and nibble gently on my neck!

[ Edited by: Futura Girl on 2003-12-12 18:25 ]

I am inclined to agree with Trustar and the comment that this is not a bar accessory we are talking about, but a very social and needy animal with the smarts of a chimp. I have two parrots that were "taken in" by me from owners who could not or would not care for them.

Things to consider:

Old "cool looking" cages are toxic parrot death traps. The tend to contain lead and will poison your bird quickly. Never use a "vintage" cage to house a bird.

Parrots are not cheap and require complex diets to maintain health. You cannot simply feed them bags of seeds from the market.

Perrots require very specialized medical care from a qualified avain vet. You can't just take them anywhere for an annual eaxm. Be prepared to pay $$$$ for the speciality.

Parrots require 10-12 hours of sleep each night and like to rise with day break. They also like routine and hate change. If you like to hang out in your bar late at night, this is obviously not going to work.

A parrot needs at the very least three hours per day of active out of cage time preferably with you to be mentally and physically healthy.

Parrots will destroy things via chewing. They never grow out of this habit as puppies do. It is in thier nature to chew. That means they must be supervised when out of the cage so that they will not ruin your house or hurt themselves.

Wings must be clipped regularly.

No ceiling fans.

No non-stick cookware (can release toxic fumes that are deadly to birds).

No spray cleaners, spray deoderants, aerosol hairspray, strong cleaners that create fumes, no smoking, no oven cleaners, no paint fumes. (all toxic as birds have extremely sensitive respiratory systems).

You'll need someone who can care for your bird whenever you travel. As you might imagine this can prove dificult since it isn't as if many people have three houre a day to lend to your birds playtime, much less the ability to maintain a complicated routine.

These are just a few things to consider. It isn't that I am anti-parrot ownership or some PETA freak show or anything, it is just that far too many people purchase a parrot with absolutely no idea as to what is involved in their proper care. This leads to neglected, mean, loud, destructive, and often sick birds that are impossible to handle and often lead short miserable lives.

Parrots are not like fish that you can feed and enjoy as ornaments. Nor are they anything like dogs or cats that can be neglected occasionaly with little ill effect provided they are fed and watered.

I'd say that having a parrot is a lot like having a two year old child. Except that this two year old stays two for it's entire life span of at least thirty years.

I love my parrots. They are affectionate and intelligent, and a joy to live with. They are also a royal pain in the ass at times and need constant attention. They will also be the only birds I ever own knowing what I know now.

While feeding rum soaked fruit to a parrot makes for an amusing anecdote, the truth is that it amounts to cruelty by poisoning. Keep in mind that Don's parrots never lived very long.

Sorry to be a drag. Do some web searches on parrot behavior and you'll see what I mean.

If I can answer any questions should you decide to pursue this, please let me know.

pele

[i]
Parrots are not like fish that you can feed and enjoy as ornaments.

Just to note, fish aren't ornaments either! We had 2 goldfish (victor and betty, named after the budgies on worldsfunniestbudgie.com) but they died recently. It wasnt like breaking a tiki mug, it was very very sad. They had real personalities, those 2 fish! Sadly something went wrong - We had been having problems with couldy water in the goldfish bowl, even with frequent changes, so Jason and I decided to give them pure bottled water one time. The next morning they were dead. A search of the web found many sites that advocated bottled water for fish, and others that advised against it. I still don't know which is best, but let me say, don't put Aquafina in your fishtank, we learned the hard way.

Also to note, we decided on the fish as pets because as much as budgies seemed cool, Jason said they would smell too much. I didn't believe Jason, I thought he just had a bad smelly budgie experience, but from some of your posts I now know he was right!

On 2003-12-12 10:00, purple jade wrote:
another thing to consider, some of those birds are ear-splitting. I dearly love cockatoos, but the one next door to me sounds like a pterodactyl!

EXACTLY what I was going to say. :lol: When I lived in Clearwater I had neighbors who lived directly across the cul de sac, a good 50 yds away, who had a toucan. If I was in the garage I could hear that thing scream like...yes, a pterodactyl...even though they had their doors and windows shut! How they could stand it I have no idea.

Heed pele's post. Birds are pets and not accessories (sorry to be redundant). Get a parrot if you want one as a pet but not as decoration. Birds are a little higher maintenance than you may think. I wanted to get some little finches for a long time and when I found an awesome bamboo cage for $8 at a rummage sale I finally had an excuse to get some. I picked up two little zebra finches and before I know it they have some babies. Now I've got two cages, bird crap galore, feathers and seed shells everywhere and am always cleaning up after them. And these are little birds! And they seem to produce moths for some strange reason I can't figure out. They're cute as hell but they fight and momma bird is always getting the hell beat out of her. Plus, even though I put a wrapping gimmick around the cage (meant to curtail the mess) they still manage to fling shit on the walls and at my tiki mugs.

Think long and hard before you go down this road, especially if you're considering a large bird.

Anyone in Central FL want three young female zebra finches? Free to a good home and the cage is thrown in (not the bamboo one) for free as well. I plan on keeping mom and dad (and will keep removing all new eggs) but the 3 daughters are free to anyone willing to take them.

They sure are cute! :)

Is it just me or does an inordinate number of TC members own birds? Yowza!

Tastes like chicken

*On 2003-12-12 19:40, tikifish wrote:*Also to note, we decided on the fish as pets because as much as budgies seemed cool, Jason said they would smell too much. I didn't believe Jason, I thought he just had a bad smelly budgie experience, but from some of your posts I now know he was right!

oh no... they don't smell if you keep their cages clean. a cat litterbox or doggy remains in the yard is much worse. it's all about the hygiene of the owner.

*On 2003-12-12 23:36, Mano Tiki Tia wrote:*Tastes like chicken

funny, but i became a vegetarian after owning a bird. when i realized that these gentle sweet little creatures had personalities and very intense feelings, i just couldn't do chicken anymore. now when i hear people get vibed on say, eating dog meat or or fuzzy little lambs or veal or whatever - for me personally i say it's no different.

On 2003-12-12 20:45, Kono wrote:

And they seem to produce moths for some strange reason I can't figure out.

Kono - I had the moth problem with the parakeet seeds. They're from the birdseed! I think what happens is when they harvest the millet, the moth eggs or something are included, and when you put the seeds in a warm dish or something they hatch.

You can freeze the seeds in yer freezer - that kills the moth eggs, but preserves the food value.

For anyone interested, this following link is the definitive source of info about parakeets:

http://www.geocities.com/lordstevil/parakeets.html

chirp, fluff - j$

From the sound of all this, you may want to look @ a stuffed parrot for your cage.

Try Stuffed Ark's Beaks & Feathers, they have all kinds of parrots, some fairly life-like:

this is an ex-parrot!!!

After reading pele's post, I think I'll get one those animatronic parrots like they have in Disneyland's Enchanted Tiki Room.

[i]On 2003-12-13 08:07, Johnny Dollar wroteKono - I had the moth problem with the parakeet seeds. They're from the birdseed! I think what happens is when they harvest the millet, the moth eggs or something are included, and when you put the seeds in a warm dish or something they hatch.

You can freeze the seeds in yer freezer - that kills the moth eggs, but preserves the food value.

Thanks for the info! That's been bugging the hell out of me. For some reason I had the birds for months with no moths then one day I had moths. Did not switch food either. Anway I ran and put the food in the freezer. Thanks.

Thank you Pele, Trader Woody, please research what you would be getting into! Its always scary when a movie with parrots or exotic birds is out, because the bird shops have dozens if not hundreds of people wanting them who didnt think. Then after a month or so these same people sell off, dump, or worse, kill them. Everybody that posted before had good info. Keep in mind the time factor involved, money matter, & cleaning factor. If after that, you still want one, go for it, its worth it. I start by having parakeets 1st, then moved on to cocktiel, then parrotlets, & now a Meyers (senegal family).

TikiBird, I live in San Diego & I know what you're talking about. There are several flocks of wild parrots in the San Diego area, and I think even more in the LA area! When I lived in Pasadena there was a flock of over a dozen birds that'd fly over my parents house every night just before dusk & every morning just after dawn. I'd hear'em all over town, espescially when I lived up in NW Pasadena. There's also a smaller flock of about 6 or 8 in my daughter's neighborhood in Santa Monica, beautiful to look @ but hard on the ears!

Their also in Belmont Shore in Long Beach as well.

Wow, I go away for a long weekend and come back to reams of excellent advice! Thanks to all those who replied, as it's just the kind of advice I wanted. I don't know if it's the Monty Python dead parrot sketch which has put me off approaching pet stores, but I value the thoughts of Tiki Centralites much higher.

Looking after a parrot is obviously pretty time and energy consuming, so I'll probably leave it until I'm working from home or retired! Perhaps I'll start off with a budgie and work my way up...
An animatronic parrot would probably suit me just fine, especially if it had a recordable voice. If I can't find anything suitable, I guess I'll take Laney's advice and turn the cage into part of the decor somehow.

Trader Woody

During the weekend of the closing of the Kahiki Restaurant in Columbus Ohio, I listened in as the owner/caretaker of the parrot who lived in the restaurant told stories about the bird. It has been a few years, and I may have some of the details wrong, but at one time this parrot was kept in the side glassed area behind the booths (on the right hand side, where the tropical storms would come and go)) It turned out that the bird somehow gnawed its way through some bamboo walling, or some other wood structures, and then began gnawing on one of the side support beams. All of this was going on without anybody noticing it.

If I recall, when it was discovered, it cost many thousands of dollars to get this support beam fixed - the ceiling above the post may have even started to sag a bit because of the support beam damage.

Somehow, the bird survived the wrath of the owner when they found out what caused the damage, and the bird ended up outliving the Kahiki.

Does anybody else recall this story?

Vern

Everything Pele said about parrots is accurate as far as I know.
We have had our Scarlet Macaw for three years. We bought him from a very reputable shop in Orlando that provides wonderful support to bird owners.
When we first brought him home we had to hand feed him every six hours for a month or so. If you can do this and remain a cheerful bird owner, you'll probably do fine with the rest of the work they entail. Also, handfeeding really helps a bird form a bond with its owners.
"Mango" is one of the most challenging and rewarding pets I've ever had. The only other animal I've had that comes close in terms of intelligence and personality is a Border Collie.
When you think about it, many of the traits that parrots have and people complain about are easily explained. They chew because their beaks continue to grow all the time and need to be worn down. That's why it is crucial to always provide chewable toys.
They bite because they use their beak as a method of grasping and steadying themselves, as well as for defense. They also sense much of their environment with their tongue.
Mango "bites" my finger all the time without hurting me. Mostly, he is just steadying himself or allowing me to carry him.
Parrots usuaully squawk the most in the morning and in the evening. Parrot breeders say this is because they flock in the wild and these are the times they would normally call other birds.
Of course birds need time out of their cage and they want to interact with you. So would a dog or a cat. If you left your dog in a crate all day and night, it would probably go crazy as well.
Parrots don't like some people. They especially don't like people that are obvioulsy afraid of them. I don't know why this is so, but I've known dogs that could sense fear and would attack people who appeared frightened or who would run from them.
Birds don't like to soil their nest/cage and Mango usually holds it until we take him to his outside perch in the morning. He still messes in his cage or on his stand, but he prefers to have his major movements outside.
We've taught Mango to say "aloha","surf's up" and "time for a luau". Other bird owners are really amazed to hear him speak "Hawaiian".
Actually, this was pretty easy because we associate these terms with greeting him, letting him out of his cage, and feeding him.
The bottomline is that Macaws, their cages, perches, food, etc. cost a great deal of money and are very time consuming, but are very rewarding. Marian and I love Mango and we would never part with him. For us, he's one of the family.

[ Edited by: Kailuageoff on 2003-12-17 21:09 ]

Public radio's "This American Life" did a show about a difficult pet bird earlier this year:

Polly Wants More Than a Cracker. Veronica Chater explains the conflict in her house between her love for her pet macaw--a kind of parrot--and her love for her husband and three kids. The macaw wreaks a sort of low-level chaos in the house, because it wants Veronica all to itself.

http://www.thislife.org/ra/228.ram

On 2003-12-13 01:19, Cherry Capri wrote:

*On 2003-12-12 23:36, Mano Tiki Tia wrote:*Tastes like chicken

funny, but i became a vegetarian after owning a bird. when i realized that these gentle sweet little creatures had personalities and very intense feelings, i just couldn't do chicken anymore. now when i hear people get vibed on say, eating dog meat or or fuzzy little lambs or veal or whatever - for me personally i say it's no different.

I had a Cockateel that would eat chicken. It didn't seem to bother his digestion, or his morals. It wasn't anything I did with any frequency, but happened one time when I had let him out, and turned my back on him while eating dinner. Turned back, and he was chowing down on some KFC. Weird bird, kinda creepy.

I heard to never let a bird eat lettuce, it apparently gives them dehydrating diarhea.

TG

On 2003-12-15 13:03, freddiefreelance wrote:
TikiBird, I live in San Diego & I know what you're talking about. There are several flocks of wild parrots in the San Diego area, and I think even more in the LA area! When I lived in Pasadena there was a flock of over a dozen birds that'd fly over my parents house every night just before dusk & every morning just after dawn. I'd hear'em all over town, espescially when I lived up in NW Pasadena. There's also a smaller flock of about 6 or 8 in my daughter's neighborhood in Santa Monica, beautiful to look @ but hard on the ears!

They're still here, I love those birds.
TG