Alright, exotic bird folks? Caiques esp.

So in ongoing opening of my wifes world to different animals, also my strategy for keeping her from going back to wanting a kid. I've actually gotten her very interested in some of the smaller parrots. Originally this rainbow lorikeet. (Don't know much about these)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvzFsBCLTrQ


Doing some research into other species since she wasn't into some of the things I did know about, kinda settling on a Caique. Was curious if anyone had any, or any input in general? I did have to point out that very long lived, so for example the semi plan of a Fennec Fox after our dogs may have to be out since I imagine fox even tiny would be bad with bird. (And I am hesitant about tiny fragile Fennec that is 2k and can easily easily escape.)


Behold cuteness. (Love it falling over near end)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_-4KArFR08

Bird needs slippers-too noisy [ROFL2]

If she wants a kid, make sure you pick an animal that you'll want to take care of after the divorce.

If you got a small bird. Think how cool it will look sitting on that new scope for the RPR ;)

I'll ask our friends. They have 1/2 doz birds around the house.

On a real serious note. Think about adoption. (Cue violins) There's so many unwanted or neglected kids hoping a caring family would take them in.

The up side is not having to deal with her BITCHING for 9+ months how IT'S YOUR FAULT............................................. .................................................. .................................................. .................................................. ..................................... for everything.

I have some family that has some parrot that they hatched from an egg maybe 27 years ago. Talk about a bond.

Sorry to be so vague, I don't know anything about birds.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Irving

I have some family that has some parrot that they hatched from an egg maybe 27 years ago. Talk about a bond.

---

Or breakfast

I've always stayed away from birds due to the very loud noises. I'm also not sure foxes are legal as pets in Colorado. Colorado is pretty restrictive on exotic species as pets.

And remember this when it comes to the kid.

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...0fa8ff7c89.jpg


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Fennec's are good last I saw. Though our degu's are actually banned. She found out after the fact and her BIL wildlife guys agency ended up visiting the pet store from it.

Aware of noise, part of choosing what I did. (I like the first one, but extra messy shits, special diet, and a loud one) Caique supposed to be a bit better. Eclectus actually might be a decent idea but she wants cute bippity boppity.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhRwYAa03uEhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhRwYAa03uE

Lorikeets are LOUD. I used to work in a pet store with exotic animals and birds, and OMG were they loud. Any sort of parrot or parakeet is going to have at least 1 screaming session per day. The larger the bird, the more your windows and eardrums will shake. Seriously.

Birds are very rewarding pets- I used to hand-raise cockatiels. If you do not get hand-raised birds, you'll be in for some trouble training them. Hand-raised can also mean different things to different people: there are businesses that claim "hand-raised" status, and all it means is that once a day, they cram food down the birds' throat. If you want a human-socialized bird, you're going to need to ask a LOT of questions from the seller.

If you're getting an exotic bird, you'll have to birdproof your house- they're going to be out of the cage more often than they are inside, unless you want the bird to pick up neuroses such as feather-plucking or shrieking from sheer boredom. If you have four-legged pets such as cats, dogs, rats, or anything else that may prove a danger to your bird, don't get it. You're sinking a lot of money, time and love into a creature who is very delicate in constitution. This also means getting rid of Teflon pans (the gases are deadly to birds) and making sure you do not have extreme temperature swings (of ten degrees or more) in your house. Do not keep them near a window or an air vent. Or the kitchen. Be prepared to vacuum at least every other day; birds will blow more dander and feathers then you believe.
You'll also have to be ready to feed the bird something more than the special diet pet stores sell. They mix up the special food and hope that you'll have to come back every month for their ix. Lorikeets eat a variety of berries, soft fruits and nectars- that means you'll be cutting up fresh fruits a couple of times a day. This also means very messy stools, which in turn means if you have light-colored furniture or carpet, you'll need to find some natural cleaners (remember, harsh chemicals will kill the bird) that will be effective on cleaning up used berry. Bird poop also smells very, uh, unique. Be prepared to clean the cage often. They also need their toenails trimmed.

Parrots in general are incredibly destructive. You're going to need to come up with some fascinating things for them to chew and destroy- it's an absolute MUST for them to live a healthy life. Be prepared to move anything that you don;t want chewed on into another room.

Fans in the bird's room/habitat are a no-no. That includes ceiling fans.

I'm not trying to dissuade you from getting a bird. Birds can be very rewarding, unique and funny pets. But they take a LOT of time (they are very social creatures) and are very delicate creatures.

I've been bitten by a great many critters. Bird bites are among the most painful things I've ever experienced.

No animal is ever going to satisfy her desire to have kids. Eventually it will come to a head and then you'll still have to deal with the subject.

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

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by fitz19d

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.