Are medium parrots and rodents safe together?

[Aspie_Aviphile]

I'm considering looking for small mammals in need of a home, anything from a hamster to rabbits, except rats because they eat other animals. I would put their enclosure in my spacious bedroom, or if they were potty trained rabbits let them free in the bedroom when I'm out, and when I'm out Bo is only free in my living room, so they wouldn't ever be left unsupervised together. But when I'm home, is it necessarily safe for them to be free in the same place or interacting with me at the same time, or are there precautions and inconveniences to consider? E.g.violence or intimidation, disease or parasite transmission, jealous anxiety or anger? When I had my late chinchilla and budgie, I introduced them to each other and they were completely indifferent, acted like each other weren't even there. But not all rodents or parrots are going to be like those two, so I just want to know the range of possibilities I'd be facing.

Thanks!

 

[Scott]

I've heard horror stories of parrots and rodents, so I'd give them a fail safe protocol to avoid direct contact. No doubt examples of coexistence are plentiful, but the price of assumption is perilously high.

Don't know much of disease potential from captive bred and raised rodents, but wild mice and rats are rife with nasty organisms, parasites, etc.

 

[Cardinal]

Hi Aspie Aviphile


Firstly thank you for rejecting rats . That is a wonderful first move and it shows you have done your research. Keeping rats in a Bird home is a terrible idea and I have started a thread about it- you can search.

I do not know about hamsters but I know of a family who have successfully kept 4 African lovebirds and Rabbits for at least about 2 years without any major problems.

 

[Owlet]

I don't have much to contribute but note that rabbits aren't rodents.

Theoretically you can keep anything in the same household has a bird but you have to take the proper precautions to make sure they NEVER interact. Cross species interactions regardless of what animals are involved can always be risky.

IMO a rabbit seems like the best bet because they're herbivores and 100% prey animals. Rats and other rodents are not exclusively herbivores and can do lots of harm if they want to. So can a rabbit but it's gonna be more of self defense over "I'm hungry let's eat the colorful thing". Just don't let the animals interact at all really.

 

[bug_n_flock]

Yeah: learn from my horrible, heartbreaking mistake. Rats and birds in the same house in the same room is a baaaaaad idea. Lost a lovebird last year to rats. Only left the room for a few minutes and they killed her horribly.



Rabbits, guineapigs, chinchillas probaly fine. Nowadays, I wouldn't even trust mice, gerbils, or hamsters around a bird. Remember, the predatory threat never feels "real".. It goes from feeling excessive, to feeling too real all too quick. Don't take chances.

 

[HannahandSunny]

I have guinea pigs and Sunny (Corella) use to live in the house, and he still occasionally INSISTS on waddling inside if I’ve left the front door open.
However I’ve never let them touch. A Parrots claws and beak are far too sharp and dangerous to be around any other animal. Sunny use to fly and sit on their cage when I wasn’t looking..I think he did it on purpose because he knew he wasn’t allowed..he seemed to actually be quite inquisitive about the guineas. But I’d always tell him off for going near them.
Sometimes when I’m transferring the G’pigs from their indoor house to the outdoor run Sunny lands on my head lol. But that’s as close as I’d let them be.

 

[Jottlebot]

I wouldn't mix birds with any other animal. Even a small bite from your bird or other animal is surely more heartbreak than you would want!? Keep whatever animals you want, but don't let them interact, not even through the bars of a cage. I don't let my Mynah and Alexandrine interact because of the size difference. They live in the same room, but the tops of the cages are covered when the other is out.