Can I “parront” a cockatiel?

[Sunnyclover]

But seriously if you DO get a parrot please please please use this forum as a tool to help you. I would hate if you got a parrot despite the concerns we mentioned and then never came back here for help. This forum is an extremely useful resource and we all just care so much for our birds and each other's birds.

 

[frankie.rainieri]

A cockatiel is still a parrot. It’s still a permanent toddler with way more intelligence than most people give them credit for. You may not be a bird guy, and that’s ok. Fish are cool. African cichlids are AMAZING. Several of the Lake Malawi species change color while you watch. They’re pretty smart, will recognize you, and sometimes they breed and then you have babies. So cool.





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Oh yeah I love African Cichlids! Very very cool. I once saw this cool fish who keeps watch for a shrimp who digs a hole for them to both live in and they're like a cool inter-species partner ship kind of thing and the shrimp was like neon blue. That could be really fun too.

Lol I have no interest in fish. The whole appeal to birds is their bond. But what I’m getting out of all this is that it’s not fair to want their bond on your terms while being an active adult who’s not retired or work from home.. I felt like there has to be people who work 9-5s and have birds successfully. It does not seem to be the case, or if people do it’s not up to the standards set upon other members here.


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[Sunnyclover]

You know...I do love your humble attitude. You do seem like a good person at the end of the day. Perhaps if your fiance was willing to play a bigger role? For instance.. my birds are bonded to me strongly and will run straight to me most of the time. However, they love my husband so so much too. If I was home all day with them but my husband comes home from work they totally ditch me for him for about 30 mins before they decided I've had enough or a break and need to lay on my face for the rest of the night. My husband can handle them, he can kiss them and tickles them a little. So he has a pretty good bond too. I am of course the one blessed with most of the cuddles but also most of the clean up and "issues" as well. I can imagine if my husband was more involved he couldhave even more of a bond with them. Your fiance would have to mind the dogs and cats really closely though. Like really really closely.Hope that helps.

 

[Inger]

Lol I have no interest in fish. The whole appeal to birds is their bond. But what I’m getting out of all this is that it’s not fair to want their bond on your terms while being an active adult who’s not retired or work from home.. I felt like there has to be people who work 9-5s and have birds successfully. It does not seem to be the case, or if people do it’s not up to the standards set upon other members here.

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Of course that’s not the case. I work full time, but I don’t have cats, I only have a dog on the weekends (and then Bumble only comes out when the dog is napping in the other room with the door closed), I don’t have anyone else living here, and certainly not someone that will be home all day but under strict orders to ignore her lear MY bird bond with the wrong person , I don’t think “bonded” means “glued to me” and other than work, I don’t spend a ton of time outside my home.

If you can move some of your thinking around from human-centric to bird-centric, you and your fiancée might very well be fantastic parronts.


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[wrench13]

Our Amazon Salty is on a 12 hr cycle and he is uncovered at 10AM and put to bed at 10PM. My wife uncovers him and is with him all day and I am only home by 6PM. Salty is in his cage until aound 1 PMin the afternoon when she lets him out and he is not caged until bed time. But he is clipped.His cage is right in the middle of our open plan living/ dinning/family space and his attached hanging play space is his spot allday. My wife feeds him breakfast and lunch and I feed him dinner. Take a look at our set up in my album it is kind of unique and might seve your family needs.

Sally Blanchards book Companion Parrot Handbook- it is good info. She mentions 3 kinds of attention. 1) In your face time - one on one focused attntion. 2) Ambient attention - while you might just have your parrot on your shoulder watching TV or on your knee while you read and 3) Flock ttype attention whee you both are engaged in some activity - maybe you are eading and he is playing with a toy -and this might be no more than a "Are you OK" from you or the parrot letting each know they are OK and nearby but maybe not visible. SHe puts it much better but you get the idea. Of the 3 the first is the most important in keeping your parrot tame and the bond strong. It might be as little as 15 minutes a day but more is better. Its a good read.

 

[itzjbean]

I am sort of in a similar situation as you. I work full time (8am-5pm, 2 days off) and have two cats and a dog. It works well because my bird has a huge cage, and his companion passed this year so he is getting another one in a month, then another on in the fall. I personally think they do better in pairs or a group if they are caged most of the time and if you can't be there all day with them.

 

[reeb]

To talk about cockatiel personality (and how well he/she may handle your circumstances), I think it is important to mention that all birds are different. Berry, my cockatiel, is extremely attached to me, and will call and call for me even when when I leave the room for 5 minutes. However, she handles my absence surprisingly well. She has companions (two budgies), and when I'm out the radio or tv is on and she is very content to play, eat and get on with her day.

It is important to mention that I'm a full-time university student, but I am lucky in that I do not live alone, so when I am out until late afternoon/early evening there is almost always someone at home - so my birds get to be out of the cage for most of the day.

I also have 2 dogs, and they are strictly forbidden from my room and the door is always locked when the birds are out. Since they are dogs that would definitely kill my birds given the chance, I am EXTREMELY careful, as is everyone else in the household.

My point is that, it depends on the bird, it depends on the circumstances, it depends on whether he or she has companions or is content being alone (keeping in mind that parrots are very social creatures), etc - these are all things to take into account.

Thanks for reaching out to the forum!

 

[Cardinal]

A cockatiel is still a parrot. It’s still a permanent toddler with way more intelligence than most people give them credit for. You may not be a bird guy, and that’s ok. Fish are cool. African cichlids are AMAZING. Several of the Lake Malawi species change color while you watch. They’re pretty smart, will recognize you, and sometimes they breed and then you have babies. So cool.


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African Cichlids are great but the drawback is that they often they kill each other and also they dig and don't allow plants to grow. I prefer Freshwater Angelfish -tetra combination, equally intelligent but more peaceful and serene; or for activity and color; love the Rainbows; they spar with one another but don't go to the level of murder.
I could share a video on the same but that would be a digression I suppose. We can start a new thread in the Non-bird section.

 

[GaleriaGila]

Welllllllllllllllllllll... I have a story for you...
I got the Rickeybird in 1984. I was in college when I got him, and then grad school, so I spent LOTS of time with him. Then it was time to go to work!
There were years (about 25 of them) when 5-6 days a week, I was gone at 7:30-ish and back at 6-ish.
Some did and will consider me wrong and think I should have re-homed him.
Anyway, here is what I think made it work.
I moved and got new jobs maybe 5 times or so. BUT...
Every morning, he had at least ten minutes, and every evening, he had 20 or so. I have always kept him on a natural light schedule, in a separate room, so sometimes those times together were in the dark. During the day, he had a big window looking out on something interesting, a television on one of his favorite channels (Music channels, shopping channels), a biggg cage, lots of fun foods, and toys that I changed out regularly).
He KNEW he could count on those two crumby sessions a day. Somehow we both made it.
I'm now retired and times are pretty good again. But when I first retired, he was standoffish and aggressive, at times, and not nearly as affectionate and cuddly as he was 30 years ago. Of course, he became a rooster at about 4-5.
He is famous (infamous?) for his quirks, weirdness, and overall trouble-maker-ness. I take responsibility. Today he is flighted, fearless, spoiled, and adored. We worked it out. I spend most of the day with his bad self now, and I know we are back in love. I guess my motto is... don't give up, do your best, and don't be unhappy with the results. Love your bird and yourself for what you are, separately and together.
I have no reason or justification to brag or preach, that's for sure.
P.S. I admire you for reaching out so honestly and openly.

 

[TiredOldMan]

Gail,
Allowing him to watch MTV could very well explain his "unique" mindset.

I figured unique was nicer than twisted.

 

[GaleriaGila]

Major TOM, I have often wondered if that explains his twistedness... I mean uniqueness!

Frankie, don't make the same mistake I did!

 

[texsize]

I have 8 Cockatiels but I can't say that any of them are bonded to me the way my Bingo is.
The 2 girls I raised from eggs are coming up on there 3 year birthday. They are probably the most bonded to me Cockatiels I have. When I come in the room one of them zips back and to get my attention. It's main interest is in getting neck scratches.
As bonded as she is (Mango) when let out of the cage she spends 0 time with me.
won't sit with me.
wont sit on my shoulder.

None of my Tiels are Velcro birds. This could be because none of them are alone, they all have cage mates to keep them company.
They are all so curious they are always exploring and getting into trouble.

texsize.

 

[eagle18]

Mine was content to sit around, observe, and play with his toys. He was happy to get out but was good about being in his cage. The toys are important because just like their bigger cousins they need mental and physical stimulation. Also, the bigger the cage, the better.

 

[eagle18]

A cockatiel is still a parrot. It’s still a permanent toddler with way more intelligence than most people give them credit for. You may not be a bird guy, and that’s ok. Fish are cool. African cichlids are AMAZING. Several of the Lake Malawi species change color while you watch. They’re pretty smart, will recognize you, and sometimes they breed and then you have babies. So cool.





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Oh yeah I love African Cichlids! Very very cool. I once saw this cool fish who keeps watch for a shrimp who digs a hole for them to both live in and they're like a cool inter-species partner ship kind of thing and the shrimp was like neon blue. That could be really fun too.

Lol I have no interest in fish. The whole appeal to birds is their bond. But what I’m getting out of all this is that it’s not fair to want their bond on your terms while being an active adult who’s not retired or work from home.. I felt like there has to be people who work 9-5s and have birds successfully. It does not seem to be the case, or if people do it’s not up to the standards set upon other members here.


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Almost everyone on this site, works. And yes, a balance can be achieved.

 

[AmyMyBlueFront]

I am dealing with severe depression. There are days when I cant do a damn thing except curl up in a ball on the couch
My two fids suffer from that and it hurts me. However, BB is very self entertaining. He has tons of toys in his house that he happily will bang around and yell at. He will still sing/whistle his heart out,even if he's stuck in his house all day.
When he is out,he is out for hours on end. He is a Velcro bird. He WANTS his poppy! He'll fly to me when I call for him..He'll yell for me the minute i'm out of his sight. He'll sing in my ear and say every word or phrases he knows.
I can cup him in my hand and smother him with kisses all the while he is singing to me..loves head/face skritches.
And when he is out he brightens my sucky day 100%

cockatiels are amazing little creatures in my book.


Jim

 

[EllenD]

I think what I didn't say in the other "Conure" thread that I should have said, and that SunnyClover hit-on, is that for whatever reason, your idea of how a bird "bonds" to you is set in your mind as whatever bird you bring home, baby or adult, that doesn't really matter in this situation, will bond solely and only to you, if you are the only person in the house that has any direct contact with it, that if no one else in the house touches, talks to, or goes near the bird, and if the bird is locked inside a cage all day long, by itself, alone, and no one else goes near him but you, that this will result in a bird who wants nothing but to be quite literally "stuck to you" when you get home at night for the 3 hours you're going to spend with him....And that the bird's "bond", as you describe it or think of it, is going to keep it literally "stuck" to your shoulder all the time and in all situations, thus making you feel that it's alright to not change anything in your household regarding your other pets, the dogs and the cats, because the bird will not ever leave your shoulder, as mentioned it will literally be like a "statue on your shoulder"...And this is your rationale for not having to keep the dogs or cats away from the bird....I hope I'm describing this accurately, as this is what I'm getting from what you are trying to or wanting to achieve, as you've somewhere gotten this idea that a bird's "bond" to "their person" is actually just as I've described, and my fear, or the biggest fear for whatever bird you bring home, is that this idea that you have of what a bird's "bond" is to their person is going to give you a false-sense of security and safety in your home with other potentially dangerous animals.

I don't think you're a bad person at all, I never did. You said that I "flamed you", however I didn't flame you, I just didn't pull any punches with you and attempted to inform you that this sort of "bond-forming training-plan" that you've come-up with is based on this idea that you have of what a bird's bond to a person is, and because that idea of bird's bond to a human is not accurate, you're entire plan to accomplish that goal is not going to work, or at the very least has a great chance of failing...

The fact of the matter is this:
-There is no way to force any bird to bond with one particular person
-The fact that your fiance is going to be home all day, even if she has no contact with the bird, makes what you are wanting to accomplish very difficult, as the bird will absolutely know that people are home in the house, and will know who your fiance is, and this is most-likely going to result in a very loud, screaming bird in a cage, all day long, or at the very least this is a good possibility that you must consider
-You can spend every moment that bird is out of it's cage with it, and it might absolutely hate you, and simply bond with your fiance from afar because she is always around
-Even if the bird "bonds" with you, this has nothing at all to do with the bird being "obedient", which is kind of the way I think you're thinking; A bonded bird is just like a bonded child, they act-out, are loud, and certainly will not be "stuck to your shoulder" at all times while you're walking around, this is not what a "bond" with a bird means at all
-As someone with 2 dogs and 4 parrots (and 8 Budgies) I can tell you that if you don't modify the situation with both your current dogs and cats when the bird is out of it's cage, and while in it's cage if the dogs and cats are allowed to be near the cage, that this is a very dangerous situation for a bird to be in
-Cats are innate, natural hunters, regardless of how nice they are or how they act around other animals, and allowing your bird out of it's cage and in the same room with one or more cats and then dogs as well is eventually going to end badly, as no bird is going to stay on your shoulder because it is "bonded" with you as it's person, that's not what "bonded" to you means

Think of how a young child is "bonded" to his mommy and daddy. Seriously. That's exactly what the bond between a parrot and it's person is like. Obviously just because a child is bonded to it's parent or parents, this does not mean that the child is "stuck" to their parents 24/7, nor does it mean that no one else interacts with the child, nor does it mean that the child doesn't act-out, be loud, get in-trouble, etc. Less-so with a bird. So please don't assume that you will not have to make safety procedures and changes about when the dogs and cats will be allowed out with the bird, and vice versa. Cats and birds do not usually mix at all. I have 2 dogs, one that is fine with my birds, one that is not at all, no matter what I do, and as such he gets put into another room when I have a bird in the room free. It's just not worth the risk. Modifications have to be made, and though different for every home and family, they will have to be made, as the first time your bird flies off of your shoulder may be it's last...

***I guess I'd rather ask you a very serious and pertinent question, a question that you absolutely need to think about, if you haven't already considered...

"What's your contingency plan if whatever bird you bring home does not bond with you like you want it to, but rather with your fiance? What if the bird doesn't like you at all? What if the bird spends all day long inside it's cage screaming and crying?"

I guess the question is, if any of these things happen, which they very likely may, are you open to making the bird a family bird at that point, especially if the bird decides that your fiance is it's person and not you, are you open to that?

 

[eagle18]

I am so sorry to hear about your depression. I too suffer from that demon and it really sucks at times. Sounds like your guy has a lot of empathy.

 

[eagle18]

I think what I didn't say in the other "Conure" thread that I should have said, and that SunnyClover hit-on, is that for whatever reason, your idea of how a bird "bonds" to you is set in your mind as whatever bird you bring home, baby or adult, that doesn't really matter in this situation, will bond solely and only to you, if you are the only person in the house that has any direct contact with it, that if no one else in the house touches, talks to, or goes near the bird, and if the bird is locked inside a cage all day long, by itself, alone, and no one else goes near him but you, that this will result in a bird who wants nothing but to be quite literally "stuck to you" when you get home at night for the 3 hours you're going to spend with him....And that the bird's "bond", as you describe it or think of it, is going to keep it literally "stuck" to your shoulder all the time and in all situations, thus making you feel that it's alright to not change anything in your household regarding your other pets, the dogs and the cats, because the bird will not ever leave your shoulder, as mentioned it will literally be like a "statue on your shoulder"...And this is your rationale for not having to keep the dogs or cats away from the bird....I hope I'm describing this accurately, as this is what I'm getting from what you are trying to or wanting to achieve, as you've somewhere gotten this idea that a bird's "bond" to "their person" is actually just as I've described, and my fear, or the biggest fear for whatever bird you bring home, is that this idea that you have of what a bird's "bond" is to their person is going to give you a false-sense of security and safety in your home with other potentially dangerous animals.

I don't think you're a bad person at all, I never did. You said that I "flamed you", however I didn't flame you, I just didn't pull any punches with you and attempted to inform you that this sort of "bond-forming training-plan" that you've come-up with is based on this idea that you have of what a bird's bond to a person is, and because that idea of bird's bond to a human is not accurate, you're entire plan to accomplish that goal is not going to work, or at the very least has a great chance of failing...

The fact of the matter is this:
-There is no way to force any bird to bond with one particular person
-The fact that your fiance is going to be home all day, even if she has no contact with the bird, makes what you are wanting to accomplish very difficult, as the bird will absolutely know that people are home in the house, and will know who your fiance is, and this is most-likely going to result in a very loud, screaming bird in a cage, all day long, or at the very least this is a good possibility that you must consider
-You can spend every moment that bird is out of it's cage with it, and it might absolutely hate you, and simply bond with your fiance from afar because she is always around
-Even if the bird "bonds" with you, this has nothing at all to do with the bird being "obedient", which is kind of the way I think you're thinking; A bonded bird is just like a bonded child, they act-out, are loud, and certainly will not be "stuck to your shoulder" at all times while you're walking around, this is not what a "bond" with a bird means at all
-As someone with 2 dogs and 4 parrots (and 8 Budgies) I can tell you that if you don't modify the situation with both your current dogs and cats when the bird is out of it's cage, and while in it's cage if the dogs and cats are allowed to be near the cage, that this is a very dangerous situation for a bird to be in
-Cats are innate, natural hunters, regardless of how nice they are or how they act around other animals, and allowing your bird out of it's cage and in the same room with one or more cats and then dogs as well is eventually going to end badly, as no bird is going to stay on your shoulder because it is "bonded" with you as it's person, that's not what "bonded" to you means

Think of how a young child is "bonded" to his mommy and daddy. Seriously. That's exactly what the bond between a parrot and it's person is like. Obviously just because a child is bonded to it's parent or parents, this does not mean that the child is "stuck" to their parents 24/7, nor does it mean that no one else interacts with the child, nor does it mean that the child doesn't act-out, be loud, get in-trouble, etc. Less-so with a bird. So please don't assume that you will not have to make safety procedures and changes about when the dogs and cats will be allowed out with the bird, and vice versa. Cats and birds do not usually mix at all. I have 2 dogs, one that is fine with my birds, one that is not at all, no matter what I do, and as such he gets put into another room when I have a bird in the room free. It's just not worth the risk. Modifications have to be made, and though different for every home and family, they will have to be made, as the first time your bird flies off of your shoulder may be it's last...

***I guess I'd rather ask you a very serious and pertinent question, a question that you absolutely need to think about, if you haven't already considered...

"What's your contingency plan if whatever bird you bring home does not bond with you like you want it to, but rather with your fiance? What if the bird doesn't like you at all? What if the bird spends all day long inside it's cage screaming and crying?"

I guess the question is, if any of these things happen, which they very likely may, are you open to making the bird a family bird at that point, especially if the bird decides that your fiance is it's person and not you, are you open to that?

Okay, this is a bit much. What if, what if, what if,..... I am all for a person doing their homework about getting a particular pet but I am not about 'what ifing' that decision to death. Those things you mentioned might happen, or they may never happen, but let's cross that bridge when we get there.

 

[Sunnyclover]

I think what I didn't say in the other "Conure" thread that I should have said, and that SunnyClover hit-on, is that for whatever reason, your idea of how a bird "bonds" to you is set in your mind as whatever bird you bring home, baby or adult, that doesn't really matter in this situation, will bond solely and only to you, if you are the only person in the house that has any direct contact with it, that if no one else in the house touches, talks to, or goes near the bird, and if the bird is locked inside a cage all day long, by itself, alone, and no one else goes near him but you, that this will result in a bird who wants nothing but to be quite literally "stuck to you" when you get home at night for the 3 hours you're going to spend with him....And that the bird's "bond", as you describe it or think of it, is going to keep it literally "stuck" to your shoulder all the time and in all situations, thus making you feel that it's alright to not change anything in your household regarding your other pets, the dogs and the cats, because the bird will not ever leave your shoulder, as mentioned it will literally be like a "statue on your shoulder"...And this is your rationale for not having to keep the dogs or cats away from the bird....I hope I'm describing this accurately, as this is what I'm getting from what you are trying to or wanting to achieve, as you've somewhere gotten this idea that a bird's "bond" to "their person" is actually just as I've described, and my fear, or the biggest fear for whatever bird you bring home, is that this idea that you have of what a bird's "bond" is to their person is going to give you a false-sense of security and safety in your home with other potentially dangerous animals.

I don't think you're a bad person at all, I never did. You said that I "flamed you", however I didn't flame you, I just didn't pull any punches with you and attempted to inform you that this sort of "bond-forming training-plan" that you've come-up with is based on this idea that you have of what a bird's bond to a person is, and because that idea of bird's bond to a human is not accurate, you're entire plan to accomplish that goal is not going to work, or at the very least has a great chance of failing...

The fact of the matter is this:
-There is no way to force any bird to bond with one particular person
-The fact that your fiance is going to be home all day, even if she has no contact with the bird, makes what you are wanting to accomplish very difficult, as the bird will absolutely know that people are home in the house, and will know who your fiance is, and this is most-likely going to result in a very loud, screaming bird in a cage, all day long, or at the very least this is a good possibility that you must consider
-You can spend every moment that bird is out of it's cage with it, and it might absolutely hate you, and simply bond with your fiance from afar because she is always around
-Even if the bird "bonds" with you, this has nothing at all to do with the bird being "obedient", which is kind of the way I think you're thinking; A bonded bird is just like a bonded child, they act-out, are loud, and certainly will not be "stuck to your shoulder" at all times while you're walking around, this is not what a "bond" with a bird means at all
-As someone with 2 dogs and 4 parrots (and 8 Budgies) I can tell you that if you don't modify the situation with both your current dogs and cats when the bird is out of it's cage, and while in it's cage if the dogs and cats are allowed to be near the cage, that this is a very dangerous situation for a bird to be in
-Cats are innate, natural hunters, regardless of how nice they are or how they act around other animals, and allowing your bird out of it's cage and in the same room with one or more cats and then dogs as well is eventually going to end badly, as no bird is going to stay on your shoulder because it is "bonded" with you as it's person, that's not what "bonded" to you means

Think of how a young child is "bonded" to his mommy and daddy. Seriously. That's exactly what the bond between a parrot and it's person is like. Obviously just because a child is bonded to it's parent or parents, this does not mean that the child is "stuck" to their parents 24/7, nor does it mean that no one else interacts with the child, nor does it mean that the child doesn't act-out, be loud, get in-trouble, etc. Less-so with a bird. So please don't assume that you will not have to make safety procedures and changes about when the dogs and cats will be allowed out with the bird, and vice versa. Cats and birds do not usually mix at all. I have 2 dogs, one that is fine with my birds, one that is not at all, no matter what I do, and as such he gets put into another room when I have a bird in the room free. It's just not worth the risk. Modifications have to be made, and though different for every home and family, they will have to be made, as the first time your bird flies off of your shoulder may be it's last...

***I guess I'd rather ask you a very serious and pertinent question, a question that you absolutely need to think about, if you haven't already considered...

"What's your contingency plan if whatever bird you bring home does not bond with you like you want it to, but rather with your fiance? What if the bird doesn't like you at all? What if the bird spends all day long inside it's cage screaming and crying?"

I guess the question is, if any of these things happen, which they very likely may, are you open to making the bird a family bird at that point, especially if the bird decides that your fiance is it's person and not you, are you open to that?

This is exactly what I was trying to get at. I don't think a "bonded" bird is what you think it is. I have 2 birds and both are bonded to me and only me but one is a perfect angel and rarely acts our but the other is a problem child who despite much training and despite even more love and attention than he knows what to shake a stick at STILL is not like my other well behaved bird. He flies off my shoulder, he bites and he is moody. But if it comes right down to it if he is scared or hurt or worried he is on me like glue because I'm his safety, his love, his everything. Just because a bird is bonded to you does not mean it will behave in any way you want it to. It's like trying to get a child in it's terrible twos to bend to your every will. Not going to happen. Like I said before, it's your life and you can get a bird if you want and you might just do it but please stick around this forum because I think you'll want help. We all want help and need help and then after that we're able to help others.

 

[Jottlebot]

Ok... I'm in a very similar situation, I work 9-5 5 days a week and travel an hour each way to get there and back. I have weekends off. My husband is home most days working and we have a dog and a cat and a Mynah bird (and snakes in another room, which are irrelevant to this particular issue!).

I wanted a parrot, I had seen the love my husband got from his OWA Charlie who we had for far too short an amount of time. I love my Mynah, but she's a little Madam! So I looked at big macaws... research and reality said nope, eclectus....nope, smaller macaws....research said no to them too. So I found Alexandrines and researched and researched and asked questions and did more research and felt the species was right for me. I liked the size, thought they were beautiful and knew they were 'independent' and known to be able to entertain themselves.

I've had McCoy for 15 months now and we are in love! He is definitely my bird, although my husband did give him space when we got him in the hope that he'd bond with me. He does stay in his cage while I'm at work, but my husband will sit by his cage and chat to him on and off throughout the day and does pay him some attention. When I'm home and he isn't out I sit by him and we do tricks and training and then when we've eaten ( the humans have eaten I mean) he comes out for as long as possible. At the weekend he is out of his cage most of the day some days. When he's out he also has access to an outside aviary.

He is happy and healthy and bright and lovely! He has toys to eat and play with while I'm away, but he's very chilled. He doesn't suffer and his life is in no way cruel.

The only thing I think is unrealistic is walking about your house with your bird and your other pets being generally around. McCoy is only out if the cat is shut out and the dog is in his run outside. Please don't mix other pets (aka predators) and birds. At some point they'll be themselves and someone will get hurt.

Also it's a good point that your bird might not know it's yours and might bond with your fiancé. Charlie was all my husband and McCoy is all me. I'm the one that fed and cleaned and everything else-ed both of them, that's just what they decided (thankfully)!

Good luck with your quest! I think you sound like you've thought about it and made a good choice.