full time working single parronts, how do you do it?

[LordTriggs]

So I keep flitting in and out of "yeah parrot time"

I keep getting conflicting info on how much time I need for them. I work 8-5 each day and people say that's too long for any pet. Others say that's more than enough for a single pet. I do want to have some sort of social life and to be able to do basic things like go to the gym and such, I'm just bewildered on how to make things work because the last thing I want is an unhappy pet.

I don't know if others here have been in a similar situation where they want to have a parrot but at the same time want to be able to have friends and to keep their health in check?

 

[itzjbean]

I'm not a single parront but I do work full-time (8-5 club woo!) and have multiple pets that can make it hard to give attention to all of them every day. But they are all like my children so I love them all. I can see your concerns though about having the one pet while being gone all day. When you get a bird, you sort of have to involve them in as much of your life as possible if you want them to stay happy.

So, when you get ready for work in the morning, it would be smart to wake up a few minutes earlier to let your bird out of his cage and serve him breakfast. If you can come home for lunch, that could be another little chunk of time for bird to be out with you while you eat lunch. And when you come home, bird comes out of the cage again to enjoy some dinner with you and roll into the evening. Life does happen, so if you have plans after work, you can let the bird hang out for a bit longer in the morning or over lunch to make up for some time spent going out for drinks or hanging with friends, etc. If you don't get home until very late, (like on a Friday night), it is okay, as long as you make up for some lost time on the weekend with more out of cage time and treats to bribe your parrot not to be mad at you, lol.

So yes, it can work, but it really does mean sort of changing your schedule around to incorporate your parrot into your life whenever you can. it can be time consuming...but the resulting love and affection is worth it!

 

[Jen5200]

I’m in the 8-5 club as well . I have 5 fids. I do as above - get up a bit early, give them some attention before I leave. I can’t get home at lunch, but I always go home directly after work. When making social plans, I simply incorporate a bit of time at home before I go out (granted, I’m not very social but it still happens on occasion lol). I have a large property and outside chores, so I recently bought a pak-o-bird to enable me to take a bird with me while I’m outside (during the summer months) and have often taken the birds out in carriers and set them near me while I’m working outside and we converse and chatter (good thing no close neighbors, they’d think I’m nuts). I purposely schedule some activities for after the birds go to bed. Mine have large cages and toys changed every few days - since I cannot get home at lunch and I want them to have space to fly and play. They have radio playing while I’m gone too. It’s not perfect, but I don’t think there’s a perfect system. Everyone seems happy and engaged, so I think it’s working okay. I don’t feel deprived and the birds get 2+ hours out every weekday with more time out of cage on the weekends.

 

[noodles123]

Lots of weekend time, get bird out before and after work and live your other life after they go the bed lol (establish a very structured schedule of light/dark etc)---it isn't enough for all birds, and I feel guilty a lot.

 

[Inger]

I'm a member of the 7-4 club myself, with about a one hour commute each way. I can barely get myself out of the house in the morning, and I want to get Bumble as close to 12 hours of sleep as possible (she gets more like 10-11), so I leave her cage covered until the last minute. I'm pretty much a homebody, so I usually go straight home after work, change into clothes I don't care if she eats, and let her out right away. She hangs out with me until bedtime, sometimes on my shoulder while I do whatever I need to do, sometimes she flits off to do her own thing, and sometimes we have focused play/training time (we need to get back in that habit every day), and then she goes to bed around 7. Sometimes I keep her up late because I'm selfish and I want to spend more time with her. Now that it gets dark so early, this is more difficult because she gets drowsy as the sun goes down and cranky (i.e. bitey) shortly thereafter. If I go out, I try to arrange it so it's after she is covered for the night. When I occasionally work in the location 5 minutes from home, I will go home and play with her at lunch time and of course I'm home earlier. When I got her, I worked out of that location three days a week and only 30 minutes away the other two, so she did originally get more time.

So now she gets usually 2ish good hours out of cage time per day. She has a million toys - I don't rotate them as quickly as others because it often takes her several weeks to decide to play with recent additions, so probably every couple of months I will swap them out, or maybe one here and there in between. I leave the radio on for her all day.

On weekends, I have my Chihuahua with me (I share custody with my boyfriend) so she actually comes out of her cage less, but I only have 2 rooms and the cage is on castors so she's always in whatever room we're in.

I wish I could give her more, but she seems happy and she's healthy and she loves me and I love her and I do the best I can. She gets high quality expensive pellets, I make chop in big batches and freeze it and then I add fresh veggies and a little fruit to it, so she eats a lot better than I do. She's living a pretty decent life so I try not to spend too much time feeling guilty about it.

(related: today is my first day back to the distant office since my surgery - I was medically accommodated by working from home and then the closer office until now, so this is the longest I've been away from her in 6 weeks AND I REALLY MISS HER!)

 

[clark_conure]

Lord triggs that's not an reason thats an excuse, any bird you adopt would be lucky to have you and your wealth of information.

I work 12 hour shifts, but I work nights because I prefer it so clark sleeps basically all the time I'm away, then he just has to put up with me taking a six hour nap in the middle of his "day".

I know as soon as you get home the bird will be on you all evening long so it it is totally a non issue. Find the bird you are looking for....wait my bad...
Find the bird that picks you and adopt it, you will provide a better home than the next person in line will, I know it.

 

[clark_conure]

so lordtriggs..out in the parrot adopting pool again or? it's been a while....

 

[Inger]

so lordtriggs..out in the parrot adopting pool again or? it's been a while....

He’s right. Ignore the novel I wrote and get a birb, Triggs!!!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[ChristaNL]

Not working fulltime, but crashing almost on a daily base for a few hours in the afternoons (thanks to that damned tick that got me a quarter of a century ago ) ... parrots will adapt.
I also keep them a bit past their bedtimes some evenings, but they've all taken siestaas with(out) me anyway.

(I know the drill: UNinterrupted sleep is the best, but sometimes you just have to make do)



It probably helps to have more birds - even if they can't stand each other - there is still someone else "home" with them.

 

[ToMang07]

I work a 12hr shift, 3-4 days a week. Plus ~ 1.5 hours driving time.

That said, WHEN I have to leave Willow alone all day, She gets (minimum) 1.5 hours out in the morning, 1.5 hours out before bed, and she's in her bigger cage, loaded with food, water, toys, and a radio to listen too. Plus a heated perch and a HUGE picture window with a mountain view.

Is it ideal? Of course not. But it occasionally happens. Most of the time I have either my brother (who lives with me) around who handles her and gives her time out, and when my mother isn't out-of-state she'll come over when she can to birdy-sit.

 

[SailBoat]

Sounds more like you are not yet settled in your mind and life, and still not sure where or what you want to do! As you have seen over the time you have been a member here, people who obtain Parrots and do not have the time to commit to them either have behavioral problems of the Parrot, their own wants to be elsewhere or latent underlying fears.

Address your real questions, the ones that set just outside of what you are questioning. Become comfortable with them and you can then define the direction you wish to proceed.

 

[Sunnyclover]

LTriggs: I think you'll be able to 100% make it work and your bird will be very happy. I know you'll spend lots of time on the weekend with him or her and like others have said you can do stuff like let your bird get ready with you in the mornings and then in the evening you can get in your jammies with your bird by your side. I would personally like to see you get an avian companion this Christmas or sooner!

 

[itchyfeet]

So I keep flitting in and out of "yeah parrot time"

I keep getting conflicting info on how much time I need for them. I work 8-5 each day and people say that's too long for any pet. Others say that's more than enough for a single pet. I do want to have some sort of social life and to be able to do basic things like go to the gym and such, I'm just bewildered on how to make things work because the last thing I want is an unhappy pet.

I don't know if others here have been in a similar situation where they want to have a parrot but at the same time want to be able to have friends and to keep their health in check?

I reckon, that you being you - you'll have the intensity to make it work. I'm not saying that as a positive, or as a negative. I'm saying that you'll figure it out.
I would only suggest that you went for a touch friendly parrot (prob not an IRN)
and harness trained him/her properly and effectively. Then, said parrot can join in with your social life as appropriate - you might feel less 'hemmed in' by your parrot.

My parrots are entertained by the dog, cat and view out the window. (dog and cat firmly outside the cages, but come when the parrots call them). Then, when home, they are entertained by our bonkers household. Their playstand is by their cages, there are tree branches that hang off the roof, and they are a well bonded flock. Spending time with them is sometimes just opening the cage doors so they can share one another's company, or moving them into whatever room I am working in. I know our domestic situations are very different. Quite frankly, my household os overstocked. But all my animals are happy! And my kids are happy, and my husband is happy. Ya just...ya know. Make it work. No-one has a crystal ball. Mum relied on disney movies for her lot. The Galah would go mad when his favorite scene from Frozen was coming up....

If there is a chance life will be far more certain in a year, wait a year.
If you don't see much changing, don't fall into the trap of analysis paralysis. If you're holding back, why? Are parrots the passion you think they are, or is something else missing from your life?

Stay on the forum. Remember your starting outish. Don't be afraid of asking for help. If someone local takes an interest in your bird, get 'em involved! I can holiday now for this very reason.

(disclaimer...typing under the influence Hope it makes sense).

 

[LordTriggs]

well nothing 'definite' yet but I am gonna have a look at a couple 'pet shops' at the end of the month and see if anything happens

 

[LaManuka]

Oh M’Lord I wish you every success with your new baby should you decide to take the plunge again!

 

[LordTriggs]

yeah, just gotta see if anyone decides to hop in my lap! Fingers crossed at least one will. I've had 2 practically wild cockatoos at a sanctuary/zoo type place near me both decided I was interesting and gave my hand a preen through the bars in their aviary so shouldn't be too hard for one to choose me

 

[Kiwibird]

When I worked full time out of the home, I dedicated my nights until birdie bedtime to Kiwi, then I had a social life, food shopped or whatever else after 8pm. Mornings I woke him up early to shower with me then fed/let him eat his breakfast while I ate mine, then filled foraging before work. Used weekends to make toys and do deeper cleaning than during the week and also spent most of my weekend days hanging out with him. I've never been single and had Kiwi but my husband doesn't help care for him at all and while he does play with and like Kiwi, he has always been my bird/my responsibility. That was the agreement for me to be able to get him

P.S. You'll do just fine as a bird owner!

 

[chris-md]

Working a regular full time job absolutely does not preclude parrot ownership, nor does it require any particular adaptations. Just pull the bird out in the morning for a bit, and out fo cage when you get home.

It’s plenty of time. And remember: it doesn’t all have to be undivided attention. For a lot of bird, simply being around you while you are otherwise engaged is more than enough for at least half the together time.

 

[chris-md]

Unless you get a cockatoo. Then your SOL.

 

[TiredOldMan]

Unless you get a cockatoo. Then your SOL.

Absolutely the truth!