Hi! I'm Ciklide and I have a few questions about parrots!

[Ciklide]

Hi! I'm a Norwegian 23 year old girl who for a while now have been fascinated by tropical birds and they're behaviors and colors.
Albeit I never owned one! My grandma used to have Zebra Finches in the 90s but that's about it. They weren't tamed and they were always in their cages.

Recently, I bought an homemade birdcage at a garagesale.
First, I thought about having budgies in it, since I have no experience with birds, but now I've seen so many small parrots that I want to learn about!

I understand I can't start with an African Grey, or Ara, nor do I want such a bird. It'd be too much for a newbie like myself.

So I've looked into smaller parrots, and Conures and Meyers Parrot look really nice to me! I recently saw pictures of a yellow Sun Conure. WOW!!

I want a bird that can be tamed and spend time with me outside the cage when I'm not at work. (maybe even join me outside in a harness?) I also have a dog. Does it take time to get a parrot comfortable around dogs?
I understand all birds are different and noisy, but from what I read, Conures and Meyers aren't so bad?

I need your help! First of all, I wonder if my cage is even suitable for such a bird.
It is made of wood and chicken wire. Will the parrots bite this wire off and break out?
The cage is about 1 metre tall and 70 cm wide with a plastic bottom. With some real trees inside. I fell in love with it.

I'm also considering having some plastic plants inside. I suppose the birds would eat any real plants I put inside.

How often do you feed your parrots? How many hours do you have them outside the cages a day and how do your parrots act around visitors ? Are Conures or Meyers normally agressive to visitors?
How often do you take them to the vet and do you have some sort of insurance on them? Do they get sick often?
Should I get a young bird that's already a bit tamed or should I adopt an older one? (I'm thinking it would be easier to get a young bird used to me and to the dog besides I don't want a "travelig trophy" that has had 7 different owners the past 7 years..)

I'm open to other suggestions for other parrots/birds as well! Hit me with all the information and experience you have!

Some info about me that might be usable:
I live in a apartment with my dog (a Rough Collie), above is the cage I'm planning to use and I have no real experience with birds. But I've always had great chemistry with animals and I use months to get into this hobby before I join in. This is why I spend so much time doing research on parrots before getting one. I wanna know everything about the positive sides and the bad sides about being a parrot owner!

Sorry for bad english and hope you can help me! I especially wanna hear from Meyers and Conure owners, but everyone can join in!
Have a nice day!

 

[MonicaMc]

Welcome to the forum!


The cage sounds a little small and may not be ideal for a medium sized species. Depending upon the cage, it may or may not be safe to keep a bird in. (i.e. if the cage is made out of wood, the bird might just chew through it!)


Your pictures didn't come through. Can you try uploading them to the forum itself or uploading them to an image hosting website like Photobucket?


You *could* start with an african grey or a macaw.... if you did the research, you had the space, time and money for one, and you learned how to care for one. I have known owners who started with a larger species! I understand you don't want a larger parrot, I'm just saying that if you did have your heart set for a larger bird, and you understood how to care for them, then it wouldn't be a bad thing if your first bird *was* a large parrot!


Conures, especially the larger ones, *can* be loud! The smaller conures usually aren't too bad, noise wise.



My birds are "free-fed", in the sense that they get food at least once a day to last them throughout the entire day. Their food is replenished daily. Fresh/cooked food is also offered, but only once a day.

Some people do provide 2-3 meals for their birds, and that's ok, too.



Out of cage time varies depending upon the birds and my own schedule. The untame birds don't always come out of their cages but I do normally go around and open all cages when I go to feed them. On days I'm not busy, they are out far more often than on days that I may be busy.



Plastic plants would not be a good idea for parrots! If you were to buy a *safe* live plant, it would be ok to use, as long as the soil is also safe! Yes, they'll probably chew it, but it would be a form of enrichment!


Aggression to visitors really depends upon training. The more socialized they are as youngers, and trained to accept being handled by a variety of people, the friendlier they will be as adults.


I don't have any kind of insurance for my birds but some people do. Other people may have credit cards specifically for their birds, or may even have a savings account that they'll put money into each month or each paycheck to build up an emergency vet fund.

As to how often to take to the vet? That'll vary! Some people will do it as often as twice a year, where-as other people may only go to the vet 'as needed'. When getting a new bird, it is recommended to take them in to an avian vet to ensure they are healthy and to start up a base line exam for future visits.

How often they get sick really depends upon the birds health, environment and care. Even then, it is possible for the best cared birds to still get sick. It happens. Just like humans, no matter how well you take care of yourself, you are still likely to get sick.



Getting an older bird is fine! At least with an older bird, you already know what that bird's behavior is as an adult and that it shouldn't change much. If you were to buy a young parrot, then the young bird's behavior may be completely different compared to their baby behavior! Plus, having to go through hormones and growing up!


Honestly though, it's up to you! If you want a young parrot, get a young parrot! If you end up bonding with an adult, then get an adult!

I have 8 birds currently under my care, 7 of them having had previous homes prior to mine. All 7 have come to me as adults. I have yet to experience the joys of a young, medium sized parrot, but I don't regret having my adults!




BTW, your English is great! Don't worry about it!

 

[Ciklide]

Thank you! So Conures are noisy? Then maybe a Meyer would suit me better.

I don't think I can afford an African Grey or Macaw in the nearest future. But maybe some day, if I really get hooked, I'll get one!

I'll try with the pictures again.

I cant seem to get the pictures in here, so I'll post a link to them instead:

saintspatzz1's Library | Photobucket

The wood is mainly in the roof (suppose I could cover it with wire)
I'll also need to fix a new door.

What live plants are considered bird safe, and why won't plastic plants be a good idea?

The birds health is very important to me. As it will take me four hours to drive to the nearest vet who is really good with parrots.

 

[Sterling1113]

Hello and welcome!
Monica has already given some great advice.
Another thing I'd like to touch down on is most wire(like chicken wire) isn't safe for parrots- as usually it's made from unsafe metals, for the sake of being cheap. Most livestock (Chicken, ducks, etc) don't chew on wire like parrots do so it's not so hazardous for them, but parrots do lots of chewing and use their beaks to climb, so it's best to have a cage that is powder coated safely for parrots, or made entirely of stainless steel(which can get pricey!)
I think there's a thread here somewhere that has a list of safe/unsafe plants, let me go take a look and see what I can find.
(Also, about pictures, if you want to post them directly on to your post, view the image on photobucket that you would like to add, and copy the "IMG" code given for that photo. Then paste it! You can add a total of 10 pictures, including emoticons, per post if I remember correctly.)

 

[Ciklide]

 

[Ciklide]

THERE WE GO!
Hahah thank you!
Aww so I can't use the cage for parrots then

What about Budgies? Can I have Budgies in there?

 

[Sterling1113]

There you go!
I just did a search regarding the chicken wire, and unfortunately most of it is zinc plated and/or galvanized(bathed in chemicals), both of which are toxic. If you can find aluminum or steel ungalvanized chicken wire, that might be better, but for budgies you'd have to make sure it's no bigger than 1/2" spacing else they will escape.(Mesh isn't preferred either, as the holes may be tiny enough to keep out mosquitoes, but a budgie's nail could get caught and hurt themselves trying to get free.)

I also found this website about safe/toxic plants/trees, and then other household hazards : Toxic and Safe Plants/Trees for Birds - Household Poisons

 

[mismi_struck]

If it were me, I would possibly use that cage for outdoor visits, like if you want to read on the porch for a few hours, but taking into account the information Sterling added, possibly not even that. I definitely wouldn't use that as the main home cage. A decent sized cage should only run you $100-$200 - it can seem like quite a bit up front, but it is well worth every penny and will rarely need any repairs or replacing. Another concern I have aside from the parrots simply eating the wood is that the cage appears to be/has been kept outside. I'm not quite a germ-o-phobe, but I would be concerned about bacterias, fungus, pests like mites, etc. with a wooden cage that has been stored outdoors. I'd love to build something similar (but larger) to have as a sort of portable outdoor aviary for my birds that I can break down when not in use (apartment dweller here as well), but materials are very important. There was actually a series of reptile "mesh" cages I was considering using, and then putting a tree/climbing gym inside so they could get some sun and be outdoors without fear of flying off or predators swooping down on them. Just some ideas.

As for what species, go and hang out at some pet stores and see what really calls to you. Cockatiels, parakeets, green cheek conures (somewhat) are all semi-quiet, but keep in mind that any bird can and does have the potential to be LOUD. Treat loud behavior like a toddler throwing a temper tantrum and ignore it and only approach your bird when they're quiet (though peek in on them to make sure they haven't gotten stuck or some random creature hasn't invaded your home - a friend's breeding cockatiels INSIDE her home had ended up with a garter snake in the cage somehow and the male was desperately trying to protect his mate). Sometimes, screaming is a good thing! She was able to save her pair and their young, though it took the male a few days to recover emotionally. The most important thing about picking a bird is the connection you make. Having lost my red bellied parrot a few years back, I was determined that the next bird I got would be another in the Poi family (like the Meyers, though more specifically looking at the Senegal or Jardine). I ended up coming home with a white winged parakeet. Furthest thing from my mind and what I thought I wanted. Being experienced with birds allowed me to make an impulse buy and have me be confident I'd be able to address the concerns of the particular species, but go play, meet some birds, and tell us who captures your heart and will fit in with your lifestyle.

If the natural "tree" look is what really has your attention about that cage, realize that any pet store with a decent bird selection (or even online) will carry manzanita perches, which retain their natural branching and can either come with the bark or have the bark sand blasted off. That will result in a more natural look to the interior of the cage, but you can rest easy knowing that the wood is safe for a bird to chew on and has already been cured of pests (normally baking can assist with this if you choose to use branches you find in your adventures - I'm sure somewhere around here there is a thread on how to prepare your own wood/perches). Somewhat hard to see, but I have two manzanita perches in my gal's cage, one sandblasted and one natural. For info, the cage ran me $220 and many of this style cage come with the stands, as this one did.

 

[BEWolf]

I can see the cage just fine and to be honest, I would not put any parrot in it. They will chew the wood, but the real concern is that none of the wire is safe for a parrot and a budgie is a true parrot. Parrots are time consuming pets as they need to have time with you one on one as well as time out of cage for them to exercise and explore. I have dogs and cats, but you have to be careful if they are in the room where the parrot is. Dogs and cats are predators and parrots are prey, and all it takes is one scratch or bite from a cat to kill a parrot as their saliva is toxic to parrots.
There is a lot to learn about parrots in general and then you get into the different species.

 

[Ciklide]

Thank you! Maybe I'll just keep the cage for show for now, like furnish and then I'll keep som real-life plants in it and maybe some taxidermied birds? That would be cool to.

I picked up the cage at a garage sale, it might have been stored outside I don't know. But I thinkt he whole deal with the wood is that it is supposed to look old and worn.
I started thinking if I removed the chicken wire and replaced it with safe wire maybe it would work, but I kinda like the chicken wire on it.

I still want a bird in the future thou, but I won't keep a live one in this cage.

Thank you so much for all help!

 

[Hotrod]

Hello and welcome! I have a sun conure (named Hotrod) so hopefully I can help you out a little bit. As a kid growing up we always had cockatiels, and I also had a sun conure when I was a kid. I got my current sun conure back at the beginning of February.

Conures that are hand-fed as babies are very friendly. With proper training, you can generally train a conure to be friendly if he isn't already, as they are very smart birds. Even in pet stores and whatnot, I have never met a conure that was mean. I got Hotrod from a family (with cat and dog) who didn't have the time to spend with him. He was already very tame; they hand-fed him as a baby. We have a cat and Hotrod had no problem adjusting to her, but I think it is because he is used to being around them. If she ever gets in my lap while I am holding him, he bows up at her...not sure if it's because he is scared of her, or because he is jealous

I have Hotrod out every morning when I am getting ready for work, and I have him out for a few hours in the evening. I would say he is out of his cage at LEAST 4 hours per day. He has a cage with a playgym on top, and if he isn't on my shoulder he spends a lot of time up there. Hotrod loves visitors, he gets very excited. He is not aggressive toward them at all. Maybe if I had quite a few visitors come over at once he might be scared? Also, when they are going through their hormonal changes they can be slightly more aggressive during that time. Hotrod hasn't really been having that problem (so far at least). I have his wings clipped so i don't have to use a harness when I take him outside, but if you plan on not keeping your birds wings clipped, a harness would be an excellent idea.

Almost all types of conures are known to be noisy birds. They have a very loud screech. Every bird is different, but my Hotrod only lets out a few screeches in the evenings when I get home from work because he is excited to see me, then he calms right down. He will also let out an occasional screech or two here and there. For the most part he just makes his cute little noises. He is completely quiet at night and sleeps all night; as the sun goes down he starts calming down for the day. Seeing as you live in an apartment, you may want to consider a green cheeked conure. They are known to be much quieter than other conures, although I can't give you much information on those because I don't have one. (Random: Just an idea, you can look up Youtube videos of conures to see how they are. It's a great source!

As far as a cage goes, you generally want to get a cage that is 24 inches high and wide, with around 5/8 or 3/4-inch bar spacing. Here is the cage I got for Hotrod. It is 24 inches by 22 inches, which is pretty close to what is recommended for conures. Before this cage, he lived in a smaller cage...he loves this cage and I feel it is plenty big for him. [ame="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002SMC25E/ref=oh_details_o03_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1"]Amazon.com : New Large Play Top Bird Cage Parttot Finch Macaw Cockatoo Birdcages : Pet Supplies [/ame]
Conures love to chew, so I imagine they would chew up any kind of plant in their cage. Also, whatever they make or coat the plastic plants with may be harmful to the bird, especially if there is paint on them. You also have to keep in mind that a lot of live plants are toxic to conures, and you definitely wouldn't want them chewing on those. Here's a couple links.. Toxic and Safe Plants/Trees for Birds - Household Poisons Bird-Safe Houseplants - Plants Safe for Pet Birds This link talks about numerous things toxic to parrots, not just plants: Top Ten Dangers for Birds and Parrots
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I leave Hotrod a 1/4 cup mixture of a Volkman brand seed mix (GREAT brand, they use all natural ingredients), pellets, and dried fruit in his food bowl during the day while I am away. I do offer him fresh fruit, veggie, etc when I am home. With birds, I have learned that variety is key.

Here are some links to some things I have gotten for Hotrod...
His favorite toy: [ame="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002FP1W0/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i01?ie=UTF8&psc=1"]Amazon.com : Wesco Pet Original Bird Kabob Shreddable Bird Toy : Pet Supplies[/ame]

His treats/the fruit dices: [ame="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002AQDXQ/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i02?ie=UTF8&psc=1"]Amazon.com : Vitakraft Super Fruit Cocktail and 20-Ounce Pouch : Pet Snack Treats : Pet Supplies[/ame]

Volkman seed (they make one specifically for conures/lovebirds, I just got this for Hotrod to mix with smaller seeds and because he likes bigger stuff to hold with his foot. Every bird has a different personality.) [ame="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00418QKRO/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1"]Amazon.com : Volkman Parrot 4 Lb : Pet Food : Pet Supplies[/ame]


I really do recommend looking up the different types of parrots your interested in up on Youtube. I did that a lot when trying to decide which parrot to get. Here's a couple for you. Sun conure: [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtLs84nVNO4"]the birds waking up my sister - YouTube[/ame] Sun conure: [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62Vftp9svGU"]Sun conure at Auckland Zoo - YouTube[/ame] Green cheeked conure: [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7kWpKElrl0"]Exotic Birds: Green Cheeked Conure - YouTube[/ame] Meyers: [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahfBz-VqNdU"]Little Rio -- Meyers Parrot - YouTube[/ame]


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[MonicaMc]

It's better if a parrot chews and eats on a real plant that's safe for them and ingests some of it rather than chewing on a fake plant and ingesting that.


Birds can kill themselves if they ingest too much of something that they can't digest.



As mentioned, budgies are parrots, too. Actually, budgies are feathered mice! They *LOVE* to chew! I used to have budgies and they've chewed through a perch, chewed on the wall around the windows, chewed on drywall. They *loved* chewing up some craft sticks.



The cage is far too small, lacking in perches and is unsafe. (as has already been mentioned) If you really like the cage though, I can definitely see it being turned into a center piece! I've seen some neat ideas!

Search Results | Restoration Hardware
Restoration Hardware Birdcage Chandelier the Thrifty Way!


You could turn yours into a coffee table or something like that!




Here's one picture of how I once had my flight cage set up to hold my birds. This was when I was boarding them.

 

[witchbaby]

On top of all the good points that were made, I would like to add that the cage would be impossible to clean. It looks like there isn't a lot of access to the inside besides the small door. If you really like the cage, don't house a parrot in there. The chewing factor has already been mentioned, but bird poop and food flinging would easily destroy it. The trees inside would have to be replaced at some point. It also doesn't look like something you could sterilize and if you bought it at a garage sale, there's no telling where it's been or what it was used for.