Let’s have kiss 😘 daddy!

[bocabill]

Louie is just a big baby!

 

[DonnaBudgie]

What's so amazing is that you have TWO of these big boys that are inseparable from each other AND still in want to be this close to you!

Conventional wisdom says birds will always prefer the company of their own kind to their humans, so if you want your bird to bond and stay bonded to you, don't get more than one. Not necessarily. according to Scottie and Louie and my Budgies- I have six that cling to us as their equals.

 

[bocabill]

Yes this is so true! Scottie never gets jealous when his younger brother Louie wants to hog all of the affection by magnetizing himself to me whenever I am. And then when Scottie wants to join in he just flies across the room to my shoulder!

 

[rheashard2]

I am jealous. My CAG refuses to share me! She reacts to parrots (no matter the breed) on TV, pictures, books etc. It's the entire deal; fluffed feathers, pinning eyes, growling. I think it is weird because she ignores other bird types.

 

[bocabill]

She knows what she likes.

 

[JjEjFjF]

I dont mean to be a killjoy but….
When a bird comes into contact with mammal saliva, it can cause them to become ill or worse. This is because mammal saliva contains a bacteria called Streptococcus mutans. This bacteria is harmless to humans, but our birds cannot battle it. Additionally, if we have cuts or sores in our mouths, these can also transmit diseases to birds.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Maybe people can wash their lips before having any kisses and only kiss the outside dry part of the lips.

 

[bocabill]

I have been kissing my birds since 1981 and happy to report that all is well. Perhaps in all this time they have built up a resistance to my bacteria?

To help set the record straight of these confusing issues, we consulted with Dr. Brian Speer, a board certified avian veterinarian, 2000 president of the Association of Avian Veterinarians, and co-author of Birds for Dummies.

Why Mammal Saliva and Birds Don't Mix

Birds mouths are much cleaner than ours. And, ours are much cleaner than say a cat's. When it comes to birds, the most dangerous organism in any mammal's mouth is something called Pasteurella multocida. Once introduced onto or into a bird, Pasteurella multocida can become a "very infectious organism," says Speer, crossing membranes, entering the blood stream, and taking a bird from perfect health to death in as little as one hour.

That means a bird that is attacked by a cat, even if the injuries look minor, can be in serious trouble. The bird's instinct will be to clean the wounds by licking them. Doing so, the bird ingests this dangerous organism and may be starting a chain of events that leads to serious illness and even death.

According to Speer, this same organism can be found to a lesser extent in dog and human saliva. "Unless it's a really wet kiss," chuckles Speer, "It's not a real danger to kiss them." However, he warns that safety precautions should be taken to prevent any cats or dogs (no matter how well-behaved) from "kissing" your pet bird -- even if it does look cute. Sharing food with your bird can also be a bad idea. For example, if you bite off a piece of apple before feeding it to your bird, your saliva is on that piece of food and can be introduced into your bird's system.

"In general, the rule of thumb is that you don't want saliva and pet birds to mix," says Speer. "From an academic sense, there is some risk [to kissing your bird], but I've never seen a sick bird from human saliva. I have seen it with dogs and cats."

 

[JjEjFjF]

I have been kissing my birds since 1981 and happy to report that all is well.

To each his own. I was just saying incase you werent aware.