Multiple bird owners...where do they GO?!?

[itchyfeet]

So right now we share a 3 bedroom house with an IRN, RB2 and 'tiel. They sit across a wall in the living room - and take up that wall they sit across.

I tried creating a bird room by switching around the office, but it got dusty, the birds got cranky, and it wasn't ideal for us. Back to the living room.

But, the thing is, my daughter would love a lovebird. She's used to handling the bigun's and is saving $2 a week with great determination. I'm quite happy to supervise/maintain care. She 'could' put him/her in her bedroom - but I'd feel bad that the three amigos would be down in the lounge and this poor lone lovebird somewhere else.

AND then.... I still dream of my one day Grey...and one day, I'll inherit a SC2 - not anytime soon hopefully but I can't ignore the fact either.

So that's what....3 more in the pipeline? but that'd be 6 in a living room that just isn't quite big enough..... it would be overpowering....

(Our house and our yard are disproportionate, smallish house, BIG yard).

So is it a matter of no more parrots until we have a bigger house? Because I rather like our house and our area. And our mortgage! Won't get one this good again! We built a super basic house to coincide with kid 1, so it really has been a labour of time, friendship and love. FAR to attached to move.

Do you guys with many multiples live in massive houses? Where do all the cages go?

Do I split them up between rooms?

Is it possible for any of these birds to live outdoors (warm climate in summer, occasional winter frosts and snows 1 every 3 or so years)? I don't think I could settle with that?

Do I let the birds kind of overtake the furniture? Should I try stacker cages? Are any of these guys actually suitable for stackers? I think I've seen a triple advertised in this country....

Overthinking...AHHHH!

 

[JerseyWendy]

We have an average sized home, and dedicated the 'former' dining room to the birds. Well, that's where the 4 cages are. Since all 4 cages are rather large, especially the big mac cages, there is absolutely no room left in there. :54:

The Java trees are in the kitchen, where our Bistro table USED TO be. :30:

So yeah, I've 'redecorated' a few times to situate the birds just like I wanted to.

I'm personally not a huge fan of stacker cages, but that's just me.

We'll be moving in a couple of years, and you better believe that our new house will have to have room for my flock and their accomodations. LOL.

 

[Flboy]

This should work:
You can remodel the living room.



Oh, and now your garage:

 

[2greenconurestostart]

This should work:
You can remodel the living room.



Oh, and now your garage:

Perfect! I want that too!:04::04:

 

[2greenconurestostart]

Okay seriously now, we are renting and currently have 2 conures, 1budgie and 1 mustache parakeet. We have this room (35 feet long). With a sliding glass door to the outside and a fireplace we don't use. We 2 in there (quarantine period) and 2 in the kitchen. When that period is done, we are thinking of making that the bird room. When we can buy ( just moved to CO and are selling a house in MI) we will be factoring a bird room into our requirements!

 

[OOwl]

I have lived with multiple birds for most of my adult life. My "big" ones live in my living room, where they really love "people watching" all the goings on. They have always lived there (in two different houses) so I wouldn't even attempt to move them. I have a dining table but not the hutch, china cabinet, or service cart. Big cages are more important. My house isn't huge, but just average size.

My parrotlet (and my husband's birds) live in our bedroom (mine in a AA Nina and his in a stacker cage) in front of a huge tri-panel window to the backyard full of wildlife they can (and do) watch, and I have a huge utility room with a big window and my heart-bird, a lovebird, has his cage in front of that window.

I also am slated to inherit someday (also, praying not too soon) a family member's parrot, so I have that challenge to address. Not sure where his cage will go.

I'm excited for your daughter saving for her own little lovebird. I say it often enough, but they are my absolute favorite parrot. When obtained from a good breeder who socialized them correctly through the weaning process, they are some of the most underrated parrots out there. A properly raised one is so different from a untamed or gone-wild one. Not that many breeders raise them correctly because it's not a bird that will make them a lot of money, but there are some that do it out of love for the species. Also, please choose one that has PBFD-tested/cleared parents because that's a species that can carry that virus without showing symptoms. You sure don't want to bring that into a home with Greys or Cockatoos, which are particularly sensitive to it. Good luck! I'll be following your progress.

 

[itchyfeet]

Thanks everyone! It feels more doable now That was my midnight stress to you all lol.
I hadn't considered two lots of birds - I could have the big ones by their wall/window, and move Ethyl into Hollie's room with her lovey. She won't be 'responsible' for Ethyl but they'll still have the company of one another, and it frees up the space for another along that wall.

Owl I'm honestly a little surprised by her choice in lovebird - I had picked she'd go for a Maroon Bellied Conure. But I set her up with an ipad, you tube and the net and left her to it, and that is what she came back with. Just as well really, a macaw was her other favourite! She thinks that's her 'when she grows up and gets married bird' :O!. She's still researching. She's quite taken by the colours of the fischer, and the way hens line their rumps with paper strips, but not sure if she wants a hen yet. There are very few breeders locally so it's going to take a while!

 

[Ann333]

I live in a small 2 bedroom 1 bathroom old house with tiny rooms. Pumpkins cage already took up more space than it should have.... now my bedroom is just that much smaller with two of those cages. I made sacrifices to satisfy my MBS. When we get a bigger house I will want a larger bird, but we will cross that bridge when we get to it.

 

[RavensGryf]

In homes past, I had birds in the living room. Now due to circumstances, the 3 parrots and their cages, including Raven's good sized cage is in my 11x18' bedroom. Not a super small bedroom, but nonetheless doesn't feel too spacious when you have 1/2 of it an aviary lol. Only have room for a small bed with the bedroom furniture and all. Don has to sleep in another room lol.

Raven is so super dusty. He shook off today with light coming from behind him, and I could see a thick dust cloud come off of him. Who says Pionus aren't dusty birds! Day before yesterday he had a deep soaking shower too. It doesn't help. Out of the 3 of them, I know it's mostly Raven's dust. I can dust, and it is literally coated again on everything the next day. I run an air purifier too. I think that being in a bedroom (smaller area than a living room or main part of a house) the dust is substantially more noticeable.

The budgies are in a double flight cage in the back of the living room right now. I feel bad that they can't come out to fly like they used to, but we are taking care of my dad's senior dog (permanently), and she has the highest energy/strongest prey drive of any dog I've ever heard of. Until it becomes possible to rearrange things, everyone will have to be where they are for the time being.

 

[riddick07]

I have stackers as everyone knows already. A lot of it depends on if you have a bird that can handle being in the bottom ones. My Amazon has no problem being on the floor so doesn't mind a lower cage. The cockatiels wouldn't know how to be stressed if their life depended on it since they have been with me so long and used to different situations since before they were weaned. My female cockatiels will put themselves away into their bottom cage at night so they still find that to be a safe place and always go back on their on.

If you wanted a stacker I would go with a double 40x30 since the height is better on those. With a ring neck and their tail height would be a little more important. I switched everyone to stackers mostly because I find normal cages to be a waste of space since my birds never used the bottom half of their cages. If I had overly active birds that used height I would get those cages but I don't. So it just depends on what you will find works for you and the birds.