Need help with adult decision making

[IndySE]

Need help making a smart, adult decision about bringing an animal into my life.

Initially I told myself I wasn’t going to go for a Green Cheek Conure. I love and adore them, but they require so much attention I’d be scared I couldn’t alone provide enough. Cue chance encounter in a local pet store where I met Kermit. Kermit is an 11 week old baby GCC and super friendly! He was named by the staff because of a cute little ribbit sound he makes instead of a normal squawk. He loved getting pet through the cage bars and even let me rub his beak :] ! It was love at first sight… I had met a few other GCC but none were so outgoing or interested in me as he was. My mom was in love with him too. I visited him again today this afternoon and he was such a grump haha. He was aggressively smooshing his head against the bars, trying to get me to let him out. The staff apparently is trying to teach him to eat his vegetables but won't eat anything but corn. So they've been trying to leave him alone till he's a good boy and eats his veggies XD So cute, I can tell he'd be a handful but so worth it.

The pet store itself is a small mom and pops place and you can tell everyone adores the animals. They only had a total of three birds in the entire pet store and their focus was quality over quantity. Even their budgies were adorable happy lil grumps. I’ll still look further into the place, but so far I feel pretty good about them as a store with the only major complaint being that their products are a little expensive.

Now as wooed as I am, I promised myself after my budgie Jack never to bring a bird into my life on impulse. I have been researching GCC specifically for approx. two months. There are a few things that make me feel uncertain on whether Kermit is a smart decision…

1) I am a full-time college student with a part-time internship and potentially a part-time job next school year. I am confident I can commit at least two hours in the morning with Kermit while still maintaining a 12 hour sleeping cycle for him. My family would also be involved. I know GCC are social birds and I think he would enjoy the attention from multiple family members. I will only go forward if everyone is 100% on board and recognizes the commitment. On top of that I am home much of this summer, which would give me plenty of time to acclimate and train Kermit to his new home.
2) My terrier X___X I’ve posted about her before. She’s a terror to small animals and can’t be trusted around anything small and moving. She’s a handful and we already are paranoid/attentive about her bolting out the door onto the main road. She’s also spoiled rotten and may not like having to compete for attention (since the bird and dog cannot ever in a million years be out together!). I don’t think I’d ever leave the two alone in the same room even with the bird in the cage, in fear the bird might somehow figure out how to escape and the unspeakable happens. The bird would be in a large flight cage (which I would reinforce with locks and what-not) in the main area during the day and safely tucked away in a sleeping cage in my room at night. If we were to step out, the dog would be locked away in a small room (we’ve done this before). I am hopeful after a few weeks of excitement the dog will eventually lose interest and I could hopefully correct her with a squirt bottle if it gets really bad.

Beyond that, I realize this conure is not a pet for a few months or even a few years. They are a lifetime commitment and can live 20-40 years. That idea makes me really happy because I get so attached to my animals and so emotionally devastated when they pass. He would be a life-long friend that would come with me after I move away from home. I also know they go through hormonal changes and won’t always be sweet cuddly little beebs. That’s fine too and I respect an animal’s space and body language. I’ve heard good things about teaching target training and intend to teach it to help with awkward hormone times.

Is there anything blaringly obvious or concerning I am missing here? I already have many of the supplies and simply need to sanitize and set up. I won’t rush into any decisions but I just need to hear all the hard questions I may not have asked yet.

Thanks !

 

[Flboy]

Don't know what to tell you! My JoJo is my life! I went through major anxiety attacks when I first got her! I watched our first killed because I couldn't move fast enough! Buried 2 others, for friends, under the same cercomstances. I also know, if I give JoJo the proper life, she will outlive me!
So, it's like having human children, if you wait until you are 100% ready, you will live a lonely life!

 

[IndySE]

Thank you Flboy. Life isn't ideal and I normally err on the side of caution so this is good advice to consider. Jojo is gorgeous too <3 What a pretty girl.

 

[Terry57]

I think it is wonderful how much thought you are putting into whether it is the right time to add a Fid to your family. If your family is on board, and willing to help out with Kermit, I think you can make it work.
I would say that your dog may never lose interest...my Peke is way too interested in my flock, even after a few years. As long as you are careful, and it sounds like you have that figured out as well, you can make that work too.
It truly warms my heart to think of the lucky bird who will share your life.

 

[IndySE]

Thank you Terry I've talked with my family about it. Dad is excited to share his guitar music with the bird and my mom likes the idea of having a TV buddy. I'll just have to see what my brother makes of the idea, but I think he'll go for it.

So far the only problem is the dog. I don't want her to get jealous, but she naturally will if she's separated from the family while the bird is out. Peaceful coexistence might be a bit much to ask for from them... my overall concern is safety, but emotional needs are just as important. My mom suggested leashing the dog but allowing her in the same room while the bird is out. Personally having them breathe the same air makes me nervous LOL.

Thoughts on wing clipping here? I usually liked having my budgies fully flighted and since Kermit is so young, I'd want him to develop his wing muscles. However if both he and the dog were hanging out in the same area, I wouldn't want him to fly towards the dog (which I know he would, being inquisitive). At the same time, in emergency situations I would want him to have the ability to get away properly if he needed to D:

I have the misfortune of this dog being a good hunter too :< She's caught flies before and once a duck (though we intervened and the duck got away just fine !).

 

[BIRDIGIRL]

It looks like your only worry is the dog so why not make the time that the dog spends in the roon away from you and your new bird a special time with treats in a kong that she /he has to work at to get to so it passes the time in a pleasant manner for the dog, or give it a chew that the dog likes, one that will last through the time that you spend with the bird, also place some toys in the room that the dog enjoys...in other words make the room a place the dog likes to be and make him work and do a sit or whatever tricks to earn the priviledge of enjoying the treats in the room and make them healthy treats and bear in mind that you have fed him x amount in treats when you go to feed him so he doesnt gain too much weight ...if you work on this with your dog for short spells in the room at first 10 mins at a time or even less to begin with and then extend the time, you will find that your dog will learn to love those special trips to the room and will feel the room and its contents are his reward...never make the riom seem like he is being punished or shut away make it s place he loves and enjoys.
Best of Luck with uour mew GCC if you decide to get him...Kermit sounds like he is Adorable and well done for thinking the whole thing out so thoroughly ....I cant think of any question you have left unasked of yourself...you will make a great Paront

 

[Terry57]

I completely keep my dogs in a separate part of the house as I know they can't be trusted at all. All it takes is one second and a tragedy can occur. I'm sure my dogs would rather be with me all day, but they are fine having some time away from me as well. I spend a couple of hours with the birds, then spend a couple of hours with the dogs. I know others can have a happy balance with birds and dogs in the same room, but mine are just too prey driven for that.

As far as clipping, if you are going to have Kermit in the same room as your fogs, please do not clip. Kermit would need to be able to fly in case he needs to escape from the dog if the worst happened.

 

[IndySE]

Hey all thank you for the amazing feedback.

Here's an update on the situation !

I went with my family to visit Kermit and everyone is smitten with him My dad wanted to get him right then and there LOL. The cage hasn't been properly cleaned in ages and I don't have nearly enough toys (tho I did get this really awesome grapevine perch c: ). The petstore Kermit is at is very small and there wasn't a lot of selection. I may stop by Petco since they have better selection.

We also brought Flower, the terrier mix, to see what she made of him. As expected she did not react well. She started panting heavily and becoming hyper-fixated on him. I worked a little bit with her by having her walk by the cage without her looking at the birds at all and she did good with that, but you could still tell she was tense since she was still panting. I really want to take Kermit home now, but I'm just hoping I have enough to work with here with Flower. Her prey drive is just so strong D:

I want to clean the cage I have today. It was used previously by my parakeet who passed away and I want to make sure everything is good to go for Kermit. I wanted to get the grapeseed oil extract to sanitize, but couldn't find it at the petstore. I'm not bold enough for bleach LOL. I want to clean the cage bars with hot water and original scent dawn soap, rinse, wash with vinegar, then rinse again. I plan to run the toys I have thru the rinse cycle of the dishwasher (after having an initial rinse cycle of nothing to clear out any gook). Does that sound like a good plan of attack?

 

[snowflake311]

Get the bird! You are going to College right? You will most likely be out on your own in a year with your own apartment finding a place that takes birds is easy compared to finding a place that takes dogs. Is the dog a Family pet? So the dog will stay with your parents? Also when in college you will have time for the bird as long as you don't want to party all the time. You can have the bird out when you are reading of studying. It will work out great.

As for High prey drive dogs. I have a Shepherd mix that is a killer mainly of rodents. I can not have a rodent we watch a hamster for a friend. My dog would see it and shake. Since I got my dog cookie I have ALWAYS discouraged chasing birds on hikes and walks. I knew someday I would want a bird again. So my dog is not as intense about the bird. I still do not trust her. I keep them apart BUT she knows to be calm around the bird. If she looks at the bird too long I say Leave it and she looks away. Does your dog know Leave it? You need to teach that. Also if she is looking at the bird in a way I don't like I make her lay down. This is all when the bird is in the cage. I let Cookie into the room where the bird is in the cage and reward he for ignoring the bird and being calm. My dog also knows GET OUT. So if she happens to sneak in a room I can tell her get out and she will leave.

It is not easy and it suck when you have to separate your dog from you and your bird. My other dogs in the past where not like Cookie. They were fully bird friendly. My little dog a pom mix was on the couch with the bird and could care less about it. Some dogs learn that it is part of the pack and don't mind the bird. While others can NEVER EVER be trusted. My dog cookie I can not trust. Maybe when she is old.

Train Leave it. when on walks DO NOT allow her to react to wild birds. I use the wild birds to train my dog. It helps. When working with your pet bird. Only allow your dog to see the bird in the cage IF the dog is mellow I think rewarding the dog for ignoring the bird is helpful. Soon the dog will get bored of the bird being in the cage and will not be so intense. It is like they get desensitized to the bird even being around.

I still would never trust the dog always be extra careful. Make sure you do work with the dog as much as you can. The key is get your dog to ignore the bird. I think training and working with the dog is very important. What if something does happen? You want to know your dog has some training that can help you get control of a situation. When I first got my dog she killed a Robin that was slow and sickly. She was disciplined for that. Use wild bird for training it helps a lot.

 

[IndySE]

Thanks Snowflake Yes Flower is a family pet and will stay with the family after I move out in a few years. But the bird will be with me forever XP Some days I will be home more than others as a college student. My major's pretty intense. But I'm a firm believer that you make time for the things that are important c:

Flower is actually well-trained and well-behaved in controlled situations. She knows 'leave it', 'drop it', 'sit', 'stay', 'get back', 'fix your feet', and 'down' off the top of my head. She works herself in a frenzy around birds though I once brought her over to my friend's house, who has chickens in a coup, and she spent the entire 2 hours running and panting by the cage. I had to stop by the petstore again to pick up a crate and more bird toys. We passed the parakeets and she did ok. Still kinda a mess but it appears she can be redirected a little? My long-term goal is to just make sure she can ignore the bird while its in the cage and be in a calm happy state. That's all I want.

I will try to use some wild birds if I get the chance ! We live near the beach so there's plenty of sea gulls running about. In the past I have let her chase them because she is a terrier and that's what terriers do, but perhaps its a good learning opportunity as well.

In the meantime, I think the bird will live mostly in my room. I can keep the dog out of there and the dog still gets her roam of the house. If I can train the dog to a point where she's calm, I will try to move the bird downstairs into the main area.

Now I'm just disinfecting everything I own o___o

 

[psychocircus91]

You've received a lot of good advise already. Good luck and keep us updated!

 

[IndySE]

Here's my set-up so far

It's a little bare-bones, but I'll be adding more toys. I'm not 100% thrilled with the platforms. They came with the cage but I feel like there could be some risk with injury? Also I'll have to keep an eye on the ladder to make sure to remove it when he chews through it XP His wings are clipped at the petstore and I feel like his balance isn't too great so I'm hoping this isn't too overwhelming and he has plenty to climb on.

I'm hoping he's still available when I stop by today heh ^^;

 

[Terry57]

I am so excited that your family fell in love with Kermit too! I think he is going to be a lucky guy to be joining your family. When are you bringing him home? Sounds like your Dad is ready!

 

[Terry57]

That looks like the same cage that my CBC, Phoe, is in. He is plucked and loves the platforms, we have ours set up differently with the long platform running flat against the back of the cage, and the small one on one end supporting the long platform.
You can kind of make it out in this picture, the cage is on the right of the picture and the platforms are lower left in the cage.

Fingers crossed that Kermit is there today!!

 

[IndySE]

Not sure when I'll be bringing him home but hopefully some point today if someone hasn't snatched up the cutie pie already ! I admit I've been pretty nervous the last few days and want to make sure I'm doing everything right, so I've been maybe a lil bit more hesitant than I should haha. I spent a few hours meticulously scrubbing down the cage with water, then white vinegar, then twice with water again. I also used poop-off on the grate of the cage since the last occupant left some keepsakes from his stay (hint, its poop xD).

Ohh what a fun set-up Terry. I love that there's toys in every square inch. I ordered my cage off amazon so I imagine its very popular :] I'm sure the cage layout will change as I get a sense of what he likes the best xP

 

[GaleriaGila]

Indy... I wish ALL bird-lovers would be as smart and humble and serious as YOU are!
I got the Rickeybird when I was in college. 32 years later, we're still makin' it work!
Good luck to you and your family and Kermit!!!!

 

[IndySE]

I brought Kermit home today Ride was a little stressful but he handled it like a champ!

For now he is set up in a smaller cage. His balance hasn't quite kicked in yet and he's still clipped. When I'm supervising I'll have him in the larger cage for longer and longer till I'm confident he knows how to handle himself. We cuddled earlier for a good ten minutes. It could have gone longer but I wanted him to get used to his new cage ! I also let him hang out in his big cage and he loved it... didn't want to leave LOL XP

I'll post pictures soon when the green demon is okay with me leaving him for a bit. I'm not sure who's training who at this point xD;

 

[GaleriaGila]

A new family has been formed!!!!!!!!!!!
YAYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[IndySE]

Here's Kermit in his temporary set-up. Cage is small, but no one fret since this is just for a few weeks till he can graduate to his big boy cage ! In the meantime I'll put in some more little highways into his big cage so that when he's ready for it, it will be nice and easy for him to get around. The people at the petstore really liked him, you could tell they'd miss him, so he'll be going for visits I'm sure once he's settled.

I guess that about wraps this thread up? I'll start a new thread up soon introducing Kermit. Thanks all for your help and support <3

 

[Terry57]

Congratulations!!! I'm so excited for you and Kermit Looking forward to your new thread and more pictures once he settles in